pharmacy research project university

Research Projects

The CHOICE Faculty are involved in a wide range of funded and unfunded research projects. They have been at the forefront of creating the next generation of thinkers and leaders in the field of economic evaluations, drug safety, and health care economics. They are known internationally for their work on developing and applying methods to critically assess information needs to improve population health and prioritize research investments given limited budgets. They are collaborating with some of the leading initiatives (e.g. Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)) in the nation in assessing the value of new interventions.  In addition, the CHOICE Institute has a rich history of working with decision makers, such as patients, physicians, industry and payers, providing expertise, and facilitating collaborations at the regional, national, and global level.

The future of the CHOICE faculty is bright.  The faculty are poised to address many national and global challenges – from continued opportunities to inform national policy, to studying changes to the Affordable Care Act and triple aim health care, guiding WA state to achieve effective universal health insurance coverage,  to determining value and guiding best practices with the increase in personalized medicines, to understanding how human behavior affects medication adherence and clinical results, to the rise of technology in healthcare, to better ensuring favorable benefit-risk of medicines and other health technologies, to growing the international platform and linking with the important work done through the Global Medicines Program.

A list of active research projects are listed here. Specific projects that have generated research resources are also highlighted under specific tabs on the right.

Aasthaa Bansal

• PI: Personalized Risk-Adaptive Surveillance Strategies in Cancer (PRAISE); NIH (R37), 07/01/2018-06/30/2023

Douglas Barthold

• PI: NIA (K01) “Long-term effects of today’s medical care access policies on the future burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” 2022-2026
• PI: PhRMA Foundation “The role of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the utilization of high and low value healthcare,” 2021-2023
• Co-I: NIH (R01) “Acceptability of sustained-release antiretrovirals for treatment in the US and sub-Saharan Africa,” 2019-2024
• Co-I:  NIA(U19) “Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Research Program (Renewal),” 2021-2026

Anirban Basu

• PI:  Empowering the Annual Health Econometrics Workshop; AHRQ, 2017-2019
• PI: Value of Information Methods for NHLBI Trials; NHLBI (R01), 4/15/2015 – 3/31/2019
• PI: Cure Sickle Cell, Model for Economic Analysis of Sickle Cell (CureSC: MEASURE); NHLBI, 07/01/2019 – 06/30/2022
• Co-PI (PI: Coleman, Kaiser Permanente): Effectiveness of Gastric Sleeve vs. Gastric Bypass for Cardiovascular Disease; NHLBI R01, 2016-2019
• Co-I: (PI: Carlson) ICER Economic Modeling; ICER, 1/2020-12/2021

Josh Carlson

• PI:  ICER Economic Modeling; ICER, 1/2020-12/2021
• PI: (subcontract) BEAT MS clinical trial; Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason and NIAID, 2/2019 – 2/2021
• PI: (subcontract) Oncology Value-based Pricing Project; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and BMS, 1/2019 – 4/2020

Beth Devine

• PI: Customizing Value-based Methods to Prioritize Implementation of Pharmacogenomic Clinical Decision Support for Learning Health Systems. (PRECISE-VALUE); AHRQ, 2019-2021
• Site PI: Assistant Director: Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) VI; AHRQ, 2019-2024
• Lead Co-I (PI: Goddard, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research) : Cancer Health Assessments Reaching Many (CHARM); NHGRI, 2018-2021
• Lead Co-I (PI: Czerniecki, VA Center for Limb Loss and Mobility): Improving Dysvascular Amputee Outcomes by Enhancing Shared Decision Making (AMP-DECIDE); VAHSR&D, 2018-2022
• Lead Co-I (PI: Basu): Cure Sickle Cell, Model for Economic Analysis of Sickle Cell (CureSC: MEASURE); NHLBI, 2019-2022
• PI: UW-Allergan Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Training Grant); Allergan Pharmaceuticals, 2012 – 2023
• Lead Co-I (PI: Veenstra): Payer Demand for RWE in HTA: A DCE, Health Technology Fund , UW Outcomes Corporate Advisory Board, 2018-2020
• Key personnel (Site PI: Gray): US Deprescribing Research Network; NIA, 2019-2021
• Co-I (PI: Bowen): Randomized trial of genetic testing methods for primary care patients (PICNIC); NHGRI, 2020-2024
• Associate Director: UW Health Services Research T32; AHRQ, 2018-2023
• Faculty Mentor: UW Biomedical and Health Informatics T32; NLM, 2017-2022
• Faculty Mentor: UW Developing Data-Driven Cancer Researchers T32; NCI, 2016-2021

Louis Garrison, Jr. 

• Principal Mentor , UW-Pfizer Post-Doctoral Fellowship , 2016-2018.
• Co-Inv . (PI-Chung) University of Nairobi HIV Capacity Building Fellowship. USAID, 2014-2018

Ryan Hansen

• Co-I: National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation: Gaps in Care (Community Pharmacy Increasing Statin Utilization for People with Diabetes)
• Team Lead: Institute for Clinical and Economic Review: Comparative Value Modeling Team
• Co-I: National Institutes of Health (NIH): Pilot Study of a Community-Pharmacy Model to Expand Access to Medications to Treat and Prevent Hepatitis C, Opioid Use Disorders, Overdose and HIV Among Persons Who Inject Drugs
• Co-I: Washington State Department of Health (sub from CDC): Support ACT Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
• Co-I: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Comparative Effectiveness Research of STOP2

Scott Ramsey

• Ramsey Sub-PI (Main PI Charles Blanke, OSHU), Ancillary Study to Evaluate Patient and Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Preferences Related to Return of Genomic Results in the SWOG 1400 (S1400) Clinical Trial. Project Dates 8/2016-2/2018

Andy Stergachis

• PI of UW Subcontract (Main PI: Aboagye-Nyame) Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS); USAID
• PI of UW Subcontract (Main PI: Buekens).  Landscape Analysis:  Sentinel Site Readiness for Maternal Immunization Active Safety Surveillance in LMIC; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Co-I: (PI: Murray) Mapping and Monitoring the Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance; Fleming Fund, Wellcome Trust, BMGF
• Co-I: (PI: Bacci) Community Pharmacist Population Health Management of People Living with Epilepsy; UCB Pharma
• Co-I: (PI: Baeten) Pharmacy Delivery to Expand the Reach of PrEP in Kenya; NIH-NIMH (R34)
• Co-I: (PI: Ho) Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub; NIH/NHLBI
• Co-I : (PI: Farquhar) Health-Professional Education Partnership Initiative (HEPI) – Kenya; NIH/Fogarty

Sean Sullivan

• Consortium PI: Comparative Effectiveness of CSF ; A Pragmatic Trial to Improve Colony Stimulating Factor Use in Cancer; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2016-2021
• PI, PCOR K12: Mentored Career Development Program in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research; AHRQ, 2012 – 2019
• Co-Director: Pacific Northwest Evidence-Based Practice Center; AHRQ, 2012 – 2017
• Co-Investigator: PTN ON (PI David Flum) Practice Transformation Network; CMS, 2017-2018

David Veenstra

• PI: Fellowships in HEOR. Genentech, Inc., 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2021
• Site PI: Rational Integration of clinical SEquencing (RISE); Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 09/05/2017 – 07/31/2021
• Co-I: (PI: Thummel) Program on Genetic and Dietary Predictors of Drug Response in Rural and AI/AN; NIH, 08/01/2017-07/31/2021
• Co-I: (PI: Bansal) Personalized Risk-Adaptive Surveillance strategies in Cancer (PRAISE); NIH, 07/01/2018-06/30/2023
• Co-I: (PI: Devine) Cancer Health Assessment Reaching Many (CHARM); Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, 06/01/2018 – 05/31/2021
• Co-I: (PI: Jarvik) Evolving Our Partnership: The CSER2 Centralized Support Coordinating Center (CSER2 Coord Center); NIH, 04/01/2013 – 06/30/2021
• Co-I: (PI: Jarvik) The Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network, Phase III; Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of WA, 04/25/2019 – 03/31/2020

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Research Opportunities

Opportunities for undergraduate students.

All undergraduate pharmacy students are strongly encouraged to participate in research during their studies. Interested students can seek the opportunity to work in research projects in the college by directly contacting the professor(s) supervising the relevant project. A list of research programs within the college is available  here .

Several research fellowships for undergraduate research are available on a competitive basis to students enrolled in one of the College of Pharmacy undergraduate programs. Information on these undergraduate fellowships and other research opportunities specifically for undergraduates is available on  this page . Research internships in the Bachelor of Sciences in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) program are administered separately, and are open only to those students in the BSPS program. Such students should contact their faculty mentor about arranging a summer internship.

Purdue's Office of Undergraduate Research has several resources available to undergraduate students interested in reasearch. Please visit this page to learn more .

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Graduate Research

Research is a crucial element in every graduate degree offered by the College of Pharmacy. Although Purdue College of Pharmacy MS and PhD programs begin with course work, each one culminates in a significant original research effort by the student that demonstrates his or her advanced understanding of and participation in the scientific discovery process. This research project is carried on under the mentorship of faculty, involving both a primary research advisor and an advisory committee.

Finding a research laboratory

Please see this short video on finding a research laboratory .  (August 23, 2022)

Post-doctoral Researchers and Visiting Professors/Scientists

If you fall into this category, you should contact the professor in whose research program you have an interest. Caution: Non-judicious use of email to send requests for employment to all the members of the faculty are usually ignored. Be selective!

Professional and Technical Researchers

All interested individuals should refer to the  employment page  of the Purdue University  Human Resource Services Office .

