PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Last modified February 25, 2008
The current Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with specialization in Pharmacy graduate program is offered by the Department of Pharmaceutics. The departmental faculty has decided to use 'track' method for accommodating the diversity of the Deparment's graduate population, its multi- and interdisciplinarity.
The focus of the Department of Pharmaceutics, which houses the Center for Drug
Discovery, differs sufficiently from that of other departments as to justify
a specialization. The uniqueness of the department is evident in present research
activities which encompass basic, applied and clinical investigations in the
areas of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology,
Pharmaceutical Analysis, Drug Delivery, and Drug Discovery. Specifically, Biopharmaceutics
and Pharmacokinetics, encompasses the absorption, distribution, metabolism and
excretion of drugs in animals and humans, and the relationship between drug
concentration and effect; Pharmaceutical Biotechnology includes molecular biology,
immunology, and aspects of the delivery of peptide and protein drugs; Pharmaceutical
Analysis involves the application of spectroscopy, chromatography, extraction,
electrophoresis, immunoassays, and radioisotope assays to drug determination;
Drug Delivery includes physical, biological and chemical approaches to drug
delivery, formulation and evaluation of dosage forms; and Drug Discovery is
associated with receptor-oriented/retrometabolic drug design, computer assisted
drug design, chemical/physical approaches to controlled drug delivery, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic
correlation approach to improved therapeutic index.
The objectives of the Ph.D. program in the Department of Pharmaceutics are:
Nicholas Bodor, PhD, Graduate Research Professor,
Director, Center for Drug Discovery
Research Interests:
Design of drugs with improved therapeutic index, based on retrometabolic concepts,
design of new chemical and physical delivery systems, computer assisted drug
design, drug transport and metabolism, and theoretical mechanistic organic chemistry.
Ongoing research is performed in all of the areas mentioned.
Veronika Butterweck, PhD, Assistant Professor,
Research Interests:
Research program focuses on the study of herbal medicines with CNS activity.
Specific areas of focus include the investigation of plants with antidepressant
or anxiolytic activity, phytomedicines for the treatment of restlessness and
sleep disturbances and herbal remedies for the prevention of alcohol dependency.
Hartmut Derendorf, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutics
Research Interests:
Correlation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior of drugs (corticosteroids,
analgesics, antibiotics); analysis of drugs and metabolites in biological fluids
by HPLC- pharmacodynamic evaluations by pharmaco-electroencephalography (EEG);
pharmacokinetics in sickle cell patients.
Reginald Frye, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests
Dr. Frye's clinical research program has focused on the identification and characterization
of factors that contribute to interindividual variability in drug response.
Current focus is on genetic and non genetic (e.g., age, disease) factors that
cause variability in drug metabolism, which can be assessed with in vivo probes
that can measure the activity of specific drug- metabolizing enzymes in individual
subjects. Dr. Frye has received funding for his research from the Pharmaceutical
Industry and the National Institutes of Health.
Leslie Hendeles, PharmD, Professor
Research Interests:
Leslie Hendeles, PharmD, is Professor of Pharmacy and Pediatrics in the Colleges
of Pharmacy and Medicine, at the University of Florida. He received his PharmD
degree from the University of Southern California in 1969. His current interests
are improving adherence to asthma medications and delivery of inhaled drugs
to young children. Dr. Hendeles has authored numerous articles and book chapters
on the clinical pharmacology of drugs for asthma and allergic rhinitis. He has
received national recognition-for outstanding contribution to the literature
from both the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the American College
of Clinical Pharmacists as well as the American Pharmaceutical Association's
award for Lifetime Research Achievement. He is a consultant to the FDA's Pulmonary
Division and serves on the Coordinating Committee of NIH's National Asthma Program
. The University of Southern California selected him as their 1993 Outstanding
Alumnus, and students in the Working Professional Pharm.D. program at UF selected
him as their Outstanding Faculty of the Year for 2002. Dr. Hendeles provides
advice on drug therapy to physicians and teaches in the Pediatric Pulmonary
Clinic at UF.
Guenther Hochhaus, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutics,
Research Interests:
Dr. Hochhaus' research includes the development of novel analytical techniques
for the measurement of drugs in biological fluids by chromatographic and immunological
techniques- the metabolism, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of
opioid peptides, pharmacokinetic/dynamic (PK/PD) behavior of anti-asthmatic
drugs and their relevance for the formulation of targeted pulmonary delivery
systems.
Jeffrey Hughes, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutics,
Research Interests:
Dr. Hughes' long term goals are to elucidate the physicochemical parameters
of antisense oligonucleotides and other macromolecules which influence their
cellular permeability and disposition. After a basic understanding is achieved
he intends to use these principles to develop better delivery systems for oligonucleotides
and other biotechnology derived products.
Julie Johnson, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, Professor and Chair, Dept. Pharmacy Practice
Research Interests:
Dr. Johnson's research focus is cardiovascular drug pharmacogenomics,
disease-gene associations that may be relevant to pharmacogenomics, and the
influence of race/ethnicity on drug response and pharmacogenomics. She currently
has studies ongoing in the areas of hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart
disease and obesity, with a primary focus on proteins that are drug targets
and the impact of their genetic polymorphisms on drug response and disease.
Her research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health
and/or the American Heart Association since 1990.
Taimour Y. Langaee, MSPH, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Dept. Pharmacy Practice
Taimour Y. Langaee, MSPH, Ph.D., is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Florida (UF) College of Pharmacy and Director of the UF Center for Pharmacogenomics Genotyping Core Laboratory. Before joining the UF faculty in 2002, he completed three years of post-doctoral fellowship in Immunology and Molecular Biology, and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics working on developing HIV vaccine at the College of Medicine University of Montreal and High Density DNA chips for Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the College of Medicine University of Florida.
Dr. Langaee's research interests are focused on pharmacogenetics (genetic-based variability in drug response) in cardiovascular and auto-immune diseases and developing microarray-based technology methods to facilitate disease diagnosis, genotyping of patients and discovering disease-gene associations.
Cary Mobley, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Use of liposomes for pulmonary delivery and as oral vaccine adjuvants. Conceptual
integration of the pharmacy curriculum.
Anthony Palmieri III, PhD,RPh, Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. Palmieri's major responsibilities include licensing of pharmaceutical and life sciences intellectual property. Palmieri holds a BS and MS in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island and the Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Prior to his present position he was at The Upjohn Company for sixteen years. . Palmieri was Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Wyoming. He is the author of numerous scientific, academic, and historical papers. He served as the Laboratory Editor for the third edition of the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients. Palmieri is very active on the national level of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity and is currently the national vice-president. Palmieri is past chairman of APRS. Currently he is Chair-elect of the Basic Sciences section. He is a fellow of APhA-APRS and has authored chapters on dissolution, microencapsulation, pharmaceutical excipients and history of pharmacy.
Michael A. Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutics, Dean Emeritus
Dr. Schwartz will lecture in graduate courses related to dosage forms and drug
stability in the program.
Sihong Song, PhD, Associate Professor
Research Interests:
Dr. Song's interests are in 1)improvement of safety and efficiency of rAAV vector
by understanding molecular mechanisms of persistence and integration of the
AAV genome in mammalian cells and 2) the use of recombinant Adeno-Associated
Virus (rAAV) vectors mediated gene transfer to develop gene therapy approaches
for common diseases such as diabetes and arthritis.
