Professional News

Distinguished Researchers, Academic Leaders Highlight UK’s Symposium on Drug Discovery and Development

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 5, 2012) − Three major academic and research leaders highlight the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s annual Symposium on Drug Discovery and Development, which will be held at the BioPharm Complex on Sept. 20.
 

Ching-Shih Chen, a former UK College of Pharmacy faculty member who is now the Lucius A. Wing Chair of Cancer Research & Therapy and Kimberly Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy, will provide a talk entitled, “Therapeutic Development Targeting Tumor Microenvironment.”
 

Markus Heilig, chief and clinical director for the Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Research at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will present his lecture, “Personalized Medicine Approaches to Treatment of Alcohol Addiction.”
 

David D. Allen, a UK College of Pharmacy alumnus from Prestonsburg, and current dean of the University of Mississippi’s School of Pharmacy, will provide a lecture entitled, “Research Visioning: Approaches at Two Institutions to Positively Impact the Overall Research Enterprise.”  
 

Allen also will be recognized as the 2012 University of Kentucky Outstanding Graduate Program Alumnus for the Pharmaceutical Sciences. Allen received both his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from the UK College of Pharmacy.
 

 “The UK College of Pharmacy has meant a great deal to me throughout my entire life,” said Allen. “Being recognized by a place that has provided me the tools to pursue a career in academic pharmacy and research is both humbling and gratifying. This is a special honor.”

The award is presented each year as part of the Symposium on Drug Discovery and Development. Established in 2006, the goal of the award is to honor graduates of the program in recognition of their accomplishments and contributions to scholarship, education and research in the pharmaceutical sciences.
 

“I’ve always admired David Allen’s commitment to academic pharmacy and dedication to his alma mater,” said Patrick McNamara, senior associate dean for the UK College of Pharmacy. “We look forward to having him back on campus to honor him and learn more about the steps he has taken to establish himself as one of the nation’s leaders in academic pharmacy.”
 

Allen received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at UK and practiced community pharmacy for several years before returning to the College to earn his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences. He has been licensed to practice pharmacy in five states and has been a visiting scientist in Chile, France and Switzerland, as well as at the Laboratory of Neurosciences’ Neurochemistry and Brain Transport Section of the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Aging, where he also was an Intramural Research Training Award Fellow.
 

In addition to serving as dean at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Allen is professor of pharmacology and executive director and research professor of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UM. Before joining Ole Miss, he was the founding dean of pharmacy and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy (formerly Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Pharmacy) in Rootstown, Ohio, and associate dean of curricular affairs at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy in Amarillo, Texas. He also served as professor of physiology and pharmacology in NEOMED’s College of Medicine while pharmacy dean.

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at (859) 323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu