Category: Faculty
Lisa Tarantino appointed as new Assistant Dean for Research
June 26, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has appointed its new Assistant Dean for Research. Lisa Tarantino, Ph.D., will join the School and its research enterprise on July 1. Tarantino has her own lab in the UNC School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, but in her role as the faculty director of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), she discovered her interest in working on an administrative level. “For the last four years, I’ve been the faculty director for the medical school’s biomedical graduate program,” said Tarantino. “Through that role, I realized that I really enjoyed learning how the University functions … Read more
NIH award leads to deeper study of brain malformations
June 24, 2024How seizures, epilepsy and other brain malformations develop from genetic variants is not fully understood, but a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) award will pave the way toward understanding the cause and potentially lead to new therapies. New (non-inherited) genetic variants can arise as cells divide during embryonic development and give rise to mosaicism—sets of cells that are genetically different from one another. Such variants have been shown to cause seizures and brain malformations. The abnormal mosaic brain tissue can sometimes be surgically removed to treat the seizures caused by these genetic variants. This new NIH award of more … Read more
Carolina collaboration yields next-generation medical bandage
June 19, 2024Written by Carleigh Gabryel From chronic wounds to battlefield triage to heart surgery, this self-sticking bandage is designed to adapt to any body surface, internal or external, creating a bond stronger than current FDA-approved adhesives. The applications of this innovation are detailed in Nature Communications. “Our patch mimics the skin’s expandability and flexibility, stretching as a person moves,” says principal investigator Juliane Nguyen, professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “Normal bandages contract in one direction as they expand in another. Ours are designed to expand in both directions, preventing tissue damage and promoting … Read more
Research aims to help repurpose approved medications for rare diseases
May 16, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is using data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and validate clinical new uses of existing drugs for rare diseases, also known as drug repurposing. The School and RENCI received a $3.2 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the first award in which Carolina is named by the agency. Being able to identify and validate new uses of drugs requires a critical initial step of hypothesis generation and computational validation, which … Read more
Golden Mortar Awards: Honoring the Classes of 2024 and 1974
May 10, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Alumni Association and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Foundation hosted the Second Annual Golden Mortar Awards to celebrate student achievement, faculty and preceptor excellence and outstanding alumni. The Hollywood-style awards ceremony was held at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Chapel Hill and was emceed by Adam Persky, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Professional Education, and former student/alumni co-chair Sara Bosek. In addition to celebrating the graduating class of 2024, the class of 1974 was honored, marking their 50th reunion. Honorees from the class were inducted into the 50+ Club with a pinning ceremony. 2024 … Read more
Researchers Engineer Yeast to Deliver Drugs, Reduce Inflammation for Possible Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment
May 8, 2024Written by Kendall Daniels, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex condition that requires individualized care to meet the needs of the patient’s current disease state. With available medications sometimes causing serious side effects or losing their efficacy over time, many researchers have been exploring new, more targeted ways of delivering medications or other beneficial compounds, such as probiotics. To address pitfalls in IBD treatment and drug delivery, the labs of Juliane Nguyen, PhD, professor and vice chair of pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceuticals at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and Janelle Arthur, PhD, associate professor … Read more
From Pharmacy to Pottery
April 29, 2024Assistant Professor Amanda Savage, Pharm.D. ‘03, finds her creative outlet when she sits at her pottery wheel at home. She first discovered the craft during her fourth year at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2002 when she moved to Asheville for rotations at the Mountain Area Health Education Center. Savage shared that Western North Carolina has a lot of potters and she slowly started going to craft fairs and collecting pieces. She leans toward functional pieces since she enjoys being able to use what she buys and makes. “I like the beauty that’s found at the intersection of … Read more
Dean Angela Kashuba receives Carolina Alumni Faculty Service Award
April 22, 2024UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Dean Angela Kashuba, Pharm.D., was selected for the 2024 Carolina Alumni Faculty Service Award. Established in 1990, the award “honors faculty members who have performed outstanding service for the University or the alumni association.” “This award is a true honor, and I’m humbled to be selected. Behind each of these accomplishments, is a team of people who have supported, challenged, mentored and worked alongside me—I would be remiss if I didn’t thank those who have led me here,” said Kashuba. The award citation outlines her many impressive accomplishments but gives credit to her down-to-earth approachability … Read more
Delesha Carpenter promoted to full professor
April 17, 2024Delesha Carpenter, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is also the executive vice chair of DPOP and the director of the Rural Research Alliance for Community Pharmacies (RURAL-CP). “As a first-generation college student, becoming a full professor feels a bit surreal,” said Carpenter. “The best part was sharing the news with my parents and watching their faces light up. They’re so proud. I didn’t think something like this was possible when I was younger, so my goal now is to encourage other … Read more
Developing new ways to treat heart attacks without surgery
April 15, 2024According to Professor Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D., although cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death world-wide, the way heart attacks are treated hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years. With a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant Program (R01), her lab will take the next steps toward developing a new therapy that could impact the way all heart attack patients are treated. “Effective delivery of therapeutics to the heart is quite challenging. When we inject therapeutics, they typically disperse throughout the entire body. However, the heart is small and receives … Read more