Department of BioMolecular Sciences News

April 2019

Ole Miss Pharmacy Graduate Students Recognized for Research Accomplishments

April 30, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Numerous graduate students in the Department of BioMolecular Sciences within the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy earned awards for their presentations at the UM Neuroscience Research Showcase in April and the Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting in February.

Erik Hodges, a graduate student from Norman, Oklahoma, was honored at the Neuroscience Showcase. Student award winners at the MAS meeting included Stephanie Burr of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Amelia Clayshulte of Las Cruces, New Mexico; Mallory Harmon of Meridian, Mississippi; and Alaa Qrareya of Palestine.

Graduate Students Enhance Skills with Scientific Writing Workshop

April 23, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – For graduate students, the ability to summarize the results of a laboratory experiment can be as important as the result themselves.

To emphasize the skill of writing in science, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy offered a Graduate Student Scientific Writing Workshop last month, sponsored by the school’s Graduate Student Program office, the BioMolecular Sciences department and Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery department.

UM Graduate Student Selected for Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Course

April 19, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Amelia Clayshulte, a second-year Ph.D. student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences, was accepted into a tropical taxonomy course at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

The internationally competitive course takes place at the Bocas Research Station in Bocas del Toro, Panama, for 21 days this summer. Clayshulte, originally from Las Cruces, New Mexico, will be one of approximately 15 students participating in a course titled “Understanding Relationships of Non-bilaterian Metazoans: Sponges.”

Congratulations to our 2019 Rho Chi inductees! Rho Chi is an honors society that recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement in pharmaceutical sciences. Keep up the great work!

2019 Rho Chi Inductees: (left to right) back row: Dr. Hoang Le, Dr. Nicole Ashpole, Dr. Cole Stevens, Nick Akins, Cody Cissom and Erik Hodges; front row: Hanan Albataineh, Stephanie Burr and Amber Kay.

Congratulations to the team of Dr. Kristine Willett, The Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Mississippi Law Research Institute and UM Center for Population Studies for recognition as an Excellence in Community Engagement Finalist at the McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement Celebration of Service! Their collaborative teaching engages students and communities about clean water in Mississippi.

March 2019

Please join the BMS department and Graduate School Council (GSC) in congratulating our BMS student winners of the 9th Annual GSC Research Symposium. The GSC hosts many events throughout the year, but Research Day is of paramount importance to our organization and the graduate school as a whole. These students will receive travel funds to present their research at conferences. Our 2019 BMS grant recipients are:

Erik Hodges – Division of Pharmacology
Niloofar Abolhasani Khaje – Division of Pharmacology
Hao Liu – Division of Pharmacology
Abidah Parveen – Division of Pharmacognosy

This is great news for our students. A hearty congratulations to them!

BioMolecular Sciences graduate students participated in The Ole Miss Big Event community service project this past weekend. This event impacts the broader community and has historically been the largest community service project at the University of Mississippi!

February 2019

February 19, 2019

As proud alum, Dr. Roy and Dr. Paris united post-docs from across campus to discuss the benefits of our community joining the National Postdoctoral Association. We can’t wait to see how our post-docs can grow and work together!

January 2019

University professor awarded cancer research grant

January 31, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – After nearly 50 years of cancer research in the U.S., the search for a cure continues at the University of Mississippi.

The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy received a research grant from the National Cancer Institute this week for the cancer prevention research work done by the university’s Cole Stevens and Kristie Willett, both of whom are professors in the School of Pharmacy.

Fulbright Scholar Makes History

January 29, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Abidah Parveen has taken a unique path to the University of Mississippi, that wound through Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, back to Pakistan, and then finally to Oxford. A Fulbright Scholar in the PhD Pharmacognosy program, she has a bright future ahead of her. Upon graduation, she will be the first Pakistani to achieve a Ph.D. degree in Pharmacognosy from the United States.

Three Pharmacy Professors Win New Investigator Awards

January 24, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Three faculty members in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy have won competitive 2019 New Investigator Awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, giving the school five winners over the past two years.

AACP honors a limited number of research projects from junior faculty across the country every year. UM’s three winners for 2019 were Marie Barnard, Sujith Ramachandran and Vitor Pomin, who join UM’s two 2018 recipients of the award.

Pharmacology Professor Awarded NIA Grant for Research on Aging Brain

January 17, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Nicole Ashpole, an assistant professor of pharmacology in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Aging to research memory impairments in advanced age.

With this award, Ashpole and her team will explore a specific hormone in the body that decreases with age, as well as its ability to communicate with the brain and its effects on learning and memory. The hormone is insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1.

Ole Miss Professor Earns Grant to Produce Anticancer Natural Products from Bacteria

January 10, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Cole Stevens, a faculty member in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has been awarded a grant from the National Cancer Institute for cancer prevention research using natural products.

Stevens, an assistant professor of pharmacognosy in the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, is working to engineer bacteria to produce significant amounts of gephyronic acid, a polyketide that has potential as an anticancer therapy.

December 2018

Pharmacology Professor Works to Reverse Impact of Opioids on HIV

December 20, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The opioid epidemic has reached new perils across the United States. Though opioid abuse can be dangerous for anyone, those diagnosed with HIV can see increased adverse effects on the brain and nervous system.

With a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy pharmacology assistant professor Jason Paris is working to combat opioids’ harmful effects on the HIV-infected brain.

BioMolecular Sciences Advocacy Council Enhances Graduate Student Experience

December 17, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The graduate students and faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences have worked together to reestablish an organization that will benefit the many graduate students within the department.

The BMS Graduate Student Advocacy Council formed during the fall of 2018 as the department renewed its official student registration of the former BMS Journal Club. The organization plans to include more opportunities for interaction outside of the labs with faculty and student networking events, journal club meetings and football tailgates.

November 2018

Be sure to check out “Brain Storm“, the blog associated with the on campus neuroscience journal club. Below is a link to one of the latest entries by Alaa Qrareya, a graduate student in Dr. Jason Paris’ lab!

CBD

Ole Miss Professor Awarded NIDA Grant to Fight Opioid Addiction

November 27, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – David Colby, a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy professor, received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop new treatments for addressing the opioid crisis.

Colby hopes to develop a therapy for drug addiction by studying the medicinal chemistry of certain compounds that can lower the anxiety some patients experience when withdrawing from an addiction.

