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Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Design of Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists for Potential Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis , Lindsay Kornberger

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Self-Assembled Ternary Polypeptide Nanoparticles With Improved Biostability For Drug Delivery In Cancer Therapy , Preye Mike Agbana

Investigation of Folate-Poly(Glutamic Acid)/Polyethylenimine/DNA Complexes for in vitro Gene Delivery , Caleb Akers

POPULATION-BASED EVALUATION OF TREATMENT PATTERNS, DRUG-DRUG INTERACTIONS, AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC CASTRATION-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER , Yue Cheng

An Epidemiological and Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic Investigation into the Impact of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales , Justin Clark

STRIVING FOR APPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTIC USE: A BIOMARKER INITIATIVE, AND OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH AZITHROMYCIN EXPOSURE , Amanda Gusovsky

New Tools for Biocatalysis: Studies on the Carminomycin 4-O-Methyltransferase DnrK , Elnaz Jalali

Optimization of Orally Bioavailable Inhibitors of Defective in Cullin Neddylation 1 (DCN-1) , Leah Kovalic

Genetic and Pharmacogenetics Associations of Cancer Disparities in Appalachia , Nan Lin

Design and Synthesis of Small Molecular Inhibitors of DCN1-UBE2M Interaction , Tucker J. Moseley

Effectiveness of a long-acting cocaine hydrolase in metabolizing cocaine and its physiologically active metabolites , Linyue Shang

Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Highly Selective Microsomal Prostaglandin E2 Synthase-1 (mPGES-1) Inhibitors , Madeline Stewart

INVESTIGATING THE USE OF mPGES-1 INHIBITORS FOR THE TREATMENT OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS , Lauren M. Weaver

DEVELOPING A BIOCATALYTIC TOOLBOX TO AID IN UNDERSTANDING NUCLEOSIDE ANTIBIOTICS , Jasmine Brianna Woods

BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS OF PROTEOMIC AND GENOMIC DATA FROM NSCLC TUMORS ON PROGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY TREATMENT , Mark Wuenschel

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Response of Dopaminergic System to Cocaine Exposure, Recovery after Cocaine Abstinence, and Impact of a Long-acting Cocaine Hydrolase , Jing Deng

ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL FACILITATORS TO USE OF HIV PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PrEP) IN A YOUNG TRANSGENDER POPULATION , Noah Dixon

Studies Toward the Development of an Improved Countermeasure for Synthetic Opioid Overdose , Sidnee L. Hedrick

Development of zafirlukast derivatives active against Porphyromonas gingivalis , Kaitlind C. Howard

Investigating the Physical Stability of Amorphous Pharmaceutical Formulations , Travis W. Jarrells

THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF LIVER AND INTESTINE IN REVERSE CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT , Rupinder Kaur

LIPOSOMAL TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE GENE DELIVERY , David Nardo Padron

DEVELOPMENT OF ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT COMPUTATIONAL METHODOLOGIES FOR PREDICTING PROTEIN-LIGAND AND PROTEIN-PROTEIN BINDING FREE ENERGIES , Alexander Hamilton Williams

BUILDING TOOLS FOR IMPROVED MODULATION OF THE HUMAN GABAA RECEPTOR, A CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TARGET FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY , Garrett Edward Zinck

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

UNDERSTANDING ABSORPTION, SUPERSATURATION, AND DRUG ACTIVITY IN SOLUTION: WORKING TOWARDS DEVELOPING A MORE BIORELEVANT MEDIA , Freddy Arce

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Home > PHARMACY > PHP > PHP_ETD

Pharmacy Practice Department Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF UBIQUITIN SPECIFIC PEPTIDASE 2 ISOFORMS REGULATION IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA BY THE FARNESOID X RECEPTOR SIGNALING PATHWAY , Winifer M. Ali

13C LABELING FOR CHO CELL METABOLISM TRACING AND MS BASED ANALYSIS FOR ADVANCED UPSTREAM CULTURE MONITORING TO SUPPORT CQA UNDERSTANDING , Xin Bush

A STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS OF CARCINOGENIC PROTEIN- AND DNA-BINDING CHEMICALS , Alicia M. Crisalli

MECHANISMS OF PPAR-ALPHA TARGETED THERAPY IN CHOLESTASIS: TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES , Gina Gallucci

ENHANCING THE EFFICACY OF INHALABLE NANOPARTICLE FORMULATIONS USING BIOMIMETIC LUNG SURFACTANT , Andrea Jennifer Gonsalves

OPIOIDS AND OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT IN PREGNANCY: SPONTANEOUS ABORTION AND CHILDHOOD NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS , Mennatullah Hasan

CHOOSING WISELY IN PROPHYLACTIC NEUROKININ-1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST USE AMONG WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY , Shweta Kamat

REAL-WORLD MEDICATION MANAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE , Abiodun John Ologunowa

EVALUATION OF THE TOXICOKINETIC MECHANISMS OF PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES: ACCUMULATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND ELIMINATION , Sangwoo Ryu

CHILDREN’S OUTCOMES AND MATERNAL OPIOID EXPOSURES DURING PREGNANCY , Shuang Wang

DEVELOPMENT OF LOCALIZED DRUG DELIVERY STRATEGIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCERS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES , Weizhou Yue

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

TREPROSTINIL, A PROSTACYCLIN ANALOG, PROTECTS KIDNEY FROM RENAL ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY: PRECLINICAL STUDIES IN A RAT MODEL OF ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY , Meiwen Ding

THE MECHANISTIC AND ETIOLOGICAL LINK BETWEEN BILE ACID DYSREGULATION AND PRETERM BIRTH , Syed Fayaz Ul Haq Hashmi

TREPROSTINIL IMPROVES HEPATIC CYTOCHROME P450 METABOLISM DURING RENAL ISCHEMIA REPERFUSION INJURY , Daniel Kelly

PREDICTORS OF EPI PROCOLON UTILIZATION , Eric Lamy

AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF DIRECT ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS VERSUS WARFARIN IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE, AND AFTER ANTICOAGULANT-RELATED MAJOR BLEEDING , Oluwadolapo D. Lawal

CHEMICAL BIOLOGY OF DNA ADDUCT REPAIR, BYPASS AND MUTAGENESIS , Rui Qi

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF METABOLITES PRODUCED BY MARINE PSEUDOALTEROMONAS SPP. , Margaret Rosario

A PROTEOMIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING REGULATORY PATHWAYS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) , Teresa Sierra

IMPACTS OF HYPERTENSION AND THROMBOSIS IN A RAT MODEL OF CEREBRAL AMYLOID ANGIOPATHY (rTg-DI) , Aleksandra Stanisavljevic

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF MAPLE (Acer saccharum) SAP WATER , Kara Torrey

TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION OF MYELOID DERIVED SUPPRESSOR CELL PROTEOMIC TARGETS IN LIVER AND LUNG TUMORS , Justin Trickett

A MULTI-YEAR INVESTIGATION OF THE SPECIALIZED METABOLITE COMPOSITION OF TRICHODESMIUM SPP. , Christopher William Via

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

PHARMACIST-ADMINISTERED PEDIATRIC INFLUENZA VACCINATION IN THE UNITED STATES , Dana M. Gates

DUAL-DRUG NANOPARTICLE FORMULATION FOR INHALED DELIVERY IN IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS TREATMENT , Moez Ghumman

INVESTIGATING TOLFENAMIC ACID AND ITS ANALOGS AS POTENTIAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE THERAPEUTICS , Jaunetta Hill

HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF TREPROSTINIL DURING RENAL ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY , Joyce Hou

EVALUATING NATURAL PRODUCT LIBRARIES WITH EMPHASIS ON IN VITRO PERMEABILITY WORKFLOWS , Riley D. Kirk

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF POLYPHENOL-ENRICHED EXTRACTS , Chang Liu

REAL-WORLD UTILIZATION AND EXPENDITURE OF TOP-DOWN AND STEP-UP THERAPY IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE , Kanya K. Shah

EVALUATION OF MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER ON OVERDOSE AND HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION IN THE US , Tianyu Sun

SELF-ADJUVANTED VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLE FOR SAFE AND HIGHLY IMMUNOGENIC VACCINATION , Yiwen Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

PERFLUOROOCTANESULFONIC ACID (PFOS) AS A POTENTIAL RISK FACTOR FOR LATE-ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE , Veronia Basaly

THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS, SAFETY, AND COST OF ORAL P2Y12 ANTIPLATELET AGENTS FOLLOWING ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES , Nicholas Belviso

PRESCRIPTION CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE UTILIZATION: EVALUATING BENZODIAZEPINE DOSE INTENSITY, DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK, AND USE OF TRAMADOL AMONG PATIENTS WITH HIGHER RISK , Eric P. Borrelli

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF BACTERIAL INTERACTIONS INVOLVING PATHOGENS , Hilary Joan Grant Ranson

EVALUATION OF KEY PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES TO INDUCE LIVER STEATOSIS IN MOUSE AND HUMAN MODELS , Emily Sara Marques

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF PECTIC OLIGOSACCHARIDES FROM VACCINIUM MACROCARPON , Zhiyuan Peng

DRUG-INDUCED LIVER INJURY: A PREDICTIVE MODEL, MITOCHONDRIAL TOXICITY MECHANISMS RISK, AND ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS RISK IN A REAL-WORLD SETTING , Payal Rana

EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CENTRALITY AND INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL CHARACTERISTICS AMONG PWID , Benjamin Skov

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF TOLFENAMIC ACID AND DONEPEZIL ON BEHAVIOR AND TAU PATHOLOGY BIOMARKER LEVELS , Abdullah G. Alharbi

POLYPHARMACY IN CANCER PATIENTS: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, EXPENDITURES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS , Zachary R. Babcock

USE OF HYPHENATED MASS SPECTROMETRY TO UNCOVER TRUE NAFLD EFFECT ON HUMAN DRUG DISPOSITION PROTEINS , Benjamin Joseph Barlock

DNA damage, repair and mutational spectrum , Ke Bian

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF POLYPHENOL-ENRICHED EXTRACTS AND THEIR GUT MICROBIAL METABOLITES , Nicholas A. DaSilva

BUDGET IMPACT ANALYSIS OF NOVEL ABUSE DETERRENT OPIOID FORMULATIONS IN A POPULATION OF CHRONIC OPIOID USE , Andrew Descoteaux

DEVELOPMENT OF PEDIATRIC ANTI-HIV FORMULATIONS WITH IMPROVED DISSOLUTION CHARACTERISTICS , Ryan Ivone

LASER-ASSISTED TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY AND VACCINATION , Prateek Kakar

SHORT-TERM COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF SECOND-GENERATION LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE ANTIPSYCHOTICS AS COMPARED WITH ORAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS IN PREVENTING REHOSPITALIZATION OR TREATMENT SWITCH IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA , Tyler Mantaian

AN ‘OMICS APPROACH TO DIET & STRUCTURE IMPACT ON PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCE INDUCED LIVER DISEASE , Marisa Pfohl

AN OMICS BASED APPROACH FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF BIOMARKERS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE USING IN VITRO MODELS OF HEPATIC STEATOSIS , Anitha Saravanakumar

OVERCOMING CONTEMPORARY OBSTACLES IN DRUG DELIVERY VIA ACETALATED DEXTRAN PARTICLE FORMULATIONS , Nishan K. Shah

CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF METHYLATION AND GLYCATION DNA ADDUCTS , Qi Tang

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

EXPRESSION AND ACTIVITY OF CYP2C8 AND 2C9 IN DIABETES MELLITUS AND NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE , Ghadah Alghaith

Economic Burden and Mortality Associated With Prescription Opioid Use , Hilary A. Aroke

MECHANISMS OF INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN GLUCURONIDATION, SULFONATION, AND AMIDATION: BISPHENOL A AND BILE ACIDS , Adam Michael Auclair

Phytochemical Investigation of a Native North American Species, “ Acer saccarinum ” and an Endemic Saudi Arabian Species, “ Euphorbia saudiarabica ” , Abdullatif Bin Muhsinah

In Vitro Drug Metabolism and Population Pharmacokinetics as Tools for Elucidating Pharmacokinetic Variability , Enoch Cobbina

An Evaluation of Atypical Antipsychotic Use, Costs and Effectiveness in the Pediatric Population , Kellye A. Donovan

THE BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF HUMAN EPIDIDYMIS PROTEIN 4 IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER , Nicole Elizabeth James

EFFECT OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) ON HEPATIC DRUG METABOLISM ENZYMES IN HUMAN , Rohitash Jamwal

REGULATION OF UBIQUITIN SPECIFIC PEPTIDASE 2 EXPRESSION BY FARNESOID X RECEPTOR IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA , Christina Nadolny

Predictors of Concomitant Use of Prescription Opiods and Benzodiazepines in Rhode Island , Emily Patry

EFFECT OF ETHANOL ON GASTROINTESTINAL TIGHT JUNCTIONS AND P-GLYCOPROTEIN EXPRESSION AND FUNCTIONALITY , Armin Sadighi

Facilitated Excretion of Gold Nanoparticles by Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles Through the ATP7B Transporter , Xiaodong Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Biotransformation and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of PF-5190457, A Novel Drug Candidate for Alcoholism , Sravani Adusumalli

The Physiological Glucagon Receptor in Rat Heart , Kevin Agostinucci

Concomitant Use of Central Nervous System Stimulants and Depressants Prescribed in Rhode Island , Aram Babcock

Health Outcomes Research of Novel Disease Modifying Medications in Alzheimer’s Disease and Cost Burden of Early Onset Dementia , Rami Beiram

Conformational Insights Into Aminobiphenyl-Modified DNA: Implications for Mutation and Repair , Ang Cai

Using Natural Products to Treat Resistant and Persistent Bacterial Infections , Robert W. Deering

Predictors of Infection in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents , Tasia Liu

Circadian Rhythm: A Functional Connection Between SHP and DEC1 Transcription Factor , Marek Matczynski Marczak

Novel Pharmacological Action of Clozapine at D2 Dopamine Receptors , Joseph Michael Schrader

CES Involved Inhibition and Regulation , Yuanjun Shen

Novel Methods for Delivering and Promoting the Endosomal Escape of Nucleic Acid Based Drugs: Chiral Polyamines and Hydrophobic Nanoparticle-Containing Liposomes , Ruchi Verma

Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase-3 and 5: Tissue Distribution, Age-Related Expression and Regulation by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress , Zhen Xu

Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients Receiveing QT Interval Prolonging Medications , Yizhou Ye

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Effect of Disease State on Human Carboxylesterase 1 Expression and Activity , Abdullah Aljutayli

Healthcare Costs and Impact of Medication Adherence on Outcomes in Patients on Novel Anticoagulant Therapy , Chinmay Deshpande

A Study of the Increased Risk of Bleeding Events in Patients with Blood Clotting Disorders, Associated with Antidepressant Medication Use , Adam Ehrenborg

Retrospective Cohort Study of Tobacco Dependence Treatment Patterns in a US Commercially Insured Population , Elizabeth Anne MacLean

Factors Associated With Sustained Release Psychostimulant Prescriptions for Pediatric ADHD , Robert McConeghy

Isolation, Synthesis, and Metabolism of Polyphenols: Stilbenoids, Gallotannins and Ellagitannins , Daniel B. Niesen

Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Protective Effects of Statins in Bacteremic Patients , Ajinkya Pawar

Investigations on Biologically Active Carbohydrates from Natural Sources , Jiadong Sun

Measuring Adherence with Antidepressant Medication: Comparison of HEDIS and PDC Methodologies , Carmen Monica Telinoiu

Cadmium Contributes to Breast Cancer Development by Influencing Cell Adhesion Network , Zhengxi Wei

Bile Acids and Premature Labor in Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy , Sangmin You

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Bronchodilator Prescribing in COPD and Cardiovascular Comorbidity , Damilola Tejumola Adesanoye

NRF as an Oxidative Stress and Nutrient Responsive Transcription Factor in Calorie Restriction , Laura Armstrong

Synthesis of 2-Amino-α-Carboline and Analogues Relevant for Structural Investigations of the Corresponding DNA Adducts , Matthew S. Blake

Tolfenamic Acid: A Potential Modifier of Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease , Joanna K. Chang

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF CANDIDATE PROBIOTICS IN AQUACULTURE AND FORMULATION OF A PROBIOTIC AGENT FOR OYSTER LARVICULURE , Christine Anh Dao

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppresive , Mwlod A. Ghareeb

Effects of intensified care management activities and diabetes medication copayment reduction on medication adherence and health care costs , Kyungwan Hong

DEVELOPMENT OF COPPER SULFIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR PHOTOTHERMAL AND CHEMO THERAPY OF CANCER CELLS , Yajuan Li

EVALUATION OF IN VITRO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTI-DIABETIC AND ANTI-LIPOGENIC ACTIVITY OF NATURAL POLYPHENOLIC EXTRACTS AND THEIR PURE CONSTITUENTS , Pragati P. Nahar

EFFECTS OF PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS (PFCs) ON METABOLIC TISSUES AND THE BENEFITS OF CALORIC RESTRICTION , Deanna M. Salter

Role of Nuclear Factor E2 Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) in Environmental Chemical Induced Steatosis and Adipogenesis , Prajakta Shimpi

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Recent Pharmacology Theses

Here is a list of students who have recently defended their Ph.D. Thesis in Pharmacology, along with a brief description of their thesis work.

03/10/2023 Joel Sexton - Disentangling Sequence Constraints on the Coflin N-terminal Phosphorylation Site

Mar 2023 Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh - Kinase Dynamics Underlie Mechanisms of Sensitivity and Resistance of EGFR with LUAD Mutations to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Feb 2023 Zechen Wang (Anderson Lab) - Tackling FGFR Fusion-Positive Cancers with a Novel Synergistic Combination of FGFR and HDAC Inhibitors

Mar 2022 Chun Hu - Understanding distinct roles of EGFR family mutations in different cancers

Feb 2022 Michael Bond - Towards Tumor-Cell Specific Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras: Identification of first-in-class degraders of oncogenic KRASG12C, DcpS, and MAGE-A3

Jan 2022 Joshua Sheetz - The Dead Receptor Paradox: Insights into Receptor Tyrosine Kinases with Intracellular Pseudokinase Domains

Jan 2022 Joseph Fowler - Inflammatory stress disrupts endothelial cell cholesterol homeostasis and increases SREBP2-dependent gene expression to amplify the acute inflammatory response

Aug 2021 Courtney Smith - Regulation of TIM-3 by Phosphatidylserine

Jul 2021 Brian Shi - Proteome-wide screening for mitogen-activated protein kinase docking motifs and interactors

03/02/2021 Eunice Cho - PPP6C Regulation of ERK Signaling in Melanoma

02/15/2021 Ban Edani - Structural Elucidation of the cis-prenyltransferase NgBR/DHDDS Complex Reveals Novel Insights in Regulation of Protein Glycosylation

12/14/2020 Shanique Alabi - Mutant-selective Degradation by BRAF-targeting PROTACs

11/20/2020 Valerie Su - Serine Phosphorylation of ICAP1 Inhibits its Nuclear Accumulation

11/04/2020 Vincent Duong - Evaluation of NRTI-mediated toxicity through the human mitochondrial polymerase PrimPol

08/04/2020 Victor Ruiz - Computer-Aided Discovery of New Inhibitors of C. hominis Thymidylate Synthase-Dihydrofolate Reductase

01/15/2020 Keith Weise - Regulation of activity and localization of the budding yeast kinases Kin1 and Kin2

01/10/2020 Eric Rosenberg - Perturbing the activities of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR5

11/25/2019 Yasmin Kadry - Biochemical and functional characterization of kindlin interactions

09/23/2019 Ashley Sizer - O-GlcNAc transferase-dependent regulation of serum response factor and vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype

03/01/2019 Zachary Gannam - Exploring the allosteric inhibition of a MAPK phosphatase linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy

01/24/19 William Gray - Nucleoid Size Scaling and Intracellular Organization of Translation Across Bacteria.

01/14/19 Lee Ying - Epigentic Approaches to Understanding Adipogenesis, and Translational Approaches to Treating Obesity.

10/05/18 Molly Ryan - Understanding the Consequences of Oncogenic FGFR Mutations on Drug Resistance, Signaling, and Tumorigenesis

09/27/18 Daniel Iwamoto - Structural basis of the filamin A actin-binding domain interaction with F-actin

09/12/18 Lie Ma - Elucidation of the Activated State of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor

09/10/18 David E. Puleo -Targeting the Mutant JAK2 V617F Tyrosine Kinase by Small Molecules that Bind to its Pseudokinase Domain

03/01/18 Tomoaki Sasaki - Characterization of APOBEC3 Family Proteins as Potent DNA Mutators in Human Cancers

02/12/18 Elizabeth Mo - Augmentors are in vivo ligands to the ALK family of receptor tyrosine kinases: function and evolution

09/26/17 Chad Miller - Comprehensive Profiling of a Kinase Family Defines Features Essential for Selective Substrate Targeting

11/30/2016 Amelia Luciano - The Role of Akt1 & Clock S845 phosphorylation in Circadian Regulated Transcriptional Rhythms

09/23/2016 Allison Goldberg - An Exosite Required for Efficient Targeting of MAP Kinase Kinases by the Metalloproteinase Antrax Lethal Factor

08/12/2016 Yagmur Muftuoglu - Mechanisms of substrate specificity and insights into activation of phosphatidylionositol phosphate kinases

06/02/2016 Andrea Mislak - Insights into the Activity, Resistance, and Toxicity of Antivirals Targeting HIV Reverse Transcriptase

02/23/16 Phillip Murray - Discovery and Characterization of Ligands for the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ALK: AUG-alpha, AUG-beta and Heparin

12/10/15 Yifei Yang - Molecular basis for Polycystin- 2 channel regulation and assembly its C-terminal tail

12/08/15 Jacqueline Heiss - Prion Protein Regulates Amyloid- Beta Dendritic Spine Pathology in a Mouse model if Alzheimer's Disease

10/15/15 Celeste Greer - Histone Deacetylases Positively Regulate Transcriptional Elongation

2/24/15 Oriana Fisher - Structural studies of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations 2 (CCM2) reveal the basis for its interactions with protein binding

• Trainee Requirements Agreement

Academic Catalog 2023-2024

Pharmaceutics and drug delivery, phd, journal club participation, colloquium attendance, internship requirements and regulations for department of pharmaceutical sciences, qualifying examination, doctoral candidacy status, doctoral dissertation committee, dissertation proposal defense, registration for dissertation, publications and presentations, phd dissertation preparation, pharmaceutical sciences colloquium, sopps professional code of conduct .