Amber Beitelshees, PharmD, Assistant Professor
Amber Beitelshees, PharmD, MPH, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. She received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Florida in 2001. She then completed a residency in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago. In 2005, Dr. Beitelshees completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics and Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology. After serving on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine she returned to the University of Florida in 2007. Her research is aimed at investigating the metabolic effects of cardiovascular medications and the pharmacogenomics of diabetic cardiovascular disease.
Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff, PharmD, Research Assistant Professor
Dr. Cooper-DeHoff joined the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Faculty in September 1999, having previously held a research pharmacist position at Shands UF. My primary responsibilities have been focused in research, both clinically and administratively. In clinical research , she is currently PI on an NIH (NHLBI) funded K23 5 year grant entitled Metabolic Effects of Antihypertensive Drugs. Additionally, Dr. Cooper-DeHoff is a co-investigator on 2 NIH grants focused in the area of pharmacogenetics and hypertension. In 2001 she received a New Investigator Award from the American Heart Association. In research administration , she serves as the Associate Director for the Clinical Trials Section of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. In this capacity she oversees the development, facilitation, and management of investigator initiated and extramurally funded clinical research.
Leslie Hendeles, PharmD, Professor
Leslie Hendeles, PharmD, is Professor of Pharmacy and Pediatrics in the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, at the University of Florida. He received his PharmD degree from the University of Southern California in 1969. His current interests are improving adherence to asthma medications and delivery of inhaled drugs to young children. Dr. Hendeles has authored numerous articles and book chapters on the clinical pharmacology of drugs for asthma and allergic rhinitis. He has received national recognition-for outstanding contribution to the literature from both the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the American College of Clinical Pharmacists as well as the American Pharmaceutical Association's award for Lifetime Research Achievement. He is a consultant to the FDA's Pulmonary Division and serves on the Coordinating Committee of NIH's National Asthma Program . The University of Southern California selected him as their 1993 Outstanding Alumnus, and students in the Working Professional Pharm.D. program at UF selected him as their Outstanding Faculty of the Year for 2002. Dr. Hendeles provides advice on drug therapy to physicians and teaches in the Pediatric Pulmonary Clinic at UF.
Julie Johnson, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, Professor and Chair, Dept. Pharmacy Practice
Julie A. Johnson, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS is Professor and Chair of the the Departments of Pharmacy Practice, Professor of Pharmaceutics and Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) at the University of Florida Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, and Director, University of Florida Center for Pharmacogenomics. She joined the faculty at the University of Florida in May 1998. Prior to her appointment on the UF faculty, she spent 9 years on the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy faculty. She received her B.S. in Pharmacy from the Ohio State University and her Pharm.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Following her Pharm.D., she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cardiovascular pharmacology/ pharmacokinetics at the Ohio State University.
Dr. Johnson's research focus is cardiovascular drug pharmacogenomics, disease-gene associations that may be relevant to pharmacogenomics, and the influence of race/ethnicity on drug response and pharmacogenomics. She currently has studies ongoing in the areas of hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease and obesity, with a primary focus on proteins that are drug targets and the impact of their genetic polymorphisms on drug response and disease. Her research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health and/or the American Heart Association since 1990.
Dr. Johnson is presently serving a four year term on the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration. She is also serving a five year term on the Pediatric Heart Disease Clinical Research Network Protocol Review Committee for the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at NIH. She is on the editorial boards of the journals Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacotherapy and serves as manuscript reviewer for numerous other scientific journals.
Dr. Johnson's awards include the University of Tennessee Excellence in Teaching Award from the Student Government Association (1996), induction as Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (1996), the Ohio State University Alumni Association William Oxley Thompson Award for early career achievement (1997), the Outstanding Faculty Award from the University of Florida Working Professional Pharm.D. Program (2001), the Philip C. and Ethel E. Ashby Lecturer at the University of Oklahoma (2003), the Albert Ebert 31st Annual Lecturer at University of Illinois (2003) and the Leon I Goldberg Young Investigator Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2004).
Issam Zineh, PharmD, Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Issam Zineh, Pharm.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. Zineh received his Pharm.D. from Northeastern University (Boston) in 2000. He then went on to Duke University Medical Center where he completed his residency in Pharmacy Practice. Dr. Zineh came to the University of Florida as a post-doctoral fellow in cardiovascular pharmacogenomics in August 2001 and completed his training in December 2003. His research has focused on how polymorphisms in the 1-adrenergic receptor and type-A natriuretic peptide receptor genes contribute to variability in response to various pharmacological agents. Currently, his research focuses on the immunomodulatory effects of cardiovascular and endocrine drugs commonly used in clinical practice. Dr. Zineh has received numerous awards for both his research and clinical service including the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Presidential Trainee Award (2003), the American He
Adjunct faculty will be selected by the faculty of the department and the center based on the suggestion of individual faculty member(s) and a departmental ballot. The role of adjunct faculty is to give guest lectures in graduate courses offered by the department and the center upon mutual agreement between the course coordinator and the adjunct faculty, and to advise students in graduate research (The adjunct faculty, the student, and the chair of the supervisory committee should decide about the level of involvement by the adjunct faculty). Participation in supervisory committees by an adjunct faculty will be governed by the guidelines given in the current Graduate Catalog of the University of Florida.
Richard H. Hammer, PhD, Professor Emeritus
Research Interests:
Design, synthesis, and pharmacological testing of novel soft anticholinergic
analogs of atropine and scopolamine as non-toxic short-acting mydriatics, antiperspirants,
and cardiovascular agents.
Vikram Arya, PhD, FCP
Dr. Vikram Arya is a Senior Clinical Pharmacology Reviewer in the Office of Clinical Pharmacology (OCP), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, in 2003. He has several publications in peer reviewed journals and has presented at various national and international conferences. He is a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP). He holds an Adjunct Clinical Professor (Special Title) appointment in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Mercer University, Atlanta, GA. He serves as the Section Editor in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (JCP) and is a member of the Editorial Board of JCP and International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutis (IJCPT).
Jeffrey Barrett, PhD, FCP
Dr. Barrett is Global Head of Biopharmaceutics at Aventis Pharmaceuticals.
He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in 1986
and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Michigan in 1990 under
Dr. John G. Wagner. From 1990 to 1994 he was a Senior Research Pharmacokineticist
at Merck Research Laboratories and from 1994 to 1997 he was the Director of
Pharmacokinetics and Computer Resources at Somerset Pharmaceuticals. He was
most recently at DuPont Pharmaceuticals where he was Director of Clinical Pharmacokinetics.
Dr. Barrett has an adjunct appointment at the University of Florida (Pharmaceutics
Department, College of Pharmacy). He has been a faculty member of the Pharmaceutical
Education and Research Institute (PERI) as a lecturer for the Pharmacokinetics
and Nonclinical Statistics training courses since 1992. Dr. Barrett has co-authored
over 40 manuscripts. He founded the Mid-Atlantic Population Approach Users Group
in 1992 and is a member of the Advisory Boards of the East Coast Population
Approach Group, the AAPS Bioequivalence Focus Group, and the Innaphase Corporation.
He was the co-developer of the NM-Win program (a windows-based front-end for
NONMEM). Dr. Barrett is a member of AAPS, ASCPT, ACCP and ASPET and was former
Chair of the Delaware Valley Drug Metabolism Discussion Group. He is a Fellow
of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology. His research interests include:
pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, surrogate marker validation, computer
applications for nonlinear mixed effect modeling, and bioequivalence. He is
a current member of both the PhRMA and FDA Expert Panels on Individual and Population
Bioequivalence.
