Faculty News

Sung Rhee, Ph.D., joined the faculty as Assistant Professor, January 1, 2009. Welcome Dr. Rhee!

On November 12, 2008 the J. Thomas May Center for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Research was dedicated during a ceremony that marked to opening the ALS Center under the direction of John P. Crow, Ph.D. With support from more than $2 million in gifts and pledges, the Center is focused on translational research that can bring new ALS treatments quickly from the lab to the patient.

Great news for Dr. Eric Peterson, Instructor. His first RO1 grant entitled “Antibody-nanoparticle conjugates for the treatment of methamphetamine abuse” recieved a priority score of 7%. This is a sign of great things to come!

Congratulations to Dr. Jack Hinson, Dr. Lee Ann MacMillan-Crow, and Dr. Rusch on their fundable scores for their individual RO1 grants!

Congratulations to Dr. Piotr Zimniak for his VA Research Career Scientist award. This award is based on career success in funding, publications, teaching and service. This 5-year award is a tremendous honor.

The Department of proud to announce that Dr. Philip Mayeux has receive funding for his NIH R01 grant entitled “Mechanistic targets for intervention in sepsis-induced renal injury” and Dr. Paul Prather has received funding for his NIH R21 grant entitled “Selective CB2 cannabinoid agonists as candidate therapeutics for ALS”. Both grants will begin July 2008.

The Department welcomes the arrival of Alexei Basnakian, M.D., Ph.D. as Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Basnakian brings to the Department his expertise in cell injury and a DNA Damage Core Facility.

The Department welcomes the arrival of William (Bill) E. Fantegrossi, Ph.D. as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Fantegrossi came to us by way of Emory University. He brings to the Department his unique approach to studying drugs of abuse in rodent models. Learn more about Dr. Fantegrossi's research interests at his web page.

The Department welcomes the arrival of Paul E. Gottschall, Ph.D. as Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Gottschall's research interests include studying the role of matrix-degrading proteases in several models of neurological disease. Learn more about his research in neural plasticity at his web page.

Accolades to the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences! They were ranked 5th in the nation by the Chronicle of Higher Education (Jan. 12, 2007) in the pharmaceutical sciences and medicinal chemistry category - despite having the smallest faculty among the top 10. Their faculty, headed by Dr. Russell Melchert, and the pharmacology graduate students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Track, Zabeena Shaik, Rajesh Vadlapatla, and Lalit Oberoi, are to be congratulated for this outstanding accomplishment.