• Welcome to Student Tools

Pharmd Projects

College of pharmacy, pharmd students at the university of utah college of pharmacy from the class of 2019 forward are required to complete a capstone research project during their third and fourth years. the purpose of the project is to help students transition from consumers to producers of knowledge. completion of a project will enable the student to develop many key skills: professional writing, formal presenting, critical thinking, literature evaluation, project management, data collection, data analysis, and others..

Accepting Submissions

If you have an idea for a research project you would be interested in advising and that would  benefit you , you can submit your proposal by clicking the link below. Each Fall (September-January), we collect ideas for students to complete during the following two academic years. We accept proposals from a wide range of partners in addition to the College of Pharmacy faculty, including School of Medicine faculty, College of Nursing faculty, community and clinical pharmacists, public health officials, and others.  You are welcome to share this form with anyone who you think would be qualified and interested in advising a student research project.

PharmD students interested in proposing their own project should look for a mentor to advise the project, and then submit a proposal with that mentor. On the proposal, the mentor will list the student he or she plans to work with. Mentors and students who are already working together can also indicate this on the form.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact  Craig Henchey  or  Dan Witt .

Qualities of a Good PharmD Project:

• Feasible to complete in 1-2 years
• Financially feasible (see “Project Funding” below)
• Clear pathway to data acquisition and analysis
• Straight-forward methodology
• Sufficiently Focused – few variables and specific aims
• Potential to generate or support future research
• Mentor invested in project success and completion
• Strategically aligned with needs of the Mentor

Recent Projects

• College of Pharmacy
• UHCOP-DLDCCC ACD3E

Current Research Projects

Current P20 Grant Projects

Pilot project 1.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a prevalent and deadly disease whose rate of incidence in the United States is higher in underrepresented populations. One of the hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma is the global reduction of DNA methylation which is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis.

In this project, we will use two complementary discovery platforms to develop novel compounds that reduce DNA hypomethylation as a novel therapeutic approach to treating hepatocellular carcinoma in underrepresented populations.

Pilot Project 2

In this proposal, we aim to investigate FOXA1, a master regulator of ER reprogramming in endocrine resistance, as a drug target by combining unique expertise of drug discovery-development groups at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our efforts to discover novel drugs may have a potential for a major clinical impact in overcoming drug resistance in ER+ BC, which has disparity in mortality for African American women.

We also expect that our proposed research will advance the unique cancer drug discovery and development collaborative efforts between DLDCCC and UHCOP and serve as a platform for creating cancer research training opportunities for underrepresented (UR) trainees.

Conference Presentations by Students

12th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved 2019, Sept. 20-23, 2019, San Francisco, Calif.

Poster Presentations

"Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Vincristine and its M1 Metabolite in Kenyan Pediatric Cancer Patients through Co-modelling," Presenter: Lorita Agu, UHCOP Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student, Advisor: Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., FNAI

"Pharmacokinetic analysis of co-formulation of calcipotriol and paclitaxel for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma shows reduced systemic exposures and eliminations: Implications for safety and efficacy," Presenter: Victor Lincha, UHCOP Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student, Advisor: Professor Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., FNAI

"FOXA1 genetic alterations in Whites versus Blacks or African Americans in Breast and Prostate Cancer," Presenter: Jennifer Torres, UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Studies undergraduate student, Advisor: Associate Professor Meghana Trivedi, Ph.D., Pharm.D.

"Evaluating medication adherence of oral endocrine therapy among breast cancer survivors in a large academic medical center," Presenter: Rutugandha Paranjpe, UHCOP Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy Ph.D. student, Advisor: Associate Professor Susan Abugosh, Ph.D.

Other Attendees

Professor Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., FNAI, Professor, UHCOP

Meghana Trivedi, Ph.D., Pharm.D., Associate Professor, UHCOP

7th Annual PPS Research Symposium, University of Houston, Houston, TX, Aug. 8-9, 2019

Poster Presentation

"Co-formulating a novel combination therapy of paclitaxel and calcipotriol for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using response surface methodology," Presenter: Victor Lincha, UHCOP Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student, Advisor: Professor Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., FNAI

Oral/Poster Presentation

"Pharmacokinetics of Vincristine and its M1 Metabolite in Kenyan Pediatric Cancer Patients," Presenter: Lorita Agu, UHCOP Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student, Advisor: Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., FNAI

Invited Talks

Diana S-L. Chow

"Optimizing cancer drug development through formulation development as well as pharmacokinetics-guided preclinical and clinical evaluations," MDA-BCM Joined Drug Development Symposium, June 20, 2019.

"Cancer drug development with pharmaceutical approaches-Multidisciplinary sciences," Keynote Speaker, RCMI Symposium, Texas Southern University, March 25, 2019.

"Cancer drug development -Multidisciplinary sciences," P20 Multidisciplinary Seminar Series Kick-off, University of Houston, March 20, 2019.

"P20 project - Alliance for Cancer Drug Discovery/Development & Education," P20 Kick-off meeting at UHCOP, with 25 attendees (14 from UH and 11 from BCM), November 8, 2018.

"UHCOP-BCM NIH-NCI P20 Training Grant Training our next generation of cancer researchers," UHCOP Dean’s Advisory Council Meeting, October 5, 2018.

• UB Directory
• School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences >

At the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, our dynamic research spans drug interaction, from discovery to development to clinical application. We are leading developments in precision pharmacotherapy, resulting in improved patient outcomes and development of future public policy initiatives.

Our world-renowned researchers challenge scientific boundaries and define the future of pharmaceutical research and drug therapy management. Our highly competitive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant support gives us a powerful foundation that facilitates groundbreaking discoveries and solutions to critical health challenges.

In addition to the Pharmacy Building, the campus boasts an extensive network of clinical and research affiliations, with a variety of local, regional, national and international sites, including Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Nobel Prize-winning Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the ACTG AIDS Clinical Trials Group, and the University of Zimbabwe, Harare.

Top Funded Faculty

Current Funding:  $1 million Research Focus: Pharmaceutical health services, pharmacoepidemiology,  implementation science

Current Funding:  $7.7 million Research Focus:  Clinical and translational approaches to combat antimicrobial resistance

Current Funding:  $4.2 million Research Focus:  Pharmacometrics in psychiatry, oncology, neurology and cardiovascular disease

Current Funding:  $17.3 million Research Focus:  Mathematical modeling, antibody-drug conjugates

Current Funding:  $3.5 million Research Focus:  Cancer chemotherapy, drug delivery, drug targeting

Current Funding:  $4.4 million Research Focus:  Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, antiretroviral therapy

Current Funding:  $3.5 million Research Focus:  Clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive regimens in renal transplantation

Current Funding:  $3.4 million Research Focus:  Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Current Funding:  $3.5 million Research Focus: Protein delivery and immunotherapy

Current Funding:  $2.7 million Research Focus:  Anticancer drug development, cancer pharmacology, ovarian cancer, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics

Current Funding: $19.3 million Research Focus: Drug development, HIV/AIDS

Current Funding:  $3.4 million Research Focus:  Antibody-drug conjugates, cancer chemotherapy, drug delivery, medicinal chemistry, targeted drug delivery

Current Funding:  $2.4 million Research Focus:  Protein biotherapeutics and clinical/pharmaceutical proteomics

Current Funding:  $1.5 million Research Focus: Systems pharmacology, quantitative structure-pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic relationships

Research News

State-of-the art equipment arrived at the University at Buffalo Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences ( CBLS) last fall.

Acquisition includes novel platform technology designed to improve the safety and efficacy of an important emerging class of cancer medicines.

Key Research Strengths

Pk/pd, pharmacometrics and systems pharmacology.

Collectively, our research in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), pharmacometrics, and systems pharmacology is having a critical impact on important decision making in drug discovery, development, and clinical utilization and is being used to guide the design of new potential drugs, provide a scientific rationale for new drug combinations, minimize adverse drug reactions, and individualize pharmacotherapy.

Pharmacogenetics, Genomics, Drug Metabolism and Drug Transport

We employ a unique multi-disciplinary approach to these areas of research which study individuals response to particular drugs based on their genomic profile, allowing for the evaluation of genetic variables affecting a person’s response to that particular drug. These approaches combine pharmacology and genomics, providing the key foundational principles of precision medicine.

Protein Therapeutics

We are conducting cutting-edge research that tests hypotheses relating to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of protein drugs, and also relating to the development of new methods for the prediction and characterization of protein PK/PD.

Drug Delivery

Our research is transformative in the development of drug delivery systems for the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. With a focus on the on the development of protein therapeutic delivery systems as a bio-therapeutic pathways, this research will expand options in the delivery of multiple therapeutic agents and approaches to gene therapy.

Pharmaceutical Health Services and Outcomes Research

We focus on the intersection of pharmaceutical health services and outcomes research, pharmacoepidemiology, comparative effectiveness research and implementation science. Our faculty investigate the impact and outcomes of pharmaceutical products and services while advancing the knowledge about the effectiveness and safety of medicines as well as pharmacy’s role in improving population health. Our approach emphasizes interdisciplinary and collaborative research strategies encompassing both observational and interventional methods across a variety of therapeutic areas.

Clinical and Translational Research

We are accelerating the delivery of basic scientific discoveries from the laboratory to clinical trials, and from clinical trials into general practice.  Our faculty are conducting extensive research in preclinical and early clinical development for novel compounds for investigators.

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Application Deadline: February 20, 2024 Program Dates: May 22 - August 2, 2024

The University of Michigan Interdisciplinary REU Program (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) in the Structure and Function of Proteins, RNAs, and DNAs is designed to provide undergraduate students with a 10 week research experience in the areas of biochemistry, biophysics, cheminformatics, computational chemistry, enzymology, marine biology, molecular biology and plant biology. The research projects featured in this program all focus on different aspects of protein, RNA, and DNA structure and function. REU Faculty Mentors represent the departments of Biological Chemistry; Chemistry; Medicinal Chemistry; Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Pathology, Pharmacology; Biophysics and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Program Dates:  May 22 - August 2, 2024 Application Deadline : February 20, 2024 Participant benefits:

• $7000 stipend
• Free housing
• $1365 meal allowance 
• Scientific communication workshops
• Graduate school preparation workshops and more...

