Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmaceutics (Ph.D.)
The University of Houston College of Pharmacy’s Doctoral
Programs in Pharmacology, which is available with a concentration
in Medicinal Chemistry), and Pharmaceutics provide students
a gateway to the collaborative opportunities and experiences of
the Texas Medical Center’s world-class healthcare and scientific
community with the academic and laboratory resources of
Houston’s only Carnegie Institute-designated Tier One public
research university.
The college’s faculty includes investigators with active National
Institutes of Health-supported projects, U.S. and international
patents, editorial appointments on major scientific journals, and
collaborations with colleagues at fellow Texas Medical Center
institutions, including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor
College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston.
With an active, hands-on role in research activities, students have
established an impressive track record of serving as primary or
contributing authors on high-impact, peer-reviewed publications;
receiving travel awards to present their abstracts at national and
international conferences; and securing jobs in academia, the
pharmaceutical industry, public and private research institutions,
and government after graduation.
In Pharmacology, faculty and students work in areas of
cardiovascular, pulmonary and renal pharmacology, cellular
and molecular pharmacology, and neuropharmacology. In
Pharmaceutics, faculty and students work in areas of metabolism;
drug and gene delivery systems; preclinical, clinical, population
and physiological-based pharmacokinetics; drug stability; and
bioavailability. In Medicinal Chemistry, projects are available in
drug screening and design, synthesis of novel drugs, identification
of drug targets and exploration of natural products.
Tracking Cougar Success:
Academic Year 2014-15
• 28 peer-reviewed journal articles with student
authors (with nearly 65 percent primary authors)
• 38 abstracts presented at 9 regional, national and
international meetings
• External awards to support student presentations
at major national/international scientific meetings
(including AAPS, ACCP, and EB)
Specific areas of investigation and discovery include identifying and
developing novel drug targets and therapeutic agents/drug delivery
systems for cancer, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, Alzheimer’s
and other neurodegenerative diseases, Fragile X Syndrome,
atherosclerosis, asthma, chronic stress and anxiety, diabetes, alcohol
abuse, and bacterial/fungal infections, as well as improving drug
metabolism and reducing inflammation.
Faculty and student researchers have access to some of the latest
laboratory tools and technology, including high-throughput drug
screening systems, 3-D molecular modeling, confocal imaging,
NMR, mass spectroscopy and genetically modified mice.
Founded in 1946, UH College of Pharmacy is accredited by
the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education and holds
membership in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
uh.edu/pharmacy
A Carnegie-designated Tier One Public Research University
ADMISSIONS & COURSE OF STUDY
The application deadline for Fall 2016 admission is January 10, 2016. All application and admission information is available at at www.uh.edu/
pharmacy/prospective-students/graduate-programs/phd-graduate-admissions.
Prerequisites: Prerequisite courses for the Ph.D. in Pharmacology are upper level Human Physiology and Biochemistry (3 credit hours each). Both
prerequisite courses may be taken before or during the first year of graduate study, but it may complicate student progress on graduate coursework.
These courses are not required for the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics.
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics (PCEU)
Ph.D. in Pharmacology (PCOL)*
Course Name
Advanced Pharmacology I
Advanced Pharmacology II
Biostatistics & Experimental Design
Principles of Molecular Pharmacology
Scientific Writing
Cardiovascular & Renal Pharmacology
Neuropharmacology
Cellular Pharmacology
Elective
Responsible Conduct of Research
Special Problems (Research)
Dissertation Research
Pharmacology Seminar (1 credit in each of 4 semesters)
Pharm. Literature Review (1 credit in each of 6 semesters)
Total Hours for Ph.D. in Pharmacology Hours
3
3
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
1
11
30
4
6
80
Course Name
Hours
Regulatory Affairs
3
Advanced Pharmaceutics I
3
Advanced Pharmaceutics II
3
Advanced Pharmacokinetics
4
Biostatistics & Experimental Design
3
Scientific Writing 3
Advanced Drug Delivery Systems 3
Fundamental Laboratory Methods 3
Elective
3
Responsible Conduct of Research
1
Special Problems (Research)
11
Dissertation Research
30
Pharmaceutics Seminar (1 credit in each of 4 semesters)
4
Pharmaceutics Literature Review (1 credit in each of 6 semesters) 6
Total Hours for Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics 80
*A separate curriculum is available to students concentrating in Medicinal Chemistry. Contact us for more information.
FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS
Pharmacology
Pharmaceutics
Karim Alkadhi, Ph.D. – Role of disorders in the severity and onset of Alzheimer’s
disease; neuroprotective effects of regular physical exercise
Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D. – Nano-scaled, transdermal and controlled
release drug delivery systems; drug efficacy/pharmacokinetics study of anticancer and neuroprotective drug formulations
Mohammad Asghar, Ph.D. – Role of the kidney and the mechanisms causing
high blood pressure in aging
Richard Bond, Ph.D. – G protein-coupled receptor theory; acute vs. chronic
drug treatments; novel therapies for asthma biased agonism
Douglas Eikenburg, Ph.D. – Regulation of α2 adrenoceptor signaling; role of
GRK3 in modulation of GPCR signaling in stress and bipolar disorder
Jason Eriksen, Ph.D. – Mechanisms governing degradation of tau protein; new
tools for treatment of tauopathies and other neurodegenerative diseases
Tahir Hussain, Ph.D. – Regulation of renin angiotensin system and its role in
metabolism, inflammation and hypertension in obesity/diabetes
Brian Knoll, Ph.D. – Asthma and β-adrenergic signaling in airway epithelium
Mustafa Lokhandwala, Ph.D. – Oxidative stress and renal dopamine receptor
function
Bradley McConnell, Ph.D. – Signaling pathways in cardiovascular disease
Samina Salim, Ph.D. – Oxidative stress and biochemical changes in the brain
contributing to anxiety disorders
Maria V. Tejada-Simon, Ph.D. – Role of small GTPases in learning/memory
and mental health
Yang Zhang, Ph.D. – Molecular and immunological mechanisms of chronic
cardiovascular diseases
Dean, College of Pharmacy
F. Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs
Brian J. Knoll, Ph.D.
Chair, Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept.
Douglas C. Eikenburg, Ph.D.
Graduate Academic Advisor
Vanessa Lockett
Romi Ghose, Ph.D. – Drug metabolism and toxicity in diseases and altered
pathophysiological conditions
Ming Hu, Ph.D. – Bioavailability of drugs, nutrients and micronutrients with
emphasis on mechanisms of absorption and metabolism of flavonoids and
phenolic drugs
Vincent Tam, Pharm.D. – Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of
antimicrobial agents
Medicinal Chemistry
Greg Cuny, Ph.D. – Medicinal chemistry; synthetic organic chemistry; natural
products and small molecule pharmacological probes
Joydip Das, Ph.D. – Protein kinase C activators and inhibitors; Protein kinase
C-alcohol interactions
Ke-He Ruan, M.D., Ph.D. – New therapeutics for vascular diseases and cancer
via NSAID-targeted biosynthesis of eicosanoids
Gomika Udugamasooriya, Ph.D. - Combinatorial chemistry; peptoids and
peptidomimetics; cancer therapy‐diagnostic tool development; cancer and
cancer stem cell biology research
Louis Williams, Ph.D. – Investigation of traditional medicine/natural products
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Policy
The University of Houston is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action
institution. Minorities, women, veterans
and persons with disabilities are
encouraged to apply.
PHA (9/15)
For More Information
For more information, visit www.uh.edu/pharmacy or
contact:
Vanessa Lockett, Graduate Academic Advisor
Science & Research Bldg. 2, Room 521
UH College of Pharmacy
Houston, Texas 77204-5037, USA
713-743-1269 (phone); 713-743-1229 (fax)
vlguidry@central.uh.edu