Students studying pharmaceutics and drug delivery will be thoroughly exposed to the fundamentals of physical pharmacy and pharmaceutics and trained in several specialized areas including:

• Novel drug delivery systems
• Nanomedical technologies
• Biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics

With exposure to these facets of the pharmaceutical sciences, successful graduates are poised to understand and assimilate the field of modern pharmaceutics. A PhD degree in pharmaceutics is a research degree. While coursework plays an important role, students become active participants in the science of pharmaceutics in the laboratory. Faculty research in pharmaceutical sciences covers a broad range of scientific interests, including pharmacokinetic toxicodynamics of anticancer agents; use of novel biomaterials and synthetic polymeric systems in designing small-molecule drug delivery systems for small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids; passive and active targeting of therapeutic agents for cancer and cardiovascular diseases; novel delivery systems for immunostimulating purposes; and mathematical modeling of endogenous compounds.

The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences sponsors weekly journal clubs, Pharmaceutical Science Seminar ( PHSC 6300 ) , at which students present and evaluate current scientific literature in their fields of study. Students must attend one of these journal clubs (Pharmaceutics & Drug Delivery Journal Club, Pharmacology Journal Club, or Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Discovery Journal Club), chosen in consultation with their advisors.

Attendance at one of these journal clubs is required each and every academic semester, as an integral part of the PhD curriculum, with the exception of the last year (year four) in the program. All PhD students must participate full-time in journal club for course credit, Pharmaceutical Science Seminar ( PHSC 6300 ) , for six semesters. Failure to attend journal club regularly may result in sanctions such as probation or dismissal from the PhD program. Any student who does not comply with these (or any other) conditions required in the PhD program faces potential dismissal.

All PhD students, regardless of program, are required to attend the weekly Pharmaceutical Science Colloquium series. Announcements of times and locations will be distributed weekly to students by email to their university email addresses. Attendance is recorded by sign-up sheet. One excused absence is permitted per semester. Failure to attend colloquia may result in sanctions such as probation or dismissal from the PhD program.

Internships provide an experiential component of the graduate curriculum that fosters professional development through work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

After PhD candidates have completed their dissertation research and are working on their dissertations, they are able, with the express permission of their PhD advisor, to participate in an internship if they choose. They are never allowed to intern while they are serving as teaching assistants.

• Students are responsible for finding their own internship and must be honest and accurate representing their experiences on their resumés. Students are responsible for tracking this experience on their resumés as there will be no detailed record on students’ transcripts of these opportunities.
• In order to be eligible for internship, students must take   Professional Development for Pharmaceutical Sciences ( PHSC 5305 ) a semester before internship.
• Students must not accept more than one position. They must honor the first offer accepted. Any student not adhering to this requirement will not be allowed to participate.
• International students must register for Pharmaceutical Science Internship ( PHSC 6401 )  and follow instructions to receive Curricular Practical Training authorization from the Office of Global Services every semester they work. This applies to part-time jobs and volunteer opportunities. International students cannot engage in full-time CPT authorization totaling more than 52 weeks. Doing so will eliminate the possibility of engaging in the postgraduation benefit of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training.
• In order to receive a grade for the course, students must write at least two learning goals within the first two weeks of the internship and a one- to two-page paper describing what they learned, mid- and end of semester. Supervisors for internships will reply to a questionnaire about students’ performance.
• Taking internship must not extend international students’ visas.
• There are no vacations on co-op/internships. Companies’ sick time policies may vary. Students should check with their employers. For all other matters, please see the University-wide Academic Policies and Procedures and/or Bouvé College of Health Sciences Academic Policies and Procedures .

The PhD qualifying examination is required for students in all four programs under the auspices of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences: pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, biomedical sciences, and pharmaceutics and drug delivery. Students from each of the four programs will take the exams within the same time frame (below), regardless of specialty-area program focus.

Doctoral students should have selected a dissertation advisor by the end of their first year in the program and are expected to have begun research and demonstrated initial proficiency in the laboratory before taking the PhD qualifying examination.

The PhD qualifying examination tests the candidates’ knowledge and skills in core courses and program content areas. The overall PhD qualifying examination consists of two written exams and one oral exam. The qualifying examination is taken as a course,  Doctoral Training and Research ( PHSC 8940 ) , no later than during the fall semester of the student's second year, after having successfully completed all the core courses of their respective programs.

At least two departmental faculty will contribute questions for the written exams, and no one faculty member will write more than the equivalent of one entire exam. All students qualified to sit for the exams are expected to take them at the times announced.

The format for the written exams may vary (e.g., faculty may ask a series of comprehensive essay questions or provide research publications(s) from the biomedical literature and ask questions based upon the publications’ content). The first exam is given in the first week of fall semester, with the written portion of the second exam (i.e., the F31 written document) to be submitted to the student’s exam committee by end of October with the oral presentation to be completed by mid-November and graded by the providers of the question(s).

• For example, if the student is in the pharmaceutics and drug delivery PhD program, part 1 will be about pharmaceutics and drug delivery, and part 2 can focus either on pharmacology or medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.
• Written exam 2 requires that students write an NIH F31 grant proposal and have the proposal signed off as passing by their examination committee after an oral defense.

A score of at least 70% is required to pass the first written exam (two parts). Students must pass all written portions of the PhD qualifying examination prior to the oral defense of the F31 proposal. Students who fail one written exam will have one opportunity to retake and pass that examination. A student who fails the first exam twice will be required to withdraw from the PhD program.

During the oral exam, students defend their NIH F31 grant proposal before an examination committee of, minimally, four faculty members: the dissertation advisor, at least two other Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty members, and at least one member from outside the department. This committee is convened only for the oral exam and does not need to be the same committee as the student's dissertation committee. 

Members of the oral examination committee are selected by the student, after consultation with the dissertation advisor and/or the director of graduate studies. The oral exam is graded on a pass/fail basis. Students who fail the oral exam on the first attempt may retake the exam within a time period designated by the examination committee not to exceed two months from the first oral exam. Those who fail twice will be dismissed from the program.

Doctoral students who have completed satisfactorily and thereby earned the credits for all required core courses (including those for their specialized area) and who have passed the written and oral qualifying examinations shall be admitted to candidacy status for the PhD degree.

Doctoral students must complete a dissertation that embodies the results of extended research and makes an original contribution to their field. This work should give evidence of candidates’ abilities to conduct independent investigation and interpret the results of their research in a professional manner. The doctoral dissertation advisor serves as chairperson of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, which consists of no fewer than five members. Selection of an advisor is by mutual consent of the student and a member of the faculty, with approval by the director of graduate studies in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. At least two members of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee must be faculty members in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. At least one member is to be selected from outside the department. Committee members are chosen for their expertise in students’ research areas.

Within a year after successful completion of the PhD qualifying examination, but no later than the beginning of the fall semester of the third year, students must prepare and defend a written proposal detailing their planned dissertation project. Failure to do so will be regarded as a failure to progress in the PhD program and will result in a warning from the director of graduate studies of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Students who do not correct this deficiency within one semester will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation must complete the dissertation proposal defense and return to nonprobationary status within one semester or be dismissed from the PhD program.

The dissertation proposal should be no more than 50 double-spaced pages (12-point font minimum and one-half-inch margins on all sides). This page limit excludes references but includes figures, figure legends, and tables. Aside from these exceptions, the proposal should otherwise conform to the format and structure of an NIH grant proposal with four main sections: specific aims, background and significance, preliminary studies, and experimental design and methods. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Dissertation Proposal document provides detailed instructions on the preparation of a dissertation proposal. Associated required forms may be found on the SOPPS Student Portal Canvas site.

The dissertation proposal must be defended orally before the student's dissertation committee and signed by all dissertation committee members in approval of the student's planned dissertation research.  Upon dissertation approval, the copies of the signed proposal approval cover sheet must be submitted to the department’s director of graduate studies and to the Bouvé College of Health Sciences Graduate Office.

Biannual Review

Dissertation committees meet routinely at six-month intervals, but no less than once a year, to evaluate students’ research progress and to be presented with written and oral progress reports on the direction and status of the research. Progress reports should be written in a brief format, identical to that described for the formal dissertation (see instructions listed on the SOPPS Student Portal Canvas site). Unsatisfactory productivity provides the basis for a warning by the dissertation committee and/or the Graduate Committee. Two such warnings will result in a student’s dismissal from the program.

Advisor consent and completion of all coursework (with the exception of the colloquium course) must be documented before students register for the first dissertation course. Students must register for Dissertation Term 1 ( PHSC 9990 )  and Dissertation Term 2 ( PHSC 9991 ) . Students must register for Dissertation Continuation ( PHSC 9996 )  each semester thereafter until the dissertation has been successfully defended. The department strongly encourages PhD students to complete the program within five years after acceptance, i.e., by three years after establishing degree candidacy. According to university policy, no PhD students may remain in the program for more than seven years.

Prior to completion of PhD training, candidates must present their research either as a poster or podium presentation at a regional or national scientific conference. Also prior to completion, the student must have submitted (preferably, published) at least one manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal that reflects original findings and laboratory work from the candidate's dissertation research.

Detailed guidelines for the format and content of the written dissertation are given in Instructions for Preparation of the Dissertation found on the SOPPS Student Portal Canvas site. The completed dissertation document should be reviewed first by the dissertation advisor. Feedback from the advisor should be incorporated into the dissertation draft before its distribution to the dissertation committee. The completed dissertation should be delivered to all dissertation committee members no later than two weeks before the scheduled oral defense.

All PhD candidates nearing completion of their research are required to present their dissertation findings at the department’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Colloquium. These presentations should be scheduled at least six months before anticipated completion of the dissertation. In turn, the dissertation should be completed no later than one year after the colloquium presentation. Students must register for  Pharmaceutical Science Colloquium ( PHSC 6810 )  during the semester that the colloquium presentation is to be given.

Oral Dissertation Defense

The oral dissertation defense takes place after students complete their PhD dissertation research and all other requirements for the PhD degree. The oral defense deals with the subject matter of the dissertation, significant developments in the field, and students’ background knowledge in their field of concentration.

The dissertation committee conducts the final defense. The committee may recommend that the student clarify, amplify, or rewrite portions of the dissertation before the final defense is scheduled. Once the committee concurs that that written dissertation document is acceptable, a date is chosen for the final oral examination.

At least two weeks prior to the defense, students should inform the director of graduate studies in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the date of defense, so that advance announcement may be distributed. The final defense is open to anyone who wishes to attend and typically lasts at least two hours. After presentation of the work by the student in a seminar format, and responses to audience and committee questions, the committee meets first with the student for any follow-up discussion and then in executive session to decide whether the student has defended the dissertation successfully.

The committee’s decision is then announced to the student. If the committee’s vote is favorable, the student incorporates committee suggestions and corrections, if applicable, and the dissertation is signed and passed on to the department’s director of graduate studies. Requests for a second defense are highly irregular but may be permitted in the event that the previous oral defense was judged by the committee to be highly promising but inadequate in one critical aspect.

The final dissertation must be written, defended, and approved at least two weeks before the university commencement deadline. Students must submit signed copies of their dissertations to the website designated by the university and must abide by any embargo sanctioned by the student’s principal dissertation advisor and/or dissertation committee. The students should apply for graduation before the final dissertation defense, on the assumption that the dissertation will be approved. If the dissertation committee decides that more time is required to complete the dissertation beyond the commencement date, then the application for graduation can be withdrawn and a new one submitted pending final dissertation approval.

All SOPPS students (BSPS, Preprofessional, MS, and PhD) are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct .

Please visit  Bouvé College of Health Sciences Program Learning Outcomes  for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.

Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.

Qualifying examination Doctoral candidacy status Doctoral dissertation committee Dissertation proposal Biannual review Pharmaceutical Science Colloquium Oral dissertation defense

Core Requirements

Research and dissertation, program credit/gpa requirements.

31 total semester hours required Minimum 3.000 GPA required

Scientific Writing: Thesis Proposal ( PHSC 7020 ) must be taken the summer before the qualifying exams.

Doctoral Proposal ( PHSC 9681 ) should be taken in summer of second year but no later than fall of third year. 

Pharmaceutical Science Colloquium ( PHSC 6810 ) must be taken six months before dissertation defense.

Professional Development for Pharmaceutical Sciences ( PHSC 5305 ) and Ethical Problems in Health Sciences Research ( PHSC 6213 ) are suggested to be taken in the fourth year but can be taken at any point before graduation. 

Advanced entry into the Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery PhD program requires a master's degree in pharmaceutical sciences or related area and focuses on various advanced research courses. An applicant's transcripts are required to be reviewed by the admissions committee to ensure they are eligible to be in the advanced entry program.

Annual review Qualifying examination Dissertation committee Dissertation proposal Dissertation defense

A grade of C– or higher is required in each course.

10 total semester hours required Minimum 3.000 GPA required

Doctoral Proposal ( PHSC 9681 )  may be taken in spring of first year but must be taken before fall of second year.

Pharmaceutical Science Colloquium ( PHSC 6810 )  must be taken six months before dissertation defense.

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Bulletin 2023-2024, pharmaceutical sciences/regulatory affairs and quality assurance phd.

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

Learn more about the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences .

About the Program

The School of Pharmacy offers a graduate program leading to the PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance (RAQA). Emphasis is placed on combining scientific principles and methodology with regulatory and quality practices to streamline the discovery, manufacturing, safety profiling and post-approval processes. The program applies academic research methods to current industry regulatory issues, enabling candidates to pursue a dissertation that helps to define and resolve regulatory or quality problems with data research and scientific methodology. The goal of each dissertation is to present new and thoughtful answers to industry questions and problems that result in cost savings, safer and/or more effective products, better safety profiles, and other benefits for patients and manufacturers.

The RAQA concentration is designed for professionals who have a minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience, including supervisory responsibilities, in pharmaceutical and related sciences and/or regulation in such areas as analytical methods, clinical and pharmacovigilance supervision, corporate drug development or manufacturing science, quality practices, validation implementation, and other pertinent industry practices that draw heavily on regulatory policy and quality assurance. Work experience must be applicable to the topic candidates plan to investigate for their dissertation.

Selection is highly competitive as a very limited number of candidates is accepted each year. Successful candidates are expected to have:

• a master’s degree or the equivalent in a pharmaceutical, science, medical, engineering or related field;
• a minimum of 15 years of work experience in the field related to their PhD dissertation;
• current work experience that can be applied to the regulatory/quality topic to be investigated for their PhD dissertation;
• the ability to work both independently and as part of a team, displaying recognizable initiative;
• a willingness to pursue original, independent research, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving;
• strong communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to write academic research papers containing original thought and cogent arguments;
• basic knowledge of data analysis, having completed at least one course in statistical methods; and
• the ability to accept constructive criticism and welcome feedback provided by the Dissertation Advisor and Dissertation Advisory Committee.

Time Limit for Degree Completion:  7 years

Campus Location:  Health Sciences Center, Fort Washington

Courses may also be offered at Main campus. Research must be carried out, however, at the Health Sciences Center campus under the supervision of an advisor who is a member of the Graduate Faculty.

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree is completed on a part-time basis in 2 to 5 years. Successful candidates are expected to pursue the PhD program at least two terms every academic year (Fall, Spring or Summer) until the dissertation is completed. Typically, students pursue the PhD every Fall and Spring term, but a Summer term may be substituted. Note that a minimum of one credit each Fall and Spring term is required to maintain the candidate’s active student status.

Job Prospects: Job opportunities include positions as postdoctoral researchers, scientists in the pharmaceutical industry, and faculty members.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy:  Non-matriculated students are ineligible for participation in the program.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: March 1

All applications are evaluated together after the deadline. Selection is highly competitive. A very limited number of candidates is accepted each year.

APPLY to this graduate program , submitting the application to [email protected] .

Letters of Reference: Number Required:  3

From Whom:  Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members familiar with the applicant's academic competence and/or professionals in a supervisory position.

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:  A master's degree or equivalent is required in a pharmaceutical, science, medical, engineering or related field. Course credits achieved in the master's degree may be applied toward the PhD program's credit requirements. 

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:  A baccalaureate degree is required.

Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended may be sent electronically to [email protected] . Alternately, unopened official transcripts bearing the school’s seal must be sent directly from the Registrar at each institution to the Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Graduate Program .

Applicants who earned a degree at a non-U.S. institution must submit an equivalency evaluation of their transcript(s) through a third-party provider, either  World Education Services (WES)  or  Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) .

Statement of Goals:  In approximately 500 to 1,000 words, state your specific interest in Temple's program, research goals, future career goals, and academic and research achievements.

Standardized Test Scores: Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

• TOEFL iBT: 85
• IELTS Academic: 6.5
• PTE Academic: 58

Resume:  Current resume or CV required.

Other Requirement: It is recommended that applicants provide a commitment statement from their employer indicating that the employer supports the individual’s involvement in the RAQA PhD program.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements: Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 40

Required Courses:

The School of Pharmacy accepts up to 30 credits. The decision of the School on the number of credits accepted is final.

A minimum of one 3-credit graduate-level course is to be completed. This coursework is related to decision analysis, quantitative methods, research design, scientific decision-making, statistics and probability for data analysis, and the like.

The number of credits accepted toward the PhD and the number required for completion of the PhD are determined by the Dissertation Advisor and the Graduate Committee of the School of Pharmacy. It may be determined that additional coursework is required to prepare the student to write the dissertation. The course grid below lists approved course options.

Additional Approved Coursework Options 1

Other coursework in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance may also be assigned by the Dissertation Advisor.

QARA 5478 High Purity Water Systems is a third choice.

PS 5501 Development of Sterile Products is another option.

QARA 5505 Global Regulation of Medical Devices is also approved.

QARA 5591 Global Regulatory Affairs can also be selected.

  QARA 5650 may only be taken with departmental approval.

Other Requirement: Formal evaluation of each PhD student’s progress occurs at the end of the first year and each year thereafter to ensure that the quality of work will result in a fully approved dissertation project. Failure to conduct a reasonable amount of research or writing could result in suspension or dismissal from the program. The following is a typical dissertation schedule:

• Assess dissertation proposal topic, including candidate’s knowledge span to determine strengths and deficiencies.
• Determine additional coursework required, if any.
• Review candidate’s past work and publications as they pertain to the PhD dissertation.
• Select final dissertation topic and possible research protocol.
• Outline dissertation proposal, research protocol and introductory chapter by Year 1's end.
• Meet with research advisor as required and recommended.
• Pursue research activities to depict quantitative, qualitative and policy analysis methods, including literature review and annotated bibliography.
• Prepare dissertation introduction, discussion and conclusion.

Final Year:

• Prepare dissertation material for one or more publications.
• Defend dissertation as required by the School of Pharmacy.

Culminating Events: Dissertation Proposal: The dissertation proposal demonstrates the student's knowledge of and ability to conduct the proposed research. The proposal should consist of:

• the context and background surrounding a particular research problem;
• an exhaustive survey and review of literature related to the problem; and
• a detailed methodological plan for investigating the problem.

Upon approval of the dissertation proposal, the doctoral student is promoted to PhD candidacy, and a timeline for completing the investigation and writing process is established.

Dissertation: The doctoral dissertation is an original, theoretical and/or empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field. It should expand existing knowledge and demonstrate the student's knowledge of research methods and a mastery of their primary area of interest. The dissertation should be rigorously investigated; uphold the ethics and standards of the field; demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the primary area of interest and the broader field; and be prepared for publication in a professional journal. It is expected that the dissertation will consist of an appropriate mix of quantitative and qualitative research methodology and be suitable for publication.

The Dissertation Examining Committee (DEC) is formed to oversee the student's doctoral research. It is charged with evaluating the student's dissertation and oral defense, including the student's ability to express verbally their research question, methodological approach, primary findings and implications. The DEC, which includes the members of the DAC, is comprised of at least three Graduate Faculty members. Two members, including the Chair, must be from the School of Pharmacy. The Chair is responsible for overseeing and guiding the student's progress, coordinating the responses of the Committee members, and informing the student of their academic progress. At least one additional Graduate Faculty member from outside the School of Pharmacy must be included on the DEC. This outside examiner should be identified no later than the beginning of the academic term in which the student will defend the dissertation. The DEC members vote to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation.

Committee compositions must be approved by the departmental graduate committee. If a student needs to change a member of a committee, the new member must be approved by the departmental graduate committee and by the Graduate School. The changes must be documented with the Administrative Assistant and the Graduate School using the "Request for Change in Dissertation Committee" form, found in TUportal under the Tools tab within "University Forms."

Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their DEC and register with the Office of Graduate Studies at least 15 days before the defense is to be scheduled. The Office of Graduate Studies arranges the time, date and room and forwards to the student the appropriate forms. After the Administrative Assistant has made the arrangements, the student must send the Graduate School a completed "Announcement of Dissertation Defense" form, found in TUportal under the Tools tab within "University Forms," at least 10 days before the defense date. The department posts announcements for the defense.

Program Web Address:

https://pharmacy.temple.edu/academics/phdms-pharmaceutical-sciences

Department Information:

Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences Office of Graduate Studies

School of Pharmacy

3307 N. Broad Street, Suite 528

Philadelphia, PA 19140

[email protected]

215-707-4972

Submission Address for Application:

[email protected]

Mailing Address for Application Materials:

Temple University

Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Graduate Program

425 Commerce Drive, Suite 175

Fort Washington, PA 19034-2728

Department Contacts:

Admissions:

RAQA Academic Coordinator:

Peter H. Doukas, PhD

Graduate Chairperson:

Swati Nagar, PhD

[email protected]

Department Chairperson:

Ellen Walker, PhD

[email protected]

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Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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PhD in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research

Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research is a PhD program in the graduate program in Clinical Pharmacy. This program is housed in the Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research (CePOR, SEE-por), a school-wide center in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy. Our doctoral curriculum is designed to provide competent and highly skilled researchers in the study of patient, provider, or population-level health care and health system interventions. We most often focus on economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes such as clinical or cost effectiveness or safety. Areas of focus available to students undertaking this course of study include pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, and drug policy.​​​

Core faculty are methodological experts and provide collaborative linkage to clinical experts in all pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and public health. Programs of study are tailored to student interests in disease or drug areas, such as cardiology, psychiatry, neurology, and cancer. Opportunities exist to link to more basic science colleagues depending on your topic of interests. For example, students interested in drug safety might link with toxicology faculty, or in gene-environment interactions might link with pharmacogenomics faculty.