September 2018

Pharmacy Ph.D. Graduate Wins Scholarship for Drug Discovery Research

September 21, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Mohamed A. Albadry, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has won the 2018 Harvey W. Wiley Scholarship from AOAC International.

AOAC International develops global quality standards for microbiological and chemical materials, ranging from food to pharmaceuticals, in an effort to ensure public health.

September 19, 2018

Happy Post-Doc Appreciation Week, Dr. Pandey!

Dr. Pankaj Pandey has been an incredibly busy post-doc, with two publications in press this month! Check out the links to his two papers below:

Computationally Assisted Assignment of the Kadsuraols, a Class of Chemopreventive Agents for the Control of Liver Cancer
Interactions of endocannabinoid virodhamine and related analogs with human monoamine oxidase-A and -B

August 2018

BMS Welcomes Back Students at Orientation, Awards Luncheon

August 17, 2018

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences kicked off the new school year with its Welcome Back Orientation on August 17. The day consisted of the Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Lecture featuring 2018 recipient Randall Clark in the morning before the awards luncheon and department photo in the afternoon.

See more pictures at the Facebook gallery: “BMS Welcome Back Orientation”

Position Advertisement

Assistant/Associate Professor

Environmental Toxicologist

School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi

The Division of Environmental Toxicology, within the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, in the School of Pharmacy at The University of Mississippi is seeking qualified applicants for a full time, 12-month, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. We seek candidates with expertise in the field of environmental toxicology who possess a record of distinguished and innovative research (as evidenced by a significant publication record and the potential to secure extramural funding) and a commitment to excellence in education. Applicants applying for the higher rank should have a nationally recognized research program with recurrent success in securing extramural funding and excellent teaching credentials.

The University of Mississippi is the flagship university for the State of Mississippi. A world-class public research university, the institution has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics and innovative research. The School of Pharmacy is on the main campus in Oxford, a community of approximately 23,000 residents that has been recognized nationally as one of America’s best places to live. For ten consecutive years, UM has been recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Department of BioMolecular Sciences has 17 full-time faculty with research emphases in medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. The faculty have affiliations with the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and collaborative opportunities in the National Center for Natural Products Research. Additionally, in 2017, the University of Mississippi initiated Flagship Constellations, which are designed to bring together a wide range of faculty from across campus to address some of the most difficult and complex problems facing our nation and world. Membership in these constellation groups provide access to cross-disciplinary researchers working to solve grand challenges. The department has teaching responsibilities in several degree programs, including the Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) as well as M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable pool of applicants is established. Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Toxicology, Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in environmental toxicology, or a related field in the pharmaceutical or biological sciences, as well as post-doctoral experience. Applicants should provide a cover letter outlining qualifications for the position, a detailed description of research plans, a one-page executive summary of the research plan, a statement of teaching philosophy, a curriculum vitae, and the name and contact information of four references through The University of Mississippi’s online employment site at https://careers.olemiss.edu. For additional information please contact, Dr. Marc Slattery, Search Committee Chair, 662-915-1053, slattery@olemiss.edu.

The University of Mississippi is an EOE/AA/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Title VI/Title VII/Title IX/504/ADA/ADEA employer.

Position Advertisement

Assistant/Associate Professor

Natural Products/Pharmacognosy

School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi

The Division of Pharmacognosy of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the School of Pharmacy at The University of Mississippi is seeking qualified applicants for a full time, 12-month, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. We seek candidates with expertise in the fields of chemistry and biology of natural products, who possess a record of distinguished and innovative research (as evidenced by a significant publication record and the potential to secure extramural funding) and a commitment to excellence in education. Applicants applying for the higher rank should have a nationally recognized research program with recurrent success in securing extramural funding and excellent teaching credentials.

The University of Mississippi is the flagship university for the State of Mississippi. A world-class public research university, the institution has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics and innovative research. The School of Pharmacy is on the main campus in Oxford, a community of approximately 23,000 residents that has been recognized nationally as one of America’s best places to live. For ten consecutive years, UM has been recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Department of BioMolecular Sciences has 17 full-time faculty with research emphases in medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. The faculty have affiliations with the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and collaborative opportunities in the National Center for Natural Products Research. Additionally, in 2017, the University of Mississippi initiated Flagship Constellations, which are designed to bring together a wide range of faculty from across campus to address some of the most difficult and complex problems facing our nation and world. Membership in these constellation groups provide access to cross-disciplinary researchers working to solve grand challenges. The department has teaching responsibilities in several degree programs, including the Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) as well as M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable pool of applicants is established. Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related field in the pharmaceutical sciences as well as post-doctoral experience. Applicants should provide a cover letter outlining qualifications for the position, a detailed description of research plans, a one-page executive summary of the research plan, a statement of teaching philosophy, a curriculum vitae, and the name and contact information of four references through The University of Mississippi’s online employment site at https://careers.olemiss.edu. For additional information please contact, Dr. Jordan Zjawiony, Search Committee Chair, 662-915-7290, jordan@olemiss.edu.

The University of Mississippi is an EOE/AA/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Title VI/Title VII/Title IX/504/ADA/ADEA employer.

Forensic Chemist Named Ole Miss 2018 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus

August 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Randall Clark, a 1973 University of Mississippi graduate with a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry, has been named the School of Pharmacy Department of BioMolecular Sciences’ 2018 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Award honoree.

Clark earned degrees in both biology and chemistry from Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia, before receiving his Ph.D. under the direction of late Ole Miss professor Ronald F. Borne. He has spent his 45-year academic career at Auburn University, where he is a professor of medicinal chemistry, mentoring over 50 Master’s and Ph.D. students.

June 2018

Faculty, Researchers Honored at Pharmacy School Annual Retreat

JACKSON, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy presented four faculty and researchers awards for their excellence in and commitment to research, teaching and service at its annual faculty retreat on June 14.

“We are fortunate at our school to have talented faculty and scientists committed to our mission, so it’s a privilege to award them for their outstanding efforts,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy.

BioMolecular Sciences and Environmental Toxicology, along with National Sea Grant Law Center and Center for Population Studies, welcomed the Tri-County Workforce Alliance for a tour. Students learned about our lead study as well as oyster and zebrafish research.

Dr. Joshua Sharp is getting the laser ready because today is the first day of his new NIGMS-funded R01! Dr. Sharp and his collaborators at the NYU Medical Center and the University of Georgia are developing new methods for generating molecular models of proteins. Congratulations and good luck to the Sharp lab!

