Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Innovative Research, Advancing Education, Career, and Health.
The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers PhD degrees through the College of
Graduate Health Sciences. The four areas of specialization are Medicinal Chemistry,
Pharmaceutics, Bioanalysis, and Pharmacometrics.
Graduates of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences are prepared to assume positions
of responsibility in academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, and other
health-related organizations and institutions. The nature and variety of research
projects available to students reflect the stimulating and dynamic environment of
the health science center.
#12 Nationally in Research Grants from NIH
$20 million in Research Grants in 2024
100 Faculty Publications in 2024
Vision: To be a top-tier, internationally recognized pharmaceutical sciences program in research
and graduate education.
Mission: To advance pharmaceutical sciences in Tennessee and beyond through focused, cross-cutting,
and collaborative research, and pharmacy and graduate education relevant to career
advancement.
We will achieve our mission through the following goals:
- Providing a strong and relevant foundational basis to pharmacy education
- Delivering excellence and relevance in graduate education aligned with student career
advancement
- Significantly contributing to being in the top-ranked pharmacy schools in NIH research
funding
- Developing and maintaining individual and collaborative research projects of complex
and programmatic nature
- Performing clinically driven pharmaceutical research directly impacting patient health
- Ensuring the availability and affordable access of departmental research resources
- Nurturing career growth and well-being of all department members including students
- Empowering collegiality through positivity, civility, and approachability among all
department members
- Providing community outreach in research and science education
- Cultivating alumni and research partner relationships
Research Focus Areas
Therapeutic Targets and Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Research in this area aims to identify and validate new drug targets (endogenous proteins)
relevant to treating diseases such as cancer, neurological conditions, metabolic disorders,
and infectious diseases using biochemical and biological approaches.
Faculty in Therapeutic Targets and Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Drug Discovery and Development
Research in this area includes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of
new chemical entity with potential use in treating diseases such as cancer, infections,
disorders of the endocrine, cardiovascular, central, and peripheral nervous systems.
Faculty in Drug Discovery and Development
Pharmacometrics
Research in this area includes the quantitative assessment of drug disposition (pharmacokinetics),
effects (pharmacodynamics) using mathematical models based on biology, physiology,
pharmacology, and different disease states.
Faculty in Pharmacometrics
Drug Delivery and Targeting
Research in this area includes the design and evaluation of novel and translational
drug delivery systems which can lead to targeted delivery systems to different organs
in the body, to enhance the in vivo stability and permeability of novel molecules
with reduced toxicity.
Faculty in Drug Delivery and Targeting
Artificial Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research and teaching in this area includes artificial intelligence/machine learning-based
disease prediction and target discovery, drug design and repurposing, drug pharmacometrics,
and animal and human imaging.
Faculty in Drug Delivery and Targeting
Centers and Institute's
