Category: Divisions
Kohn Named Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors
January 6, 2017Harold “Hal” Kohn, Ph.D., professor emeritus of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The NAI Fellows Selection Committee chooses candidates who have demonstrated “a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.” One of Kohn’s most significant achievements is the development of a treatment for certain epilepsy patients that received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2008. Lacosamide, a first-in-class antiepileptic drug with the brand name Vimpat, is prescribed … Read more
UNC Catalyst Initiative Aims to Create and Share Tools to Fight Rare Diseases
January 4, 2017Freely giving researchers the tools and knowledge to tackle rare and orphaned diseases is the mission of UNC Catalyst, a new endeavor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill launched with a $2 million grant from the Eshelman Institute for Innovation. UNC Catalyst will provide patient groups and rare-disease organizations with the knowledge and research tools to train scientists to create new treatments. “Science has cracked the human genome, but translating that knowledge into new medicines has been painfully slow,” said Bob Blouin, director of the Eshelman institute and dean of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “This is … Read more
School Researchers Use Light to Launch Drugs from Red Blood Cells
January 3, 2017Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a breakthrough technique that uses light to activate a drug stored in circulating red blood cells so that it is released exactly when and where it is needed. The work, led by Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor David Lawrence in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has profound implications for the field of drug delivery by using red blood cells to carry drugs and then using light to release them in precise locations. The technique, which overcomes a decades-long scientific hurdle, could drastically reduce the amount of a drug needed … Read more
Professor Emeritus George Cocolas Dies, Served School More than 40 Years
December 21, 2016Professor Emeritus George Cocolas, Ph.D., a member of the School’s faculty for more than 40 years, died Monday, Dec. 19, after a brief illness. His funeral will be held Friday, Dec. 23, at 11 a.m. at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Durham. Cocolas joined the faculty of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 1958 and retired in 1999. During his long tenure at the School, Cocolas was chair of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry from 1975 to 1982 and served as associate dean for 17 years. He also chaired the School’s admissions committee. He may be best known … Read more
Research Tech Paints with Purpose to Brighten NC Children’s Hospital
December 16, 2016Rachel Howard, a research technician at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is blanketing the North Carolina Children’s Hospital with holiday spirit one window at a time. Howard is painting wintry scenes for children at NC Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill. She calls her project Paint with Purpose and plans to decorate 72 windows in the hospital, which include all the individual children’s rooms on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors along with the pediatric playroom. “It’s been very interactive,” Howard said. “I have enjoyed taking requests from the kids, and sometimes they, too, like to grab a brush and … Read more
Eckel, Ferreri Recognized at 2016 NCAP Convention
November 21, 2016UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy faculty members Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., M.H.A., and Stefanie Ferreri, Pharm.D., were recognized by the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists at its 2016 Convention. Eckel, the president of NCAP, was presented with the President’s Award, and Ferreri, the president-elect, was presented with the National Community Pharmacists Association Leadership Award and McKesson Leadership Award, which are given to the president-elect for his or her service and leadership in NCAP and to the North Carolina pharmacy community. Other faculty members receiving awards at the convention were Assistant Professor of Clinical Education Joseph Moose, Pharm.D., who received the Bowl … Read more
Simple Genetic Test Promises Better Outcomes in Heart Stent Patients
November 15, 2016Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that a quick, precise genetic test can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by helping to identify a more effective medication for some heart patients who receive a stent. The test identifies a genetic deficiency that affects the body’s ability to activate clopidogrel, a common anti-clotting drug given after a coronary artery stent is inserted. During a recent multi-institutional study from NIH’s Implementing Genomics in Practice Network, researchers at UNC, University of Florida Health and other sites throughout the country analyzed medical outcomes in 1,815 patients who … Read more
UNC Scientists Devise More Accurate System for Predicting Risks of New Chemical Products
November 10, 2016The approach used by regulators to initially screen new chemical products for toxic effects is wrong almost half the time, according to scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They have proposed an improvement that could increase accuracy to as much as 85 percent, saving millions of dollars and years of development time for new drugs and other products while improving safety. Regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, that are charged with evaluating new drugs and other chemical products rely on an initial screening of the product’s molecular structure. … Read more
Antonio Bush Joins PACE as Assistant Professor
October 20, 2016Antonio Bush, Ph.D., has joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of educational innovation and research on the tenure track in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. He is also an assistant director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Assessment. Bush’s principal research interests surround graduate and professional student socialization, student development, underrepresented students in STEM and health professions, assessing curricular and cocurricular experiences and advancing qualitative research in the field of pharmacy. Before joining the School as an assistant professor, Bush was a postdoctoral research associate in PACE. During his fellowship, he … Read more
Numbers Make a Difference in Patients’ Medication Decisions, UNC Study Finds
October 17, 2016Giving patients hard numbers about the likelihood of experiencing side effects from a new medication makes them more likely to take the drug, according to a new study fromthe UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Conversely, giving them similar information about the likelihood of benefiting from a drug has the opposite effect, making patients less willing to take it. A team led by Susan Blalock, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor in and vice chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, asked nearly one thousand people to review information about the risks and benefits associated with a hypothetical drug. Some participants … Read more