Pharmacology Graduate Student Awarded Cantú Fellowship

OXFORD, Miss. – Erik Hodges, a graduate student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences, was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Virginia Dolores Cantú Fellowship.

“I was elated when I heard I was selected,” Hodges said. “It always feels good to be recognized for your efforts. The topic is one I am very passionate about, and it is nice to know that I was able to convey my thoughts effectively to the reviewers.”

May 2018

Pharmacy Postdoctoral Fellow Honored for Outstanding Poster Presentation

OXFORD, Miss. – Pankaj Pandey, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, won the Ronald F. Borne Outstanding Postdoctoral Poster Presentation Award at the 45^th Annual MALTO Meeting in College Station, Texas.

The MALTO conference, for medicinal and natural product chemists from Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma, gives the Borne Award to one postdoctoral fellow at the conference each year based on their interview and research poster.

Marc Slattery Receives Top UM Research Award

May 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Marc Slattery was a little conflicted about being honored for his research achievement at the University of Mississippi.

Slattery, a professor of biomolecular sciences in the School of Pharmacy and research professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, was named the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award during the university’s 165th Commencement ceremonies Saturday (May 12) in the Grove.

Khan Recognized as University Creates Distinguished Professor Honor

May 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Three University of Mississippi faculty members were appointed as Distinguished Professors during the spring faculty meeting Friday (May 11) in Fulton Chapel.

The honorees are John Daigle, director of the Center for Wireless Communications and professor of electrical engineering; Donald Dyer, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of Russian and linguistics; and Ikhlas A. Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research and professor of pharmacognosy.

UM Pharmacy Grad Student Earns Student Exchange Award

May 7, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Ann Fairly Barnett, a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate student, received the Student Training Exchange Opportunity award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

The award will allow Barnett to conduct research in the Shoemaker Toxicology Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs this summer under the guidance of Joe Griffitt, chair of USM’s Division of Coastal Sciences and associate director of its School of Ocean Science and Technology.

April 2018

BMS pharmacognosy graduate student, Mohamed A. Albadry, has been selected as the 2018 AOAC INTERNATIONAL Harvey W. Wiley Award Scholarship recipient . Congratulations, Mohamed!

Superintendent of Oxford, MS School District, Brian Harvey, visited Dr. Noa Valcarcel-Ares class, Drugs and Human Performance. The class discusses drugs that can be used to enhance performance, especially “smart drugs” and doping agents, like steroids. Brian Harvey visited the class to give some insight into the prevalence and regulations of performance enhancing drugs in the Oxford School District.

Please join BMS in congratulating our student winners in the Research Showcase sponsored by the Neuroscience Minor and the Biology Department.

Graduate Student, Disha Prabhu

1st Place Winner
Disha Prabhu, Katie Blackburn, Jessica Posey, Nicole Ashpole
Role of IGF-1 in Astrocytic Regulation of Learning and Memory in Aging.
BioMolecular Sciences Advisor: Dr. Nicole Ashpole

Undergraduate Student, Myriam Sanders

1st Place Winner
Myriam Sanders and Nicole Ashpole
Neurotoxicity of Asimina Trilb.
Biology major, Chemistry minor Advisor: Dr. Nicole Ashpole

Congratulations to Ann Fairly Barnett in receiving a $1,000 award for the Student Training Exchange Opportunity from the North American Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)!

Congratulations to Dr. John Rimoldi for being named PY1 Class Teacher of the Year!

March 2018

Congratulations to BMS graduate student, Amelia Clayshulte, in receiving second place in the Science Slam competition at the Young Environmental Scientist Meeting (YES), Stand up for Science.

Please join us in congratulating BMS graduate student AyoOluwa Aderibigbe and postdoctoral research associate Dr. Pankaj Pandey, in receiving the following award and honorable mention from the 15th annual meeting of the MidSouth Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Society (MCBIOS).

AyoOluwa Aderibigbe received the 2nd place MCBIOS-SAS Young Scientist Excellence Award 2018 for students, Dr. Robert Doerksen’s lab.

Dr. Pankaj Pandey received Honorable Mention for the MCBIOS-SAS Young Scientist Excellence Award 2018 for postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Robert Doerksen’s lab.

Congratulations to the following awardees at the Graduate Student Council, 8th Annual Research Symposium!

Niloofar Abolhasani Khaje and Mohamed Albadry

2nd place tie, podium presentation

Barbara Adaikpoh and Abidah Parveen

2nd place tie, poster presentation

February 2018

Congratulations to BMS students, Barbara Adaikpoh and Cellas Hayes, in receiving the awards below from the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) Meeting, Feb. 22-23, 2018, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Barbara Adaikpoh, Graduate Student, Dr. Cole Stevens lab

Second place in the chemistry poster awards

Honorable Mention in the INBRE Graduate Symposium

Cellas Hayes, Undergraduate Student, Dr. Nicole Ashpole lab

Second place in the molecular and cellular division oral awards

5th place in the Millsaps Undergraduate Symposium

Per Dr. Nicole Ashpole, “Both the INBRE and Millsaps symposiums were designed to recognize the top 20 percent of all graduate and undergraduate research projects (based on their abstracts submitted). In addition to standing at their posters during the normal poster session, there were additional requirements for these top 20 percent students. The undergraduates had to give an oral presentation, and the graduate students had an additional poster session they had to present at.”

Two Pharmacy Faculty Win New Investigator Awards

February 27, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Two assistant professors in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, both from the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, have won prestigious 2018 New Investigator Awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Hoang Le, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry, and Cole Stevens, assistant professor of pharmacognosy, each won one of only 16 new investigator awards bestowed by AACP this year.

Dr. Steven’s winning proposal is entitled Production of Predation-Associated Antimicrobials From Cryptic Biosynthetic Pathways.

Dr. Le’s winning proposal is entitled Development of Glutaminase and Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors for Cancer.

Pharmacy School Hosts Showcase for Aspiring Pharmacists

February 2, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will host pharmacy showcases across the state this spring to educate aspiring pharmacists about the over 600 career paths available in the field of pharmacy.

The pharmacy showcase events, sponsored in part by Walgreens Diversity Initiative, are designed to be meet and greets with the School of Pharmacy’s dean, faculty, staff and current students, as well as pharmacy practitioners from different areas of practice.

Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting

We are a month away from the Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting where some of our graduate and undergraduate students will present their research. For more information, check out http://msacad.org/.