Applications for all doctoral programs are submitted electronically through the Graduate School of the University of Colorado Denver. After signing up for an account, select 'PhD' under the 'Academic Interests' menu and scroll down to 'Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' and select "PhD in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research."

Application requirements are:

• A completed Graduate School application and $50.00 application fee (Domestic) $75.00 application fee (International)
• A baccalaureate degree of arts or science from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0.** One (1) official transcript of all academic work completed to date with awarded baccalaureate degree. University transcripts from other countries must include a transcript evaluation from World Education Services ( WES ). Applicants who complete a transcript evaluation with WES will have their application fee waived automatically.
• All applicants for the program should complete a year of study in the following subjects: general chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, biology, English and physics. In addition, courses in the following subjects are highly recommended to supplement the student's background: physiology, biochemistry, statistics, cell biology, physical chemistry, and computer science.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from professors or research supervisors familiar with your aptitude for graduate study

Additionally:

• The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is not required but is optional.
• The TOEFL is required of applicants for whom English is not their first language, Duolingo and IELTS also accepted (more information on this  here )
• Please use 4875 as the Institution Code so that the test results will be sent directly to our institution
• Under special circumstances, deficiencies in important areas may be made up within the first year after entrance into the program. Normally, admission to the program will be based on an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. However, applicants' recommendations, research experience and additional individual accomplishments will also be considered in the admissions process.

Application opens September 1, 2023. Applications will not be reviewed until all required materials have been received. The application deadline for Fall 2024 admission is December 1, 2023 for all students.

Admission to the program may include financial support via a stipend awarded on a 12-month basis.

Although a priority of the School of Pharmacy is to provide financial support to its graduate students, payment of stipend, tuition and any fees by the School of Pharmacy or by grants, contracts or gifts to the School of Pharmacy faculty is contingent upon availability of funding, satisfactory academic progress (as defined by the UCD Graduate School, Graduate Student Handbook) and completion of required teaching duties, core courses, and examinations. The School of Pharmacy also reserves the right to review and adjust its funding policies at any time. All students are expected to work full-time toward program requirements for 12 months of the year.

Generally, the first year of financial support will be in the form of stipend support for working as a teaching assistant. Depending on availability, teaching assistantships may be offered beyond one year to students. Faculty may choose to offer research assistant scholarships to students as well. Other funding opportunities in the form of external student grants and awards also exist. Students are encouraged to talk to the faculty about funding and scholarship opportunities. Funds for travel to one meeting where students are presenting a poster or giving a podium presentation are limited to $500 per fiscal year.

Students who do not remain in good graduate standing (3.0 GPA or above) or maintain satisfactory academic progress are placed on academic probation. Probation and suspension policies are described in the UCD Graduate School, Graduate Student Handbook. Payment of stipend, tuition, insurance and fees for a student while on academic probation is at the discretion of the graduate program committee.​​

What does "pharmaceutical outcomes research" mean?

What kind of students should pursue a phd degree in pharmaceutical outcomes research why should you apply to this program.

We are looking for students who want to influence healthcare but do not want to be a provider. With the belief that the research done will allow for the application of new knowledge towards health improvement.

What makes the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD program at the University of Colorado different from other PhD programs?

The benefits of this program are multi-faceted. Housed on a major medical campus, students will be able to collaborate with the schools of pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and public health. Also the University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center are located on campus.

By having a small group of graduate students, they are allowed more time with the faculty members. With two faculty members from each component, students will be able to have the support necessary to complete their degree.

What are the job prospects for a graduate with a PhD degree in the pharmaceutical sciences? What can you do with this career?

Graduates of the program will have many career options within these areas:

• Pharmaceutical industry
• Government agencies
• Contract research organization (CROs)
• Organized healthcare systems

There is a critical need for individuals who are able to conduct rigorous, credible, and relevant population and patient-based research within stringent ethical and regulatory guidelines; the demand for such researchers is expected to grow given the developing health care reform and the investment in federal development and expansion on comparative effectiveness research.

Past graduates have gone on to be an interim dean at a Regis University and the director of pharmacy at the University of Colorado Hospital

How are current students doing?

Our students often win awards at regional and national symposium (such as Julia Slejko at ISPOR or SMDM). One holds a prestigious pre-doctoral dissertation award in health outcomes from the PhRMA Foundation. Two have completed comprehensive exams are working on defending their dissertation proposals. All these more advanced students have published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals as first authors with the mentorship of the CePOR faculty.

Faculty comments on the program.

Heather Anderson, PhD What's great about this campus is that we are able to collaborate with other schools such as public health, nursing, and medicine. While many Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research programs have a major focus on economics, we do that and more. Our program has a strong focus on epidemiology and policy too. I actually got my PhD in epidemiology from our School of Public health and can link up students with the best courses and advise on exciting local opportunities for research assistantships.

Kelly Anderson, PhD Training at a world-class medical campus allows PhD students in the Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research to engage with faculty in the center with expertise in outcomes research, drug pricing, economics, epidemiology, and health policy, and also have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with faculty throughout the Schools of Pharmacy, Public Health, Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing. For anyone who loves big data, our faculty also work with numerous large data sets: Medicare claims, linked EHR-claims data, and all-payer data just to name a few. As a lot of my work is focused on payment policy, I welcome the opportunity to engage students as they think about the real-world implications of their research for policy makers, health insurers, patients, clinicians, and drug companies and disseminate their findings to these key stakeholders.

R. Brett McQueen, PhD Pharmaceutical outcomes research includes aspects of multiple disciplines including math, economics, and epidemiology. I joined the faculty at CU to contribute to comparative- and cost-effectiveness research and to education both for the PhD and the PharmD programs. Our PhD program emphasizes quality over quantity. We maintain a very favorable student to faculty ratio, we offer competitive student financial support, and we strive to graduate scientific leaders in the field of outcomes research.

Kavita V. Nair, PhD Our expectations for graduate students are high and we have structured the education and training requirements to help you meet these goals. I will require a lot of you as a student but will also be your strongest advocate!

Robert Valuck, PhD, RPh I believe that the strengths of our program are the skills and the diversity of the faculty, and size and connectedness of our program with others on campus and in the state and region. With a smaller number of graduate students in our program, they are able to spend more time with faculty members. Our program is well connected with others on the Anschutz campus, and students have opportunities to collaborate both across campus, and with state agencies, provider groups, and others that have an interest in outcomes research and its applications to patient care and policy.

Advance the science of pharmaceutical outcomes research by training scientists who generate and synthesize evidence to inform practice and policy.

The goal of the PhD n pharmaceutical outcomes research is to develop methodological experts. Graduates will have the knowledge and extensive skills necessary to conduct pharmacoeconomic, pharmacoepidemiologic, health services, and drug policy research. We train individuals who can contribute to T3-T4 clinical translational pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, specifically on effective, population health, and policy studies. These contributions should ultimately benefit pharmacists and society with safe, effective, and efficient use of pharmaceutical care.​​

The Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD program trains graduate students to become proficient and successful investigators who are able to:

• demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of central concepts in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research, including the areas of pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, and/or drug policy.
• critically appraise existing literature and sources of information.
• formulate hypotheses based on current concepts in the field and accurately and correctly design, conduct, and interpret their own research projects.
• present research results in peer-reviewed publications and in a dissertation.
• perform research that adheres to the principles and guidelines of ethical conduct.
• communicate research results effectively through oral presentations at scientific seminars, conferences, and other venues

The program’s strengths in outcomes research are emphasized in 35 credits of several areas:

• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy
• Research/Study Design
• Doctoral Thesis

The program has experience in accessing a multitude of data such as MEPS, PHARMetrics, University Health-System, Consortium and MarketScan. Students are encouraged to utilize these datasets as well as primary data collection. Students may enroll in courses not listed (e.g courses in downtown campuses and/or newly developed courses) by consulting with the program director.

Pharmacoepidemiology

Heather Anderson PhD

Robert Valuck PhD, RPh

Pharmacoeconomics.

Mike J. DiStefano PhD, MBE

Kelly Anderson PhD, MPP

R. Brett McQueen PhD

Pharmaceutical and drug related policy.

Kavita Nair PhD

Antal Zemplényi

Antal Zemplényi, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Center for Health Technology Assessment at the University of Pécs and a senior researcher at the Syreon Research Institute, an international research corporation specializing in health policy, health economic modeling, and technology assessment. He has experience in value assessment, HTA, health economics and outcomes research, and real-world data analysis. He is the past president of the ISPOR Hungary Chapter. Antal is currently a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences working as a visiting research associate in the Pharmaceutical Value (pValue) initiative.

Monica Bianchini

Monica Bianchini is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. She received a PharmD and MPH from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017. She subsequently completed a hospital pharmacy residency (PGY-1) and Infectious Diseases PGY-2 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Monica joined CePOR in 2019 and currently works as a clinical inpatient pharmacist. Her dissertation will evaluate opportunities to decrease syphilis rates and improve syphilis care in Colorado. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, live music, cooking, and anything outside (running, hiking, backpacking, skiing). 

Sue is a fifth year PhD student at CePOR. Her dissertation focuses on characterizing the burden of MS and treatment strategies using real-world claims data. Prior to grad school, she studied Neuroscience in Pomona College. In her free time, Sue enjoys taking her puppies on adventures.

Mahesh Maiyani

Mahesh Maiyani was born and raised in India. He earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) from India in 2006 and then he came to the US to pursue his Master’s in Business administration. He completed his MBA from The University of Findlay in Ohio. He has work experience in clinical trials and heath care research. He joined the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD program in Fall-2021. His research interests are focused around cost effectiveness in real-world clinical settings. Mahesh enjoys hiking and spending time with family and friends.

Nick Mendola

Nick Mendola was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from The University of Akron with a BS in Exercise Science in 2016. He then moved to Washington D.C. to attend The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, where he obtained his MPH in Epidemiology, in 2018. During this time, he worked researching the impact of the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing to healthcare professionals, and its influence on prescribing practices and population level drug utilization. Nick joined the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research program in the fall of 2018. Nick’s current work with Dr. Robert Brett McQueen, explores the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) as a novel health technology value assessment tool. His work specifically explores MCDA in evaluating treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare neurological disorder.

Vanessa Paul Patterson

Vanessa Patterson is originally from Kansas City. She graduated from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with an MPH concentrating in Epidemiology and Maternal and Child Health in 2012. Vanessa went on to work as an applied epidemiologist for government public health agencies for six years. She joined the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research program at CU in the fall of 2018. Working under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Anderson, Vanessa is currently a PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellow and a PhD candidate. Her dissertation focuses on the utilization of cardioprotective medications among women with a history of breast cancer. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys making pottery and spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Nai-Chia (Sammi) Chen

Sammi is originally from Taiwan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Kaohsiung Medical University. After graduation, she had worked in pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations for several years before coming to the US. She completed her Master’s training at the University of Pittsburgh, Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy Research, in 2022. And then she joined Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD program at CU Anschutz in Fall 2022. Her research interest lies in the intersection of pharmacoeconomics, real-world evidence, and pharmaceutical outcomes. Outside the schoolwork, she enjoys cooking, baking, and snowboarding/skiing in winter.