Robert A. Baughman, PhD, Vice President and Director of Research & Development
Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
Research Interests:
Characterizing absorption mechanism for macromolecules, optimizing oral drug
delivery, the disposition of therapeutic peptides and proteins, and the effect
of disease states on drug pharmacokinetics. Dr. Baughman has conducted pharmacokinetic
studies on over 15 recombinant products, including clinical pharmacokinetic
trials with tPA, rhGH, TNF and rlFN-b.
Robert Bell, PhD, Vice President of New and Proprietary Drug Development Barr Laboratories
Drug & Biotechnology Development, LLC (D&BD) is a comprehensive consortium of experienced clinicians, pharmaceutical scientists, regulatory strategists and business development experts that provide product and business development assistance and solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical product and related industries. From project conception to product launch, D&BD provides a focused approach to the pharmaceutical and clinical development of drugs, devices and biologics for regulatory submissions. D&BD has extensive experience with all phases of product development, including pre-clinical, clinical (Phase I-IV), CMC (analysis, formulations, process, production), outsourcing, CRO oversight and regulatory interactions, document preparation, review and filings.
Marcus E. Brewster, PhD, Director of Drug Delivery
Janssen Pharmaceutica, Belgium
Research Interests:
Dr. Brewster has three main research interests including (1) The use of cyclodextrins
and chemically modified cyclodextrins as solubilizing and stabilizing pharmaceutical
excipients. These approaches have been applied to improving parenteral dosing
forms. (2) The use of quantum mechanical (molecular orbital) approaches to examine
problems of biological and chemical importance. Applications include evaluating
enzymatic pathways and drug stabilities. (3) Organ targeting and especially
brain targeting of drugs using redox and other technologies.
Staffan Edsbäcker, PhD, Astra Zeneca
Research Interests:
Age 48, married, 2 children 15 and 18 yrs; Chemical engineer, M.Sci 1979; Joined Astra 1980 (Dept of Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics); Ph D 1986 (”Studies on the metabolic fate and pharmacokinetics of budesonide”); Assoc Prof., Experimental Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Univ of Lund 1997-current; Section Head from 1990 - March 1999; Scientific Adviser at Experimental Medicine, AstraZeneca R&D Lund for 6 global AstraZeneca projects March 1999-June 2001; Secondment as Sr Director, Experimental Medicine, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Wilmington USA 2001-2003; Currently Sr Scientific Advisor for GI and respiratory projects. Preclinical experience in metabolism (tissue homogenates, isolated perfused tissues); Human pharmacology experience in traditional pharmacokinetics (exploratory and documentative); Lung, nasal and gut deposition studies using various techniques (modelling, scintigraphy, charcoal block etc); Interaction and tolerability studies; Scientific marketing activites; Regulatory issues (Experimental Medicine responsibility for 6 NDAs). Staffan has published about 30 full length original papers, 12 book chapters and reviews, and about 50 abstracts dealing with the deposition, pharmacokinetics and systemic pharmacodynamics of topical corticosteroids in healthy subjects and patients with asthma, rhinitis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Invited lecturer at several conferences. Tutor for 2 PhD students, one of whom defended his thesis in October 1998.
Ronald Evens, PharmD, MAPS 4 Biotec Inc.
Research Interests:
Ron Evens is President of MAPS 4 Biotec, Inc, consulting to biotechnology segment of pharmaceutical industry concerning medical affairs roles of communications, information, and clinical trials (peri-approval and post launch). Dr. Evens is clinical professor at University of Florida, College of Pharmacy. Ron serves on the Board of Directors of Cheladerm, Inc (drug company), Healthcare Distribution Management Association Healthcare Foundation and American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (Vice-Chairman); and three Dean's Advisory Boards for Colleges of Pharmacy at Universities of Florida, Kentucky and Midwestern. Invited presentations exceed 150 at national and state associations or universities. Publications are over 100, including 10 book chapters and 40 journal articles. Previously (12 years, 1989-200) at Amgen, he created and was Senior Director and Head of Professional Services Department. Professional Services was responsible for medical communications/education, marketing support, phase 2 & 4 studies, field based clinical liaisons, and product information for marketed and pipeline products. Also, he created and was Senior Director and Head of PeriApproval Research at Amgen (2000-2001). Prior to Amgen, Dr. Evens was Associate Director, Clinical Research and Medical Services at Bristol-Myers Co. (1984-89); Associate Professor and Acting Chairman of Department of Pharmacy Practice at University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN (1981-84); Associate Professor & Director of Drug Information Center at University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, and University of Texas Center for Health Sciences, College of Medicine, San Antonio (1974-81).
Mario Gonzalez, PhD, President P'Kinetics International
Research Interests:
Dr. González is President of P'Kinetics International, Inc. specializing
in biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics research. Dr. González was previously
President of GloboMax Américas and prior to that was Director of Biopharmaceutics
and Pharmacokinetics at Schering Research, Miami (formerly Key Pharmaceuticals,
Inc). His research has concentrated on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
evaluation of extended-release oral and transdermal drug delivery systems as
well as in vitro/in vivo correlations. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry,
Dr. González was on the Pharmacy faculty at Purdue University with teaching
and graduate research responsibilities in clinical pharmacokinetics. Dr. González
has been active in AAPS since its inception and was Chair of the Pharmacokinetics
Section in 1995. He also served on the organizing committees of the first four
AAPS/FDA SUPAC Workshops and was Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee for the
first Pharmaceutical Congress of the Americas held in March, 2001. Dr. Gonzalez
is also a member of the Controlled-Release Society, the American College of
Clinical Pharmacology, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
He serves on the editorial advisory boards of the European Journal of Pharmaceutics
and Biopharmaceutics and the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
and Therapeutics.
Ricardo Gonzalez-Rothi, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Division
Research Interests:
Dr. Gonzalez-Rothi is board certified in Internal Medicine with a Pulmonary
Medicine subspecialty. His research interests center around targeted drug delivery
to the lung via the aerosol route, specifically delivery of anti-mycobacterials
and corticosteroids to pulmonary alveolar macrophages. He is presently involved
in a multidisciplinary project to design liposome formulations of various corticosteroids
in order to modulate lung macrophage functions. Besides in vitro studies on
macrophage cell lines, which include receptor binding assays and a variety of
immune macrophage functions, various pharmacokinetic aspects of intrapulmonary
delivery of liposomal corticosteroid formulations will be studied in vivo. Dr.
Gonzalez-Rothi is on the NASA Space Shuttle Medical Support Team.
Ulrike Grafe-Mody, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co.
Research Interests:
Dr. Graefe-Mody is working in Clinical Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics at
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. Her responsibilities
include the conduct of clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies in the
course of drug development and approval of new drug candidates in various therapeutic
areas. This also includes POP PK/PD modeling and trial simulation to support
drug development. Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Graefe received
her Diploma in Biology in 1997 and PhD degree in Pharmaceutical Biology in 2001
from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany. Her thesis focused on the clinical
pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of phenolic compounds in phytomedicines,
which was carried out in cooperation with Prof. Hartmut Derendorf at the University
of Florida, Gainesville, FL. In 2001, Dr. Graefe-Mody received the Carl-Wilhem-Scheele
Award of the German Pharmaceutical Society for outstanding dissertations in
Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Ray Jurgens, PhD
Dr. Jurgens received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Drake University. After working in retail pharmacy for a year and a half, heenrolled at the University of Florida and completed his PhD in the Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1973. He initially started out in academia, butafter 3 years moved into the pharmaceutical industry. Over the last 25 years, he has moved through various departments, worked in several pharmaceutical companies and has had increasing areas of responsibilities. The first half of his career he developed expertise in formulations, parenterals and project management. The last 14 years, Dr. Jurgens has done clinical research in GI, CNS, female health care and most recently oncology. He has lectured in drug development and clinical in major academic institutions throughout the country. Currently, he owns several patents and has over 40 publications. He is on several scienitific advisory boards for academic institutions and companies. He is professionally affliated with Rho Chi, Kappa Psi, ACRP, ASHP, ACCP, and DIA. He is also a registered pharmacist. Dr.Jurgens currently resides near Clearwater, Florida and is Manager, Scientific Affairs for Berlex Laboratories, a USA Division of Schering AG.
