About the College

Year in Review

The following report was prepared for the Illinois Pharmacists Association's Annual Conference in August 2006. It provides a highlight of faculty, student and research activities that took place between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006.

1. Faculty

A. Teaching and Research Staff: The College employed faculty members who participate in UIC teaching and research activities. In addition to the numbers below, the College also employs clinical pharmacists, clinical staff pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, academic professionals and civil service employees. The College also provides research, teaching and graduate assistantships.

B. New Appointments: The following organizational changes took place during 2005-2006.

• Jerry Bauman, PharmD, professor and head, Department of Pharmacy Practice, was appointed Interim Dean.
• Keith Rodvold, PharmD, professor, was appointed Interim Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice.
• Robert Gaensslen, PhD, professor, Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, was appointed Director of Graduate Education for the College.

C. Promotion and Tenure

• Robert DiDomenico, PharmD, Department of Pharmacy Practice, was promoted to the rank of clinical associate professor.
• Bruce Lambert, PhD, Department of Pharmacy Administration, was promoted to the rank of professor with indefinite tenure.
• Gregory Thatcher, PhD, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, was granted indefinite tenure.

D. New Faculty Members: The College welcomed the following faculty members between July 1, 2005 and June 30 2006.

• Jeffrey R. Bishop, PharmD, MS, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice
• Daniel Touchette, PharmD, MA, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice
• Qingbo Li, PhD, assistant professor, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

E. Faculty Achievements

University Scholars: seven members of the faculty are University Scholars, a top campus honor bestowed upon UIC researchers.

• In 2005, Alexander (Shura) Mankin, PhD, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, was selected by a panel of his most prestigious campus colleagues to receive distinction as a University Scholar.

Teaching Honors: four faculty members have received Excellence in Teaching Awards, special recognitions by top UIC administrators and their most prestigious faculty peers across campus, including the following 2005 recipients:

• Ronald Koch, PhD, professor, Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, received the UIC Council for Excellence Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. He was selected for the campus-wide honor by faculty peers.
• Alexander (Shura) Mankin, PhD, was nominated by the College and selected by the University to receive the prestigious UIC Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Journal Editors: 16 faculty members are editors of scientific or professional journals.

• Jerry Bauman, PharmD
• Keith Block, MD
• Judy Bolton, PhD
• Deborah Harper Brown, PharmD
• Geoffrey Cordell, PhD
• Andrew Donnelly, PharmD, MBA
• Norman Farnsworth, PhD
• Robert Gaensslen, PhD
• Charlotte Gyllenhaal, PhD
• Alan Kozikowski, PhD
• Alan Lau, PharmD
• Gail Mahady, PhD
• Frank Paloucek, PharmD
• D. Doel Soejarto, PhD
• Richard van Breemen, PhD
• Zajie Jim Wang, PhD

Editorial Boards: 32 faculty members are members of one or more editorial advisory boards.

• Jerry Bauman, PharmD
• William Beck, PhD
• Linda Bressler, PharmD
• Larissa Cavallari, PharmD
• Geoffrey Cordell, PhD
• Larry Danziger, PharmD
• Robert DiDomenico, PharmD
• Andrew Donnelly, PharmD, MBA
• Janet Engle, PharmD
• Norman Farnsworth, PhD
• Richard Fiscella, RPh, MPH
• Robert Gaensslen, PhD
• Julie Golembiewski, PharmD
• Charlotte Gyllenhaal, PhD
• Tina Hatzopoulus, PharmD
• Norman Katz, PhD
• Alan Kozikowski, PhD
• Donna Kraus, PharmD
• Bruce Lambert, PhD
• Alan Lau, PharmD
• Gail Mahady, PhD
• Adam Negrusz, PhD
• Edith Nutescu, PharmD
• Hayat Onyuksel, PhD
• Frank Paloucek, PharmD
• Nicholas Popovich, PhD
• Keith Rodvold, PharmD
• Rosalie Sagraves, PharmD
• J. Warren Salmon, PhD
• Glen Schumock, PharmD, MBA
• D. Doel Soejarto, PhD
• Zajie Jim Wang, PhD

F. Selected Awards and Recognition: The College is fortunate to have accomplished and productive faculty members who continue to distinguish themselves in scholarly, professional and civic achievements as well as service. A few examples are listed below:

