The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy ranks sixth nationally among 110 pharmacy schools in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funds per faculty member.
The rankings, compiled annually by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), show that the College of Pharmacy’s 18 Ph.D.-level investigators collectively received more than $5 million in NIH funds in 2008. That equates to about $280,434 in NIH funds for each pharmacy Ph.D. faculty member.
“This is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy. “It is the result of the creativity, persistence and dedication to improving human health on the part of the entire faculty, their research associates, graduate students, post docs and the staff who make sure the grants get out the door.
“Recognition by the AACP is significant considering they are the authority on issues regarding U.S. pharmacy colleges.”
Dr. Fletcher said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., can share in the credit for the high ranking because of his world-class research vision for the medical center. Vice Chancellor Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., also deserves praise for his efforts to enhance the research environment at UNMC, Dr. Fletcher said.
Dr. Rosenquist, for his part, was impressed by the college’s performance in the rankings.
“This report shows that the UNMC College of Pharmacy clearly is the champion in its weight class, and the research faculty, pound-for-pound, is among the best in the world," Dr. Rosenquist said. "We are proud of the superior quality of the top researchers, including Dean Fletcher, who also brings strong leadership to the overall COP research initiative.”
Dr. Rosenquist said the college benefits from having several outstanding senior investigators, including:
- Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., professor in the College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Parke-Davis Chair in Pharmaceutics, who last year secured a $10.6 million COBRE grant for his nanomedicine research;
- Jonathan Vennerstrom, Ph.D., professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who has garnered significant funding and recognition for his work to develop anti-malarial drugs;
- Yuri Lyubchenko, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who works in nanoimaging and atomic force microscopy;
- Serguei Vinogradov, Ph.D., research professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who works in nanodelivery of nucleoside drugs and approaches to overcome drug resistance;
- Peter Kador, Ph.D., professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who works to develop compounds to treat age-related eye conditions and diabetic retinopathy;
- Tatiana Bronich, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who works in polyelectrolyte and polymer surfactant complexes in drug delivery;
- Dong Wang, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, who received funding for his work in the development of therapies for musculoskeletal and craniofacial diseases; and
- Dr. Fletcher, who has long been funded by the NIH for his work in the clinical development and clinical pharmacology of medications for HIV/AIDS.
Recent news that Dr. Fletcher had received part of a $12 million NIH Program Project Grant and other developments in the college could make UNMC a mainstay in the AACP’s top 10, Dr. Rosenquist said.
“Based on the quality of the investigators and their work, it’s safe to say that we can expect great things from the college in terms of research funding,” Dr. Rosenquist said.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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