January 2018

Alumnus Makes Forbes “30 Under 30” List of Leaders

January 22, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – As technological advances continue to rapidly turn yesterday’s fiction into today’s facts, a University of Mississippi alumnus finds himself at the forefront of the burgeoning virtual and augmented reality revolution.

Sylvester “Sly” Lee, co-founder of Emerge Inc., an independent technology company in Los Angeles, recently made Forbes magazine’s annual “30 Under 30” list of rising entrepreneurs in manufacturing and industry.

December 2017

We ended a great semester with a trip around the world of BMS departmental potluck!

November 2017

Position Advertisement

Assistant/Associate Professor

Medicinal Chemistry

School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the School of Pharmacy at The University of Mississippi is seeking qualified applicants for a full time, 12-month, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. We seek candidates with expertise in the fields of computational chemistry, informatics or a related field who possess a record of distinguished and innovative research (as evidenced by a significant publication record and the potential to secure extramural funding) and a commitment to excellence in education. Applicants applying for the higher rank should have a nationally recognized research program with recurrent success in securing extramural funding and excellent teaching credentials. Outstanding individuals with expertise that complements existing research programs will have opportunities to participate in active collaborative research efforts, including the cross-disciplinary University of Mississippi Flagship Constellation research initiatives.

The University of Mississippi is the flagship university for the State of Mississippi. A world-class public research university, the institution has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics and innovative research. The School of Pharmacy is on the main campus in Oxford, a community of approximately 19,000 residents that has been recognized nationally as one of America’s best places to live. The Chronicle of Higher Education has named The University of Mississippi as one of the “Great Colleges to Work For.” The Department of BioMolecular Sciences has 16 full-time faculty with research emphases in medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. The faculty have affiliations with the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and collaborative opportunities in the National Center for Natural Products Research. The department has teaching responsibilities in several degree programs, including the Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) as well as M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable pool of applicants is established. Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry (including Organic or Medicinal Chemistry) or a related field as well as post-doctoral experience. Applicants should provide a cover letter outlining qualifications for the position, a detailed description of research plans, a one-page executive summary of the research plan, a statement of teaching philosophy, a curriculum vitae, and the name and contact information of four references through The University of Mississippi’s online employment site at https://jobs.olemiss.edu. For additional information please contact, Prof. John Rimoldi, Search Committee Chair, 662-915-5119, jrimoldi@olemiss.edu.

The University of Mississippi is an EOE/AA/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Title VI/Title VII/Title IX/504/ADA/ADEA employer.

September 2017

Jimmie Valentine Named 2017 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus

September 21, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Jimmie Valentine, a 1968 University of Mississippi graduate with a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry, has been named the School of Pharmacy Department of BioMolecular Sciences’ 2017 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Award honoree.

Valentine holds degrees in both biology and chemistry from Centenary College of Louisiana and received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in medicinal chemistry from the UM School of Pharmacy. Retiring from the University of Arkansas in 2008 after 19 years as a professor of pediatrics, pharmacology and myeloma research, Valentine is now a consultant in medical pharmacology and toxicology.

Pharmacy Professor Wins UM Faculty Achievement Award

September 7, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – For the second consecutive year, a pharmacy professor has won the University of Mississippi’s Faculty Achievement Award.

Kristie Willett, chair of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the School of Pharmacy and professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology, was presented the 2017 award at the Aug. 25 fall faculty meeting.

“This is an amazing honor,” Willett said. “There are so many truly outstanding faculty at the University of Mississippi. I really appreciate the recognition, especially considering the accomplishments of the previous awardees, who are all people I have looked up to over my years here.”

August 2017

Faculty Profile: Jamie Stewart

August 24, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Jamie Stewart, associate professor of pharmacology in the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, joined the faculty of the School of Pharmacy this summer after teaching at Mississippi State University.

Stewart earned a B.S. in microbiology and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Auburn University before completing post-doctoral internships in South…

The Annual BioMolecular Sciences, Graduate Student Awards were presented on August 18th, at the Graduate Student Welcome Back/ New Student Orientation. These are all outstanding and prestigious awards. Congratulations!

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

Munia Sowaileh – Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award 2015-2016
Veda Gogineni – Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award 2016-2017

Munia Sowaileh and Dr. John Rimoldi

Veda Gogineni and Dr. John Rimoldi

Division of Pharmacology

Trisha Dhawan – Edith Pritchard Graduate Student Award 2016-2017
Disha Prabhu – Marvin Davis Graduate Student Award 2017

Disha Prabhu and Dr. Kristie Willett

Trisha Dhawan and Dr. Kristie Willett

The BMS Welcome Back Graduate Students/ New Graduate Student Orientation, held on August 18th, was a success! Looking forward to a great, new academic year.

Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Speaker Announced

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences is excited and pleased to announce that Dr. Jimmie Valentine, Retired Professor of Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Myeloma Research, University of Arkansas College of Medicine, will be the recipient and honored speaker. Dr. Valentine graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1968 with a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry. The Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Speech will take place on Thursday, September 21st at 3:00 pm in TCRC room 2066.

June 2017

Pharmacy School Recognizes Outstanding Faculty, Researchers

June 19, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – The UM School of Pharmacy recognized four professors and researchers for their excellence in and commitment to service, research and teaching at the annual faculty and research scientist retreat on June 15.

“Our faculty and scientists are consistently recognized externally for their efforts,” said David D. Allen, dean of the pharmacy school. “I was honored to present them with awards…

Congratulations to graduate student Munia Sowaileh for receiving the 2017 ACS Graduate Research Award! Munia will present her work at the upcoming 2017 Graduate Research Symposium on the campus of the Portland State University in Portland, OR.

Congratulations to Mohamed Jihan for receiving UM Pharmacy, PY2 Class, Teaching Assistant of the year!

May 2017

Pharmacy Professors Named Distinguished Teaching Scholars

May 11, 2017

OXFORD and JACKSON, Miss. – UM School of Pharmacy professors Kim Adcock, Robert Doerksen, Erin Holmes and John Rimoldi have been recognized as Distinguished Teaching Scholars for a three-year term beginning this year. This honor recognizes faculty members who have proven to be exceptional teachers and colleagues and who…

Congratulations to Dennis Carty, BMS graduate student in the environmental toxicology division, who won the First Place Graduate Student Poster Presentation Award at the Mid-South Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting held in Oxford, MS at the UM School of Pharmacy. In addition to a cash prize, the award qualifies him for a travel award to the SETAC North America meeting in November 2017, in Minneapolis. Way to go, Dennis!

