Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics faculty are committed to impactful, diverse and innovative programs of scholarship focused on drug discovery and drug delivery. We strive to maintain a creative and supportive environment to train the next generation of biomedical/pharmaceutical scientists and healthcare professionals.
-Jonathan A Doorn, Department Chair
Faculty
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics faculty teach courses at all levels of education at the University; undergraduate, graduate, and the Doctor of Pharmacy (professional) program. Faculty also are heavily involved in research, including collaborative research. Secondary faculty are from other colleges at the University, including the Carver College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, and College of Engineering. Graduate students come from all 50 states and numerous countries.
Graduate Programs
The Drug Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics PhD program features drug discovery and the development of novel therapeutics. Participants in medicinal chemistry learn to conduct research in new synthetic methodologies to construct anti-infective, anti-cancer, and anti-viral agents. The program prepares students for fulfilling and financially rewarding careers in academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, regulatory agencies, and government.
Pharmaceutics is the scientific discipline that studies how to develop novel drug entities, which may range from small organic molecules to large proteins or nucleic acids and even cells, into safe and effective drug products used by patients and caregivers to treat or prevent disease. Students in our program are prepared through rigorous coursework, extensive independent research training, and a series of professional development opportunities for impactful careers in pharmaceutical sciences that directly influence healthcare on a global scale.
Research
Drug Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics research in the College of Pharmacy incorporates drug uptake in the brain, solving skin puzzles to benefit vulnerable people, clues to stop neurogenerative disease, and drugs to battle cancer. Other areas include; biomarker discovery and validation, drug target identification and pharmacology, and High Throughput Screening of small molecules for drug discovery.
Pharmaceutics faculty are actively engaged in solving critical healthcare challenges related to, mechanisms of drug absorption, physiologic distribution, and elimination; improved therapeutic performance through targeted drug delivery or alternative routes of administration; material discovery and development; compatibility and optimization for formulation design; and materials processing for improved drug product manufacturing.
Two signature events are held annually for the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics program. Both allow the department family a chance to come together and celebrate its students.
- Graduate Student Recognition Event -- The goal of this spring celebration is to recognize achievements of the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics department and its students, and to further encourage students in their pursuit of scholarship. Three awards are given: teaching assistant, student scholar, and best publication.
- Departmental Retreat -- Faculty and graduate students gather away from campus during the fall to hear from outside researchers, deliver oral and poster presentations, and connect with each other.
Graduate Student Recognition Event
Department Chair Jonathan Doorn and graduate student Dherya Bahl are pictured. Bahl received the Student Scholar of the Year Award.
Departmental Retreat
The Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Retreat featured the Vice President for Research Mary Scholtz and Professor Emeritus Larry Fleckenstein, student presentations, and a poster session.