COVID-19 Policies In accordance with University of Michigan policy for students, staff and faculty, all program participants are required to be fully vaccinated (including recommended boosters) against COVID-19 and must submit their vaccination information.  Program regulations regarding the use of face coverings in UM buildings, facilities and laboratories will also be in line with current University of Michigan campus policies. 

* Program is pending funding from the NSF

Listing Row

• Potential Research Projects

Research projects for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students are available within the following School of Pharmacy research areas and research centre. 

Please email our academic staff to discuss potential HDR projects and ask if they are available as an advisor for your proposed HDR program.

Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacometrics

Title: Implementing Pharmacogenomics into Community Pharmacy Practice to Personalise the Treatment of Depression Contact:  Associate Professor Chris Freeman

Title:  Developing pharmacokinetic models for immunosuppressants in solid organ transplant patients Contact:   Dr Christine Staatz

Title:  Improving the use of immunosuppressant agents in solid organ transplant patients Contact:   Dr Christine Staatz

Medication Use, Safety and Health Services Research

Title:  The ethics of pharmacogenomic testing in community pharmacy Contact:  Doctor Adam La Caze

Title: Pharmacy ethics and the opioid crisis Contact:  Doctor Adam La Caze

Title:  Improving the use of immunosuppressant agents in solid organ transplant patients Contact:   Dr Christine Staatz

Title:  Establishing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models for antibiotics used in special paediatric populations Contact:   Dr Christine Staatz

Title:  Queensland Family Cohort (QFC) : Characterising medication usage within the perinatal-postnatal family environment Contact:   Dr Meng-Wong Taing

Title:  Pharmacy and oral healthcare Contact:   Dr Meng-Wong Taing

Pharmacoepidemiology, Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoeconomics

No projects currently available.

Biotherapeutic Delivery and Diagnostic Solutions

Title: Computer-aided design, synthesis and evaluation of targeted drug delivery systems Contact:   Dr Ben Ross

Title:  Engineering peptides and proteins as therapeutics Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Improving the delivery characteristics of protein / peptide drugs Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Deciphering the roles of post-translational modifications Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Recombinant, semisynthetic and synthetic vaccines Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Targeted delivery systems for RNAi and DNA delivery Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Enhancing the activity of antimicrobial agents Contact:   Dr Peter Moyle

Title:  Engineering nanostructures and nanomedicines using supercritical fluid technology Contact:   Dr James Falconer

Title:  Improving delivery of challenging to formulate bioactives using advanced delivery systems Contact:   Dr James Falconer

Title:  Discovery of new drugs from indigenous Australian plants using supercritical fluids Contact:   Dr James Falconer

Title:  Design, construction, and development of supercritical fluid technology Contact:   Dr James Falconer

Title:  Characterisation of high pressure spray behaviour and bioactive Contact:   Dr James Falconer

Title:  Delivery of therapeutics to the posterior eye Contact:   Dr Harendra Parekh

Title:  Development of bioresponsive drug/gene carrier systems Contact:   Dr Harendra Parekh , Dr Karnaker Tupally

Title:  Bioresponsive porous silicon-polymer composite nano- and micro-particles for oral protein delivery Contact:   Dr Amirali Popat

Title:  Mesoproous silica nanoparticles synthesis and application in drug delivery, diagnosis and therapeutic protein delivery Contact:   Dr Amirali Popat

Title:  Inorganic nanoparticles for targeting bacterial biofilms Contact:   Dr Amirali Popat

Pharmaceutical Biology

Title:  Calcium homeostasis in cancer: identification and characterisation of novel drug targets  Contact:  Professor Greg Monteith  and  Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson

Title:  Identification and characterization of novel ion and drug transporters and the design of novel high throughput screening assays for new pharmaceuticals Contact:   Professor Greg Monteith

Title:  Physiological regulation and the role of calcium transporters   Contact:   Professor Greg Monteith

Title:  Morphine and metastasis Contact:   Associate Professor Marie-Odile Parat

Title:  Role of caveolar proteins in glioblastoma Contact:   Associate Professor Marie-Odile Parat

Title:  Effect of perioperative pharmacotherapy of cancer patients on tumour Biology  Contact:   Associate Professor Marie-Odile Parat ,  Dr Ben Ross  and  Professor Nick Shaw

Biomedicinal Discovery and Development

Title:  Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel molecules for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease Contact:   Dr Ben Ross

Title:  Computer-aided design, synthesis and evaluation of new drugs for cancer, pain and neurodegenerative diseases Contact:   Dr Ben Ross

Pharmacy Education Research Centre

No current projects available.

Alan Grant-Taylor Memorial Scholarship: Community Pharmacy Practice

Find out more about the Alan Grant-Taylor Memorial Scholarship

UQ Summer and Winter Research Programs

Coordinated by the UQ Student Employability Centre, these programs provide an opportunity for scholars to work with a researcher in a formal research environment in their area of interest.

By participating in a program students will gain valuable academic and professional opportunities, develop analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills, and have an opportunity to cultivate links with industry and academic contacts. 

It is also a chance to ‘test drive’ research before embarking on further research studies or higher degree research projects. Participation is open to undergraduate students and Masters by coursework students.

All students participating in the summer and winter programs will receive a scholarship. General information on the program, including how to apply, is available from the UQ Student Employability Centre’s program website .

Please see our Summer and Winter Research Program page for a full list of the available programs.

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Pharmacy research project guidance: Project Management

• Project Management
• Ethical Approval
• Doing a systematic literature search
• Evaluating your sources
• Doing your literature review
• Citing references
• Using EndNote
• File and Data Management
• Your Lab/Log Book
• Reflective Writing
• Supervisory Expectations
• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Doing your research project will give you experience of many aspects of project management, including:

• working with a supervisor, and potentially other members of a research team
• time management - planning all the tasks involved in a project to deliver the end result on time
• resource management - you will need to work with physical and human resources, and within a budget, to deliver your project report

Please take into account that no survey work should be carried out without prior ethical approval. The University requires ethical approval to be obtained when personal data is collected either by questionnaire or by the analysis of human samples. The issue should be discussed with your Supervisor and the appropriate forms submitted to the School or University Ethics Committee. See the Ethical Approval  for more information.

Project Topic and Allocation

The final year research project should be a rewarding experience for both the student and supervisor, with students learning much about the topic they work on, taking pride in learning how to perform research and earning ultimately a good grade for their work. Even though every attempt is made to pair a student with a supervisor of their choice, this is not possible in all cases. However, even if you do not pursue your first choice of topic, this does not mean that you will not develop the research skills to meet the learning outcomes and achieve the very highest marks of which you are capable for your research project.

Project topics are often settled after a period of negotiation between the supervisor and one or more students. Students are encouraged to develop the basic ideas that supervisors put forward, or to think of good ways to implement ideas that supervisors might have. Staff will evaluate such ideas and consider possibilities for their implementation in the light of their own expertise and may often suggest alternatives. Students should take on board the advice supervisors give.

Working with your supervisor

Your supervisor will be responsible for guiding the direction of your work and for ensuring safe working. The day-to-day supervision of your work may be delegated to another member of your supervisor’s research group, if appropriate.

If you are having any problems with your supervision, then it is imperative that you let the module convenor know straight away.

Your supervisor is a valuable resource when working on your research project but they will not tell you how to do your project. You need to take charge and ‘own’ your project as you will be the one who has to stand by it and will receive the marks for it. Owning your project means being pro-active and thinking of the ideas and direction of the project yourself. This does not mean you have to do everything alone as your supervisor can give valuable advice and act as a sounding board for your ideas. Consider your supervisor’s advice carefully as they have the experience to know what is likely to work and not work in a research project.

Working with your supervisor is a partnership and you need to negotiate a way to work that suits both of you. Things to find out are:

• How many meetings with your supervisor you can have
• The best methods of communicating with your supervisor – e.g., are they willing to give feedback by email
• When it is appropriate to ask them questions – e.g., only during their office hours for seeing students
• How much of your draft project they are able to look at and provide feedback on
• Any deadlines for handing in drafts for feedback
• Any times they will be away and out of contact

The kinds of things that your supervisor can advise on:

• Whether your project is manageable in the time you have
• If you need to have a more focused title or question
• Whether your project outline is reasonable / workable
• Suggestions for books and resources to get you started
• Design of the research protocol
• The data collection process
• Analysis of the results
• Advice on the structure and plan of your project and report
• Feedback on specific chapters or sections of chapters

Further details on what to expect from your supervisor can be found here: Supervisory Expectations

Time management

You are expected to dedicate most of the Autumn Term to working on your project. Whilst you can seek guidance from your supervisor the organisation of your project time is your responsibility. The pattern of work may be irregular. For example, you may have a very intensive period of data collection, followed by a longer period of processing and analysing it. You may also find that, at times, your progress is held up while you wait for a variety of services e.g. interlibrary loans, chemicals arriving or analyses. You will need to be flexible in your approach and show a greater degree of time management.

For lab-based projects:

• Find out realistically how long experimental procedures take – speak to the researchers in your laboratory. Preparation often takes longer than you think.
• Plan time to clear up after yourself - this is part of the experiment!
• Plan experiments to finish around five - you are not allowed to work out of hours without permission and certainly never on your own.

