Category: Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics
IPIT honors Dr. Mark Ratain for unlocking the promise of gene-guided cancer therapy
October 24, 2008University of Chicago professor Mark J. Ratain, MD, is this year’s recipient of the Award for Clinical Service presented by the Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The award honors a person who has made significant contributions to the advancement of individualized therapy in clinical practice. “Dr. Ratain’s work with the University of Chicago has shown us a clear model for understanding how anticancer drugs work in real patients,” said Howard McLeod, PharmD, director of IPIT. “The ultimate goal of Dr. Ratain’s research is to help tailor medicines to a person’s … Read more
Motsinger-Reif Appointed to IPIT
September 25, 2008Alison Motsinger-Reif, PhD, has been named to the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the development and applications of computational methodology to detect complex genetic and environmental models that predict a clinical outcome. She holds a PhD in human genetics from Vanderbilt University and has more than forty scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals to her credit. Motsinger-Reif is an assistant professor in the Bioinformatics Research Center at North Carolina State University and an adjunct assistant professor in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The UNC … Read more
WHO Leader to Receive UNC IPIT Public Service Award
September 25, 2008Access to essential medicines is part of the fulfillment of the right to health, says Hans Hogerzeil, PhD, a World Health Organization leader who will speak on the subject next week at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hogerzeil, director of essential medicines and pharmaceutical policies at WHO, is this year’s recipient of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy Award for Public Service. He will receive the award and present a seminar at UNC on Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium in the Global Education Building on the Chapel Hill campus. “Dr. … Read more
Auman Named to UNC Institute
September 10, 2008Todd Auman, PhD, has joined the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy as a member of its research team. Auman, a research assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is an expert in using genomic technologies to understand a patient’s response to gastrointestinal cancer therapy. He holds a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from Duke University and conducted postdoctoral research at the National Center for Toxicogenomics, located at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. The UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy, a research center within the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is a unifying, programmatic structure … Read more
Dupuis Named ACCP Fellow
September 4, 2008Bob Dupuis, PharmD, BCPS, a clinical associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. The newly elected fellows will be recognized during a special ceremony on October 19 at the ACCP’s Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Recognition as a fellow is awarded to ACCP members who have demonstrated a sustained level of excellence in clinical pharmacy practice and/or research. Dupuis is a member of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. His responsibilities include teaching and coordinating courses in immunology and immunotherapeutics, nephrology pharmacotherapeutics, and clinical … Read more
Long to Lead IPIT’s Pharmacoinformatics Facility
August 27, 2008The UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy has named Kevin Long as the director of its pharmacoinformatics facility. The new pharmacoinformatics facility, which is based in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been created to develop resources for assessing drug-gene relationships, performing computational pharmacology analysis and providing IT platforms for pharmacogenomics studies. As the director, Long will provide overall strategic leadership and management in planning and directing applications development and also design and implement physical databases. Long received his bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology at the DeVry Institute of Technology and has more than 15 years of … Read more
Katie Theken Receives AFPE Fellowship
July 18, 2008Katie Theken, PharmD, a third-year graduate student at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education for the 2008-09 academic year. The award provides Theken with a $6,000 annual stipend and is renewable for a total of three years. Theken’s research project is titled “The Role of Cytochrome P450-Mediated Eicosanoid Metabolism in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.” Cytochrome P450 are a metabolic enzyme family that is present throughout the body. Theken is studying the cytochrome P450 pathways responsible for forming epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and 20-hydroxyeicosateraenoic acid (20-HETE). “EETs dilate blood vessels and … Read more
Persky Named ACSM Fellow
May 1, 2008Adam Persky, PhD, a clinical assistant professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, has been named a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. Persky, who is in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, will be inducted into the fellowship program during the ACSM’s national meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 28-31. He will also deliver a tutorial lecture at the conference on May 29 about drug interactions with nutrients, supplements and exercise. The ACSM Fellowship program recognizes professional achievement and competence in the related disciplines of sports medicine through education, published works, and professional practice, as well … Read more
Juliano to Oversee School’s Research and Graduate Education
April 25, 2008The UNC School of Pharmacy has named Rudy Juliano, PhD, an expert in drug targeting, as its new associate dean for research and graduate education. Juliano fills the vacancy left by Dhiren Thakker, PhD, who stepped down to pursue other projects at the School. Before coming to the School, Juliano was the Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, where he served as department chair from 1987 to 2002. In his new position, Juliano will oversee the School’s research and graduate education programs. One key component of his responsibilities will be … Read more
McLeod to Deliver Abrams Lecture
March 20, 2008Howard McLeod, PharmD, a professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy and the director of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy, has been selected to deliver the 2008 Dr. William B. Abrams Lecture, becoming the first PharmD scientist to receive that honor in the ten-year history of the lecture series. The lecture, cosponsored by the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Food and Drug Administration/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, will be held at the FDA’s White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Wednesday, April 30, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. McLeod’s lecture is titled “Personalized … Read more