Category: Faculty
Highlighting the impact of rural pharmacies through practice-based research
February 12, 2024The Rural Research Alliance of Community Pharmacies (RURAL-CP) is the first multi-state practice-based research network (PBRN) exclusively for rural community pharmacies. PBRNs work to identify clinical questions of interest to health care professionals and design studies to answer those questions. Although other pharmacy PBRNs exist, before RURAL-CP, none have focused exclusively on rural community pharmacies. The RURAL-CP’s mission is to reduce rural health disparities by supporting high-quality implementation research. This network will identify pressing research priorities in rural pharmacies and evaluate the implementation of pharmacy practices in rural areas with the goal of amplifying the voice of rural pharmacies … Read more
Associate Professor awarded $2 million to study the effect of antibody-based therapies
February 7, 2024Associate Professor Carter Cao, Ph.D., in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, is harnessing the power of quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) and cutting-edge computational modeling and simulation tools to understand how antibody-based treatments interact among diverse biological contexts. Cao’s research looks at the dynamics and mechanisms of the immune system in response to the constantly evolving diseases in our world. Using QSP, computational modeling and simulation tools will provide multi-dimensional data that navigates the body’s dynamic physiology. It will study how each immune system, diseases and antibodies interact with each other, with the hope … Read more
New leaders in pharmacy: Grace Marley
January 24, 2024Grace Marley, Pharm.D. ‘23, will join the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in February as a research assistant professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) positioned at the Southeastern Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I am most excited about this role given the opportunities to make a true impact through research in coastal North Carolina,” said Marley. “There are so many incredible initiatives already up and running in that area to counteract the opioid epidemic, however I am excited to truly give a voice to the impact that pharmacy, and in particular community … Read more
Opportunity to impact global health supply chains
January 22, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is part of two consortiums, DAI and the Panagora Group, that have been awarded a place on the Global Health Comprehensive Technical Assistance for Health Supply Chain and Pharmaceutical Management (Comprehensive TA) contract by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This is a competitive contracting mechanism designed to ensure that USAID partner countries have sustainable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable health commodities. An indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, the Comprehensive TA IDIQ is part of the USAID’s broader Next Generation Global Health Supply Chain Suite of Programs (NextGen). The … Read more
Faculty member advancing an inhalable pan-SARS treatment into clinical development
January 18, 2024Four years since SARS-CoV-2 first spread across the U.S., there are still tens of thousands of new weekly COVID hospitalizations, underscoring the need for more effective means to prevent these infection-induced hospitalizations. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is advancing an inhalable antibody treatment that not only works against all SARS variants but can be dosed with at-home convenience rather than the traditional means of systemic infusion. Lai’s research spans the interface of immunology and engineering, with a particular emphasis on developing novel bioactive molecules that … Read more
New leaders in pharmacy: Lisa Spees
January 17, 2024Lisa Spees, Ph.D. ‘16, joins the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) this month. She holds a dual appointment with the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “I’m excited to be contributing my expertise in rural health equity, cost and cost effectiveness analyses, and community-engaged research methods to the phenomenal team of researchers in DPOP,” said Spees. She is trained as a health services researcher and decision scientist focused on improving care quality, equity and value for cancer populations. Her research focuses on identifying multi-level barriers across … Read more
New leaders in pharmacy: Derek Bartlett
January 16, 2024Derek Bartlett, Ph.D., joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) in July 2023 after 15 years working in the pharmaceutical industry. “I am thrilled to be a part of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and have thoroughly enjoyed getting plugged into the Carolina community,” said Bartlett. “I love the energy, curiosity and optimism of the university environment, and I appreciate the uniquely collaborative culture here.” He completed a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Stanford University and received a master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering at … Read more
Erin Heinzen granted tenure in DPET
January 3, 2024Erin Heinzen, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been granted tenure. She also holds a joint appointment in the UNC Department of Genetics. “Tenure is a great honor to receive. I am very thankful for the support of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine. I look forward to our continued successes,” Heinzen said. Heinzen joined the School in 2020 from Columbia University where she previously served as deputy director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine and was the Herbert Irving Assistant … Read more
The Career of Leaf Huang: Intellectual Curiosity and Impact
December 20, 2023Written by Zach Read Earlier this semester, Leaf Huang, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor, Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP), and a Professor in the joint UNC-NC State Department of Biomedical Engineering, taught his last class at Carolina. Leaf is retiring after a long career—one dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of cancer, improving the lives of cancer patients, and sharing his passion for the intellectual challenges of molecular pharmaceutics and drug delivery with his students. “My experience at UNC has been fantastic,” Leaf says. Leaf began his academic career at the University of Tennessee in the 1970s and … Read more
Art, equity and health care
December 4, 2023With the goal of shifting perspectives and raising self-awareness, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy faculty and staff attended the first of three Ackland Art & Equity events to gain a greater understanding of the power of equity in education and health care. “The Ackland Art & Equity event was designed with the understanding that all our work is made possible through connection. It highlights individual experiences and how each of our unique perspectives creates something that can’t exist without collaboration,” said Amanda Storyward, director of organizational diversity and inclusion (ODI) at the School. This event was hosted by the School’s … Read more