April 2017

Pharmacy School Recognizes Students with Honors Banquet

April 27, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Two Ole Miss chapters of pharmacy honors societies will co-host a banquet this Friday to initiate new members into both societies and recognize the outstanding academics and leadership of existing society members.

The UM chapter of the Rho Chi Society, which honors pharmacy academic achievement, will induct 22 second-year pharmacy students, 15 graduate students and two faculty members. Pharmacy students must be academically in the top 20% of their class to be considered for Rho Chi…

Congratulations to Mohamed Albadry and Abidah Parveen, BMS graduate students, for receiving and award at last week’s ICSB Conference!

Mohamed A. Albadry

3rd place Student poster competition, The 17th annual Oxford international Conference on the Science of Botanicals ICSB

Abidah Parveen

First mention award, The 17th annual Oxford international Conference on the Science of Botanicals ICSB

Pharmacy Professor Wins Prestigious Elsie M. Hood Teaching Award

April 11, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – John Rimoldi, professor of medicinal chemistry in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, is the winner of the 2017 Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.

This award recognizes one Ole Miss professor each year who embodies teaching excellence and exceptional student engagement. Students and faculty submit letters of nomination, and honorees are usually nominated many times over before winning.

“I am deeply humbled to be in the company of past Elsie M. Hood award recipients, many of whom I…

Congratulations to Dennis Carty, BMS graduate student in the environmental toxicology division, for winning a University of Mississippi Graduate Achievement Award at the Honors Convocation.

Join us at MidSouth SETAC in Oxford May 18 – 19, 2017!

We are inviting abstracts and participation in all areas but especially in Natural Resources Management, Multidisciplinary Approaches to Solving Environmental Problems, Science and Education, Sustainability, and of course, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry!

Abstracts for platform and poster presentations must be submitted by MAY 5, 2017.

MidSouthSETAC2017 OXFORD MS Call for Abstracts

March 2017

Congratulations to Vimal K. Sharma for winning second place in the poster session at The Graduate Student Council’s, 7^th Annual Research Symposium. He was also awarded $125 to go towards travel costs associated with attending conferences.

February 2017

Congratulations to Munia Sowaileh for receiving the 2015-2016 Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award!

January 2017

Kristie Willett Named Chair of Department of BioMolecular Sciences

January 12, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Kristine Willett, professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology, has been chosen as chair of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy.

Several members of the department nominated Willett, a native of Wooster, Ohio, as a candidate for the position and encouraged her to pursue the opportunity. The Department of…

November 2016

Congratulations to Veda Gogineni for winning the Graduate Student award for the Chemistry research category at the 2016 Sigma Xi Student Research Conference. Please see the link below for full details and a photo of all the winners!

https://www.sigmaxi.org/news/article/2016/11/14/top-presenters-named-in-the-student-research-conference

August 2016

Welcome Back Graduate Student Luncheon

August 25, 2016

August 16, 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Chris McCurdy on being elected the 2016 President for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)!

August 15, 2016

Congratulations to graduate student Veda Gogineni for being selected to receive the 2016 AAPS Graduate Student Research Award in Drug Discovery and Development Interface!

July 2016

Congratulations to Dennis Carty for being selected as one of five American College of Toxicology, 2016 North American Graduate Fellowship award winners! This award will provide Dennis with a two-year fellowship of $5,000 per year to be used toward education and attending the ACT annual meetings. Dennis will be recognized during the 2016 annual meeting awards ceremony and luncheon on Monday, November 10, 2016.

June 2016

BioMolecular Sciences

Graduate Student Award Ceremony

2015-2016

Left to Right: Mohammed Jihan, Dr. Pankaj Pandey, Chinni Yalamanchili, Dr. Stephen Cutler, Dennis Carty, Harshul Batra, Surendra Jain and Jagrati Jain

Division of Environmental Toxicology

Dennis Carty

Won 2^nd Place for his Poster Presentation at the 6^th Annual Graduate Student Council Research Symposium (April 2016)
Recipient of the 2016 William H. Benson Graduate Student Award

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

Mohamed Jihan

Won 1^st Place for his Poster Presentation at the 6^th Annual Graduate Student Council Research Symposium (April 2016)

Michael Cunningham

Received $1,500 ACS travel grant to the 2016 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, through the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry (December 2015)

Dr. Manal Nael

Received the AAPS Award for Graduate Student Research in Drug Discovery & Development Interface (October 2015)
Received the 2015-2016 ACS Graduate Research Scholar (April 2016)
Received the Dissertation Fellowship Award from the University of Mississippi, Graduate School (Spring 2016)
Received the 2015-2016 Graduate Achievement Award (April 2016)
Received the PY2 Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year (April 2016)

Veda Gogineni

Received an ACS Women Chemists Committee Travel Award. This travel supported her trip to the ACS 252^nd National Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia, PA. (March 2016)
Selected by the Gamma Beta Phi Society as the Most Outstanding Member of the year. (March 2016)

Dr. Pankaj Pandey

Received the Dissertation Fellowship Award from the University of Mississippi, Graduate School (Fall 2015)
Recipient of the 2014-2015 Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award

Division of Pharmacognosy

Chinni Yalamanchili

3^rd Prize for the Best Poster at the 16^th Annual Oxford ICSB, 5^th Interim ASP Meeting (April 2016)
Recipient of the 2015-2016 Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Award

Division of Pharmacology

Rhianna Morgan

Received $10,000 for the 2015-2016 COBRE CORE-NPN Assistantship Award

Taisen Hao

Won 1^st Place for his Podium Presentation at the 6^th Annual Graduate Student Council Research Symposium (April 2016)

Jagrati Jain

Received the Young Investigator Honorable Mention Award at the 64^th Annual Meeting of American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (October 2015)

Won 1^st Place for his Poster at the 4^th Malaria Symposium (April 2016)

Harshul Batra

Recipient of the 2015-2016 Edith Pritchard Graduate Student Award
Inducted into Rho Chi Society (April 2016)

Surendra Jain

Received a travel award at the 64^th Annual Meeting of American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (October 2015)
Recipient of the 2016 Marvin Davis Graduate Student Award

Graduate Student Council Research Grant Awards (2015-2016)

