Nicole D. Avant, Pharm.D., BCACP currently serves as the assistant professor of the University of Cincinnati Division of Experience-Based Learning & Career Education. Previously, she served as the clinical assistant professor and chief diversity officer for the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy where she was hired as the first black woman faculty member at the College and the only black faculty member.  

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Dr. Avant earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001 and her Doctor of Pharmacy Magna Cum Laude from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012. She then completed two years of post-graduate residency training at the University of Oklahoma (OU).

 

She has close to two decades of experience teaching students of all ages. During her training at OU, she acquired foundational and advanced teaching certificates. She has taught Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities and Inclusive Leadership in Health .     

 

She has clinical experience in multiple practice settings from pharmacist-run clinics to inter-professional clinics. She has managed diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, HIV/AIDS, and warfarin therapy.   In addition to her clinical experience, she has held many national leadership positions. Currently, she serves as the treasurer for the National Pharmaceutical Association.  

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In addition to teaching, leadership, and clinical accomplishments, Dr. Avant is working on several research initiatives involving inclusion such as microaggressions and implicit bias in pharmacy. She has delivered national presentations such as Facilitating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom, 5 Critical Pressures for Diversity in Pharmacy, and Inclusive Leadership.

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Dr. Avant has received several awards. She has been named by Cincinnati's YWCA and University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy as a Rising Star.  She has also been recognized twice by the University of Cincinnati Darwin T Turner for her hard work and dedication to student academic achievement. She has received awards from the University of Cincinnati Black Faculty Association for academic excellence.

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Dr. Avant is not work all the time. During her free time, she enjoys competitively playing games, weightlifting, hanging out with loved ones, dancing, happy hours, music, and travelling. She has 1 daughter and 3 sons that can be easily described as brilliant, strong-willed, curious, leaders, progressive, sensitive, unique, funny, and dynamic. Her husband’s ideation complements Dr. Avant’s strategic thinking and vision for a more equitable world.

 

Dr. Avant wants to be known as an intersectional scholarly activist advocating for the rights of marginalized groups especially in the context of health. Dr. Avant grew up in financially divested neighborhoods and has had to overcome many obstacles navigating urban environments and predominately white environments. Through life experiences, Dr. Avant realizes that for true equity to be achieved, we must first become aware of self and aware of the experiences of others.