Mouna Dardouri

Mouna was born and raised in Tunisia. She graduated with a PharmD from the University of Pharmacy of Monastir in 2016. She then worked for two years at a consulting company focusing on pharmaceuticals’ Pricing, Reimbursement and Market Access (PRMA) in Europe. After that, she was awarded with the Fulbright Foreign student scholarship and moved to Colorado, where she obtained her MPH in Global Health Systems, management, and Policy in 2022. Mouna joined the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research program in the fall of 2022. Her research interests include evaluating the use of Health Technology Assessment in the context of low- and middle- income countries and developing tools that permit equitable patients’ access to cost-effective technologies. In her free time, Mouna enjoys learning new languages, improv theatre and cooking. 

Why CU's Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD Program?

“One key reason I chose to join CePOR at CU was the tight-knit group of faculty and students. Given the program is smaller, the faculty has a better opportunity to stay in touch with all the students and provide support for everyone's research, regardless if they're on the student's committee or not. The student group is also very close as we are together for weekly seminars and enjoy out-of-school gatherings when possible. Another draw of CU's POR program is the diverse expertise of our faculty and alumni. Our current faculty have a range of expertise including: pharmacoepidemiology using big data sources, pharmacoeconomics and drug pricing, rare diseases, opioid use disorder and treatment, and Medicare payment models. Recent alumni have found work in a variety of different fields from consulting to academia to the pharmaceutical industry and the public health department. The wide range of backgrounds and areas of expertise covered by our faculty and alumni provide so many resources for mentorship and future career planning. Finally, there are so many unique opportunities within CePOR to work with different data sources (e.g. electronic health records, national claims data, Medicaid claims data) and different methodology experts, so I am confident that our program could be a great fit for prospective PhD students of all backgrounds.” – Monica Bianchini, PharmD, MPH

“CU's Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research Program produces robust interdisciplinary research that spans from pharmacoepidemiology to pharmaceutical economics with a variety of collaborators, such as Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).” – Sue Kwon, BA

“I joined the POR program because my previous research was focused on population drug utilization and the pharmaceutical industry’s impact on prescribing practices, and the POR program seemed like a natural fit for me to be able to keep learning about the areas of pharmacoepidemiology and drug related policy. What I like most about the program so far has been the core faculty in our program. They seem to truly care about student success and how we progress both academically and professionally. ” – Nick Mendola, MPH 

PhD Student Research Projects

• Comparative Effectiveness of Rare Disease Therapies Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: Case Example in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, a Rare Neurological Disorder
• Characterizing Real-world Burden of Multiple Sclerosis and Treatment Strategies in a Colorado-representative Population
• Utilization of Cardioprotective Medication Strategies Among Women with a History of Breast Cancer
• Opportunities to Improve Syphilis Care in Colorado

Mission: To educate, increase awareness and promote growth within the 'Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research' field in general and to increase the CU Denver presence among the international society ISPOR. To collaborate across different sciences on campus and different departments worldwide.

Description: Promote pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research education by holding regular seminars on current issues in the field and presenting research at least once a year at the annual meeting in the US-Canada region.

Membership requirements: We expect members to be passionate about the kind of research that is involved related to public health, epidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, and policy. Also, attending our regular educational seminars/webinars is highly encouraged.

Activities: Details will be emailed to members soon!

Benefits: The opportunity to present research, network and collaborate with faculty from different universities around the world, professionals from industry and research organizations at a global level.

Julia Slejko, PhD ('12) Associate Professor Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

R. Brett McQueen, PhD ('13) Associate Professor Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

William Padula, PhD ('13) Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics, School of Pharmacy Fellow, Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics University of Southern California

David Tabano, PhD ('18) Principal Health Economist Evidence for Access (E4A) | Public Affairs & Access Genentech, Inc.

Katie Sullivan, PhD ('18) Prescription Drug Epidemiologist Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Angela Czaja, MD, PhD ('19) Associate Professor Pediatrics-Critical Care Medicine Children’s Hospital Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Chong Kim, PhD ('20) Associate Director Global Value & Access | HEOR Gilead Sciences

Katia Hannah, PhD ('21) Lead HEOR Specialist Dexcom

Kimberly Deininger, PhD ('22) HEOR Manager Amgen

For questions regarding graduate school programs contact:

Isabella Jaramillo Email:  [email protected]     Phone:  303.724.7263 ​​​​​

Kelly Anderson, PHD, MPP

Assistant Professor; Director, Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research PhD Program Email: [email protected] Phone: 434-466-1990

CU Anschutz

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

12850 East Montview Boulevard

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-2882

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Research Designs and Methodologies Related to Pharmacy Practice

The need for evidence to inform policy and practice in pharmacy is becoming increasingly important. In parallel, clinical pharmacy and practice research is evolving. Research evidence should be used to identify new areas for improved health service delivery and rigorously evaluate new services in pharmacy. The generation of such evidence through practice-based research should be predicated on appropriate use of robust and rigorous methodologies. In addition to the quantitative and qualitative approaches used in pharmacy practice research, mixed methods and other novel approaches are increasingly being applied in pharmacy practice research. Approaches such as discrete choice experiments, Delphi techniques, and simulated client technique are now commonly used in pharmacy practice research. Therefore, pharmacy practice researchers need to be competent in the selection, application, and interpretation of these methodological and analytical approaches. This chapter focuses on introducing traditional and novel study designs and methodologies that are particularly pertinent to contemporary clinical pharmacy and practice research. This chapter will introduce the fundamentals and structures of these methodologies, but more details regarding the different approaches may be found within the Encyclopedia.

Learning Objectives

• • Discuss the value of pharmacy practice research to evidence-based practice and policy.
• • Describe the classifications and types of study designs commonly used in pharmacy practice research.
• • Discuss the concepts and structure of common study designs used in pharmacy practice research including experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, and mixed method designs.
• • Discuss the important considerations for conducting pharmacy practice research in terms of study design, data collection, data analyses, and ethical considerations.

Introduction to Research Methodologies Used in Pharmacy Practice

The mission of pharmacy profession and the role of pharmacists in healthcare have evolved toward patient-centered care in the last few decades. Pharmacists with their expertise in drug therapy and accessibility to the public have unprecedented opportunities to assume increasing responsibility for direct patient care ( Bond, 2006 ). New cognitive pharmaceutical services and new roles for pharmacists continue to emerge.

In the era of evidence-based practice and health services, it is not just adequate to propose those new pharmacy services or new roles without evidence of their benefit ( Awaisu and Alsalimy, 2015 , Bond, 2006 ). New pharmacy services and new roles must be proven to be feasible, acceptable, cost-effective, and increase health outcomes. Pharmacy practice research provides such evidence and can confirm the value of a new service, inform policy, and result in practice changes ( Bond, 2006 , Chen and Hughes, 2016 ). Research evidence should be used to identify new areas for improved health service delivery and rigorously evaluate new services. The research used to generate such evidence should be grounded in robust and rigorous methodologies ( Chen and Hughes, 2016 ). Traditionally, common quantitative and qualitative methods such as randomized controlled trials, cohort study, case control study, questionnaire-based surveys, and phenomenology using qualitative interviews have been used in pharmacy. However, in recent years, novel and more complex methods are being developed and utilized. Pharmacy practice researchers need to know how these old and new methodological approaches should be selected, applied, and interpreted in addressing research problems.

Various study designs, including, but not limited to experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, and mixed method designs, have been used in pharmacy practice research. Furthermore, different classification systems (e.g., quantitative vs. qualitative, experimental vs. observational, descriptive vs. analytical study designs) have been used in the literature. The choice of a study design to answer a research question in pharmacy practice research is driven by several factors, including the type of the research question or the research hypothesis, expertise of the investigator, availability of data, and funding opportunities. Pharmacy practice researchers need to be competent in the selection, design, application, and interpretation of these methodological and analytical approaches. Today, many of the research methods used in pharmacy practice research have been adapted from fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, and other disciplines. This paradigm shift has led to a greater emphasis on the appropriate choice of a specific research design or method to answer a specific research question ( Chen and Hughes, 2016 ). Consequently, pharmacy practice researchers should place an emphasis on the reliability of the methods selected, the correct interpretation of their findings, the testing of a specific hypothesis, and the internal validity of their data, among other considerations. Novice and early career researchers should be familiar and have sound foundation in a variety of methods applied in pharmacy practice research, which will be covered in this chapter and other chapters in this Encyclopedia. We do believe that more experienced researchers should focus on certain methods in order to advance research in our discipline.

Core Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches Used in Pharmacy Practice Research

Traditionally, core quantitative approaches used in pharmacy practice research include nonexperiments, quasi-experimental designs, and true experimental designs such as prospective randomized controlled intervention trials. Nonexperiments also include observational study designs that are often described as pharmacoepidemiologic study designs such as case–control study, cohort study, nested case–control study, and cross-sectional study ( Etminan, 2004 , Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). In recent years, conventional qualitative approaches and their philosophical paradigms are increasingly been used in pharmacy. These include the five qualitative approaches to inquiry: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. These qualitative methods are often difficult for pharmacy practice researchers to comprehend, and researchers tend to describe the methods of data collection such as individual interviews and focus group discussions as qualitative methods of inquiry. These data collection methods are briefly described later in this chapter, among others. Furthermore, there is an increasing importance on the appropriate selection and use of mixed method approach ( Hadi et al., 2013 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b ), which are often designed and applied wrongly. Finally, it is worthwhile to be familiar with novel research methodologies such as discrete choice experiments, Delphi techniques, simulated client technique, and nominal group techniques, which fall between quantitative and qualitative approaches, often with no clear differentiation on where they belong. Although called “novel” in the context of this chapter, these methods are not new in other relevant disciplines, but new and not commonly used in pharmacy practice research.

Research Question and Selection of Study Design

Pharmacy practice researchers begin by conception of a research idea or identifying a research question and defining a hypothesis based on the question. The researcher then selects a study design that will be suitable to answer the research question. The study design should be appropriately selected prior to initiation of any research investigation. Selecting an inappropriate study design may potentially undermine the validity of a study in its entirety. Investigators are encouraged to critically think about the possible study designs to ensure that the research question is adequately addressed and should be able to adequately justify their choice. These study designs have been variously classified and one common classification system is quantitative vs. qualitative study designs. Study designs play a major role in determining the scientific value of research studies. Inappropriate choice of a study design is impossible to correct after completion of the study. Therefore, thorough planning is required to avoid unconvincing results and invalid conclusions. Good understanding of basic study design concepts will aid researchers in conducting robust and rigorous practice-based research. This chapter introduces the structure and the fundamentals of common study designs used in pharmacy practice research and discusses the important considerations for conducting pharmacy practice research in terms of study design, data collection, data analyses, and ethical considerations.

Classification of Research Methodologies Used in Pharmacy Practice

Various classifications for research designs and methods used in pharmacy practice have been used in the literature. The following are some of the approaches for the classification of research designs:

Case example: Investigators were looking for the association between acute myocardial infarction and smoking status, type of tobacco, amount of smoke, etc. ( Teo et al., 2006 ). Another example of a case–control study from published literature is the study investigating the association between the use of phenylpropanolamine and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke ( Kernan et al., 2000 ).