Kiman Kim, MS
Research Interests:
Mr. Kiman Kim is a deputy director of herbal medicine management team at Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). He is responsible for herbal medicine approval, pharmaceutical company inspection, and international collaboration at KFDA. He received his bachelor of pharmacy degree from Seoul National University, Republic of Korea in 1983, and got a master of pharmaceutics degree from the same university in 1985. He was a senior researcher developing drug dosage forms and drug delivery systems at the research center of Yuhan Pharmaceutical Co. in Korea (1985—1990). He was with the Seoul Metropolitan Government as a pharmaceutical inspector (1993— 1996), and has been working for KFDA since 1996. Since 1993 he has inspected hundreds of pharmaceutical companies in Korea and in the world as a pharmaceutical inspector. He researched the harmonization activities in the drug approval process between the USA, Europe and Asia with particular emphasis on biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics under the supervision of Dr. Hartmut Derendorf at University of Florida (2002—2004). He published a paper with Dr. Derendorf concerning the differences in the drug pharmacokinetics between East Asians and Caucasians and the role of genetic polymorphisms in 2004. He is interested in building the international harmonization of herbal medicine approval and study.
Sriram Krishnaswami, PhD
Dr. Sriram Krishnaswami is an Associate Director in Clinical Pharmacology at Pfizer Global R&D based in
Michael Kurowski, PhD,MD
Dr. Michael Kurowski, became a Licensed Pharmacist in 1977 and then went on
to study Pharmaceutical Chemistry and received his PhD from the Freie Universität
Berlin in 1980. He continued his education, receiving his MD from Friedrich
Alexander Universität, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany in 1986. In 1989 he was Privatdozent,
Senior Lecturer for Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Friedrich Alexander Universität,
Erlangen-Nuremberg, and then in 1992 became a Specialist for Clinical Pharmacolgy,
Charite, Humboldt Universität, Berlin. In addition to being Co-editor of the
Journal Pharmacotherapy, Dr. Kurowski has been a consultatnt to the community
of practicing physicians and Ciba-Geigy, a member of the "Drugs Commision",
Chairte, University Hospital, and is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology
and Toxicology, Martin Luther Universität Halle Wittenberg. Dr. Kurowski has
received numerous awards and fellowships for his work. Dr. Kurowksi has been
involved in clinical studies and analytics of analgesic and novel antiretrovial
compounds since 1997 at the Private Practise Laboratory Medicine and was a Founder
Therapia GmbH. He supervises not only PhD candidates but also medical students
who are required to write a thesis in Germany. In addition to more than 50 publications
in prestigious scientific journals he published 3 books.
Richard Lalong, PhD
Research Interests:
Richard is currently the Executive Director and Head of Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics at Pfizer Global Research and Development in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to joining Pfizer (formerly Parke-Davis/Warner Lambert) in 1998, he was Senior Scientific Director at Phoenix International Life Sciences (now MDS) in Montreal, Canada. From 1984 to 1991, Richard was Assistant Professor then Associate Professor and Vice Chairman for Research at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. From 1980 – 1984 he worked at the University of Ottawa Health Sciences Centre in Ottawa, Canada. His research over the past 25 years has been focused on how to integrate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information to provide improved drug therapy in patients. He is a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and a member of the Editorial Board for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Richard is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (Pharm.D.) and the University of Toronto (B.Sc. Pharmacy).
Lawrence J. Lesko, PhD
Lawrence J. Lesko, Ph.D. is Director of the Office of Clinical Pharmacology
and Biopharmaceutics (OCPB) in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
at the Food and Drug Administration (1995-present). This Office is responsible
for the review and evaluation of the biopharmaceutic, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
data contained in IND’s and New Drug Applications (NDA’s). Dr. Lesko
is also Chair of the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Medical Policy Coordinating
Committee, and Co-Chair of the Biopharmaceutics Coordinating Committee, in CDER
that is responsible for developing guidances for industry. Dr. Lesko currently
represents FDA on the Common Technical Document (Efficacy) Working Group in
the International Conference on Harmonization. Dr. Lesko was previously Associate
Director of Research at the FDA where he was responsible for developing and
managing the Product Quality Research Program in the Office of Generic Drugs
(1992-95). Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Lesko was Vice President of PharmaKinetics
Laboratories (1988-92) and Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics at the University
of Maryland at Baltimore (1981-88). He also held an appointment in the Laboratory
of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health,
from 1985-1988 investigating the effects of age on the pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics of drug substances. He was a Laboratory Director in the Clinical
Pharmacology Division of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center from
1979-1981 and was on the faculty of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy from
1973-1979. Dr. Lesko received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in pharmaceutics from
Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was board certified in Clinical
Pharmacology by the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology in 1992. In 1998,
Dr. Lesko was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award from Temple University. He
is a member and Fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences and
serves as Chair of the Drug Development and Regulatory Science Section of American
Association of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Dr. Lesko is a Fellow
and a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology.
He is also the FDA’s Federal Liaison to European Federation for Pharmaceutical
Sciences. Dr. Lesko has authored or co-authored over 125 peer-reviewed articles
in biopharmaceutics and clinical pharmacology and he is a frequent speaker at
national and international meetings.
Nicola Luciani, BS
Research Interests:
Mr. Nicola Luciani is a Registered Pharmacist with the Ontario College of Pharmacy, having received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto in June 1994. He currently holds the position of Pharmacy Manager with Dell Pharmacy in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and has been working for Dell since September 1994. Mr. Luciani is an accomplished Compounding Pharmacist specializing in Veterinary Medicine and Advanced Sports Medicine. Mr. Luciani also holds a Doctorate of Acupuncture from Medicina Alternativa, received in April 2000. He has additional special interests in Nutrition, Anti-Aging and Botanical Medicine. He is currently a Board Member of SportPharm Pharmaceuticals, California, USA. Mr. Luciani is a Consultant and Lead Facilitator for Medisca Network Inc. for Certificate Programs in Pharmacy specific to Pharmaceutical Compounding; accredited by and offered at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
Maureen A. McKenzie, PhD
Maureen A. McKenzie, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of DENALI BioTechnologies, L.LC. Dr. McKenzie has almost 20 years of experience in biotechnology as an entrepreneur, researcher and executive, and founded the first and only company in Alaska dedicated to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical discovery and development from boreal territories. DENALI BioTechnologies focuses on plants, microbes, and marine organisms that thrive in harsh habitats, with special emphasis on novel molecules from psychrophiles (“cold-lovers”). Dr. McKenzie was Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Iowa State University, Ames, in 1994, and was an Assistant Professor of Chemical Biology and Pharmacognosy and member of the Laboratory for Cancer Research in the College of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, from 1990-1993. From 1989-1990, she was a Research/Teaching Specialist in the Departments of Biochemistry and Environmental and Community Medicine of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey. Dr. McKenzie was a Staff Fellow Scientist in the Diabetes Branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, from 1987-1989. Prior to graduate school, she was a Microbiologist for the Mobil Oil Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey, from 1979-1981. Dr. McKenzie received a Diabetes Research and Education Foundation Fellowship in basic research from the Hoechst-Roussel Corporation (1990-1992), The New Jersey State Commission for Cancer Research -Ciba Geigy Corporation Award for Scientific Excellence in Cancer Research (1992), and the Epsilon Award for Teacher of the Year in the College of Pharmacy at Rutgers University (1993). She was selected by the American Chemical Society in 1993 as a Preceptor for Science Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged. In 1994, she was chosen by the Des Moines Register as an Iowa “Up and Comer” for extraordinary leadership in business. In 1995, she received the Linda K. Neuman Award for the Professions by the Quad-Cities Women’s Encouragement Board, and was honored as a “Woman of Spirit and Note” in the community. She served on the Board of Directors of the Quad-Cities Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1995. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, patents and is the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants scheduled for publication in 2006. Dr. McKenzie holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from a joint program of Rutgers, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Princeton University (1987), a M.S. in Food Science from Rutgers (1982) and a B.S. in Nutrition/Food Technology from Iowa State University (1978).
