PHD Programs

The College, in conjunction with the UIC Graduate College, offers PhD degrees in Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharmacy.

Master of Science (MS) degrees are also offered in these disciplines.  Biopharmaceutical Sciences does not admit students to the MS.

Biopharmaceutical Sciences

Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Hayat Richard Gemeinhart 
Rag@uic.edu

Research in the biopharmaceutical sciences involves pharmaceutics (drug delivery), pharmacodynamics (drug action), pharmacokinetics (absorption and distribution properties) and pharmacogenomics. Our active forensic science and toxicology groups are also included in this field of study. 

Specific research programs include:

• lipid and polymer-based drug delivery systems
• targeted drug delivery
• pharmacokinetic membrane transport and absorption
• behavioral pharmacology
• cardiovascular pharmacology
• neuropharmacology
• environmental toxicology
• cancer chemotherapy

Pharmacy (Pharmacy Administration)

Director of Graduate Studies:
Professor Stephanie Crawford, PhD, MHA 
crawford@uic.edu

Pharmacy administration is a dynamic field that applies approaches from management science, economics, and the social sciences to issues in health care that relate to pharmacy, pharmacists, and pharmaceuticals.

Specific research programs include:

• patient outcomes
• health care and pharmaceutical policy
• comparative health care systems
• consumer medication use safety
• pharmacoeconomics and management
• rational drug use and distribution
• socioeconomic and cultural issues related to drug use

Medicinal Chemistry

www.uic.edu/pharmacy/depts/pmch/grad_mech.htm

Director of Graduate Studies
Professor John Fitzloff, PhD
Fitzloff@uic.edu

Research in medicinal chemistry involves design, synthesis, structure elucidation, and analysis of synthetic compounds possessing biological (potential drug) activity.

Specific research programs include:
• synthetic chemistry directed toward neurodegenerative and oncologic diseases
• computational approaches to drug design
• chemical toxicology and biological mechanisms
• synthetic development of enzyme inhibitors and low molecular weight catalysts
• natural product structure elucidation.

Pharmacognosy

Director of Graduate Studies:
Professor Steve Swanson, PhD
cordell@uic.edu

Research in pharmacognosy involves the isolation, structure elucidation and bioassay of plant and other natural product compounds having potential applications as treatments or preventives.**

Specific research programs include:
• chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive properties of natural products
• structure elucidation of bioactive natural products and their mechanism of action
• development of methods for the analysis of botanical dietary supplements 
• use of traditional medicines by indigenous groups

Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
www.uic.edu/pharmacy/research/cphb/index.html

Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Professor Alexander Mankin, PhD
shura@uic.edu

This Center is a specialized research entity within the Pharmacognosy program. Research interests include computer-assisted rational drug design,  interactions of RNA with new antibiotics,  protein crystallography, protein folding, and bacterial genomics. Graduate students can select research advisors from the Center. 

Specific research programs include
• chaperone protein-mediated protein folding
• structure-based design of therapeutic agents
• mechanisms of antibiotic action and resistance
• structural biology
• anthrax and other bioterrorism agents

Master of Science Degree Programs

Master of Science

Master of Science (MS) degrees are offered in Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharmacy. You can apply directly to the M.S. in Pharmacy (Administration). However, you should apply to the PhD program in the other disciplines. The College also offers a stand alone M.S. degree in Forensic Science. 

Master of Science in Forensic Science Program

Director of Graduate Studies
Prof. R.E. Gaensslen
reg@uic.edu

The rigorous curriculum for this stand-alone, professional master’s degree program provides broad knowledge of basic forensic science laboratory disciplines: biology/biochemistry, chemistry and trace (materials) evidence analysis; drug identification and toxicology; and pattern evidence (documents, fingerprints, firearms and tool marks).