Case example: Investigators were interested to determine the long-term effectiveness of influenza vaccines in elderly people; they recruited cohorts of vaccinated and unvaccinated community-dwelling elderly ( Nichol et al., 2007 ).

Case example: A case report was written by a physician who contracted Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) during an outbreak in Hong Kong ( Wu and Sung, 2003 ). Another example is an ecological study examining diet and sunlight as risks for prostate cancer mortality ( Colli and Colli, 2006 ). Chim et al. conducted a large population-based survey in Australia to determine what community members think about the factors that do and should influence government spending on prescribed medicines ( Chim et al., 2017 ).

Case example: A group of investigators carried out a study to establish an association between the use of traditional eye medicines (TEM) and corneal ulcers. In this case, both case–control and cohort study designs are applicable. In an example of a case control study, Archibugi et al. aimed to investigate the association between aspirin and statin exclusive and combined and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma occurrence ( Archibugi et al., 2017 ). Another example of a cohort study is a study carried out by Wei et al. in which they investigated whether or not acid-suppression medicines increased the risk of bacterial gastroenteritis ( Wei et al., 2017 ).

Case examples: Investigators conducted a study about the newer versus older antihypertensive agents in African hypertensive patients (NOAAH) trial (nct01030458) to compare the efficacy of single-pill combinations of newer versus older antihypertensive agents (i.e., a single-pill combination of newer drugs, not involving a diuretic, with a combination of older drugs including a diuretic) ( Odili et al., 2012 ). In a crossover design, a group of investigators evaluated the effect of spironolactone on nonresolving central serous chorioretinopathy ( Bousquet et al., 2015 ).

Case examples: Prashanth et al. aimed to understand if (and how) a package of interventions targeting primary health centers and community participation platforms affect utilization and access to generic medicines for people with noncommunicable diseases using quasi-experimental design approach ( Prashanth et al., 2016 ).

• c. Observational design—It involves only observation of natural phenomena and does not involve investigator intervention. Typically, this study design investigates associations and not causation. Examples include cohort study and case–control study. These studies can explore an association between a pharmacologic agent and a disease of interest. Case examples: Please see previous examples of these.

Case examples: Please see experimental studies, and case–control and cohort study designs.

Case examples: Investigators in Canada explored the lived experiences of youth who are prescribed antipsychotics by conducting interpretative phenomenology study ( Murphy et al., 2015 ).

Case examples: Shiyanbola et al. combined focus group discussion with a survey tool to investigate patients' perceived value and use of quality measures in evaluating and choosing community pharmacies ( Shiyanbola and Mort, 2015 ).

Below is a brief description of traditional and novel pharmacoepidemiologic study designs. Several examples of pharmacoepidemiologic study designs are provided above. Some descriptive studies including case reports, case series, and ecological studies will not be described in this chapter.

• a. Case–control studies—In this design, patients (those who develop the disease or outcome of interest) are identified and control patients (those who do not develop the disease or outcome of interest) are sampled at random from the original cohort that gives rise to the cases ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Newman et al., 2013 ). The distribution of exposure to certain risk factors between the cases and the controls is then explored, and an odds ratio (OR) is calculated.
• b. Cohort studies—This can be described as a study in which a group of exposed subjects and a group of unexposed subjects are followed over time and the incidence of the disease or outcome of interest in the exposed group is compared with that in the unexposed group ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 ).
• c. Case-crossover studies—The case-crossover may be considered comparable to a crossover randomized controlled trial in which the patients act as their own control ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). Pattern of exposure among the cases is compared between event time and control time. The between-patient confounding that occurs in a classic case-control study is circumvented in this design. Tubiana et al. evaluated the role of antibiotic prophylaxis and assessed the relation between invasive dental procedures and oral streptococcal infective endocarditis, using a nationwide population-based cohort and a case-crossover study design ( Tubiana et al., 2017 ).
• d. Case–time control studies—This design is an extension of the case-crossover design, but includes a control group ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). A group of researchers assessed medication-related hospitalization. They used the case–time control study design to investigate the associations between 12 high risk medication categories (e.g., antidiabetic agents, diuretics, benzodiazepine hypnotics) and unplanned hospitalizations ( Lin et al., 2017 ).
• e. Nested case–control studies—In this design, a cohort of individuals is followed during certain time periods until a certain outcome is reached and the analysis is conducted as a case–control study in which cases are matched to only a sample of control subjects ( Etminan, 2004 ). de Jong et al. examined the association between interferon-β (IFN-β) and potential adverse events using population-based health administrative data in Canada ( De Jong et al., 2017 ).
• f. Cross-sectional studies—In this type of study, the investigator measures the outcome of interest and the exposures among the study participants at the same time ( Hulley et al., 2013 , Setia, 2016b ). It provides a snapshot of a situation for a particular period.

Quantitative Research Designs in Pharmacy Practice

A wide range of quantitative methods are commonly applied in pharmacy practice research. These methods are widely used in published pharmacy practice literature to explore appropriateness of medicines use, appropriateness and quality of prescribing, and medication safety, through analyzing existing datasets, direct observation, or self-report ( Green and Norris, 2015 ). Pharmacy practice research questions also seek to determine the knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and practices of pharmacists, other healthcare providers, patients, policy-makers, regulators, and the general public. Quantitative methods are also used in evaluating the effect of new pharmacy services and interventions to improve medicines use. These practice research projects provide valuable insights about how medicines are used, and how to maximize their benefits and minimize their harmful effects. In the context of this chapter, quantitative study designs will be broadly classified into three: (1) observational, (2) experimental and quasi experimental, and (3) other designs.

Observational Study Designs

Pharmacoepidemiology is a “relatively new science that explores drug efficacy or toxicity using large observational study designs” ( Etminan, 2004 , Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). These study designs explore drug use studies that usually cannot be answered using randomized controlled trials or other experimental designs. In several instances, experimental study designs may not be suitable or feasible; in such circumstances, observational study designs are applied ( Cummings et al., 2013 ). As the name implies, observational studies involve merely observing the subjects in a noncontrolled setting, without investigator intervention or manipulating other aspects of the study. Therefore, observational studies are nonexperimental. The observation of the variables of interest can be prospective, retrospective, or current depending on the type of the observational study.

In pharmacoepidemiology and other areas of pharmacy practice, researchers are often interested in measuring the relationships between exposure to a drug and its efficacy, toxicity, or other outcomes of interest using observational study designs. It is worthwhile to note that observational study designs investigate association, but, in most cases, not causation. Here, we provide descriptions of some commonly used study designs in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacy practice research in general.

Case–Control Studies

Case–control study design is used to determine association between risk factors or exposures and outcomes. It is a useful design to study exposures in rare diseases or diseases that take long time to develop ( Newman et al., 2013 ). It investigates exposures in individuals with and those without the outcome of interest. Nevertheless, case–control studies can help to identify harmful or beneficial exposures. Furthermore, the outcome of interest can be undesirable (e.g., mortality) or desirable (e.g., microbiological cure). As the name suggests, in a case–control study design, there are two groups of subjects: (1) cases (individuals with the outcome of interest) and (2) controls (individuals without the outcome of interest) ( Newman et al., 2013 ). Cases are randomly selected based on prespecified eligibility criteria from a population of interest. Appropriate representative controls for the cases selected are then identified. The researchers then retrospectively investigate possible exposures to the risk factor. Fig. 1 represents a schematic diagram of a case–control study.

Case–control study design.

Case–control studies are relatively inexpensive, less time-consuming to conduct, allow investigation of several possible exposures or associations, and are suitable for rare diseases. Selection of the control group is a critical component of case–control studies. Case–control studies have several drawbacks: confounding must be controlled, subject to recall, observation, and selection biases.

OR is the measure of association used for the analysis of case–control studies. This is defined as the odds of exposure to a factor in those with a condition or disease compared with those who do not have the condition or disease.

Cohort Studies

Similar to case–control studies, cohort studies determine an association between exposures/factors and development of an outcome of interest. As previously described, a cohort study is a study in which a group of exposed subjects and a group of unexposed subjects are followed over time to measure and compare the rate of a disease or an outcome of interest in both groups ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 ). A cohort study can be prospective (most common) or retrospective. While a case–control study begins with patients with and those without the outcome of interest (e.g., diseased and nondiseased patients), a cohort study begins with exposed and unexposed patients (e.g., patients with and those without certain risk factor) ( Hulley et al., 2013 , Setia, 2016a ). In a cohort study, both the exposed and the unexposed subjects are members of a larger cohort in which subjects may enter and exit the cohort at different periods in time ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 ).

Typically, a cohort study should have a defined time zero, which is defined as the time of entry into the cohort ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). The cohort (a group of exposed and unexposed subjects, who are free of the outcome at time zero) is followed for a certain period until the outcome of interest occurs. In addition, information or data related to all potential confounders or covariates should also be collected as failure to account for these can bias the results and over- or underestimates the risk estimate. There are two types of cohort studies: retrospective cohort and prospective cohort studies.

Retrospective cohort study, also known as historical cohort study, begins and ends in the present, while looking backward to collect information about exposure that occurred in the past ( Fig. 2 ). Historical cohort studies are relatively less time-consuming and less expensive than prospective cohort studies ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 , Setia, 2016a ). In addition, there is no loss to follow-up and researchers can investigate issues not amenable to intervention study designs. However, these studies are only as good as the data available, the investigator has limited control of confounding variables, and it is prone to recall bias.

Retrospective (historical) cohort study design.

On the other hand, prospective cohort study, also known as longitudinal cohort study, begins in the present and progresses forward, collecting data from enrolled subjects whose outcomes fall in the future ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 , Setia, 2016a ) ( Fig. 3 ). Prospective cohort studies are easier to plan for data collection, have low recall bias, and the researcher has a better control of confounding factors. On the other hand, it is difficult to study rare conditions; they are more prone to selection bias, more time-consuming, expensive, and loss of subjects to follow-up is common.

Prospective (longitudinal) cohort study design.

Relative risk (RR) is the measure of association used for the analysis of a cohort study. This is defined as the risk of an event or development of an event relative to exposure (i.e., the risk of subjects developing a condition when exposed to a risk factor compared with subjects who have not been exposed to the risk factor).

Case-Crossover Studies

This is a relatively new design in the field of epidemiology in which the patients act as their own controls ( Maclure, 1991 ). In this design, there is a case and a control element both of which come from the same subject. In other words, each case serves as its own control. It can be considered equivalent to a crossover RCT with a washout period ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). Pattern of exposure to the risk factor is compared between the event time and the control time ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 ). Case-crossover study design is useful to investigate triggers within an individual. For instance, it is applicable when studying a transient exposure or risk factor. However, determination of the period of the control and case components is a crucial and challenging aspect of a case-crossover study design. Since the patients serve as their own controls, the interindividual variability that is inherent in classic case–control studies is eliminated. This is important in studies involving progressive disease states in which disease severity may differ between patients such as multiple sclerosis. OR is estimated using techniques such as Mantel–Haenszel statistics and logistic regression.

