October 6, 2015
Alan Forrest, Pharm.D., a researcher and educator with more than 30 years’ experience in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics modeling, has joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as a clinical professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics.
“Dr. Forrest is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of pharmacometrics whose innovative research in optimizing individual patient therapy and in advanced application of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicodynamic systems analysis has impacted drug development and pharmacotherapy in meaningful ways,” says Dean Bob Blouin, Pharm.D. “He is recognized widely as the expert on adaptive feedback control and individualizing therapy using novel models and methods for individual and population PK/PD systems analysis.”
Forrest comes to the School from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he served as a research professor of pharmacy practice and biostatistics and as the senior director of pharmacometrics at the Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics in Latham, New York.
Forrest’s research has focused on pharmacometrics and the application of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicodynamic systems analysis. The largest portion of his work has been in the pharmacology of anti-infective drugs, including in vitro and animal models, translational research and the dosing of patient populations. He has given more than 100 invited presentations, coauthored more than 500 peer-reviewed abstracts at national and international scientific symposia and published more than 235 manuscripts.
In addition to continuing his reach, Forrest will teach in courses that include Principles of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, Advanced Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics and clinical trial design courses.
“Dr. Forrest’s reputation as an educator in pharmacometrics, biostatistics and research methods is second to none,” says Kim Brouwer, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate dean of research and graduate education. “His manner in the classroom is engaging and effective, and he teaches even the most difficult mathematical concepts with apparent ease and a style that encourages discussion and interaction.”
Forrest earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1979 and then served as a postgraduate research scholar in clinical pharmacology at the USC School of Medicine and a pharmacy resident in clinical pharmacokinetics at the USC School of Pharmacy until 1980.
After a two-year term as an assistant clinical professor at the USC School of Pharmacy, Forrest moved to the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of pharmacy in 1982. While at UMB, he acted as a research assistant professor of medicine, oncology and pharmacy. Forrest then moved to the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1990 as a clinical associate professor of pharmacy and as the director of pharmacometric and biostatistical analysis for the school’s Department of Pharmacy Practice.
In 1993 he was promoted to research professor, and in 2004, he became a research professor in the school’s Department of Biostatistics. In 2005 he was hired as a senior scientist of pharmacometrics at the Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamcis and was promoted to senior director of pharmacometrics in 2010.
Since 1997 Forrest has also been working as an expert adviser in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to the Food and Drug administration in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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