Markus Müller, MD
Markus Müller, M.D. is Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacokinetics
at the University of Vienna Medical School / Vienna General Hospital in Austria.
He is also Co-Chair of the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Austrian Pharmacological
Society and the Austrian delegate to the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology
and Therapeutics. He holds the position of an ao.Professor for Internal Medicine
and Clinical Pharmacology. He has received his M.D. from the University of Vienna
Medical School with highest possible honours (sub auspiciis praesidentis rei
publicae). He was trained in Emergency Medicine, Oncology, Endocrinology, Infectious
Diseases, Chemotherapy and Angiology and is board certified for Internal Medicine
in Austria. Dr. Müller is a frequent speaker at international meetings and a
reviewer for several biomedical and pharmaceutical journals and scientific societies.He
has published over 70 original articles in the field of clinical pharmacology
and has received several national awards including the Achievement Award of
the Austrian Ministry of Science and the Billroth Award of the Austrian Board
of Physicians.
Adolf Nahrstedt, PhD
Education in Pharmacy (1962 – 1966) and Food Chemistry (1966-1968) at the University of Freiburg/Germany. PhD (Pharmacognosy) Freiburg, 1971; habilitation (Pharmaceutical Biology) Freiburg,1976; assoc. Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology, Techn. Univ. of Braunschweig/Germany 1977-1986; full Professor and chair of Pharm. Biology and Phytochemistry, Univ. of Münster/Germany, 1986-2004. Since Oct 2004 Prof. em.; Dr.h.c. of the Ovidius University, Constanta, Romania (2004). Honorary member of the Society of Medicinal Plant Research (GA; 2005). Scientific areas: Phytochemistry, physiological activity and biopharmaceutical aspects of traditionally used medicinal plants and their constituents. Biochemistry and physiology of secondary constituents of plants and insects, in particular the cyanogenic compounds; >190 papers in these fields; >160 lectures; >120 posters together with coworkers and students.Teaching experiences: Analytics of natural products and plant secondary constituents; Phytochemistry and biochemistry of nature-derived drugs; Pharmacology of crude drugs and plant derived compounds; Pharmacognosy (microscopy) of crude drug material; Morphology and anatomy of plants. Member of the Committee of Experts "Pharmaceutical Biology (Pharmacognosy)" of the German Pharmacopoeia (since 1987); Member of the “Board of Directors” of the Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzenforschung (Society of Medicinal Plant Research, 1981-2005) and the “Board of Directors” of the Gesellschaft für Phytotherapie (Society of Phytoptherapy, 1995-2004); deputy-member of the Commission E of the Federal Institute of Medicinal Products and Medical Advices (2002-2004). Coeditor of Planta Medica 1983 - 1992; Editor in Chief of Planta Medica - Natural Products and Medicinal Plant Research" (1993 - 2004), since then Senior Editor of Planta Medica.
Emil Pop, PhD
Research Chemist (1962-1965); Research Scientist (1965- 1978); Principal Research
Scientist, Group Leader (1978- 1983) Chemical Pharmaceutical Research Institute,
Cluj, Romania. Visiting Scientist, The Rugjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
(1971-72). Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Florida, Gainesville,
FL (1983-86). Senior Research Scientist (1986- 87); Group Leader (1987- 89);
Associate Director for Chemical Development (1989-1992; Director of Chemistry
(1992), Pharmatec, Inc., Alachua, FL. Director of chemistry (1992-95); Senior
Director of Chemistry (1995-1998), Pharmos Corporation, Alachua, FL. Founder,
President and CEO, Alchem Laboratories Corporation, Alachua, FL (1996-);
Awards: The "N. Teclu" award for chemistry granted by the
Romanian Academy (1980), Honors, Distinctions: Fellow, American
Institute of Chemists, Who’s Who in: Frontiers of Science and Technology;
World; Science and Engineering; South and Southeast; America (Marquis). Men
of Achievement, Dictionary of International Biography, The International Who’s
Who of Intellectuals, American Men and Women of Science. Courtesy Professor,
Center for Drug Discovery, University of Florida; Inaugural Member of the Advisory
Board, Florida Center for Heterocyclic Compounds, University of Florida.Professional
Membership: ACS, AIC, AAAS, AAPS, IUPAC, New York Academy of Sciences, International
Society of Quantum Biology and Pharmacology, Association de Pharmacie Galenique
Industrielle.Scientific Activity: 119 publications, 23 patents,
127 presentations. Expertise: organic, pharmaceutical, medicinal
and theoretical chemistry. Drug design, synthesis and evaluation of novel drugs,
prodrugs, chemical drug delivery systems; chemistry of synthetic cannabinoids.
Basic research scale-up product and process development.
Lakshmi Putcha, PhD, FCP
Shashank Rohatagi, PhD, MBA
Dr. Rohatagi, is a Distinguished Scientist in Global Biopharmaceutics, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, NJ. Global Biopharmaceutics Dept. uses PK/PD modeling/simulation methodologies and conducts biopharmaceutics related clinical studies to support the development and approval of drug candidates. Prior to joining Aventis Pharmaceuticals (formerly Rhone Poulenc Rorer) in 1996, Dr. Rohatagi was senior pharmacokineticist at Somerset Pharmaceuticals, Tampa, FL. He received a PhD degree in Pharmaceutics from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL in 1995 and an MBA degree from St. Joseph's University in 2000. Dr. Rohatagi received his B.Pharmacy degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India in 1991. His main interest is in elucidating pharmaceutical principles especially pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the field of asthma, cardiovascular disease and CNS. Dr. Rohatagi has currently published more than 30 peer reviewed articles, given more than 40 poster or oral presentations at various national and international meetings. He is currently a Fellow of American College of Clinical Pharmacology. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
Hans Schreier, PhD
Dr. Hans Schreier is a founder and CEO of MCS Micro Carrier
Systems GmbH, a formulation development company based in Neuss,
Germany. He received his dipl. pharm. ETH degree in 1976
and his Dr. sc. nat. degree in 1981 from the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland, followed by
postdoctoral training from 1981-1983 at the University of
California – San Francisco (UCSF) and a Senior Scientist
position at Liposome Technology, Inc., in Menlo Park, California
from 1983-1986. During his academic career, he held appointments
as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy (1986-1993) and
Associate Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine (1993-1995). He has been a founder, Director and the
Principal Scientist of Advanced Therapies, Inc., a nonviral gene
delivery company (1995-1998) and is a co-founder of ARYx
Therapeutics, Los Altos Hills, CA, a virtual drug discovery and
pharmaceutical development company. He is the Executive Director
of Liposome Research Days, Inc., a non-profit organization (since
1994) and co-organizer of the biennial international
"Liposome Research Days" conference. He has published
over 70 articles, reviews and book chapters and holds several
patents. He is the editor of a recent book on 'Drug Targeting
Technology: Physical, Chemical and Biological Methods' (Marcel
Dekker, 2001). He is an Editorial Board member of the Journal
of Liposome Research, and a member and elected Governor
(1996-1999) of the Controlled Release Society (CRS). He maintains
extensive professional links with individuals, companies,
agencies and scientific organizations in the US, Europe, Japan,
and Australia.
