The UI College of Pharmacy is excited to welcome 12 new graduate students for the fall 2024 semester.  Graduate training in the College is offered in three programs. Health Services Research (HSR) studies challenges facing the health care system and melds ideas across several distinct scientific paradigms (sociology, economics, psychology, business, and anthropology) to better understand factors leading to health care decisions. Drug Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics (DDET) provides students with comprehensive studies in drug development and the creation of innovative therapeutics. In Pharmaceutics, students train on how to develop novel drug entities into safe and effective drug products used by patients and caregivers to treat or prevent disease.  

The students represent six states, including Iowa, North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Six different countries also are represented; South Korea, India, Egypt, China, Jordan, and the United States.  A warm welcome to everyone from the University of Iowa!

	Abigail Blatz is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and has joined the DDET program. In December of 2022, she graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA), a small liberal arts college. During her time at UNCA, Blatz worked in the laboratory of Dr. Caitlin McMahon on developing antivirulence strategies to make bacterial infections easier to treat. Specifically, she worked on developing covalent inhibitors against bacterial quorum sensing, a communication strategy that bacteria employ to create biofilms. She plans to combine molecular biology and organic synthesis to study cancer and values the interdisciplinary nature of the DDET program and how it will allow her to gain a diverse set of research experiences.
	Atonu Chakrabortty completed his undergraduate studies in microbiology at Pusan National University, South Korea, as a Global Korean Scholar. He subsequently received an MS at Auburn University, focusing on novel drug discovery for drug-resistant multiple myeloma. At Auburn, he served as a graduate teaching assistant and consultant at the University Writing Center under the Office of the Provost. Chakrabortty chose the UI for its esteemed reputation in cutting-edge biomedical research, outstanding campus, and diverse, interdisciplinary faculty. He is part of the DDET program.
	Bryan Kendall is enrolled in the HSR program. He is an Iowa native with an MA in anthropology from the UI. After 16 years as a professional archeologist at the UI Office of the State Archeologist, he decided to change his career path towards medical research. During the last nine months, Kendall has been working as a pharmacy technician at UI Health Care and acquiring a CPhT certification. He has extensive experience conducting research and has authored hundreds of technical reports.
	Isha Muzumdar graduated with a BS in pharmacy from the University of Mumbai. Post-graduation she received a master's in Pharmaceutics from University College London where she worked on electrospinning for her thesis. She chose the Pharmaceutics graduate program at Iowa due to its interdisciplinary nature, comprehensive curriculum, and diverse research experience of the faculty.
	Kirollos Mahany holds a BS in pharmacy from Assiut University in Egypt. His research experience includes synthesizing new therapeutic compounds using click chemistry, developing drug delivery forms, and creating co-crystals to enhance the bioavailability of Aceclofenac. This experience sparked a passion for pharmaceutical research. He came to the UI College of Pharmacy to join the Pharmaceutics program because of the College's strong ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Mahany has fostered a passion for teaching.
	Milo Garceau studied at the University of Arizona, receiving a BS in pharmaceutical sciences. Garceau worked in Dr. Eli Chapman's lab expressing and purifying protein as well as performing ATPase assays using malachite green. He chose the UI because of recruitment efforts exerted by professors and the collaborative environment. Garceau is enrolled in the DDET program and looks forward to being involved.
	Min Chen has joined the Pharmaceutics program. She received an MS in clinical pharmacy at Peking University in China. Her research focused primarily on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) in a phase I study. After graduation, Chen worked as a research assistant in Shanghai and performed research in PK/PD modeling and simulation. She is interested in the research of associate professor Guohua An who focuses on both clinical practice and translational studies.
	Rameh Quandil was born in the United States and grew up in Jordan, earning a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from Jordan University of Science and Technology. She completed a master's in Public Health from King’s College London while working as a clinical preceptor for PharmD students in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Associate professor Julie Urmie will be her advisor in HSR.
	Sarah Koeneman received a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from Wheaton College, a small liberal arts school near Chicago. Her previous research focused on studying modified alpha hemolysin in both red blood cell and lipid bilayer systems. Koeneman chose the UI College of Pharmacy's DDET program because it aligns with the type of research she is interested in and the environment. Her brother, who received a PhD from Iowa, also strongly recommended both the university and the program.
	Sarah Torrence studied biochemistry at Iowa's Grinnell College. While at Grinnell, she did two years of neurophysiological research related to mechanisms of homeostasis at the mouse neuromuscular junction following the partial blockage of acetylcholine receptors. Torrence was drawn to Iowa's DDET program largely due to the diversity and uniqueness of faculty research interests. The students and faculty also seemed passionate and talented, which she appreciates in academia.
	Shweti Wani came to the UI pharmaceutics graduate program because of its focus on innovative drug delivery systems and improving therapeutic outcomes. Its research and expert faculty also align with her passion for developing effective treatments for diseases. Wani earned an MS in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her work focused on targeted drug delivery systems, specifically for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
	Toni Koopmeiners studied chemistry and neuroscience at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She has always been interested in medicine and treating illness and disease with medication, and feels pharmaceutics is the perfect way to use her neuroscience and chemistry background to help make medicine better. Koopmeiners noted that the faculty and staff at the UI are amazing, and the community is something she's glad to be part of.