Category: Research
Faculty member advancing an inhalable pan-SARS treatment into clinical development
January 18, 2024Four years since SARS-CoV-2 first spread across the U.S., there are still tens of thousands of new weekly COVID hospitalizations, underscoring the need for more effective means to prevent these infection-induced hospitalizations. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is advancing an inhalable antibody treatment that not only works against all SARS variants but can be dosed with at-home convenience rather than the traditional means of systemic infusion. Lai’s research spans the interface of immunology and engineering, with a particular emphasis on developing novel bioactive molecules that … Read more
Associate Dean Carla White promoted to associate professor
November 29, 2023Carla Y. White has been promoted to associate professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education (PACE) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is also a pharmacist and the Associate Dean of Organizational Diversity and Inclusion at the School. White is a highly regarded thought leader, educator, influencer and pragmatic disruptor in the cultural intelligence space. In her role, she leads in strategic planning, organizational design, developing and articulating a communication strategy, identifying gaps, addressing challenges, developing best practices, determining relevant metrics and facilitating strategic partnerships. “This promotion represents a responsibility to reimagine and bring something … Read more
Residency program expands to Duplin County
November 15, 2023As part of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program expansion, Duplin County Health Department (DCHD), is excited to partner with Carolina as a new residency site. This expansion is focused on reaching Eastern North Carolina in rural and underserved areas. DCHD is a local government agency responsible for providing essential public health services to the residents of Duplin County, North Carolina. Its mission is to provide prevention, promotion and protection measures to ensure the health of our diverse community and environment by identifying and reducing health risks and barriers to available health … Read more
A new understanding of epilepsy in children
November 9, 2023In a recent study published in Nature Genetics, Erin Heinzen, Pharm.D. ‘01, Ph.D. ‘04, in collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, found a new cause of brain mosaicism and focal epilepsy, which could one day lead to better treatments. Dr. Heinzen is an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) with a joint appointment in the UNC Department of Genetics. Her research broadly focuses on neurodevelopmental disease genetics. Most genetic variants present in the cells that make up our body are inherited from our parents. Although, as cells divide during … Read more
CBD effects on the liver
November 8, 2023Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained popularity in the U.S. and Europe and is widely consumed and promoted to improve a variety of health conditions. Although safe for most, in rare instances, people receiving high daily doses of CBD can develop abnormalities in liver blood tests consistent with liver toxicity. In a recent study led by Dr. Paul Watkins, Howard Q. Ferguson Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, he and his colleagues looked at the risk of this potential liver injury when CBD was combined with Valproate (VPA), another medication … Read more
Students share research findings at FIP in Australia
November 1, 2023Written by Sean O’Connor, Class of 2024 Pharm.D. candidate Nina Inayan and Savannah Moody, Class of 2024 Pharm.D. candidates, represented the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and shared their research findings at the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) 2023 World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brisbane, Australia. FIP gives students the opportunity to meet people of different backgrounds and to share research findings and present abstracts to faculty, pharmacists and pharmacy students from multiple countries. Moody’s project, “Role of Pharmacists in Vaccination in Low and Middle-Income Countries Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Country Survey”, under the supervision … Read more
Pharmacy student paving his own path in aerospace medicine at NASA
October 30, 2023Until now, Tom Diaz had only explored and studied the field of aerospace medicine through reading papers, attending conferences and joining the Aerospace Medical Association. He also co-founded Aerospace Medicine at Carolina, a subgroup of the national Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization, in an effort to grow interest in the field among undergraduate, graduate and professional students in schools across campus. Everything changed when he was accepted into the NASA/Johnson Space Center Aerospace Medicine Clerkship program, where he had the opportunity to attend briefings, lectures and tours led by NASA scientists, and complete a research project. “This clerkship has … Read more
Incorporating career exploration and professional development into Ph.D. training: an NSF Innovations in Graduate Education award
October 25, 2023Assistant Dean Michael Jarstfer and Associate Professor Jacqui McLaughlin are working together to ensure Ph.D. programs offer students contemporary professional development and opportunities for career growth. To start this effort, a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovations in Graduate Education grant, of almost $500,000, was awarded to this project. Michael Jarstfer, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Graduate Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and associate professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry is the principal investigator of this project. “Ph.D. training has largely followed an apprenticeship model over the last 100 years. The result is that … Read more
New center to help advance placenta and fetal health
October 23, 2023The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is partnering with Rutgers University, Tulane University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester to launch the Integrated Transporter Elucidation Center (InTEC) supported by a $5 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of InTEC is to better understand the placental transport proteins involved in the prenatal disposition of nutrients, drugs and toxic chemicals. This work will support drug development and post-marketing drug safety for medications used during pregnancy. “We will fill the knowledge … Read more
First-of-its-kind nationwide analysis of children’s health care and neighborhood impact
October 9, 2023A new descriptive analysis from the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy (DPOP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy found that children living in lower opportunity neighborhoods, areas that lack the vital conditions necessary for health, wealth and well-being, had the highest rates of poor physical and mental health status and fewest ambulatory care visits but accounted for the highest share of emergency department visits. This is the first analysis of its kind to look at all children across the U.S. and included a variety of variables such as health status, healthcare utilization and expenditures, access to care, parents’ … Read more