Category: Research
Ph.D. candidate helping address mental health crisis through research
March 18, 2024Phil Hughes, Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is conducting research that is actively used in policy discussions. Hughes’ research was sparked by the growing mental health crisis in the U.S. and the need for additional mental health prescribers. In the early 90s, the Department of Defense began allowing psychologists with specialized training to prescribe medications. In the years since, six states passed laws to allow psychologists to become licensed prescribers in their states and more states considering the similar laws. Hughes noticed that there was little research done … Read more
World-traveling duo finds teamwork is the secret to success
March 6, 2024Yutian Ma, Ph.D. and current postdoctoral researcher, has studied around the world, but found his home in Assistant Professor Owen Fenton’s lab. Ma has studied biomedical engineering in China, Australia, England and Singapore. “Working with different people across different cultures helped me realize that science is like a unifying language. It also exposed me to a lot of new insights and ideas,” said Ma. Fenton and Ma first worked together at the National University of Singapore in 2021. At the time, Fenton was looking for an excellent postdoc and reached out to his network who recommended Ma. After their initial … Read more
Professor advancing first inhaled antibody treatment for RSV
February 26, 2024Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes lower respiratory tract infection in millions each year and is the leading cause of hospitalization in young children. It is also responsible for over a hundred thousand hospitalizations each year among the immunocompromised and the elderly. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and his lab, have created an inhaled “muco-trapping” monoclonal antibody that effectively treats RSV infections, called Mota-MT. “Building off of our experience with COVID and the challenge that comes with vaccine hesitancy, our team was motivated to explore an … Read more
Using AI to build a smart sensing device
February 22, 2024Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D., is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to help his collaborators at Harvard build a portable chemical gas sensing device called iNOSES that will help identify volatiles in the air. Tropsha, K.H. Lee Distinguished Professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and collaborators at Harvard University, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant as part of the Convergence Accelerator program. The program is investing nearly $10 million across several projects to develop transformative bio-inspired solutions, like iNOSES. “The proposed bioinspired device employs a ‘sniffing’ sequence of … Read more
History of pharmacy school desegregation
February 19, 2024In honor of Black History Month, the stories of the first three African American students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy have been documented in a paper published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. The paper, entitled “From Desegregation and Integration to Diversity and Inclusion: The Environment Was Just Ice”, was led by alumna Christian Brown, Pharm.D. ‘23, alongside Carla Y. White, BS Pharm, associate professor and Associate Dean of Organizational Diversity and Inclusion, Benjamin Urick, Pharm.D., Ph.D., adjunct professor, senior principal health outcomes researcher at Prime Therapeutics and Gregory Bond, Ph.D., sports archivist and curator at the … 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
Class of 2024 Fellowship Highlights
January 29, 2024Each year, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy sends off the newest class of pharmacy professionals to start their pharmacy careers. The industry offers various paths to make a difference in health care, including continuing education through a pharmacy fellowship. A fellowship is an opportunity to dive deeper into an area of research in a post-doctorate setting. Below are a few of the School’s class of 2024 students who have received fellowships to begin after graduation. Jiahui (Jeff) Dong, class of 2024, Pharm.D. candidate The Howard Janssen Scientific Affairs Fellowship is a two-year program at Howard University College of Pharmacy. … 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
Associate Dean Carla White promoted to associate professor
November 29, 2023Carla Y. White has been promoted to associate professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education (PACE) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is also a pharmacist and the Associate Dean of Organizational Diversity and Inclusion at the School. White is a highly regarded thought leader, educator, influencer and pragmatic disruptor in the cultural intelligence space. In her role, she leads in strategic planning, organizational design, developing and articulating a communication strategy, identifying gaps, addressing challenges, developing best practices, determining relevant metrics and facilitating strategic partnerships. “This promotion represents a responsibility to reimagine and bring something … Read more
Residency program expands to Duplin County
November 15, 2023As part of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program expansion, Duplin County Health Department (DCHD), is excited to partner with Carolina as a new residency site. This expansion is focused on reaching Eastern North Carolina in rural and underserved areas. DCHD is a local government agency responsible for providing essential public health services to the residents of Duplin County, North Carolina. Its mission is to provide prevention, promotion and protection measures to ensure the health of our diverse community and environment by identifying and reducing health risks and barriers to available health … Read more