• In July 2005, Norman Farnsworth, PhD, distinguished professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, and director, Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, received the award which was formerly known as the American Society of Pharmacognosy Research Achievement Award. In 2006, the award took on Dr. Farnsworth's name. The Norman R. Farnsworth Award for Excellence in Botanical Research is presented annually in recognition of individuals who have made significant contribution to, or the advancement of, knowledge of medicinal plants or other natural products. In March 2006 he received the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Science Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to botanical science and to the industry. Dr. Farnsworth is the first person to receive this national award from the AHPA.
• James Fischer, PharmD, associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, received the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago's 2006 Distinguished Medical Service Award in recognition of his outstanding service and leadership to the foundation. Dr. Fischer is the first and only pharmacist on the Foundation’s professional advisory board.
• Richard Gemeinhart, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, received the 2006 Society for Biomaterials Young Investigator Award. The Young Investigator Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of biomaterials research.
• Andrew Mesecar, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, was appointed to the 2006-2007 National Defense Science Study Group. Dr. Mesecar was one of 17 young professors of science and engineering selected from a pool of 200 applicants who are considered the best in their fields.
• In 2005, Miriam Mobley Smith, PharmD, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director, Experiential Learning, received both the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists’ Pharmacist of the Year Award and the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists’ 2005 Meritorious Service Award.

2. Students

A. Students, Residents and Fellows: The College continued to attract and retain talented, dedicated and compassionate future pharmacists and researchers. In Fall 2005, the College enrolled a total of 650 professional students, 22 students seeking master’s degrees and 116 students in pursuit of doctor of philosophy degrees. Additionally, 20 pharmacists participated in the College’s post-PharmD residency training program. The College offered two post-PhD research fellowships and seven post-PharmD research fellowships.

B. Degrees Awarded May 2006

C. Professional Class of 2009: In Fall 2005, the College admitted 161 first-year professional students who are expected to complete their pharmacy studies as members of the College’s sesquicentennial graduating class.

D. Selected Awards and Recognition

• Second-year professional student Missa Ayyash received a Fulbright scholarship for her proposal entitled "Medicine of the Prophet: Ancient Remedies Reviving Modern Pharmacognosy." During the next academic year, she will be a Fulbright Fellow in Damascus, Syria.
• Student members of the UIC Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) chapter won the Best Poster, Student Division award at the AMCP Annual Meeting & Showcase in Seattle. The student team included professional students Christina Bond, Janet Devine, Chris Hollman, Stacy Szappan, Jamie Vora, Rob Wittenberg and Maggie Zasadzki. The title of their winning project was "Exploring Pharmacy Practice Preparedness in Response to the Medicare Modernization Act."
• First year professional student Mihaela Popescu, was one of 15 students nationwide to receive an American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education 2006 Gateway to Research Scholarship for outstanding PharmD degree students and their faculty mentors. Her qualifying project was “Potential Novel Nanomedicine for Alzheimer’s Disease.”
• As a graduate student, Melissa May, PhD, (Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) was selected to participate in the Presidential Management Fellows Program. She was one of 400 finalists chosen from a pool of 8,000 applicants. The prestigious national program attracts people from all academic disciplines and career paths who have an interest in public policies and programs.

3. Research

A. NIH Ranking Increases: The UIC College of Pharmacy climbed up from fifth position to establish itself as the fourth ranked college of pharmacy receiving National Institutes of Health research funding during FY 2005.

College of Pharmacy Grants and Contracts FY 2005 Totals*

*These totals reflect funds received as of May 2005 and are subject to increase.

B. Selected Research Initiatives: Faculty researchers in the College continuously foster a research climate that encourages collaboration and investigation of theories that will lead to better health for populations around the globe.

• Michael Johnson, PhD, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, and director, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, leads two teams of UIC researchers looking to develop novel therapeutics. His research on anthrax may lead to new and improved antibiotics that deal with problems of antibiotic resistance. Similarly, his investigations of SARS therapeutics might have applications or provide a foundation for other anitvirals that might be useful against influenza.
• Alan Kozikowski, PhD, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, and director, Drug Discovery Program, led a research group that was the first to synthesize Huperzine A, an alkaloid which is now in phase II clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease. His group also generated novel GSK-3b inhibitors for use in Parkinsons’s disease and bipolar disorders. Significantly, because these GSK-3 inhibitors are able to block mania in animal models, his newly designed agents may offer an entirely new approach to the treatment of bipolar disorders. Recently, he started a collaboration with PsychoGenics Inc, in New York to accelerate the advance of these agents to human clinical trials.
• Gregory Thatcher, PhD, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, was one of four scientists who received the inaugural Novel Approaches to Drug Discovery for Alzheimer's Disease Award. The award, sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Aging, recognizes the most promising research to advance the discovery of effective, disease-modifying medications for Alzheimer's patients.
• Debra Tonetti, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, heads a team of UIC researchers that will study how changes in the breast during pregnancy alter a woman's risk of breast cancer. The Avon Foundation announced its decision to provide major funding for Dr. Tonetti’s research at the 2006 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Chicago.