Category: Faculty
Alison Axtman appointed as the inaugural Maureen Daly Blouin Distinguished Fellow
March 26, 2025The first of its kind at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the Maureen Daly Blouin Distinguished Scholar in Open Science Drug Discovery is dedicated to bolstering the research endeavors of an early-career faculty member whose academic pursuits focus on open science drug discovery. Alison Axtman, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry and part of the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC-UNC), was selected as the inaugural fellow to receive this appointment. She has been at the School for almost 10 years and moved to a tenure track position in 2024. “This recognition is going to … Read more
Kathleen Thomas provides research update before Congress
March 24, 2025Professor Kathleen Thomas, PhD, participated in a Congressional Briefing on Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) support of research focusing on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This past December, for the first time, PCORI invited two researchers, including Thomas, leading PCORI-funded projects focused on engaging IDD populations in research to share insights before Congress. Thomas described her trial and early findings providing evidence of the validity of self-report patient-reported outcomes data from youth with IDD. “Preliminary data shows that parents and youth responses [in our survey] are significantly correlated, which is very novel and exciting,” said Thomas, professor in … Read more
Community Pharmacists Poised to Improve Access to Life-Saving Opioid Treatment in Western North Carolina
March 5, 2025Dr. Delesha Carpenter is tackling the state’s opioid epidemic one training at a time with support from Dogwood Health Trust Delesha Carpenter, PhD. A new initiative aims to equip community pharmacists in Western North Carolina (WNC) with the training and tools needed to improve access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and drug test strips, potentially saving lives in the region hardest hit by the opioid crisis. Dogwood Health Trust is supporting this work with a $240,000 grant. The project, led by UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Delesha Carpenter, PhD, seeks to address the ongoing opioid epidemic by providing … Read more
Searching for the Secret Recipe: School lab takes on impactful research dedicated to treating diseases in low oxygen environments
February 26, 2025Dr. Owen Fenton (right) in the lab. Written by Safa Tonuzi Dr. Owen Fenton takes on big concepts at the smallest levels possible – molecularly. Fenton, assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is taking on a large task. Rather than targeting a single disease, he’s addressing low oxygen environments – a common characteristic of many conditions from cancer to respiratory diseases and circulatory disorders. Fenton recently received a 5-year $1.91 million R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institutes of Health to investigate and manipulate cells … Read more
UNC researchers awarded up to $10M to leverage data science to accelerate cancer diagnosis and optimize delivery of precision oncology
December 5, 2024Written by Bill Schaller A team of UNC-Chapel Hill researchers has been awarded up to $10 million in Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) funding to develop the Cancer Identification and Precision Oncology Center (CIPOC). The project is designed to improve cancer diagnosis and support personalized treatments by quickly aggregating and analyzing a wide range of health data, including electronic health records, histopathological and radiological images, insurance claims and geographic information. Specifically, CIPOC will facilitate the development of an oncology health learning system that utilizes AI-ready data to generate real-time identification of new cancer cases, support patient recruitment for … Read more
School delegation attends global event in Denmark
November 27, 2024Written by Professor Kim Brouwer, PharmD, PhD, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Pictured from left to right: Kim Brouwer, Caden Kussatz, Nicole Rose Lukesh, Mattie Hartauer and Yevgeny Brudno A UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy delegation, including PhD students, Mattie Hartauer, Nicole Rose Lukesh, and Caden Kussatz, and two faculty members, Kim Brouwer and Yevgeny Brudno, PhD, participated in the Globalization of Pharmaceutics Education Network (GPEN) conference hosted by the University of Copenhagen earlier this year. GPEN 2024 provided an exceptional forum for our PhD students and faculty to connect with other graduate students, faculty, and industry professionals … Read more
Pharmacy administration and leadership short course launched in Ethiopia
November 26, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in partnership with Addis Ababa University and the co-director of the UNC-Ethiopia Alliance, Benyam Muluneh, PharmD, has inaugurated its Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Short Course Training Program in Ethiopia. This pioneering initiative, led by faculty members Michael Stepanovic, PharmD, MS, Kathryn Morbitzer, PharmD, MS, and Stephen F. Eckel, PharmD, MHA, is designed to enhance pharmacy administration and leadership skills within Ethiopia’s dynamic health care sector. “After a recent visit from pharmacy students, and a discussion with Dr. Muluneh, we realized hospitals are underutilizing trained clinical pharmacists,” said Eckel. “In an effort to counter … Read more
School unites in hurricane relief efforts
November 19, 2024Story written by Caroline Daly Olivia Caron (black shirt, third from left), an assistant professor in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, worked with the Collaborative Medical Care of Swannanoa team to sort medications in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Submitted photo) The dual campus model of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy proved its strength when Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in late September. With thousands of residents displaced, the pharmacy school communities on the Chapel Hill and Asheville campuses sprang into action to host donation drives, distribute medication and work with relief agencies and clinics. With members … Read more
Juliane Nguyen inducted into AAPS College of Fellows
November 13, 2024Nguyen being recognized as an AAPS Fellow (Photo by Jeff Pinette) Professor Juliane Nguyen, PhD, was one of eight people recently inducted into the prestigious American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) College of Fellows. Established in 1986, AAPS is a professional and scientific organization with around 7,000 members from academia, industry, government, and various pharmaceutical science research institutes globally. AAPS aims to enhance the ability of pharmaceutical scientists to create products and therapies that promote global health. Fellows are selected due to their professional excellence and positive impact on global health and the AAPS community. Nguyen was selected by … Read more
Faculty pioneering changes in hospital pharmacy best practices
October 30, 2024At the 82nd International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Cape Town, South Africa, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy faculty members Michael Stepanovic, PharmD, MS, and Stephen F. Eckel, PharmD, MHA, took center stage in advancing hospital pharmacy practices globally. Their contributions at the conference demonstrated a dedication to refining and implementing high standards in hospital pharmacy practice. Stepanovic, assistant professor, and Eckel, associate professor and associate dean for global engagement, led a pivotal workshop titled “Supply Chain Excellence in Africa and Beyond: Unpacking the Procurement Theme of the FIP Basel Statements.” This session was … Read more