VCU School of Pharmacy

Larvell Davis is Director of Technology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. He leads the school’s technology strategy, infrastructure, and support operations. His career spans IT leadership, enterprise technology, digital transformation, and the development of technology solutions that support education, research, and administration.

Transforming Academic Healthcare

Effective digital transformation in an academic healthcare environment means ensuring that technology evolves alongside the way healthcare professionals are being educated and ultimately practicing.

At the VCU School of Pharmacy, we are preparing the next generation of pharmacists for careers that extend well beyond traditional retail pharmacy into clinical practice, research, industry, and other emerging areas. As pharmacy education changes, our technology strategy has to change with it.

For example, pharmacists increasingly work directly with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals across multiple clinical settings. They need secure access to applications, patient information, and computing resources wherever they are working. We have expanded beyond a traditional desktop computing model by exploring virtual computing environments that can provide access to resources such as GPU computing, research applications, and electronic health record training environments from virtually anywhere. This allows users to access powerful computing resources while applications, storage, security, and updates remain centrally managed.

We have also transformed several of our computer labs into virtual desktop environments. This allows PharTech to centrally manage operating systems, application deployment, patching, and computing resources across labs in Richmond and at our Inova campus in Northern Virginia. Students receive a consistent computing experience throughout the semester regardless of which workstation they use.

Artificial intelligence is another important part of that transformation. We have worked with faculty to develop AI guidance that supports responsible use, introduced tools such as NotebookLM, educated students about appropriate use of AI chatbots and institutional data, and hosted discussions around responsible AI use. We are also exploring applications that allow students to interact with virtual patients and practice clinical decision-making in more realistic environments.

Ultimately, digital transformation is not about implementing technology for technology’s sake. It is about giving students, faculty, researchers, and clinicians better tools to improve education, research, and ultimately the patient experience.

Aligning Technology with Users

For us, one of the most important components of technology decision-making is listening.

We regularly gather feedback from our stakeholders and have also created a PharTech Suggestion Box, accessible by QR code throughout the School, so students, faculty, and staff can provide feedback whenever they encounter an issue or see an opportunity for improvement.

I also chair our internal Technology Advisory Committee, which includes representation from teaching and research faculty, staff, and students. That provides us with another important forum for understanding priorities and evaluating technology from multiple perspectives.

“At the end of the day, successful technology leadership is not measured simply by the systems you implement.”

Higher education also requires us to be creative with resources. We do not always have the budgets available in the corporate sector, so technology leaders are frequently challenged to accomplish more with less. That has not prevented us from innovating. Strong partnerships with other technology organizations across VCU have created significant opportunities for collaboration and cost savings.

For example, we are exploring greater use of the University’s AWS infrastructure for application development and hosting. Our virtual desktop strategy has also allowed us to rethink the traditional computer replacement model and deploy endpoint hardware at a fraction of the cost of traditional workstations in some environments.

Leading through Technology Change

The most important lesson I have learned is that technology change is ultimately about people.

I am fortunate to lead a talented team of lifelong learners. Part of my responsibility is creating opportunities for them to develop new skills while still delivering the services our organization depends on. When people understand the purpose behind a change and have an opportunity to help shape the solution, they are much more likely to embrace it.

Change will always create some level of resistance. My role as a leader is to create an environment where experimentation and learning are encouraged, while maintaining clear expectations around service and outcomes. I also believe leaders have to remain willing to roll up their sleeves. Leadership does not mean distancing yourself from the work; sometimes it means helping your team think through a difficult problem and working alongside them when necessary.

Emerging Technologies in Pharmacy

Artificial intelligence, virtual computing, simulation, and cloud technologies will continue to have a significant impact on academic pharmacy.

We already use platforms such as MyDispense to provide students with realistic pharmacy practice experiences and CORE ELMS to support experiential education and interactions with preceptors. We are also evaluating emerging technologies that could support virtual patient interactions, drug information and comparison, molecular design, medicinal chemistry, and molecular docking.

Infrastructure is equally important. We have modernized classrooms at both our Richmond and Inova locations and strengthened network connectivity to support synchronous instruction between campuses. Improved infrastructure also allows our technical teams to remotely prepare and deploy equipment using network-based and zero-touch processes.

Our approach is to continually listen to faculty and researchers, understand the problems they are trying to solve, and then determine whether emerging technology can make that work more effective.

Building Future Technology Leaders

Have a genuine dedication to people, not just technology.

Higher education gives technology professionals an opportunity to become part of the journeys of students, faculty, researchers, and staff. The infrastructure or application your team delivers may support research that ultimately improves or saves lives. The technology you provide students may help prepare them to become better healthcare professionals.

Focus on those outcomes.

Higher education also gives leaders an incredible opportunity to build people. Employees may eventually leave for new opportunities, and that should not diminish the investment you make in them. I still communicate with former employees who have gone on to do great things, and seeing their growth is incredibly rewarding.

Be as committed to the development of your team as you are to your own career. Continue learning, remain curious, help your team work through challenges, and never become too senior to roll up your sleeves when the situation calls for it.

At the end of the day, successful technology leadership is not measured simply by the systems you implement. It is measured by the people you develop, the organization you improve, and the mission you help advance.