Researchers from the School of Pharmacy met June 15-16 to tout their latest research
activities at the school’s Sixteenth Annual Research Days Symposium at the Amarillo
Civic Center.
Research Days is an interdisciplinary forum showcasing the pharmacy school’s research activities during the past year. It provides the school’s faculty, postdoctoral fellows, residents and students an opportunity to exchange research ideas and interests and to discuss potential interdisciplinary collaborations between the school’s departments and campuses.
Edith Nutescu, Ph.D., and John DiGiovanni, Ph.D., were the event’s June 15 keynote speakers. Nutescu is director of the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomic Research Pharmacy Systems at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her presentation was titled, “Personalized Medicine at the Intersection of Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Research.” DiGiovanni is a professor and Coulter R. Sublett Endowed Chair for the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy. His presentation was titled, “Targeting Amino Acid Metabolism for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.”
Laurent Salphati, Ph.D., principal scientist for Genentech, was the June 16 keynote speaker. His presentation was titled, “Optimization and Development of P13K Inhibitors for the Treatment of Glioblastoma.”
Irene La-Beck, Pharm.D., and Hiranmoy Das, Ph.D., were the event’s distinguished speakers. La-Beck is an assistant professor for the School of Pharmacy’s Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology in Abilene. Das is a professor for the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy campus in Amarillo.
The annual Research Days poster competition featured more than 45 entries prepared by School of Pharmacy students, graduate students and residents. Poster presentation winners in the resident category included Megan Geurds, Pharm.D., Meghan Duquette, Pharm.D., and Danni McMahan, Pharm.D. Each received a $500 scholarship award for books and resources.
The event also featured 14 podium presentations, including 11 in the basic sciences and three in pharmacy practice. The top presenters included Kshitij Verma, a senior graduate student for the Department Pharmaceutical Sciences; Bader Huwaimel, a junior graduate student for the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Md. Sanaullah Sajib, a junior graduate student for the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Each received a $500 travel award.
In addition, three School of Pharmacy faculty members received seed grants. The trio included Jose Vega, Pharm.D., an associate professor for the Department of Pharmacy Practice in Abilene; Vardan Karamyan, Ph.D., an associate professor for the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Amarillo; Paul Trippier, Ph.D., an assistant professor from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Amarillo; and Ulrich Bickel, M.D., a professor for the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Amarillo.