Sean Sullivan, PhD
Dr. Sullivan has been in the field of drug delivery for the past 13 years with emphasis being placed on increasing the effectiveness of drugs and decreasing side effects. Areas of therapeutic applications have included infectious disease (HIV, HSV and Hepatitis), arthritis and cancer. The drug delivery vehicles have included both liposomes and polymers for small molecular weight, such as doxorubicin and large molecular weight drugs, such as oligonucleotides and plasmids. For the past 6 years, his research efforts have applied this technology toward the development of non-viral gene delivery systems. Non-viral gene delivery systems consist of plasmid DNA encoding a therapeutic gene isolated from bacteria and formulated with either cationic lipids or polymers yielding transfection complexes. The cationic lipid based transfection complexes were developed for transfection of tumor endothelial cells for the purpose of inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. A combination of peptide targeting to receptors on tumor endothelial cells and control of therapeutic gene expression by proliferating endothelial cell promoters are being developed to yield selective delivery and therapeutic gene expression to the tumor vasculature. In addition, polymer based formulations are being developed for intramuscular administration. The purpose is to convert the transfected muscle cells into bioreactors for expression and secretion of therapeutic proteins into the blood stream. His present research program is focused on applying these technologies to the treatment of cancer, with emphasis being placed upon brain cancer.
Melanie Pecins-Thompson, PhD
Dr. Thompson received her B.S. from University of Florida in 1989, and her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Florida in 1993. She held a research position at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. While at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, Dr. Thompson received a National Research Service Award which funded her postdoctoral studies. She was also a recipient of A Women in Endocrinology travel award. Her primary research interests are the effects of steroid hormones on serotonin neural function. She has also taught Endocrinology at Portland State University.
Markus Veit, PhD
Academic Positions: January 1991 – December 1996: Lecturer
and position equivalent to an Assistant Professor (C1) since 1.4.1997:
position equivalent to an Assistant Professor (C2) , Department of Pharmaceutical
Biology, University, Würzburg, Germany Non academic positions: since
October 1999: Managing & Scientific Director, Zentralinstitut für Arzneimittelforschung
GmbH. Since December 1999: Scientific Director of the German Pharmaceutical
Manufactures Research Association
Susan Way, PhD
Dr. Way received her BS in Chemistry and Biology from Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY in 1983. She later received her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Kentucky in 1992. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since 1992 and is experienced in both solid and non-solid dosage form development. She is currently a Senior Principal Scientist in the Pharmaceutics Department at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT. where her responsibilities include preclinical and clincial dosage form development and preformulation. This includes discovery interfacing to assist in the selection of compounds entering development. Her research interests include solubilization of poorly water soluble compounds, promotion of oral absorption, as well as in vitro/in situ models for assessing drug transport
Governance
Decisions concerning curricular revision and student admissions
are made after the department faculty has met to discuss such
matters and each faculty member has voted on that particular
issue.
Recruitment
of Students
The PhD program of the Department of Pharmaceutics is listed in
the graduate catalog, and is advertised in mailings to well
qualified graduates of the University of Florida and on the
College of Pharmacy Home Page on the Internet.
Admission
Policies and Procedures
The College of Pharmacy adheres to the minimum standards set
forth by the Graduate School:
In addition to the above requirements, foreign applicants must have:
Although a formal interview is not required at this time, applicants are encouraged to visit the department/center prior to or during the application process.
Financial
Assistance
It is the general policy of the Department of Pharmaceutics that
all students accepted to pursue graduate studies receive support
in the form of a teaching or research assistantship, or show
evidence of adequate support from a fellowship or other source.
Currently, the minimum stipend is approximately $14,000/year.
Teaching assistantships are normally provided for a four (4) year period of time contingent upon continuing funding from State sources. A student may receive support for one (1) more year if a relevant reason is presented to the departmental faculty by the major advisor, and the departmental faculty approves the request by majority vote of all the faculty. Except in extenuating circumstances, the department or the center is not financially responsible for any student taking longer than 5 years to complete the doctoral program.
Those students assigned to teach during any given semester by the graduate studies coordinator are appointed Teaching Assistant (0.33 FTE) and are required to work 13.3 hours per week. All graduate students receiving a stipend who are not employed as teaching assistants will be designated Research Assistants or Fellows depending on the source of funds. Stipends are provided so that students may pursue research required to complete their educational programs. Students are expected to diligently pursue that research.
Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, every graduate student will receive a statement specifying (i) total amount of stipend for that period, (ii) position to which appointed, e.g. TA, R.A., or other, (iii) starting and ending dates of appointment, (iv) assignment for that period, (v) the supervisor for that period, and (vi) other pertinent information. A copy of this document will be kept in the student's personnel file. Students will be asked to sign the form to indicate that it has been read, understood and accepted.
At the end of each fiscal year, each student will be evaluated on his/her assigned duties by the supervisor in writing. The student has the right to a written rebuttal in case he/she does not agree with the evaluation. The evaluation will also be kept in the student's personnel file.
A professor may usually not have more than three (3) College-supported graduate students at any one time.
A faculty member may support with his/her own funds any number of graduate students in addition to the College-supported graduate students. The stipend paid by the faculty member cannot be used to supplement an existing college supported stipend.
Students are encouraged to apply for national and graduate school fellowships and awards. If a student succeeds in receiving a grant, the department or the center may supplement the student's salary with a fraction of the amount up to the current funding levels (provided the granting agency allows such an arrangement).
Decisions concerning the allocation of state stipends are made by the departmental/center faculty at the same time as a decision is made to admit a particular candidate.
Selection of Discipline for Degree and Major
Professor
Upon entering the department, students are required to meet with
each faculty member before selecting an advisor. Even if a
student indicates an interest in working with a particular
faculty member, he/she must nevertheless interview with all
(graduate) faculty members of the whole department before a final
decision is made. However, students who have made individual
arrangements with a professor prior to entering the program and
are sponsored through non-College funds provided by this
professor will not need to go through this selection process.
Students must select a major advisor by the end of their second semester of graduate school but are encouraged to do so as early as possible.
If a student desires to change the major advisor, he/she must discuss the change with the current advisor. If both parties agree to such change, the student can select a new advisor. If the parties cannot come to an agreement concerning the proposed change, then the student and the faculty member must each write a letter to the department chairperson explaining the situation. The student must specify the reason(s) for wanting to change. The advisor's letter must specify the reason(s) for the disagreement and contain an overall evaluation and appraisal of the situation. The department chairperson will evaluate the letters, discuss the situation with both individuals, and make a decision. If the student is permitted to change advisors, he/she will not be allowed to continue the same research project with another faculty member, except if both faculty members agree in writing to the department chairperson that the student should continue the same project under the new advisor.
The department graduate coordinator will advise the student in
general policies as set forth in this document. This individual
is also responsible for general oversight of the graduate program
for quality assurance, assignment of teaching duties, and
recruitment of graduate students.
