Dr. Vennerstrom honored as part of pharmacy research day

The UNMC College of Pharmacy honored Jonathan Vennerstrom, PhD, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, at its recent inaugural Research Day.

The celebratory event commemorated a comprehensive overview of the research activities taking place in the various areas in the lab, classroom and clinic at the college.

“The college has had continually growing research funding and a portfolio that spans many diseases, various points from benchtop to bedside and back, and the scholarship of teaching and learning within the PharmD program,” said Aaron Mohs, PhD, associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

“With time commitments to teaching, research, service and clinical duties, however, it can be very challenging to get everyone together to learn about what one other is doing and how we can collaborate further. With all the diverse activities happening in the college of pharmacy, college leaders thought the time was perfect to bring everyone together,” for this celebration, Dr. Mohs said.

UNMC graduate studies alumnus Daniel Flaherty, PhD, now associate professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular biology at Purdue University, gave a keynote address on “Repositioning of Human Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor Scaffolds for Antimicrobial Therapeutic Applications.” Dr. Vennerstrom served as Dr. Flaherty’s mentor at UNMC.

Courtney Aldrich, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, gave a tribute to Dr. Vennerstrom. Dr. Aldrich is editor-in-chief of the journal ACS Infectious Diseases, which published a 2021 special issue, “In Celebration of Jonathan Vennerstrom, A Pioneer in Neglected Tropical Diseases.”

Post graduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residents, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows gave presentations, and additional poster presentations showcased work from the college.

Sydney Harrison, PhD, won best PGY2 podium presentation, Shawna Stricker, PhD, best PGY1 poster, Aayushi Laliwala, best PhD student podium presentation, and Nusrat Ahmed, best poster presentation.

Yazen Alnouti, PhD, Courtney Fletcher, PharmD, and Megan Keck, PharmD, served as organizers.

“This was a great event to collaborate with the college and showcase the pharmacy research taking place across the institution,” said Dr. Keck, director of the PGY2 solid organ transplant residency program. “Our pharmacy residents were able to present their clinical research as well as be exposed to benchtop research happening here on campus.”