• Prepare for your literature search using scoping searches on potential databases
• Allow time to accurately construct a comprehensive search and adapt it for specific databases
• Be prepared to apply for inter-library loans to get key articles not covered by Library subscriptions
• Learn how to use EndNote or Mendeley for managing your references if you aren't already using one

Manage the tasks associated with your project using a Gantt chart. This will:

• show the time allocated to each task and the dependency between tasks;
• establish the feasibility of your plan and as a baseline against which to measure progress;

The chart may need to be revised at each project planning meeting, in consultation with your supervisor.

• Gantt chart templates This site provides 16 free Gantt chart templates for Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• How to create a Gantt chart in Excel An introduction to Gantt charts and how to create them. Ignore the sales pitch for Smartsheet and follow the instructions on creating one in Excel.
• Download the Gantt project planner for Excel Free Gantt chart template from Microsoft to use with Excel.

Even though you've got several months in which to do your project, the time will soon go. Find tips on making the most of your time in this video from our Study Advice Team:

• Avoiding procrastination video Tips on managing your time and getting things done.

Resource management

Physical resources

• What equipment do I need?
• What access do I get? Do I need to book it?
• Who knows how to drive it?
• Do you need access to additional publications not held by the Library? How do you get them?

Human resources

When are the people you need free to help? Respect their time!

• Who will help in the lab?
• Who runs the Stores?
• Who runs the prep rooms?
• Be aware of the budget.
• Your supervisor uses his/her own research funding to support your project.
• Minimise wastage - for instance don't order 500 agar plates unless you are definitely going to use them.
• Only order inter-library loans for key publications not available in the Library.

Useful books on project management

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Evaluation of the Undergraduate Pharmacy Student Research Projects in Ambo University, Ethiopia: Retrospective Review

Esayas tadesse gebremariam.

1 Department of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia

Diriba Alemayehu Gadisa

Academic research is an essential part of undergraduate Pharmacy education to produce qualified Pharmacists. However, there are no documented studies that examine the nature of undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research projects in Ethiopia. Therefore this study aimed to characterize the nature of students’ research project conducted for a bachelor of Pharmacy degree program at Ambo University, Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional, retrospective review using data extraction form was conducted on 279 research reports of undergraduate Pharmacy students at Ambo University from 2013/14 to 2018/2019. The National Harmonized Modular Curriculum program for the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in Ethiopia was used as a framework to group research projects by research topics and domains. Students’ profile (gender, program), supervisors profile, research types and topics, a domain of pharmacy curriculum, study setting, study design, target population, data collection strategy and techniques, and therapeutic classes of medicines for each project were extracted to see the characteristics of students’ research project. Data were entered and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data.

From 279 Pharmacy undergraduate students’ research projects, 83.9% were conducted by male students and 64.1% were by regular program students. Two hundred fifty (89.6%) of the projects were surveys. Slightly less than half (49.8%) of the research projects were clinical researches. One hundred twenty-six (45.2%) of the research projects were focused on the pharmaceutical care domain followed by dispensing (22.6%) and research and education domain (10%). Out of the 250 survey research projects, the majority 226 (90.4%) of them were used cross-sectional study design, 205 (82%) were conducted at hospitals and 187 (74.8%) were done on the clinical population.

The study showed that the majority of the abstracted projects were surveyed type quantitative clinical researches focused on the Pharmaceutical care domain and takes place at hospitals affiliated with the University. On the contrary, a lower proportion of the research projects were laboratory-based researches, focused on Pharmaceuticals manufacturing, drug information service, regulation, and supply chain management domains, and takes place at community Pharmacy and educational institutions. Thus, it is highly recommended the University has to devise a system for expansion of the study settings other than its affiliated hospitals, and the research topics would encompass all areas and domains of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical sciences.

Research is a quest for knowledge through diligent search or investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of new knowledge. 1 Health research has an impact on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and especially on health care programs policy. 2 The research in Pharmacy focusing more on evidence-based information (eg, scientific, pharmacy practice, health system), which is a key to modern health- care. Considering a broad and multidisciplinary aspect of drug therapy and outcome, there is a need for Pharmacy and Pharmacy practice-based research to optimize confirm the value of a new service, inform policy, and result in practice changes. 3 , 4

Research skill development is increasingly being seen as “an underlying principle” of undergraduate programs. 5 Conducting a research project requires generating a hypothesis, performing a systematic literature review, developing study methods, and collecting and analyzing data, and summarizing and disseminating the results. These allow students to acquire all elements of higher-order learning such as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creation of new knowledge. 6 , 7 A research project also facilitates learning in-depth and provides opportunities for independence not offered in a standardized curriculum. These opportunities to develop self-directed learning skills and problem-solving promote life-long learning, which will benefit the student in his or her future career as a Pharmacist. 8 , 9 Moreover, the participation of undergraduate Pharmacy students in research projects is important in producing Pharmacists better accustomed to increase the accessibility of unbiased health and medicines-related information to the public and other health care professionals. 10

Currently, in Ethiopia (with a population of approximately 110 million), there are more than a dozen of public institutions that train students in Pharmaceutical education at different levels, Ambo University being one. All of these institutions offer their degree programs in the English language. All Pharmacy schools are located within comprehensive, research-intensive universities located in urban centers, and all are directly affiliated with medical and other health care professional programs within the university structure. The Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) degree is an undergraduate academic degree in the field of Pharmacy that served as a prerequisite to practice as a Pharmacist in the country. 11 , 12

In 2008, all public Pharmacy schools in Ethiopia revised their undergraduate Pharmacy curriculum to focus on clinical Pharmacy or patient care aspects. 11 In the 2009/10 Academic Year, Ambo University launched the new undergraduate patient-oriented Pharmacy program and adopted the National Harmonized Modular Curriculum program for the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. 13 Currently, these National Harmonized Modular Curriculum program is serving as the guiding principle of the country’s Pharmaceutical education. It trained students to understand the properties of medicines, how they work, and how to provide Pharmaceutical care for patients. The general objective of the B.Pharm program is to train highly qualified Pharmacists who fulfill the essential, minimum common expectations of health care systems worldwide while fulfilling local needs. And the main rationale for modularization is the need to enhance students’ competency through a competency-based curriculum. 10

The curriculum comprises various core competencies including research education as a part of pharmacy training. These courses contain different research development topics that are conducted in various departments and include Epidemiology (3 credit hours), Biostatics (3 credit hours), Pharmacoepidemiology (3 credit hours), and Health research methods (3 credit hours). Also, the fifth year of the curriculum has six months of the academic research project (directed study) and team training program (action research training) with other health sciences students in hospital as well as in community setup. 10

The main focus of these research-related courses is to enable undergraduate Pharmacy students to understand the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical components of research. It covers their ability to analyze and synthesize information from Pharmaceutical works of literature, identify and respond to gaps in the evidence base by conducting research, share research findings, and apply evidence in practice. 10 Pharmacy students are not awarded a degree until they have developed and presented a research project on a selected and agreed topic of the research problem and scored a minimum of “ C” grade in his/her thesis report. 10 Being a final year course, the academic research project was first presented at Ambo University in 2013/14 and is now in its seven-year implementation. To ensure the success of these research projects particular care has been taken to address its aims and objectives, the type of the research topics, the domain or thematic areas covered by the projects and the study setting, design, data collection strategy and techniques, and study participant utilized and involved for research projects.

To date, there have been no studies evaluating the nature of undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research projects in Ethiopia. Hence, the main aim of this study was to characterize the nature of students’ research conducted for a B.Pharm degree program at Ambo University, Ethiopia. The study, therefore, might establish a baseline understanding of undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research project scope that will be used in the planning and promotion of department research activities and for future reference.

Description of the Study Area

The study was conducted at Ambo University, established in 1947. It is one of the higher learning institutions found in Ethiopia mandated to undertake academic, research, and community services. Presently the University runs 51 graduate and 85 undergraduate programs which are divided into nine colleges/institutes/schools and 82 academic departments. In 2010, the University launched the department of Pharmacy and accepted its first batch with the general objectives of training highly qualified pharmacists having the required knowledge, skill and attitude with standard pharmaceutical care service ethics to work in different pharmaceutical settings. The Department launched advanced-standing summer and continuous educational B. Pharm programs in the 2011/2012 academic year to mainly upgrading Pharmacy technicians in its catchment area. Currently, the department has a total of 25 academic staff under four-course units (Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Pharmaceutics & Social Pharmacy) and 275 students enrolled in both regular and non-regular undergraduate pharmacy programs. 14

Study Design and Period

A cross-sectional, retrospective review of research reports from 2013/2014 to 2018/2019 academic year of undergraduate Pharmacy students was conducted at Ambo University. Data was collected from 02 March up to 27 March 2020.

Data Collection and Analysis

Data extraction forms were prepared using National Harmonized Modular Curriculum and previous research literature. 6 , 10 A six-year data (2013/14 to 2018/19) were taken from final paper reports. Students profile (gender, program), supervisors profile, research types and topics, a domain of Pharmacy curriculum, study setting, study design, target population, data collection strategy and techniques, and therapeutic classes of medicines for each project were extracted to see the characteristics of students’ research. To optimize the consistency of abstraction, a glossary of terms was developed. The pre-test was done by two authors (ETG and DAG) from 10 research projects to check the applicability of the data abstraction tool and make necessary adjustments. The pretested research project was excluded from the study. The authors discussed the discrepancies among the responses until consensus was reached and final revisions were made. All projects were divided equally between the two authors for abstraction. After the data were checked for completeness and accuracy, it was entered into and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, percentage, and standard deviation) were used to summarize the results.