Harshul Batra

Trisha Dhawan

Taisen Hao

Mohamed Jihan

April 2016

The 6th Annual Graduate Student Council Research Symposium was held on April 15th. The following were presented awards:

Podium – Life Sciences

1st Place : Taisen Hao (BioMolecular Sciences/Pharmacology)

Poster – Life Sciences

1st Place : Mohamed Jihan (BioMolecular Science)

2nd Place : Dennis Carty (BioMolecular Science)

The following awards were received by members of our department at the School of Pharmacy 2016 Awards Ceremony:

Manal Nael

PY2 Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year

Dr. John Rimoldi

PY1 Teacher of the Year

Dr. Tracy Brooks

PY2 Teacher of the Year

At the Honors Convocation on Thursday, April 7, 2016, the following people received awards:

Awardees at the 2016 Honors Convention

Manal Nael – Graduate Achievement Award in Biomolecular Sciences and Medicinal Chemistry

Division of Environmental Toxicology

Dennis Carty – Dr. William H. Benson Graduate Student Award

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Pankaj Pandey – Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award

Division of Pharmacognosy

Chinni Yalamanchili – 2015/2016 Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Award

Division of Pharmacology

Harshul Batra – Edith Pritchard Graduate Student Award
Surendra Jain – Marvin Davis Graduate Student Award

Congratulations on these outstanding achievements!

March 2016

Veda Gogineni has been selected to receive an ACS Women Chemists Committee Travel Award. This award will support Veda’s travel to the ACS 252nd National Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia, PA. Congratulations Veda!
Dr. Jordan Zjawiony has been selected for the 2016 Faculty International Professional Development Award. This award will allow Dr. Zjawiony to conduct research in Winsk, Belsrus and Warsaw, Poland studying Medicinal Mushrooms in the Bialowieza Forest. Congratulations Dr. Zjawiony!
Veda Gogineni has been selected by the Gamma Beta Phi Society as the Most Outstanding Member of the year. She will be presented with this award at the Induction and Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday, March 23. Congratulations Veda!
Dr. Pankaj Pandey was one of two co-winners of the Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentation Award at the 13th Annual Midsouth Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Society. Congratulations Dr. Pandey!

February 2016

UM Professor Elected to National Environmental Toxicology Board

February 19, 2016

Kristine Willett, professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been elected to the board of directors for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

SETAC is a not-for-profit global professional organization that promotes research related to environmental contaminants, education in environmental sciences and the use of science in environmental policy. Its board of directors represents the tripartite membership of the society, which includes academic, industry and government representatives.

We are excited to announce the Annual BioMolecular Sciences, Graduate Student Awards. These are all outstanding and prestigious awards! These individuals will also be recognized at the Honors Convocation on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

Division of Environmental Toxicology

Dennis Carty – Dr. William H. Benson Graduate Student Award

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Pankaj Pandey – Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award

Division of Pharmacognosy

Chinni Yalamanchili – 2015/2016 Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Award.

Division of Pharmacology

Harshul Batra – Edith Pritchard Graduate Student Award
Surendra Jain – Marvin Davis Graduate Student Award

January 2016

January 28, 2016

Dr. Jordan Zjawiony received an honorable recognition from the Polish government lawmakers for a recent collaboration in helping with the development of the Center for Natural Products in Poland.

December 2015

Professor’s Research Protects, Restores Marine Ecosystems

December 10, 2015

Marc Slattery was trained as a marine biologist, so pharmacy may have been somewhat foreign when he was hired at the University of Mississippi. Two decades later, however, his efforts have made quite a splash at the School of Pharmacy.

The professor of pharmacognosy got his start at the school under the direction of associate dean emeritus Charles Hufford.

“I wasn’t a traditional pharmacist, but I came here and found collaborations I normally wouldn’t have and applications for my work that I would have never really considered,” Slattery said.

Dr. Chris McCurdy has been appointed to the AFPE Board of Grants.
Michael Cunningham, a graduate student in the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, received a $1500 American Chemical Society travel grant to the 2016 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, through the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry; the video he created, which conveyed the benefits of membership in the ACS Organic Division, won him the grant. To view the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZV0ZcgKbV0&feature=youtu.be.

August 2015

Dr. Chris McCurdy receives the inaugural AAPS Drug Discovery and Development Interface Section Service Award.

June 2015

Veda Gogineni’s and Manal Nael’s research has been selected by the Graduate School for funding!With the facilitation of the Graduate Student Council (GSC), the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and the Graduate School (GS) are able to sponsor a number of awards each year to students whose proposals demonstrate well-considered projects with exceptional promise. This year, their awards are two of 20 awards being made from a field of 46 proposals.
Taisen Hao and Mohamed Jihan have won the 2015-2016 Graduate Student Council Research Grant and Eric Bow has won the Outstanding Poster Award at the 2015 Neuroscience Research Day. Congratulations and thanks to all those contributing to the department’s success!

May 2015

On Friday, May 1st, 2015 the Department of BioMolecular Sciences held its second Annual Awards day, in which graduate students were recognized for their hard work and accomplishments. It was a beautiful day in which to combine business and pleasure!
The Department is proud to announce that Lisa Wilson is the recipient for the Virginia Dolores Cantú Fellowship! This is a prestigious award given to only one deserving applicant a year. Lisa’s application proved her dedication to the safety and care laboratory animal research and the importance of humane care of research animals. We are extremely proud and thankful to have Lisa representing our department! Virginia Dolores Cantú served students and faculty involved in laboratory animal research at The University of Mississippi for many years by facilitating their compliance with the federal regulations on the humane care and use of laboratory animals. Ms. Cantú was also an integral part of the team that achieved AAALAC accreditation for The University of Mississippi. The fellowship was established in 2010 by Joe Turner Cantú, Eddie Upton, and the Cantú family.

