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Ronny Bell brings lifelong commitment to health equity in UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy role

January 18, 2023

New leader has a distinguished career in population science, community-based participatory research and a resolve to identify solutions for health equity issues in North Carolina’s underserved populations   Ronny Bell, Ph.D., M.S., brings a unique background to a role that encompasses three areas of responsibility: chair and distinguished faculty in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Senior Advisor to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and collaborator with the UNC American Indian Center. Bell brings an affinity for hard work, a servant leader mindset, a deep experience in higher education and … Continued


Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics welcomes two team members

July 12, 2019

Two new faculty members joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics on July 1. Get to know Benyam Muluneh, Pharm.D., BCOP, CPP, and Klarissa Jackson, Ph.D.: Q: What is your hometown?      Benyam: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia      Klarissa: Tyler, Texas Q: What are you looking forward to about your new role?      Benyam: I am looking forward to contributing to the teaching and scholarship missions at the School with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of patients. I am excited about collaborators and mentors within the Eshelman School of Pharmacy in … Continued


Students Select 2019 Best Instructors; Phil Rodgers Wins Top Award

May 2, 2019

Pharm.D. students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy selected the Instructor of the Year award winners for 2018-19, honoring the winners at the annual awards ceremony on April 13. The Instructor of the Year award recognizes one course instructor from each year of the Pharm.D. curriculum who demonstrates the highest qualities of instructional ability and an interest in both the students and the educational programs of the school. Overall Instructor of the Year Award: Philip Rodgers, Pharm.D. PY3 Instructor of the Year Award: Kathryn Morbitzer, Pharm.D., M.S. PY2 Instructor of the Year Award: Suzanne Harris, Pharm.D. PY1 Instructor of … Continued


Beaudoin, Vogt Earn NIH Predoctoral Research Grants

March 27, 2019

Two Ph.D. candidates at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy recently received National Research Service Awards from the National Institutes of Health. Jim Beaudoin, from the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, and Caleb Vogt, from the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, received the NRSA grants. Beaudoin is advised by Kim Brouwer, Pharm.D., Ph.D., and Vogt is advised by Jeff Aubé, Ph.D. The NIH grant, known also as an F31, is awarded to promising predoctoral students so that they can obtain individualized, mentored research training while conducting dissertation research. Beaudoin’s research project will investigate organic solute transporter α/β, … Continued


UNC Study Reveals Precision Oncology Insights for Colorectal Cancer

March 25, 2019

Next-generation sequencing of tumor DNA from patients with colorectal cancer revealed genetic alterations that were linked to different survival and treatment outcomes in an analysis led by a researcher at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, could help define strategies to more effectively treat colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. “This is an example of precision oncology, where using genetics, we are able to stratify tumor types that we once believed were homogeneous, and to identify new patient subgroups that might benefit from tailored therapies,” … Continued


Josh Guffey Named Director of Office of Continuing Education

March 22, 2019

Josh Guffey, Pharm.D., has been named director of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Education. Guffey is currently the director of pharmacy education at the Charlotte Area Health Education Center/Carolinas Medical Center, where he has extensive experience in pharmacy education and continuing education. He also holds a faculty appointment in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. Guffey will continue his work at the Charlotte AHEC and will spend part of his time as the director of the Office of Continuing Education at the School. In this new role, Josh will lead the vision, creation, implementation and assessment of … Continued


Mucommune Receives Over $3M to Advance Muco-Trapping Antibodies

March 20, 2019

Mucommune LLC has been awarded over $3 million in five separate federal grants over the past several months to advance its muco-trapping antibody technology. The company was launched in 2016 by Sam Lai, Ph.D., an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The muco-trapping antibody technology advanced by Mucommune is based on engineering the Fc region of IgG antibodies to interact with mucins. Tuning the Fc region to combine with mucins enables antibodies to immobilize viral and bacterial pathogens in different mucosal secretions, including respiratory airways, GI tract and female reproductive tract. Once the pathogens are trapped in … Continued


Gurysh Receives NIH F32 Grant for Brain Cancer Research

March 18, 2019

Elizabeth Gurysh, Ph.D., received a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health to support her brain cancer research. Gurysh is a postdoctoral researcher working in the lab of Kristy Ainslie, Ph.D., at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Ainslie is an associate professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics. Gurysh is researching a combination therapy of stem cells and drug-eluting scaffolds to prevent recurrence of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma is usually treated with surgery followed by radiation or chemotherapy. However, due to glioblastoma’s tentacle-like growth, it is extremely … Continued


Steeb, Urick Receive AACP New Investigator Awards

March 11, 2019

Two professors from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy received New Investigator Awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. David Steeb, Pharm.D., M.P.H., and Ben Urick, Pharm.D., Ph.D., won 2019 New Investigator Awards from the AACP. Steeb is a clinical assistant professor and Urick is a research assistant professor, both in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. The New Investigator Award provides start-up funding for the independent research programs of early-career pharmacy faculty. Steeb’s research proposal, entitled Development and Assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for Global Health, will survey global health experts in pharmacy, medicine, … Continued


Mariya Popova Awarded NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship

February 21, 2019

Mariya Popova, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, is the recipient of the 2019-20 NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship. Popova is supervised by Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D., and Olexandr Isayev, Ph.D. Her research focuses on applications and development of deep learning methods for computational chemistry and drug design. Popova is developing deep learning algorithms to solve computational chemistry problems, such as the generation of novel molecules with desired properties and prediction of a synthesis path for a given chemical compound. “My research goal is to revolutionize drug design with artificial intelligence,” she said. “Having these problems solved will speed … Continued