Operational Definitions

We grouped research projects by research topics and curriculum domains or thematic areas as described by the National Harmonized Modular Curriculum program for the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in Ethiopia. 10

Research Topics

Basic pharmaceutical sciences, including the development and testing of new dosage forms or medication-administration modalities (ie includes topics in the fields of Pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry, Pharmaceutical analysis).

Clinical research concerning the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of drugs (includes topics in the fields of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmacology).

Pharmacy practice research addressing various issues such as the evaluation of new and existing services, workload measurement, Pharmacoeconomics, and quality management.

Behavioral research deals with the interaction of man and the environment in a manner reflecting the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of the individual in society (ie includes topics in the fields of social Pharmacy).

Pharmacy Curriculum Domains

Pharmaceutical Care is a responsible provision of drug therapy to achieve definite outcomes that improve or maintain a patient’s quality of life.

A dispensing domain is concerned with the skill, attitude, and knowledge of preparing, packaging, labeling, and record-keeping and transfer of drug information to a patient or an intermediate who is responsible for the administration of the pharmaceutical drugs.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is the process of producing raw materials and conversion of raw materials to finished products in small and large scale industries.

Pharmaceutical regulation is a process of performing regulatory functions that include licensing, an inspection of manufacturing facilities and distribution channels, product assessment and registration, adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring, scientific assessment of all product quality specifications, control of drug promotion and advertising, and control of clinical trials to promote and protect public health.

Pharmaceuticals supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers to minimize system-wide costs while satisfying service level requirements.

Pharmaceutical Public health is the application of pharmaceutical knowledge, skill, and resource in preventing disease, prolonging life, promoting, protecting, and improving health for all through organized efforts of the society.

Drug information concerned with providing drug information resources used in the healthcare system to extract information from primary, secondary, and tertiary kinds of literature and to evaluate the biomedical literature using a systematic approach.

Professionalism and ethics encompass a set of attitudes, knowledge, and skills based on clinical competence, ethics, societal and legal requirements resulting in the application of a range of behaviors.

Research and education refer to the principle of scientific inquiry to investigate a medicine or pharmacy practice related issue.

Ethical Clearance

Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of the Department of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University with reference number ERC/PHAR/69/2020. Confidentiality and anonymity of the information was maintained by avoiding any personal identifiers in the data presentations.

Project Characteristics

A total number of 279 Pharmacy undergraduate students’ research projects were abstracted from final papers that completed over 6 academic years (76 in 2013/14, 20 in 2014/15, 68 in 2015/16, 24 in 2016/17, 30 in 2017/18, and 61 in 2018/19). Of these, 83.9% of research projects were conducted by male students, 64.1% were by regular program students and 26.2% were by the continuing education program. Projects conducted under the supervision of MSc and above holder advisors account for 87.1% of the total research projects ( Table 1 ).

Characterstics of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students’ Research Projects Over 6 Years (2013/14–2018/19) Based on Students and Advisors Profile at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=279)

Project Distribution Based on Its Types and Topics

Out of the total projects, 255 (91.4%) of the projects were original researches that consisted of survey and laboratory (in vitro) study and 8.6% of the projects were literature review. Among these, the majority 139 (49.8%) of the research projects were clinical researches ( Table 2 ).

Characteristics of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students Research Projects Based on Its Types and Topics Completed Between 2013/14 and 2018/19 at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=279)

Project Distribution Based on Pharmacy Curriculum Domain

Out of the total projects, the majority 126 (45.2%) of the research projects were focused on the Pharmaceutical care domain followed by dispensing (22.6%) and Research and education (10%). And only 2.9%, 2.2%, 1.8%, and 0.7% of the research projects focused on Pharmaceutical supply chain management, Regulatory, Drug information service, and Pharmaceutical manufacturing domain respectively ( Figure 1 ).

Distribution of undergraduate pharmacy student projects based on pharmacy curriculum domain completed between 2013/14–2018/19 in (%) at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=279). *Those researches to improve scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of pharmaceutical phenomena.

The Study Design and Data Collection Techniques Used Across the Research Projects

Out of the 250 survey research projects, the majority 226 (90.4%) them have used a cross-sectional study design. 248 (99.2%) of the projects were employed a quantitative data collection strategy, while only 2 (0.8%) of them were utilized both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategy. The percentages of research projects involving document review, interviewing, and administering written questionnaires data collection techniques were 52.8%, 28.0%, and 13.4%, respectively ( Table 3 ).

Characteristics of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students Research Projects Based on Study Design and Data Collection Techniques Completed Between 2013/14 and 2018/19 (n=250)

The Study Settings Were Used Across the Research Projects

Out of the 250 surveys (cross-sectional and longitudinal) research projects, 82% were conducted at hospitals, 3.6% at community Pharmacy, 5.6% at households, and 4.4% conducted at educational institutions ie high school, college, and university ( Table 4 ).

Distribution of Undergraduate Pharmacy Student Projects Based on Study Settings Completed Between 2013/14 and 2018/19 at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=250)

On the other hand, of the 205 research projects conducted at hospitals, 175 (85.4%) were conducted at different hospital departments and clinics. These are: Pharmacy (dispensary and store) 8.8%, ART clinic 16.6%, Out Patient department 21.9%, Internal medicine ward11.7% and Paediatrics ward 10.7%. While 14.6% of the research projects were done at all units of the hospitals (the whole hospital setting) ( Figure 2 ).

Distribution of undergraduate pharmacy students research projects conducted at hospitals based on their units completed in 2013/14–2018/19 at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=205). * Those researches considering the whole hospital settings.

The Study Participants Used Across the Research Projects

As reported in the final papers, the clinical population (74.8%), general population (5.6%), health professionals (12%), and students (4%) were the study populations involved in research projects. Of the 187 projects conducted on the clinical population, 72.7% were conducted on adults and 18.2% were on the HIV/AIDS population ( Table 5 ).

Distribution of Undergraduate Pharmacy Student Projects Based on Study Population Type and Characteristics Completed Between 2013/14 and 2018/19 (n=250)

Therapeutic Classes of Medicines Were Assessed Across the Research Projects

On the other hand, 53 (21.2%) of the research projects were assessed records of medical charts, prescription papers, and medicine registry books to see the treatment outcome, pattern, and use evaluation of different medicines. Antibiotics (37.7%), ARV medicines (20.7%), and Central nervous system agents (16.9%) were the top three classes of medicines studied on research projects ( Figure 3 ).

Distribution of undergraduate pharmacy student projects based on therapeutic classes of drugs completed between 2013/14–2018/19 at Ambo University, Ethiopia (n=53).

The present study attempted to give a picture of the undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research project at Ambo University found in Ethiopia.

The study examined 279 research projects completed over 6 academic years. It was found that only 8.6% of the abstracted project type was a literature review. Although the study discipline and scope were different for making a comparison, this was much lower than the findings from the University of Porto where 72.6% of the project type systematic review. 15 This difference might be because undergraduate training institutions in developing countries like Ethiopia are substandard with inadequate training facilities. Observed in these institutions are outdated and under-resourced library stocks, lack of computers, poor internet, and e-libraries limiting access to research literature. 1 , 16 Good research questions, protocols, appraisal, and review of current literature are unrealizable without easy access to the literature. On the other hand, only 1.8% of the total projects were laboratory-based researches. A possible reason for this finding may be due to laboratory-based research in pharmaceutics, pharmacology, or medicinal chemistry mainly conducted at the postgraduate education level. 17 In designing the curriculum, it was agreed that key criteria for the project would be that it addressed a research question and that sufficient data could be obtained for meaningful analysis in the time allowed for the project. 10 The project types would therefore include some that were laboratory-based, some that were literature-based, and some that were survey-based.

The study also showed that half (49.8%) of the abstracted projects were clinical researches. This might be because the research in Pharmacy focusing more on evidence-based medicine, which is a key to modern healthcare. 3 Clinical research is essential in developing evidence-based interventions that will make a difference in mitigating health problems, promoting health, and ultimately improving the quality of life of the patients. 1

In Ethiopia, the undergraduate Pharmacy curriculum shifted towards patient-focused practice by including a mandatory 1-year clerkship program as part of the academic training. The research course is often introduced late during training and directed towards the final year project. 10 , 18 The present study indicated that the majority (45.2%) of the research projects focused on the Pharmaceutical care domain followed by dispensing 22.6%. The reason that led many students to focus on Pharmaceutical care and dispensing researches might be because students conducted research projects concurrently with their clinical practice in affiliated institutions. On the contrary, only (5.8%) of the research projects were focused on Pharmaceutical manufacturing, regulation, and supply chain management. This could be due to a lack of students’ awareness, motivation, and experience in these fields of practice researches, and these courses are offered before three years of conducting their research. A previous study conducted in Ethiopia reported that 8.9% and 13.2% of undergraduate pharmacy students choose the manufacturing industry and regulatory affairs as their future area of practice respectively. 19 While pharmacy research is normally associated with the Pharmaceutical industry and academia, pharmacy schools must integrate with the Pharmaceutical companies and other research institutions for the sake of improving the quality of Pharmacy education and research to enrich the practice of Pharmacy in the future in Ethiopia. For example, in the United States Pharmacy academic institutions established partnerships with the Pharmaceutical industry for sustainability and positive research outcomes and many academic institutions serve as a central hub for fostering entrepreneurial culture through collaboration with Pharmaceutical companies. 20

In the current study, a majority (82%) of the research projects were taking place at hospitals affiliated with the university. A possible reason for this may be due to the recent pharmacy students’ attitude and future career choices in Ethiopia, where many (44%) of the students had a desire to work in hospital pharmacy after graduation. 19 On the other hand, most of the projects were conducted in the outpatient departments, internal medicine, and pediatrics wards as well as a dispensary of these hospitals. This may be due to the high prevalence of drug-related problems in internal medicine and pediatrics wards and the vulnerability of the patient population in the outpatient department. Indeed, drug-related problems observed inwards such as Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, and Psychiatry, where few research projects were conducted, speaks for the importance of conducting more researches in the future.