April 2015

Congratulations to Walid Alsharif and Pankaj Pandey who took 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the Applied Neuroscience section of the First Neuroscience Research Showcase.
Congratulations to Surendra Jain, who has been awarded 2nd prize for the GSC Research Forum podium presentation on “Transgenic Leishmania donovani cells with constitutive expression of Citrine and mCherry fluorescent proteins: Applications in biology, screening and new drug discovery.”
Congratulations to Surabhi Shukla who won the second place award for poster presentation at the 15th Annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, held April 13 – 16, 2015.
We are very proud to announce that two of our faculty members have been honored with Teacher of the Year Awards! Dr. John Rimoldi received Teacher of the Year for the PY 1 Class and Dr. Tracy Brooks received Teacher of the Year for the PY 2 Class. Dr. Brooks also received the Friend of the Student Award.
Congratulations to Santu Singha, for receiving a travel fellowship award for the 3rd annual UAB Workshop on Metabolomics. This fellowship is jointly sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) as part of the NIH Common Fund Metabolomics initiative, and the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Congratulations to Jagrati Jain for her 2nd Place Poster Award at the 3rd UM Malaria Symposium.
Pankaj Pandey has been named as a recipient of the ACS Chemical Computing Group Research Excellence Award in Medicinal Chemistry. Pankaj will receive $1,150 which he can use towards travel expenses.

April 16, 2015

In preparation for the upcoming BMS Spring Graduate Student Award Ceremony on May 1st, the department would like to acknowledge the graduate students who will be recognized:

Division of Environmental Toxicology

Dennis Carty – $500 travel award from the South Central Chapter of Society of Toxicology to attend the national SOT meeting.

Division of Medicinal Chemistry

Eric Bow – 2013/2014 Nobles-Sam Graduate Research Award
Shuneize Slater – First Place at the MCBIOS XII (Midsouth Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Society), Poster Presentation in Biological Bioinformatics and $300 award
Veda Gogineni – Most Outstanding Member for the University of Mississippi, Chapter of Gamma Beta Phi
Walid Alsharif – Honorable Mention for the MAS Outstanding Student Manuscript
Pankaj Pandey – ACS Chemical Computing Group Research Excellence Award in Medicinal Chemistry and $1,150 award. Pankaj also received the 32014-2015 University of Mississippi, Graduate Student Achievement Award

Division of Pharmacognosy

Mohamed Albadry – 2014/2015 Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Award

Division of Pharmacology

Rhianna Morgan – First Place at the Mississippi INBRE, Graduate Student Symposium
Trisha Dhawan – Received Honorable Mention from the Reproductive and Development Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and $75 award.
Santu Singha – Received $500 travel award from the South Central Chapter of Society of Toxicology to attend the National SOT meeting. Santu also received Honorable Mention from the Reproductive and Development Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and received $75 award.
Jagrati Jain – Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Society. Jagrati also received $1000 travel fellowship award for the 3^rd Annual UAB Workshop on Metabolomics, Dept. of Pharmacology/Toxicology, University of Alabama. The fellowship is jointly sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) as part of the NIH Common Fund Metabolomics initiative, and the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Jagrati also received a poster award today at the 15th International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.

2014-2015 – Graduate Student Council Research Grant Awards

Veda Gogineni – Division of Med Chem

Walid Alsharif – Division of Med Chem

Rhianna Morgan – Division of Pharmacology

Ole Miss School of Pharmacy Honors Senior Scientist

August 14, 2015

The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy honored its Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at the annual Alumni Weekend Awards Banquet and Reunion Dinner.

Jeffery Steevens, senior scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was recognized for his involvement in student service and professional achievement.

April 14, 2015

We are excited to announce that the A. Nelson Voldeng Memorial Lecturer will be Alan P. Kozikowski, Professor, Drug Discovery Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago. The topic will be:

“Chemistry, the Brain, and Cancer – Ups and Downs on the Road to HDAC6i Drugs”

April 13, 2015

Congratulations to Jagrati Jain, who was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, due to her excellent academic work! It is a well-deserved honor for Jagrati! A short video can be seen on our Facebook page.

April 7, 2015

Please note that the time for the Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Speech has been changed from 11:00 am to 10:30 am. The date and location remain the same.

March 2015

Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Speaker Announced

March 24, 2015

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences, Division of Medicinal Chemistry is excited and pleased to announce that Dr. Robert A. “Bob” Magarian, Professor Emeritus of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma (Medicinal Chemistry, 1966) will be the recipient and honored speaker. The Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Speech will take place on Thursday, May 21st at 10:30 am in TCRC room 1044.

Shuneize Slater has received First Place at the MCBIOS XII (Midsouth Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Society), Poster Presentation in Biological Bioinformatics. She also received $300 for winning first place.
The University of Mississippi, Chapter of Gamma Beta Phi has named Vedangali Gogineni the Most Outstanding Member this year.
Rhianna Morgan, Graduate Student in the Pharmacology Division received First Place at the Mississippi INBRE, Graduate Student Symposium last month. The title of her presentation was, “Structure Elucidation of G-Quadruplex within the mid-region of the kRAS Promoter and Identification of Stabilizing Small Molecules as Promising Transcriptional Silencers.”

February 2015

Dr. Christopher McCurdy Named AAPS Voting Representative

February 18, 2015

We are proud to announce that at today’s AAPS Executive Council meeting that Dr. Christopher McCurdy was appointed as the AAPS’ voting representative to the United States Pharmacopeia. This brings great recognition and honor to Chris, our department, the school, and the university. Please join us in congratulating him on this wonderful accomplishment.

January 2015

Congratulations to Walid Alsharif who has been awarded “Honorable Mention” for the MAS (Mississippi Academic Society) Outstanding Student Manuscript Award.
Congratulations to Shuneize Slater for receiving a Dissertation Fellowship from the University’s Graduate School.

Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Fellowship Endowment

January 29, 2015

For more than four decades, Dr. Charles D. Hufford made an incredible impact on the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s research culture. It is undeniable that Dr. Hufford helped transform our school into one of the world’s premier locations for the study of natural compounds. Not only that, but his leadership in the Department of Pharmacognosy and in the school’s administration as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs has been unparalleled.

Dr. Hufford’s accomplishments were extensive. His research talents shined in the area of drug metabolism, as well as finding and characterizing new antifungal antibiotics. Additionally, he was largely responsible for growing the school’s nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer capabilities. Over the years, he mentored numerous graduate students and facilitated various renovation projects.

Upon his retirement in 2015, Dr. Hufford’s family created an endowment that will pay tribute to his vast contributions to the university. The Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Fellowship Endowment will provide additional funding to a deserving biomolecular sciences graduate student who is a U.S. citizen. We are thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of graduate students while celebrating Dr. Hufford’s legacy at the same time.

Checks to the University of Mississippi Foundation with the Hufford Fellowship noted in the memo line can be mailed to 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; or contributions can be made online by visiting www.umfoundation.com/makeagift .