Supervisory
Committee
The supervisory committee is proposed by the student's major
advisor in consultation with the student, nominated by the
department chairperson, approved by the Dean of the College of
Pharmacy, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. Each
committee member should hold Graduate Faculty status with the
Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School is an ex-officio
member of all supervisory committees. The supervisory committee
must be appointed no later than the second term of the doctoral
program. The student is encouraged to meet with the supervisory
committee as often as possible.
The supervisory committee shall consist of at least four (4) members of the Graduate Faculty. At least two (2) members must be from the Department of Pharmaceutics, and at least one (1) member other than the chairperson must be tenured faculty; at least one (1) member must be from a different educational discipline outside the College of Pharmacy. The chairperson need not be tenured, but must hold a full-time tenure track position in the Department of Pharmaceutics.
In unusual cases, the doctoral research may require the guidance of a specialist in an area of study other than that of the supervisory committee chairperson. In such cases, the department chairperson may recommend the appointment of a co-chairperson who should be on the graduate faculty.
DUTIES OF THE SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE
Curriculum
A minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree is required for the doctoral degree. All credits earned in the approved degree program count toward this minimum. Course work must be 5000 level or higher. Courses for major credit must be taken by letter grade, except for those courses listed as S/U in the catalog.
Each student, together with his/her committee, will put together a course program of study specifically designed to meet the student's interest this will include the following core courses:
Course Schedule for required courses
PHA 6414 Pharmaceutical Analysis Spring 2007, Spring 2009, ODD Numbered Years
PHA 6425 Drug Metabolism & Toxicity Fall 2005, Fall 2007, Fall 2009; ODD Numbered Years
VME 6767 Ethics Spring 2006, Spring 2007
ALS 6046 Grant Writing Spring semesters
Students with adequate training in any of the above courses may apply for exemption from such courses, but they must have credit for a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of approved didactic courses. The remaining course requirements can be fulfilled by completion of electives from the provided list or the graduate catalog selected in consultation with the students advisory committee. I t is also essential that the student ensure that they have a basic understanding of Pharmaceutics either by taking the appropriate classes or from previous education. They should be proficient in the basics sciences at a minimum to the same degree as students in the professional program. QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED DURING THE ORAL QUALIFYING EXAM Following is a list of approved courses. Course numbers may change, and courses may be added or deleted upon approval by the Faculty.
The following are course the students should consider taking to become familiar with Pharmaceutics
PHA 5172 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Fall 2005, Fall 2006, Fall 2007
PHA 5475 Synthesis of Prodrugs Fall 2006, Fall 2008, Fall 2010
PHA 6116 In vivo and In vitro stability of drugs Fall 2006, Fall 2008, Fall 2010
PHA 6125 Advanced Pharmacokinetics Spring 2006, Spring 2008, EVEN Numbered Years
PHA 6170C Product Formulation Fall 2005 Fall 2007, Fall 2009, ODD Numbered Years
PHA 6183 Pharmaceutical Gene Delivery Spring 2007, Spring 2009
PHA 6185 Pharmaceutical Drug Developement, Fall 2008
PHA 6427 Pharmacogenomics of drug metabolism and transport, Fall 2006, EVEN Numbered Years
PHA 6449 Pharmacogenomics #1 Fall 2005 ODD Numbered Years
LIST OF APPROVED GRADUATE COURSES:
PHA 5161 -
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (3 credits) PHA 5475 - Synthesis of
Prodrugs (3 credits) PHA 5515 - Introduction to Pharmacology (1
credit) PHA 5516 - Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (4
credits) PHA 5517 - Pharmacology II (4 credits) PHA 6115 -
Equilibria, Complexations, and Interactions of Drugs (3 credits)
PHA 6116 - In Vivo and In Vitro Stability of Drugs (3 credits)
PHA 6118 - Molecular Diversity (2 credits) PHA 6125 - Advanced
Pharmacokinetics (3 credits) PHA 6170C - Pharmaceutical Product
Formulation (3 credits) PHA 6354 - Natural Medicinal Products (3
credits) PHA 6416 - Pharmaceutical Analysis I (3 credits) PHA
6417 - Pharmaceutical Analysis II (3 credits) PHA 6425 - Drug
Metabolism & Toxicity (3 credits) PHA 6445 - Drug Discovery
(3 credits) PHA 6508 - Mammalian Physiology (4 credits) PHA 6509
- Mammalian Physiology (4 credits) BCH 6206 - Advanced Metabolism
(3 credits) BCH 6740 - Advanced Physical Biochemistry (3 credits)
BCH 7515 - Enzyme Kinetics and Mechanisms (2 credits) BMS 5201 -
Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (3 credits)
BMS 5520C - Principles of Physiology (2 credits) BMS 6400 -
Introduction to Pharmacology (5 credits) BMS 6402 - Autonomic and
Cellular Pharmacology (2 credits) CAP 5506 - Programming Language
Principles [3 credits) CAP 6627 - Expert Systems (3 credits) CAP
6652 - Artificial Intelligence Concepts (3 credits) CAP 6653 -
Neuroal Networks for Computing (3 credits) CHM 4411 - Physical
Chemistry (4 credits) CHM 5224 - Basic Principles far Organic
Chemistry (3 credits) CHM 5235 - Organic Spectroscopy (3 credits)
CHM 5275 - The Organic Chemistry of Polymers (2 credits) CHM 5305
- Chemistry of Biological Molecules (3 credits) CHM 5514 -
Chemical Computations (2 credits) CHM 6154 - Chemical Separations
CHM 6155 - Spectrochemical Methods (3 credits] CHM 6225 -
Advanced Principles of Organic Chemistry (4 credits) OHM 6226 -
Advanced Synthetic Organic Chemistry (3 credits) CHM 6211 -
Chemistry of High Polymers (2 credits) CHM 6480 - Elements of
Quantum Chemistry (3 credits) CHM 6520 - Chemical Physics (3
credits) CHM 6720 - Chemical Dynamics (3 credits) CHS 5110 -
Radiochemistry (2 credits) CHS 5110L - Radiochemistry Laboratory
(3 credits) GMS 6500 - Introduction to Pharmacology (5 credits)
GMS 6563 - Molecular Pharmacology (3 credits) GMS 6735 -
Neuropharmacology (3 credits) GMS 7593 - Principles of Drug
Action (2 credits) GMS 7595 - Topics in Pharmacology (e.g.
Principles of Drug Action, 2 credits) MBS 7423 - Principles of
Drug Action (2 credits) STA 6166 - Statistical Methods in
Research I (4 credits) STA 6167 - Statistical Methods in Research
II (4 credits) STA 6200 - Fundamentals of Research Design (2
credits) STA 6201 - Analysis of Research Data (3 credits) VME 6767—Issues in the Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit), ALS 6046 - Grant Writing (2 credits)
Qualifying Examination
Satisfactorily passing the qualifying examination is a requirement for admission to candidacy, i.e., when the student actually becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. In order to take the qualifying examination, the student must (I) have a minimum 3.00 GPA; (ii) have completed letter-grade course work; (iii) have completed all core courses; and (iv) be registered at the time the examination is taken. Exceptions (e.g., if a core course is not offered, but the student has fulfilled all other requirements and has formulated a research program) may be granted by the supervisory committee. It is expected that the qualifying exam will focus on the student’s own prepared NIH grant proposal but in addition background information from course work and a general questions of pharmaceutics is also expected of the student.
General Guidelines
Guidelines for proposal Preparation
1. The topic of the research proposal must be an original research project. The topic may be the student’s proposed dissertation research. A written abstract of the research proposal, maximum of one page in length, should be examined and approved by the academic advisor and the oral comprehensive examination committee prior to preparation of the complete proposal.