One of the surprising findings in this study was although more than 100 public health centers, 25 community pharmacies, and both private and public educational institutions are available under catchment areas of the university. 21 Only 9.6% of the 250 projects included in the survey were conducted at these facilities. The exact reason for this difference is unknown. Further investigation is needed to determine whether this is due to a lack of awareness of the students and their supervisor or a lack of external support and cooperation to conduct the projects in these settings.

Also, the present study revealed that the majority of the research projects used a cross-sectional study design. This design provides a snapshot of the prevalence or the characteristics of the study subjects in a single time point. The study investigator measures the outcomes and the exposures in the study subjects simultaneously and data are often collected through surveys. 22 The type of study design chosen depends on, the type of problem, the knowledge already available about the problem, and resources available for the study. 1 In this finding, lack of previous research experience, absence of financial support, and shortage of time allocated to research in the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum may limit projects to cross-sectional study designs with primarily descriptive analyses, which may not generate a reliable result to affect policy that requires more advances longitudinal study designs. Cross-sectional design cannot provide cause and effect relationships between certain exposures and outcomes of interest like that of longitudinal study designs. 22

As problems in Pharmacy education become more complex, qualitative approaches may provide researchers with a set of tools to better position them to explore these phenomena. 23 Nevertheless, in this study, almost all (98.2%) of the projects were employed quantitative data collection methods. This finding mirrors other studies, which indicated that research in Pharmacy education has historically been conducted from a quantitative approach. 24 , 25 A wide range of quantitative methods is commonly applied in Pharmacy practice research. These methods are widely used in published Pharmacy practice literature to explore the appropriateness of medicines use, appropriateness and quality of prescribing, and medication safety, through analyzing existing datasets, direct observation, or self-report. 26

Research studies in Pharmacy practice usually use single-method data collection strategies. However, often these report a lot of limitations and may not adequately answer the research question. Therefore, the combination of more than one research method to answer certain research questions has become increasingly common in pharmacy practice research. 26 In this study, it was found that only 2 (0.8%) of the projects were utilized mixed methods of data collection strategy. The mixed-method approach provides an expanded understanding of the phenomenon under investigation through the comparison between qualitative and quantitative data. 27 , 28

The study also identified that majority (78.4%) of the research projects were conducting on clinical populations, particularly on HIV/AIDS, DM, and hypertension populations. This might be because Ethiopia, like many other sub-Saharan African countries, is experiencing an epidemiological transition with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus becoming increasingly prevalent. 29 On the other hand, Antibiotics (37.7%) were the most prevalent class of medicines studied by the research projects. One of the studies done in Ethiopia reported that prescribers in public health facilities were found prescribing an antibiotic to 73.89% of patients visiting the facilities. 30

Research must have a value-added impact on the quality of service given to the local community. 31 Since the majority of research projects in this study were clinical researches conducted at different departments of University-affiliated hospitals, using the findings of these research projects would impact patients, health professionals, and a wider segment of the local community through strengthing Pharmaceutical care practice by educating staff and patients, validating Pharmaceutical care assessment tools, and informing aspects of Pharmaceutical care and Pharmacy service delivery. Furthermore, investigations of the undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research projects have formed the basis for future work in this area, which will motivate other schools of Pharmacy in Ethiopia to characterize the nature of students’ research projects.

The limitations of the present study are that as it was conducted in a single institution, it cannot be generalized to other institutions in Ethiopia. Additionally, it did not show the publication rate of students’ research projects.

This study showed that the majority of the undergraduate Pharmacy students’ research projects were a cross-sectional survey that takes place on the clinical population at hospitals affiliated with the university. Slightly less than half of the abstracted projects were clinical researches focused on the Pharmaceutical care domain. And almost all of the projects were employed quantitative data collection methods. On the contrary, a lower proportion of the research projects were laboratory-based researches, focused on Pharmaceutical manufacturing, drug information service, regulation, and supply chain management domains, and takes place at community Pharmacy and educational institutions. Thus, it is highly recommended to have a conducive environment and facilities for all types of research projects in the university. Besides, it would be important to conduct qualitative or mixed-method researches to address new challenges in Pharmacy practice. Moreover, the university has to devise a system for expansion of the study settings other than its affiliated hospitals. Future research that aims at assessing different Pharmacy practice areas and domains should be done by the students in line with clinical researches.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Pharmacy department of Ambo University for allowing us to use the data. We also want to extend our thanks to Lelise Tirfessa for her support during the data collection.

Funding Statement

No funds were received from any funding organizations.

The authors of this manuscript declare that they have no conflicts of interest for this work.

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» Pharmacy Summer Research Program for High School Students

The Summer Research Program is carefully designed to give participants an edge when applying to college. It provides hands-on experience in the pharmacy research arena while still in high school, with unique exposure to research methods, lab equipment, and technology that real pharmaceutical scientists use. 

In the program, you will:

• Get familiar with all the latest policies and practices in pharmacy
• Practice evidence-based medicine
• Join a small-cohort group to get  personalized guidance  
• Work with a faculty advisor to complete a research project
• Meet current Chapman Pharmacy students to learn about their journeys in pharmacy
• Learn how to write a research report and evaluate scientific literature critically
• Practice presenting your findings in a professional setting
• Receive a certificate of completion
• Letter of reference from the Chapman faculty (upon request)

This program is suggested for students with a 3.0+ GPA who are genuinely interested in research and/or health sciences. Participants are expected to actively participate in both online and in-person activities. 

Program Schedule

The 2024 program will run from July 8 to July 26.

This is a sample of what type of programming to expect during the 3-week session. The final schedule may vary slightly:

• Rinker and Orange campus tours, including lab and research spaces, collaboration spaces, and libraries
• Seminars on the difference between bench, clinical, and translational research
• How to use Chapman's one-of-a-kind digital infrastructure to access the latest pharmacy research
• Specialty access to "Pharmacy Day", an exclusive event highlighting what a career in pharmacy entails 
• Sessions with your group's faculty advisor to discuss and prepare your research project
• Interactive student panel of current Chapman Pharmacy students for real answers on the student research experience
• Seminar on the pharmaceutical degree programs Chapman offers 
• Interactive presentations on the faculty's latest research
• Workshops to hone presentation and communication skills necessary for success

Ready to register? Click this text to be taken to the registration page .  

FAQ & Participation Requirements

When is the 2024 program?

Who are the 2024 faculty advisors? 

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Rachita Sumbria, Dr. Aftab Ahmed, Dr. Moom Roosan, Dr. Laressa Bethisou, Dr. Karl Hess, Dr. Amy Kang, Dr. Miao Zhang, and Dr. Reza Taheri have kindly volunteered to lead cohorts alongside Dr. Hamid Montazeri.

Do participants need to be in high school to participate?

Participants must be entering grades 9-12 in the fall following the summer program.

What do I need to prepare?

Participants should wear appropriate clothing during in-person sessions, such as closed-toe shoes, and have access to a computer or laptop for hybrid activities. Lunch is provided on days with in-person activities.

For questions or assistance, please contact program director Dr. Montazeri at [email protected]

Cost & Registration

Deadline:  11:59 p.m. on Friday, 5/31/24

Total Cost: $1503

Cost includes:

• Access to all facilities, including pharmacy labs 
• Food for in-person sessions
• End-of-program presentation materials, including a reception for your guests
• Virtual learning sessions
• All learning materials for hands-on research
• Letter of recommendation from a participating faculty of your choice (upon request)
• Certificate of Completion 

Cancellation and Refund Policy:

The event deadline and cancellation guides have not been established for the 2024 session. Here is what may be expected:

In the event you must cancel your registration, please refer to the following:

• Notice of cancellation must be submitted in writing to [email protected] .
• Cancellations on or before the deadline will receive a full refund, with a $50 cancellation fee. Refunds after the deadline will be determined on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Program Director. Please allow 4–6 weeks to receive your refund.

Examples of 2022 Research Projects

2023 Students with Plaque of Distinction

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Dr. Montazeri’s research is focused on delivery systems and RNA interference via small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and CRISPR/Cas9. Regarding delivery systems, recent efforts in his project have shown efficient silencing of specific proteins in different human breast cancer cell lines. For further background, visit Dr. Montazeri's  faculty profile . 

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Drug Discovery, Development and Evaluation Hub Welcomes New Faculty to Fuel Innovation

By Rebecca Brierley

Published May 21, 2024

The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ (UB SPPS) Drug Discovery, Development and Evaluation (DDDE) Hub , a leading research engine in the fields of pharmaceutical research and translational sciences , is proud to announce the following strategic news hires who will launch and lead critical components of the DDDE Hub. These renowned faculty hires signify the university’s and the school’s commitment to drug discovery, development and the evaluative sciences as well as its dedication to fostering a culture of innovation and research excellence.

Gary Pollack, PhD, UB SPPS Dean envisioned the construct of the DDDE Hub and was confident it was a key next step in advancing the school’s research trajectory and transdisciplinary collaborations. Pollack states “These new faculty bring a wealth of experience, creative leadership and novel approaches which will not only move the school’s research programs forward at an accelerated rate but will also create a highly unique environment to catalyze contemporary drug discovery and therapeutic research."

DDDE Hub New Faculty

Yanan (Nancy) Zhao, MD, PhD

Professor, Pharmacy Practice Division of Clinical and Translational Therapeutics Start: March 2024

Dr. Zhao is an internationally recognized infectious disease and antimicrobial researcher leading high-impact federally funded research in drug discovery and development. 