December 2014

Pharmacology/Toxicology Alum to be Honored

December 12, 2014

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jeffery A. Steevens (Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, 1999) is the recipient of the School of Pharmacy’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Dr. Steevens is a Senior Research Scientist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, MS. His commitment to the School of Pharmacy and his many contributions to the profession have made him an excellent choice for this esteemed award.

This award will be presented at the annual Pharmacy Alumni Weekend banquet on April 18, 2015. We are excited about honoring Dr. Steevens on his exceptional accomplishments.

Environmental Toxicology Research Program New Award Featured in Pharmacy Matters

December 11, 2014

The creation of the William H. Benson Distinguished Graduate Student Award was featured in the School of Pharmacy’s Newsletter, “Pharmacy Matters”. The award is the brain child of Dr. Kristine Willett, a professor of Pharmacology who has been committed to the development of the Environmental Toxicology Research Program. The award is for graduate students enrolled in the Environmental Toxicology Research Program. The full article can be read here.

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences is proud to announce these awards which have been earned by our faculty members:

Professor Christopher McCurdy was selected as a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist
Professor Kristie Willett was recognized as a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Distinguished Teaching Scholar
Professor Kristie Willett received the 2013-14 University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Faculty Service Award
Assistant Professor Tracy Brooks received the 2013-14 University of Mississippi New Investigator Award
Professor Stephen Cutler received the 2014 Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Research of the Year award
Professor Stephen Cutler received the American Chemical Society Division of Agrochemicals 2014 Research Article of the Year Award for his outstanding manuscript “Antifungal Metabolites against Plant Pathogens of Metabolites from the Endophytic Fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 61, 4551-4555, 2013.

November 2014

Renowned Researcher A. Douglas Kinghorn Named 2014 Waller Distinguished Lecturer

November 18, 2014

Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, who performed postdoctoral work here in the Department of Pharmacognosy in the 1970s will be returning as this year’s Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecturer. The full story is here.

Congratulations to Khalid Alharthy for receiving the second place platform presentation at the South Central Chapter of the Society of Toxicology 2014 Meeting here in Oxford.

October 2014

We would like to recognize Mallory White and Colleen Riley for their awards, received at the Rho Chi Poster Presentation, held October 8, 2014. Mallory won the First Place Award for her presentation, “Reproductive and Multigenerational Effects of Dietary Benzo[a]pyrene Exposure in Zebrafish”. Colleen Riley won the Third Place Award for her poster featuring “Optimization of Radioligand Binding Assay for Cannabinoid 1 Receptor.”
Walid Alsharif was awarded first place in the Chemistry Category of the ACS Graduate Student Competition held October 17th, 2014 at the University of Mississippi in the National Center for Natural Products Research. Walid’s poster was titled, “Dual Probes for Inhibition the Dopamine Transporter and alpha Receptors as Potential Cocaine-Abuse Therapeutic Agents”. This is the second time he has earned this award.
Dr. Jordan Zjawiony was honored at a luncheon with only 18 other employees for 25 years of dedicated service to the University of Mississippi.

Marine Ecologist Builds 3D Models of Coral Open to All

October 8, 2014

This article was taken from the February 2015 issue of WIRED magazine.

Most people will never see coral in its natural habitat, so marine ecologist Sly Lee is bringing it to them.

In 2014, Lee, who works for the United States National Park Service, founded The Hydrous, a Hawaii-based non-profit that builds 3D models of corals. Its database includes those that are disappearing, such as elkhorn and staghorn corals, and it maps ecological changes in the ocean. “Once we’ve generated 3D models of entire reefs, we can investigate the habitat preferences of fish, coral-sponge interactions and other ecosystem processes,” says Lee.

May 2014

Amanda Waters was awarded the first annual Charles D. Hufford Graduate Student Award for all of her hard work. This is a wonderful way to end her time here and to begin her time working on a very promising career. She will be greatly missed!
Read more here: https://news.olemiss.edu/amanda-waters-receives-inaugural-charles-d-hufford-award/#.U5XtZygskg9

April 2014

Leading Drug Discovery Scientist to Give Borne Lecture April 15

By Erin Garrett

Chris M. Ireland, distinguished professor and dean of the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, will deliver the 10th annual Ronald F. Borne Distinguished Lecture at the University of Mississippi.

Hosted by medicinal chemistry faculty, the April 15 lecture is set for 11 a.m. in Room 2066 of the Thad Cochran Research Center. It is free and open to the public. Ireland plans to discuss “Three Decades of Evolution in an Academic Drug Discovery Program: Then and Now.”

“We are delighted to have Dr. Ireland as our 10th annual Ronald F. Borne Lecturer,” said Stephen J. Cutler, department chair. “He is an exceedingly accomplished pharmaceutical scientist who has lead very productive research teams doing drug discovery.”

Ireland has established himself as a world leader in natural product drug discovery during his nearly 30 years at the University of Utah. His research has focused on the discovery of antitumor agents from natural product sources including marine invertebrate animals, tropical plants and fungi.

He has published more than 170 peer-reviewed research articles, eight book chapters and five patents. He has been invited to speak at numerous national and international symposia on natural products research and cancer chemotherapeutics.

Ireland is an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, an American Society of Pharmacognosy Fellow, a 2008 short-term Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and an Honorary Research Fellow of the Queensland Museum Biodiversity Program. He has been given numerous awards, including a National Institutes of Health Career Development Award, the 2007 University of Utah Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award, the 10th Webster Sibilsky Award for Contributions to the Field of Medicinal Chemistry and the 2007 Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology.

“Dr. Ireland has extensively studied the chemistry of marine invertebrates, which have proven to be a prolific source of diverse chemical structures with potential anticancer effects,” Cutler said.

The lecture was established in 2004 as a way of recognizing Ronald F. Borne, a longtime medicinal chemistry professor, and his contributions to the department and the university. Borne was a classroom favorite of students for many years and has been recognized on numerous occasions for his teaching and research excellence. He received the university’s 1972 Elsie M. Hood Teacher of the Year Award and 1996 Faculty Achievement Award. He was also named by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education as the Mississippi Professor of the Year in 1992.

Borne served as department chair from 1979 to 1988, acting associate vice chancellor for research and acting dean of the Graduate School in 1985-86, interim associate vice chancellor for research in 1997-98 and interim vice chancellor for research in 1998-2001. He retired from the university in 2004.

For more information on the lecture or for assistance related to a disability, contact Danielle Noonan at dnoonan@olemiss.edu or 662-915-7026.