Dr. Roland N. Dickerson received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1979 and received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee in 1982. He completed an ASHP-accredited residency in hospital pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia in 1980 and an ASHP-funded fellowship in pharmacy nutritional support at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1983.

Before joining the faculty of The University of Tennessee in 1992, Dr. Dickerson was Clinical Pharmacist, Nutrition Support at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia from 1983 to 1988. From 1988 to 1992, he was a full time faculty member of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science).

Dr. Dickerson is a board certified nutrition support pharmacist and provides nutrition/metabolic support services to adult patients at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis and University of Tennessee/William F. Bowld hospitals. He also serves as a clinical consultant for citizens requiring specialized nutrition support at Arlington Developmental Center (a state-funded institution for patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities).

His research interests include various aspects of metabolic support in the critically ill with specialized expertise in indirect calorimetry. New research directions include the use of simulated biological systems (artificial intelligence) in metabolic support and nutrient needs of adult patients with severe cerebral palsy. He has been recognized for research excellence through the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. Dr. Dickerson has served on the editorial boards of Nutrition, Nutrition in Clinical Practice, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, and Hospital Pharmacy. Dr. Dickerson has held leadership appointments with various nutrition and pharmacy societies and currently serves as senior advisor to the Pharmacy Practice Section of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Dr. Dickerson has twenty years of didactic and experiential teaching experience as a full time or adjunct faculty member.  Therapeutic areas taught include gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, vitamins and minerals, specialized nutrition support, fluid and electrolytes, acid-base disorders, and applied therapeutics.