Research Focus: Development of preclinical antimicrobial drugs and the molecular diagnosis of various infectious diseases and drug resistance mechanisms including federally funded projects to develop antibody-drug conjugates to combat drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Expertise in drug development, including compound synthesis, in vitro screening, in vivo PK/PD and efficacy evaluation, GLP tox screen, and pre-IND studies in non-human primates. 

Areas of Excellence: A renowned expert in molecular diagnostics, Zhao developed rapid diagnostic tests for important drug-resistant bacterial and fungal infections, such as KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae , azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus , echinocandin-resistant C. glabrata and C. auris.

She invented an FDA-EUA approved diagnostic test, which at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, played a significant role in rapidly implementing clinical laboratory testing for over 10,000 patients. Zhao also created a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 variant screening platform that was integrated into the NJDOH COVID surveillance program to facilitate local epidemiological monitoring and played a key role in the Metropolitan Antiviral Drug Accelerator program, a $65+M NIAID funded project to provide research and produce treatments for anti-viral threats.  

Liang Chen, MD, PhD

Dr. Chen is an internationally recognized infectious disease and antimicrobial researcher leading studies in bacterial genomics utilizing rapid molecular detection and complex genomic platforms. 

Research Focus:  Bacterial genomics and genetics, with particular focus on Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli (MDRGNB), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and multiresistant mycobacteria. He uses genomic sequencing together with informatics tools and clinical epidemiology to tackle the menace of emerging bacterial resistance.

Areas of Excellence: Chen's research on carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKp) superbug led to the discovery of the epidemic CRKp ST258 being a hybrid strain that originated from a large chromosomal recombination and has also identified significant diversification in this superclone, primarily due to the recombination of the capsular polysaccharide synthesis (cps) region and plasmid acquisition.

In addition to uncovering the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Chen also focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind emerging resistance to novel antimicrobials and its impact on clinical detection and therapy along with the inner workings of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) to uncover their role in antibiotic resistance and pathogenesis. 

He utilizes rapid molecular detection and genomic platforms to track and curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria using ‘plasmid epidemiology’ to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities between bacterial hosts and plasmids. His research group has established cutting-edge techniques, including comparative genomic analysis, RNAseq transcriptomics, transposon mutagenesis and sequencing (TnSeq), CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and plasmid curing, CRISPR interference, and fluorescent tagging platforms.

"We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional individuals to our school and research hub," says Brian Tsuji, PharmD, associate dean, clinical and translational sciences. "Drs. Zhao and Chen, along with the other new hires, expertise and passion for innovative research and discovery will undoubtedly contribute to our mission of developing the future of novel therapeutics to address multiple health care needs."

Bhaskar Das, PhD

Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Head, Division of Drug and Biotherapeutic Discovery Start: June 2024

Dr. Das is a leading expert in the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic agents focused on brain development and diseases.

Research Focus: Boron based small molecules design and synthesis and the use of these compounds as potential therapeutic and diagnostic agents for various diseases. These new reactions are used globally to synthesize different organic compounds and new compounds are utilized as potential therapeutic and diagnostic agents for different diseases areas. Das also collaborates with academic and industry colleagues in their drug discovery programs to design and synthesize novel pharmacological agents.

Areas of Excellence: Das’ research focuses on new methodologies for carbon-boron bond formation to synthesize boron-containing unnatural amino acids for use in cancer therapy and synthesis of chemical libraries of boron-containing agents to treat brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. His work also focuses on development of chemical libraries of PET and SPECT imaging agents for non-invasive diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease and brain cancer along with development of new therapeutic and diagnostic agents for brain cancer, prostate cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. 

Sasmita Das, PhD

Research Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division of Drug and Biotherapeutic Discovery Start: June 2024

Dr. Das is a classically trained organic chemist with extensive experience in drug and diagnostic discovery.

Research Focus: Das focuses on the development of novel technologies, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to support drug discovery and development for obesity and obesity related diseases (neuropathy and retinopathy), focusing on the design and synthesis of small-molecular and natural product-based probes. These probes are used to identify new biomarkers and develop new therapeutic and diagnostic agents, targeting mitochondrial oxidative stress and metabolic pathways.

Zhenjia Wang, PhD

Associate Professor of Empire Innovation, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division of Drug Delivery and Biopharmaceutical Engineering Start: June 2024

Dr. Wang is a preeminent expert in the development of neutrophil-based therapeutics to improve therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Research Focus: Address fundamental questions in drug delivery pertaining to blood vessel barriers. Development of neutrophil-based therapeutics to improve the therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases utilizing molecular biology, immunology, pharmaceutical sciences and bioengineering to understand and devise neutrophil-based therapeutics.

Areas of Excellence: The Wang Lab is a pioneer in developing neutrophil-based drug delivery systems to overcome blood vessel barriers in nanomedicines and designed nanoparticles that can selectively target neutrophils in vivo, thus neutrophils transport nanoparticles across blood vessel barriers for improved drug delivery efficiency. Development of seminal scholarship regarding the translational potential of nanoparticle formulations to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases and the development of a wide range of in vivo imaging tools to address basic questions in nanomedicines.  

Philip Lazarus, PhD

Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Head, Division of Quantitative Molecular Biosciences Start: July 2024

Dr. Lazarus is recognized as an expert authority in how individual genetic variants play a role in cancer risk and drug toxicity and effectiveness. 

Research Focus: The Lazarus lab was one of the first to study gene-environment interactions and their role in head and neck as well as lung cancer risk. He has performed numerous studies on nicotine metabolism and addiction and has performed seminal studies focusing on the role of cannabinoids and marijuana in drug-drug interactions and drug metabolism. In addition, his laboratory has studied the pharmacogenetics of breast cancer agents including serum estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors.

Areas of Excellence: Lazarus is a leader in studies of the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase family of phase II metabolizing enzymes and has numerous papers studying their regulation and their role in cancer risk and drug addiction along with federal funding to study the body’s ability to keep tobacco smoke components from causing cancer. 

Anne Talkington, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division of Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Systems Pharmacology Start: January 2025

Dr. Talkington is currently completing a National Research Council Fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology focusing on pharmacokinetics, applied mathematics and mathematical modeling. 

Research Focus: Her research focuses on leveraging modeling and simulation to improve drug design and delivery strategies along with opportunities to integrate techniques from model learning and optimization with innovative developments in therapeutic design.

“The Drug Discovery Research Hub is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of translational, biotherapeutic and pharmacologic research forward to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapeutics," states Donald Mager, PharmD, PhD, chair, department of pharmaceutical sciences. "With the addition of these new hires, the Hub aims to strengthen its position as a global leader in drug discovery research and experimental therapeutics.“

The initiation of the DDDE Hub is predicated on UB SPPS decades long research leadership in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and systems pharmacology. This long history, along with recent significant school-wide research growth [26% growth in year-to-date research funding per American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy FY 2023 research data], will provide a strong foundation for the school and faculty to continue pioneering research in drug discovery, development and evaluative science. 

For over 135 years, the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has continually been a leader in the education of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, renowned for innovation in clinical practice and research. The school is accredited by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education and is the No. 1 ranked school of pharmacy in New York State and No. 19 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

BIRTH-SD-UNITE

Bridging Information and Resources to Transform Health for South Dakota parents - Understanding, Normalizing, and Integrating Traditional birthing practices to Elevate health

Project Summary: BIRTH-SD-UNITE will document traditional birthing practices and ceremonies to prevent further loss of sacred practices from American Indian culture. We will work with the nine tribes of the land now called South Dakota to document unique birthing practices and ceremonies to create a written record which will be shared back to each tribe for their preservation.

An American Indian student at SDSU will be mentored by the project director on best practices for accurate and culturally sensitive information collection, documentation, and sharing. Once the information is collected, it will serve also as the foundation for work to develop training and education for medical providers throughout South Dakota to improve understanding of American Indian birthing practices. This work will be done to decrease the stigma surrounding these practices and to integrate them into the standards of care of modern medical facilities throughout the state. Our hope is that increased awareness and the integration of these practices into standards of care will lessen the impact of existing disparities.

BIRTH-SD-UNITE is funded through a Wokini Challenge Grant, which fund innovative projects and research that align with the Wokini Five-Year plan. Learn more about the Wokini Initative.

Project Rationale: BIRTH-SD-UNITE is a critical project for documenting the traditional birthing practices of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples of South Dakota. Dating back to the beginning of the boarding school era, when American Indians were forced to assimilate their children, traditional birthing practices and ceremonies began to be lost. Today, these practices remain at risk of being lost forever if they are not documented and retaught.

Additionally, American Indians in South Dakota experience high rates of health disparities surrounding maternal and child health. A recent report from the State Department of Health indicates that the highest rates of pregnancy-associated death and infant death from 2012-2021 occurred in Oglala Lakota County, despite having a fraction of the population of other South Dakota counties. Furthermore, it is estimated that discrimination contributed to 37.5% of all pregnancy-associated deaths in South Dakota (South Dakota Department of Health, 2023). Documenting traditional birthing practices will make it possible to educate Western medical providers and allow these practices to be integrated into standards of care for American Indian patients. If providers are educated about traditional birthing practices, understanding can be improved, and stigma can be reduced, enabling health outcomes to improve for American Indians.

An undergraduate American Indian student at SDSU will develop a mentored relationship with Stephanie Hanson. Through this mentorship, and by the end of Year 1, this student will learn to engage in and conduct evidence-based public health research activities to collect qualitative data about birthing practices and ceremonies of the nine tribes in South Dakota.