2. The written proposal, maximum of 10 pages of text plus references, prepared in the format of a granting agency (e.g., NIH R03) should be distributed along with "key" references to the committee at least 14 days prior to the oral comprehensive examination.
3. The graduate student will give an oral presentation that should be succinct, yet complete (approximately 20-30 minutes), and be supported by visual aids (slides/overheads).
4. The committee will identify questions relevant to each research focus area, which may include but not be limited to:
5. The final evaluation by the dissertation committee should be communicated to the student and the graduate academic affairs committee utilizing the following scale:
a. Pass - With written feedback on strengths and weaknesses
b. Remedial work needed:
c. Fail - A student who fails the qualifying examination will be terminated from the Ph.D. program.
Oral Comprehensive Examination
Guidelines for Proposal Preparation
Procedures
Oral comprehensive exam proposals are to be submitted on NIH grant application form PHS 398 continuation pages (rev. 12/04) and prepared according to the directions in the application packet, with the exceptions noted below. Forms and instructions are available on the internet at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
Research Plan
Do not exceed a total of ten pages for the following parts (a-d): Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Progress Report/Preliminary Studies, and Experimental Design and Methods. Tables and figures are included in the ten page limitation. Applications that exceed the page limitation or PHS requirements for type size and margins (Refer to PHS 398 application for details) will be returned for revision. The ten page limitation does not include parts e through i. (Human Subjects, Vertebrate Animals, or Literature Cited).
(a) - Specific Aims – (1 page). List the broad, long-term objectives and what the specific research proposed in this application is intended to accomplish, e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, or develop new technology.
(b) - Background and Significance – (2-3 pages). Briefly sketch the background leading to the present application, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance and healthcare relevance of the research described in this application by relating the specific aims to the broad, long-term objectives.
(c) - Preliminary Studies/Progress Report – (2-3 pages). Use this section to provide an account of the students’/academic advisors’ preliminary studies pertinent to the application information that will also help to establish the feasibility of the proposed project.
(d) - Research Design and Methods – (4-5 pages). Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims. As part of this section, provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the project.
See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/section_1.html#8_research for complete instructions regarding sections (e) and (f).
(e) – Human Subjects Research
(f) – Vertebrate Animals
(g) – Literature Cited. (No page limits). List all references. Each reference must include the title, names of all authors, book or journal, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. The reference should be limited to relevant and current literature. While there is not a page limitation, it is important to be concise and to select only those literature references pertinent to the proposed research.
Final
Examination
After submission of the original copy of the dissertation to the
Graduate School (see below) and completion of all other work for
the degree, and the appropriate dates and time intervals will
follow the guidelines set forth by the University of Florida
Graduate School, as detailed in the Graduate Catalog.
An announcement of the scheduled examination must be submitted in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School by the chairperson of the supervisory committee at least ten (10) working days prior to the scheduled date. An announcement of the examination is sent at least one (1) week prior to the date of examination to faculty members in the College of Pharmacy, inviting them to attend.
At least four (4) faculty members, including all members of the supervisory committee, must be present at the final oral portion of the final examination. The four (4) faculty members must be Graduate Faculty members. Only the official members of the supervisory committee may sign the dissertation signature pages.
Assuming the candidate is successful, the Final Examination Report shall be signed by all faculty members attending the examination. The dissertation, original and copies, are to be signed by the official members of the supervisory committee and by the Dean of the College of Pharmacy. The signed Final Examination Report and the original copy of the dissertation should be returned to the Graduate School after the dissertation has been corrected.
Every candidate for a doctoral degree is required to prepare and present a dissertation that shows independent investigation, and is acceptable in form and content to the supervisory committee and to the Graduate School. Since all doctoral dissertations will be published by microfilm, it is necessary that the work be of publishable quality and that it be in a form for publication. A draft copy of the dissertation must be given to the supervisory committee at least one month prior to the defense. This allows time for any major changes to be made. A final copy of the thesis should be circulated to the committee at least one week before the final defense.
All copies of the dissertation, except the original copy and the Health Center copy, must be provided as a hard bound copy by the student. The original copy and the second copy of the dissertation must be presented to the Dean of the Graduate School on or before the date specified in the University Calendar.
Students will not generally be admitted for studies toward an M.S. in this specialization. However, a student admitted to the doctoral program may be allowed to graduate with a Masters in Pharmacy subject to approval by the students supervisory committee. The M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences is described in the graduate catalog and requires the completion of a thesis or dissertation.
Specific Requirements for the Master of Science in Pharmacy Degree
Graduate Student Classification:
Students pursuing the Master of Science in Pharmacy degree are
classified 7PH.
Degree Requirements:
Unless otherwise specified, for any master' degree, the student
must carry a minimum of 30 credits including no fewer than 24
hours of regular course work and up to 6 credits in thesis
research as a graduate student at the University of Florida, of
which no more than six semester hours of course work earned with
a grade A, B+ or B may be transferred from institutions approved
by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Major:
All course work for a master' degree must be in courses open only
for graduate credit (5000 and above).
Credits and Grades:
The 24 credits of minimum regular course work recommended by the
supervisoy committe and the supervisory chair, must be taken by
letter grade. The student must have a minumum 3.00 GPA for all
course work attempted for the degree, and as well, a minimum 3.00
GPA for course work in the major. The course program will be
determined by the thesis committee.
Thesis:
The candidate is required to prepare and present a thesis
acceptable to his/her supervisory committee and the Graduate
School. He/she should consult the Graduate School for
instructions concerning the forms of the thesis, binding, and the
date when the original copy, accompanied by three (3) copies of
abstracts are to be submitted to the Graduate School.
Supervisory Committee for the Master of Science in
Pharmacy:
At least three members selected from the Graduate Faculty must be
on the supervisory committee. These members are recommended by
the student's supervisory chair, approved by the College Dean for
Research and Graduate Studies, and appointed by the Graduate
School. The Dean of the Graduate School is an ex-officio member
of all supervisory committees. If a minor is designated, it
should be represented by one member of the committee who is on
the Graduate Faculty. The committee should be appointed as soon
as possible, and no later than the end of the second semester or
24 credits, whichever comes first.
Only members of the Graduate Faculty may be members of the supervisory committee. Names of courtesy faculty, regular faculty, and others not on the Graduate Faculty should not appear on the student's official supervisory committee.
At least three faculty members must be present at the student's final examination, but only members of the official supervisory committee are required to sign the thesis and the report of the final examination.
Residency Requirement:
There is no residency requirement for the master's degree.
Admissison to Candidacy:
Admission to candidacy is no longer required for students
pursuing master's degrees.
Final Examination:
A written announcement of the examination is sent to the Graduate
School Dean and all faculty in the College of Pharmacy. When all
of the student's course work is completed, or practically so, and
the thesis is in final form, the student's supervisory committee
is required to examine him/her in writing or orally on his/her
thesis and the subject matter of the courses taken for the
degree. The form Report on Thesis/Dissertation and Final
Examination should be completed and signed by the official
members of the committee, and then by the department chair/center
director and the College Dean. This form should then be submitted
to the Graduate School.
The Final Examination Record should be submitted to the Graduate School with the thesis by the date specified in the University Calendar. The final examination may not be held any earlier than six month before the degree is to be conferred.
Time Limitation for Completion of The Master of Science in
Pharmacy:
All work counted toward the M.S.P. degree must be completed
during the seven years immediately preceeding the date on which
the degree is to be awarded.
Correspondence and Extension Work:
No courses may be taken for graduate credit by correspondence. No
extension courses may be used for graduate credit.