Today, the School of Pharmacy is a leader in research, with endeavors ranging from patient care outcomes and human clinical research to research in molecular genetics. The School of Pharmacy is home to four centers: the Center for Pharmacogenetics, the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research (CEDAR), the Pharmacodynamic Research Center, and the Center for Innovation in Health Care. The School also houses the Cell Imaging Core of the Center for Reproductive Science, a Neuroendocrinology Research Consortium, as well as, considerable chemistry expertise in the Bioanalytical/Proteomics Core and Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmacognosy Group . Collectively, these programs catapulted the School in the year 2000 into the top 10 among schools of pharmacy based on competitive research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Translating research findings to patient care has been a challenge for years. It is such a challenge that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created Clinical and Translational Science Awards to increase the adoption of research discoveries in patient care. The University of Pittsburgh was among the first 12 universities nationwide to receive the award. The School of Pharmacy figured prominently in the collaboration among the schools of the health sciences in the education, research, and practice endeavors.
The School of Pharmacy is meeting the challenge to bridge the gap between research and patient care. Faculty research spans from identifying new drug targets and molecular modeling to developing and implementing evidence-based guidelines for effective drug therapy. With the exception of drug discovery and pharmacogenetics, this booklet organizes accomplishments by therapeutic area.