A literature review will be completed within the first six months of the grant period to review existing literature about culturally relevant birthing practices connected to the tribal nations in South Dakota.

A minimum of nine semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the intent that at least one interview will occur with an individual from each tribal nation by the end of the project period.

By the end of the project period, a formal set of recommendations will be developed to advise hospitals operating outside of tribal lands on how to best incorporate traditional birthing practices.

By the end of the project period, information collected through interviews will be shared with representatives from each of the nine tribes for preservation.

BIRTH-SD-UNITE News

More coming soon...

Project Director

Stephanie Hanson

Population Health Instructor

Department of Allied and Population Health

Community Practice Innovation Center

Co-Investigator

Keri Pappas

Temporary Research Associate I

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Hundreds of School of Pharmacy Graduates Entering Field

May 22, 2024    |   By Andrew Tie

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) held multiple convocation ceremonies last week, with hundreds of new graduates entering the field.  

On May 17, UMSOP celebrated 94 graduating  Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students   at The Lyric Baltimore.

“We at the School of Pharmacy are so very proud of you,” said Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD , UMSOP dean and professor of pharmaceutical sciences, who presided over graduation for the first time as dean. “As you go into the world and start your career in pharmacy, I am looking forward to hearing about your accomplishments. Whatever path you take, continue to be resilient, tenacious, and altruistic. Continue to lead.”  

Some students challenged themselves to complete pathways in geriatric and palliative care, pharmapreneurship — an initiative created by UMSOP in 2017 that represents the development of pharmacy entrepreneurs to address the nation’s health care challenges — pharmacotherapy, and research, while others completed graduate certificates or dual degrees in pharmacometrics and regulatory science.  

Others took on leadership positions in the Student Government Association or the University Student Government Association. And some participated in legislative advocacy.  

“If you think back to when you first started school here, how many skills did you have? How many lives could you save? How many proper medications could you think about and administer? Look at you today. Look at how excellent you’ve become,” said Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS , president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), in conferring PharmD degrees to the graduates.  

In reflecting on his journey through pharmacy school, Javier Trujillo, PharmD ’24 , recalls moving to Maryland not knowing anyone and developing friendships with classmates.   

During his fourth year, he worked at the Maryland Poison Center , which he said changed his career interests toward toxicology.  

“I absolutely loved working at the Maryland Poison Center. It was more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done,” Trujillo said.  

In addition to the PharmD Ceremony, UMSOP celebrated its in-person and virtual PhD and MS programs between May 14-18. They included:  

• The Pharmaceutical Health Services Research program — part of the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research — which recognized three PhD and three MS graduates in the Saratoga Building President’s Boardroom on May 16 before a UMB hooding ceremony for PhD students. 
• The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) program, which recognized 10 doctoral graduates on May 16 before a UMB hooding ceremony for PhD students. 
• The MS in PSC program, which held its convocation ceremony on May 15 to recognize its 22 graduates. 
• The Graduate Studies in Medical Cannabis Science program, which held a ceremony at the Universities at Shady Grove on May 14 to honor 135 MS and six certificate graduates. 
• The MS and Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Science program, which held a convocation ceremony on May 15 to recognize its 25 master’s and seven certificate graduates. Six of the MS students also graduated from UMSOP this year with their PharmD. 
• The MS in Pharmacometrics program, which held its graduation online on May 18 to recognize its 16 graduating students 

“We are so proud of the Class of 2024 across our PhD and MS programs,” Michel said. “Whether you’re working on discoveries in a lab, advocating for legislative and policy changes, or evaluating pharmaceutical services and interventions, we know you are and will continue to be leaders, innovators, and change makers in your respective fields.”  

Jassmin Brown, MS ’24 , has a business background and said she’s looking into entrepreneurial opportunities in the medical and adult-use cannabis markets. Based in Richmond, Va., Brown described the program as exciting, motivating, and entertaining.  

“I drive to Maryland to participate in volunteer activities, make connections with my friends and faculty, and, honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made because I’ve not only made lifetime friends, but also family,” Brown said.  

During the PharmD ceremony, Jarrell presented an honorary Doctor of Science degree to R.F. “Rick” Shangraw, Jr., PhD, MPA , president of Cintana Education, for which UMSOP nominated him.  

Shangraw has long been part of the UMSOP community as the son of the late Ralph F. Shangraw, a former department chair and professor emeritus of pharmaceutics. The honorary degree recognizes Shangraw’s involvement with and advocacy for advancing pharmacy education, research, and practice.  

“As you go out into the world, keep that entrepreneurial spirit to be innovative, to be creative, to think of new ways to do your job, to bring new ideas,” said Shangraw, who has been a supporter of the pharmapreneurship  initiative, the school’s commitment to supporting and best positioning faculty and students to achieve their career aspirations and address health care challenges.

“Many professions around the world are changing dramatically, and pharmacy is certainly one of them,” Shangraw added. “So it’s vitally important to bring this concept of pharmapreneurship to your job.”  

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UCL Grand Challenges

• Impacts and Outputs
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Mental Health & Wellbeing Pump-Priming 2024/25 Funding Call

Funding of up to £25,000 is now available to support research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and accelerates intervention discovery and development.

26 April 2024

UCL Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing Pump-Priming Funding Call

Deadline for applications: Monday 3 June 2024, 17.00 (GMT).

UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing (GC MHW) welcomes applications for “pump-priming” funding of up to £25,000 per project to support research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and accelerates intervention discovery and development.  

The projects funded should represent impactful preliminary work that can lead to the development of a larger, externally funded project. Applications should be aligned with the key focus of GC MHW, which is accelerating intervention discovery or implementation. GC MHW defines intervention as any systematic effort to improve the mental health and/or wellbeing by focusing on individuals, groups of individuals, institutional/organisational structures, or societal/systemic issues. 

Conceptual, basic and applied work from different research traditions and disciplines are all critical for supporting more effective ways to promote wellbeing and mental health and are all within the remit of this call. UCL Grand Challenges uses ‘cross-disciplinarity’ to mean collaboration between experts in different fields that cuts across traditional subject areas. We see cross-disciplinary research as the effort to solve problems in an innovative way through the integration of skills and/or approaches from different disciplines. 

Applications should involve at least one early career researcher (PhD student, post-doctoral researcher, or faculty member/fellowship holder within eight years of PhD graduation or six years of their first academic appointment*). We strongly encourage applications from teams working across different UCL Faculties, and particularly welcome applications that focus on groups that are at increased risk of poor mental health. 

*These periods exclude any career break, for example, due to:

• family care
• health reasons
• reasons related to COVID-19, such as home schooling or increased teaching load.

Some possible focus areas below, as examples, but any topic within the remit of the GC MHW theme is welcome:

• Social changes and their mechanisms

This includes the study of mechanisms that operate when an individual’s or group’s behaviour changes for the better as a result of changes in social factors. For example, how do we get people to exercise more, what is the mechanism through which we achieve this, and what is the impact on mental health and wellbeing? Social changes, e.g., reducing inequality-related problems and their mechanisms, are also highly relevant here, as is research focusing on social/behavioural change as leverage for biological studies.

• Development of models of mental illness (and wellbeing)

These can be animal models or other instantiations (e.g. organoids, in silico models, models of social influence) that can be used to accelerate interventions and that offer mechanistic insights. Examples could include the genetic screening of druggable targets or the creation of credible animal models of specific symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, or social and biological processes relevant to mental health (broadly construed). We encourage applicants to consider ethical, philosophical, and legal implications in relation to biological, neuroscientific, and cognitive approaches and to involve colleagues from relevant disciplines in the applications.

• Spaces that support mental health

Projects in this area could address how the built and natural environment and buildings support or hinder mental health or how digital spaces impact on mental wellbeing. Examples could include the impact of time spent in nature, the effects of different types of home or office space, digital engagement, or external urban environments. It will be important to consider design, architectural, geographical, or digital considerations, as well as data from e.g. psychological or neurosciences to understand the interplay between the environment and the individual.

Applications for projects/activities costing between £10,000 - £25,000 will be considered under this call. In total, up to 15 projects will be awarded. Funding must be spent by 31 July 2025 – any unspent funds will be returned to UCL Finance at the end of the grant. 

Salary costs for research assistant staff are eligible, but contributions towards salary costs for contracted UCL staff members are not. A brief report of all expenditures must be submitted, alongside as an impact report.

• Eligibility
• First applicants must be UCL staff – either researchers in academic Faculties or Professional Services. 
• Secondary Applicants can be UCL staff/PhD students and / or external partners. There is no limit to the number of secondary applicants, and we therefore strongly encourage involvement of more than one UCL department/faculty , as well as consideration of external partners were appropriate. Applications that only involve one UCL department/faculty are extremely unlikely to receive funding and must justify how they meet cross-disciplinary remit of the call.
• The team must comprise at least one early career researcher (PhD student, post-doctoral researcher, or faculty member/fellowship holder within eight years of PhD graduation or within six years of their first academic appointment). 

Full guidance and eligibility criteria can be downloaded here. 

• How to Apply

Read the full guidance and eligibility criteria for the call. In order to be eligible for funding, please complete a short application form and then submit your proposal using the online portal.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Pump-Priming Call Application Form

• Upload your completed form

Download and complete the application form.

Rename the application form using the format: "First Applicant Family Name and Second Applicant Family Name".

Download the Form

Register your project using the submission form.

Upload your completed application form (please convert to pdf , if possible).

Submit Proposal

 Please Note:  Applications must be made using the online system. We will not accept emailed applications.

The deadline for applications is Monday 3 June, 17.00 (GMT).

If you have any questions, or require the form in an alternative format, please email Siobhan Morris ( [email protected] ). 

Related links

Funding from UCL Research, Innovation and Global Engagement