Category: General
Grabenstein seminar explores role of pharmacists as vaccinators
October 3, 2019Since the 1890s, pharmacists have played a role in delivering vaccinations to patients, said John Grabenstein, Ph.D., global director of medical affairs for Merck Vaccines. Grabenstein spoke about this topic at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy on Oct. 2. The seminar, titled “Pharmacists as Vaccinators: When the Phone Rang at Beard Hall,” explored his work and the role of pharmacists as vaccinators today. Grabenstein earned his pharmacy degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh under an ROTC scholarship, then worked at the Military Vaccine Agency. While completing his Ph.D. in immunology at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Grabenstein got … Read more
2019 Invest in Cures and Rare Diseases forum unites people from across medicine
October 3, 2019(Picture courtesy of Jamie Martin, NCBiotech) Today, there are around 7,000 known rare diseases that impact more than 25 million people in the United States. The 2019 Invest in Cures and Rare Diseases forum convened Sept. 25-26 to discuss how to find treatments for them. The forum was a collaboration between LaunchBio, the UNC Catalyst for Rare Diseases, NCBiotech and the Rare Disease InfoHub. The UNC Catalyst is a research group housed in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy that focuses on improving research infrastructure and understanding genetic mutations and rare diseases. The event was hosted at the North Carolina … Read more
New NIH proposal aims to advance Alzheimer’s drug discovery research
October 1, 2019(Photo courtesy of Stephen Frye) A group of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are part of a new research proposal to create chemical and biological tools to explore novel molecular targets related to Alzheimer’s disease. The proposal, which was submitted through the NIH National Institute on Aging, aims to create new chemical probes to validate therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s, which has no known cure, and very few treatments. The project was awarded $37.5 million for five years. Emory University is the leader on the proposal, which is a collaboration between five institutions including UNC. The … Read more
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy celebrates new Dean Angela Kashuba
October 1, 2019Hundreds from across the UNC-Chapel Hill campus gathered on Oct. 1 to celebrate UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Angela Kashuba on her first day as dean of the School. During the event held at the Carolina Club, Kashuba shared her vision and goals for the School, including supporting the people who make up the School, investing in further service to the state of North Carolina, and building upon impactful innovation. “As the new dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build upon the School’s success and culture of excellence,” said Kashuba, … Read more
M.D./Ph.D. student hopes to apply cancer research to clinical practice
September 23, 2019(Photo by Jehoun Allebaugh/UNC-Chapel Hill). Alison Mercer-Smith initially became interested in medicine after being diagnosed with cancer in high school and meeting other survivors. She started her research career in high school and continued during undergrad, ultimately deciding to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “One foot in two worlds is both very challenging and very valuable,” she said. Mercer-Smith is completing her doctoral research in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, working with researcher Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D. She has completed the first two years of the M.D. … Read more
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy announces new director for its Eshelman Institute for Innovation
September 23, 2019John Bamforth, former Eli Lilly and Company executive, will assume director role on Oct. 1 The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is pleased to announce that John Bamforth, Ph.D., has joined the School as director of the Eshelman Institute for Innovation (EII). The Eshelman Institute for Innovation was established in 2014 with a $100 million gift from Dr. Fred Eshelman. The Institute aims to accelerate the creation and development of ideas leading to discoveries of new medicines and technologies, and transformative changes in pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences education and health care. Bamforth will begin in the director role on October 1, and … Read more
Monash University’s Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences visits UNC
September 19, 2019Arthur Christopoulos, B.Pharm., Ph.D., Monash University’s Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, gave his first presentation as dean at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy on Sept. 19. Christopoulos spoke to a crowd of more than 50 faculty, staff and students on the topic of “Reciprocal relationships: The role of ‘location’ in new drug discovery.” “I am delighted to be here as a newly appointed dean. And I’m thrilled that my first presentation as dean is here at UNC,” Christopoulos said. “Every time I come here it feels like home.” Coincidentally, the day UNC Provost Robert Blouin announced … Read more
School’s Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics welcomes associate professor Juliane Nguyen, recipient of CMBE Young Innovator Award
September 19, 2019The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy welcomes Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D., as a new hire in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics. Nguyen is arriving to UNC as an experienced researcher and lecturer. After completing her Pharmacy degree in 2005 and receiving her license as a board-certified pharmacist in Germany, she earned her Ph.D. at the Phillips-University of Marburg in Germany in 2009, where she focused on drug delivery and polymer chemistry. She then worked for four years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California-San Francisco, where she trained with Dr. Francis Szoka. She started her independent career … Read more
UNC alum reminisces on time in pharmacy school, gives back to future generations
September 13, 2019Evelyn Lloyd ‘65, was a part of the first pharmacy class in Beard Hall at the University of North Carolina. Sitting in her family’s pharmacy store – Lloyd’s Pharmacy – on W. King Street in Hillsborough, North Carolina, she reminisced of the days she spent running from Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, to pharmacy class on the top floor of Beard Hall. The 10-minute timeframe was an all-out sprint, she said. “I only applied to Carolina,” she added with a smile. Evelyn followed in the footsteps of her father, Allen Lloyd ‘40, who earned his BS in Pharmacy from Carolina. … Read more
UNC chapters of Kappa Epsilon recognized at national convention
September 9, 2019Both UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy chapters of the Kappa Epsilon fraternity received awards at the 52nd National Convention of Kappa Epsilon in Charleston, S.C. in late July. Kappa Epsilon is a professional fraternity for pharmacy students and alumni, with UNC locations in Asheville (Beta Mu Chapter) and Chapel Hill (Lambda Chapter), N.C. While it was originally founded as an organization for women pharmacy students, it has since expanded to be gender-inclusive, according to the organization’s website. During the convention, the Lambda Chapter won the Continued Excellence award for its long-standing commitment to leadership and service. The chapter was acknowledged … Read more