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School receives 2024 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award 

October 3, 2024

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy received the 2024 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.   This award highlights the School’s outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, and nationally recognizes its mentoring, teaching, research, hiring and promotion, recruitment, and retention.  “The HEED award reflects the School’s commitment in its values and principles to create an environment that leverages community, connection, and collaboration to bring value to pharmacy and the world,” said Carla White, BSPharm, Associate Dean of Culture and Well-Being. “I am incredibly proud of … Read more


Work to reduce overdoses is personal for one researcher 

July 29, 2024

“Naloxone saves lives,” said Grace Marley, Pharm.D. ‘23, research assistant professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.   The drug, naloxone, is a medication that acts quickly to reverse opioid overdoses and restore breathing. Opioid overdoses are a major public health concern in the U.S. and caused nearly 83,000 deaths in 2022.  Marley, first author on a recently published paper in JAMA Health Forum, is passionate about the opioid epidemic and helping pharmacists reduce overdose harm. The experience of losing her brother three years ago to substance use disorder drives her … Read more


NIH award leads to deeper study of brain malformations 

June 24, 2024

How 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


Triangle CERSI projects include advancements in clinical trial design along with addressing gaps toward mitigating consequences of opioid use

May 29, 2024

Triangle CERSI has made great progress on the first set of funded research projects, including the impact of xylazine when added to fentanyl, efforts to reduce opioid misuse and how to account for data complexities in clinical trials.  Triangle CERSI, awarded to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is a joint endeavor that includes the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University. It was launched in 2023 with an award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for up to $50 million over five years and receives support … Read more


Research aims to help repurpose approved medications for rare diseases 

May 16, 2024

The 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


Dean Angela Kashuba receives Carolina Alumni Faculty Service Award  

April 22, 2024

UNC 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


Developing new ways to treat heart attacks without surgery 

April 15, 2024

According 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


UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the No. 1 Pharmacy School in the Nation  

April 9, 2024

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is once again the No.1 pharmacy school in the country. This is the third time in a row the School has been ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report.  The rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited pharmacy schools across the country and are published every four years.    “I am so proud to be part of a School that relentlessly pursues excellence in education, research, practice and innovation,” said Angela Kashuba, Dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “This accomplishment is a testament to the unwavering dedication of … Read more


Roy Zwahlen receives the 2024 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award 

April 8, 2024

At first glance, working in strategy may not seem to be directly related to public service, but Roy Zwahlen, J.D., is using his role at Eshelman Innovation and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy to change lives across North Carolina.  Zwahlen, Chief Strategy Officer for Eshelman Innovation and Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships and Risk Management at the School, was selected for the 2024 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award for his work in translating innovation into real products and services that impact patients in our communities.  As someone from a long line of military veterans, including World Wars I … Read more


Juliane Nguyen inducted into the prestigious AIMBE College of Fellows 

April 5, 2024

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows inducted UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Professor Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D., for outstanding contributions focused on the development of complex biologics for cancer and cardiovascular treatments.  “As a first-generation college student and scientist, I see this as a remarkable opportunity not only to give back but also to play a pivotal role in shaping and mentoring the next generation,” said Nguyen, vice chair of the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP).  The AIMBE Fellows represent the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. They include the most accomplished … Read more