Cross-Sectional Studies

Cross-sectional studies also known as prevalence studies identify the prevalence or characteristics of a condition in a group of individuals. This design provides a snapshot of the prevalence or the characteristics of the study subjects in a single time point. The study investigator measures the outcomes and the exposures in the study subjects simultaneously ( Etminan and Samii, 2004 , Hulley et al., 2013 , Setia, 2016b ). Hence, cross-sectional studies do not follow up patients to observe outcomes or exposures of interest. Data are often collected through surveys. Cross-sectional design cannot provide cause and effect relationships between certain exposures and outcomes of interest.

Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Study Designs

In a typical experimental study design, the investigator assigns subjects to the intervention and control/comparison groups in an effort to determine the effects of the intervention ( Cummings et al., 2013 ). Since the investigator has the opportunity to control various aspects of the experiment, this allows the researcher to determine the causal link between exposure to the intervention and outcome of interest. The researcher either randomly or conveniently assigns the subjects to an experimental group and a control group. When the investigator performs randomization, the study is considered a true experiment (see Fig. 4 ). On the other hand, if subjects are assigned into groups without randomization, the study is considered a quasi-experiment (refer to Fig. 5 ). As with experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs also attempt to demonstrate a causal link between the intervention and the outcome of interest. Due to the challenges of conducting a true experimental design, the quasi-experimental study designs have been consistently used in pharmacist intervention research.

True experimental study design.

Quasi experimental study design.

RCTs are considered the gold standard of experimental study designs in pharmacy practice and evidence-based research ( Cummings et al., 2013 ). The investigator randomly assigns a representative sample of the study population into an experimental group and a control group ( Fig. 4 ). Randomization in RCT is to minimize confounding and selection bias; it enables attainment of similar experimental and control groups, thereby isolating the effect of the intervention. The experimental group receives the treatment or intervention (e.g., a new drug or pharmaceutical care for treatment of a certain disease), while the control group receives a placebo treatment, no treatment, or usual care treatment depending on the objective of the study ( Cummings et al., 2013 ). These groups are then followed prospectively over time to observe the outcomes of interest that are hypothesized to be affected by the treatment or intervention. The result of the study is considered to have high internal validity if significant changes on the outcome variable occur in the experimental group, but not the control group. The investigator can infer that the treatment or intervention is the most probable cause of the changes observed in the intervention group. The unit of randomization in RCTs is usually the patient, but can sometimes be clusters to circumvent the drawbacks of contamination.

RCTs are very challenging to undertake and pharmacy practice researchers should ensure design of robust experiments, while considering all essential elements and adhering to best practices. For instance, to determine the impact of a cognitive pharmaceutical service, the selection of a representative sample of the population is a prime consideration in an RCT. Moreover, RCTs are expensive, labor-intensive, and highly prone to attrition bias or loss to follow-up.

In pharmacy practice research, it is often difficult to comply with the stringent requirements of true experimental designs such as RCTs, due to logistic reasons and/or ethical considerations ( Grady et al., 2013 , Krass, 2016 ). Whenever true experimental models are not feasible to be applied in pharmacy practice research, the researcher should endeavor to use a more robust quasi-experimental design. For instance, when randomization is not feasible, the researcher can choose from a range of quasi-experimental designs that are non-randomized and often noncontrolled ( Grady et al., 2013 , Krass, 2016 ). Quasi-experimental studies used in pharmacy literature may be classified into five major categories: (1) quasi-experimental design without control groups (i.e., one group pre–posttest design); (2) quasi-experimental design that use control groups with no pretest; (3) quasi-experimental design that use control groups and pretests (i.e., nonequivalent control group design with dependent pretests and posttests) (see Fig. 5 ); (4) interrupted time series and; (5) stepped wedge designs ( Brown and Lilford, 2006 , Grady et al., 2013 , Harris et al., 2006 ).

The one group pretest posttest design and the nonequivalent control group design ( Fig. 5 ) are the most commonly applied quasi-experimental designs in practice-based research literature. These designs have been commonly used to evaluate the effect of pharmacist interventions in medications management in general and specific disease states management. The lack of randomization and/or the lack of control group is a major weakness and a threat to internal validity in quasi-experimental designs ( Grady et al., 2013 ). The observed changes could be due to some effects other than the treatment.

Other Quantitative Study Designs

In addition to the common observational, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs described above, there are other designs that are used in pharmacy. These research methods include, but are not limited to, simulated client technique, discrete choice experiments, and Delphi techniques. These methods, which are considered relatively new to pharmacy, are now commonly used in pharmacy practice research. In this chapter, we briefly describe these methods and their application in pharmacy. However, a more detailed description of their components and the nitty gritty of their application in pharmacy practice are available elsewhere within this textbook.

Simulated Client Method

The use of simulated client or simulated patient (mystery shopper) method to assess practices or behaviors in pharmacy practice has received much attention in recent times ( Watson et al., 2004 , Watson et al., 2006 ). “A simulated patient is an individual who is trained to visit a pharmacy (or drug store) to enact a scenario that tests a specific behavior of the pharmacist or pharmacy staff” ( Watson et al., 2006 ). A review by Watson et al. demonstrated the versatility and applicability of this method to pharmacy practice research in both developing and developed countries ( Watson et al., 2006 ). The investigators also identified some important characteristics that should be taken into consideration in designing studies that use this technique.

This method can be used to assess wide range of cognitive pharmacy services including counseling and advice provision, treatment of minor ailments, provision of nonprescription medicines, and public health pharmacy, among other things. This method can be a robust and rigorous method of assessing pharmacy practice if used appropriately ( Watson et al., 2006 , Xu et al., 2012 ). More recent developments have documented that the simulated patient methods have been used to provide formative feedback in addition to assessing practice behavior of pharmacists and their staff ( Xu et al., 2012 ).

In a case example, a group of investigators evaluated Qatari pharmacists' prescribing, labeling, dispensing, and counseling practices in response to acute community-acquired gastroenteritis ( Ibrahim et al., 2016 ). In another example, the investigators documented the state of insomnia management at community pharmacies in Pakistan ( Hussain et al., 2013 ).

Discrete Choice Experiments

Evidence in healthcare suggests that understanding consumers' preferences can help policy-makers to design services to match their views and preferences ( Ryan, 2004 ). Traditionally, studies to understand patients' and consumers' preferences for pharmaceutical services used opinion or satisfaction survey instruments. Nevertheless, such satisfaction surveys lack the ability to identify the drivers of satisfaction or the relative importance of the different characteristics of the service ( Vass et al., 2016 ). Discrete choice experiments are a novel survey-based method in pharmacy that are predicated on economic theories that allow systematic quantification of preferences to help identify which attributes of a good or service consumers like, the relative value of each attribute, and the balance between the different attributes ( Naik Panvelkar et al., 2010 , Ryan, 2004 , Vass et al., 2016 ). In-depth description of this method and its essential elements are described in another chapter in the Encyclopedia.

Qualitative Research Designs in Pharmacy Practice

Qualitative research methodology is applied to investigate a problem that has unmeasurable variables, to get a comprehensive understanding of the topic, through discussing it with the involved individuals, and to recognize the natural context in which the investigated issue takes place ( Creswell, 2013 ). The use of qualitative research methodology is becoming increasingly common across diverse health-related disciplines, including pharmacy practice. This is because of its ability to describe social processes and behaviors associated with patients or healthcare professionals, which strengthen the research impact ( McLaughlin et al., 2016 ). Therefore, pharmacy researchers and practitioners need to be better oriented to qualitative research methods ( Behar-Horenstein et al., 2018 ).

In the following section, interpretative frameworks and philosophical orientations, methodologies, data collection and analysis methods, approaches to ensure rigor, and ethical considerations in qualitative research are briefly discussed ( Cohen et al., 2013 , Creswell, 2013 ).

Interpretative Framework and Philosophical Assumptions of Qualitative Research

Interpretative frameworks.

Interpretative frameworks are the conceptual structures for comprehension, which form researcher's reasoning and views of truth and knowledge ( Babbie, 2015 ). Different scholars have categorized qualitative research paradigms or interpretative frameworks differently. The following are examples of interpretative framework categories that are used in health science research based on the categorization of Creswell (2013) : (1) social constructivism (interpretivism) framework; (2) post-positivism framework; (3) transformative, feminist, critical frameworks and disabilities theories; (4) postmodern frameworks; (5) pragmatism frameworks.

Philosophical Assumptions

Philosophical assumptions are theories and perspectives about ontology, epistemology, axiology, and methodology, which underpin the interpretative frameworks selected by qualitative researchers ( Cohen et al., 2013 ). As with interpretative framework, there are numerous means to categorize the philosophical assumptions that are folded within interpretative framework. The following are explanations of philosophical assumptions based on the categorization of Creswell (2013) :

• 1. Ontological assumptions, which define the nature of reality
• 2. Epistemological assumptions, which clarify means for knowing reality
• 3. Axiological assumptions, which explain the role and influence of researcher values
• 4. Methodological assumptions, which identify approaches to inquiry

It is important that a qualitative researcher understands how interpretative frameworks (e.g., social constructivism, post-positivism, and pragmatic interpretative frameworks) are differentiated because of their underpinning philosophical assumptions (i.e., ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological assumptions).

Approaches to Inquiry (Methodology)

It is important that qualitative researchers understand the differences between the characteristics of the five qualitative approaches to inquiry, in order to select an approach to inquiry and attain methodological congruence ( Creswell, 2013 ). The five approaches to qualitative research inquiry are:

• a. Narrative research: Describes participants' written and spoken stories about their experiences with a phenomenon being investigated, while considering the chronological connection of the phenomenon's series of events ( Anderson and Kirkpatrick, 2016 , Creswell, 2013 , Czarniawska, 2004 ).
• b. Phenomenological research: Describes the essence of participants' common experiences of a phenomenon, so that the description is a general essence rather than an individual experience ( Creswell, 2013 , Giorgi, 1997 , Moustakas, 1994 ).
• c. Grounded theory research: Aims to generate a theory grounded in participants' data that conceptually explain a social phenomenon, which could involve social processes, or actions or interactions ( Creswell, 2013 , Strauss and Corbin, 1990 , Woods et al., 2016 ).
• d. Ethnographic research: Involves describing the shared patterns of values, behaviors, and beliefs of culture-sharing participants ( Creswell, 2013 , Harris, 1968 , Rosenfeld et al., 2017 ).
• e. Case study research: Provides an in-depth examination of a real-life contemporary phenomenon that researchers cannot change over time, to illustrate the significance of another general topic ( Baker, 2011 , Creswell, 2013 , de León-Castañeda et al., 2018 , Mukhalalati, 2016 , Yin, 2014 ).

Data Collection and Analysis Methods in Qualitative Research

Data collection tools in qualitative research can be categorized into the following fundamental categories ( Creswell, 2013 ):

• a. Observation
• b. Documents
• c. Individual semi-structured interviews
• d. Focus groups (FGs)
• e. Audio-visual materials
• f. Emails chat rooms, weblogs, social media, and instant messaging.
• a. Topic guides: Topic guides guide the discussions in focus groups and individual interviews, and contain open-ended questions and probes, to enable the researcher to understand the complete picture, based on participant views and experiences. They are developed based on the literature review, aim and objectives, research questions, and propositions ( Kleiber, 2004 ).
• b. Audio recording of FGs and interviews: Audio recording of discussions that take place in interviews and FGs is essential for managing and analyzing data, and for increasing the accuracy of data collection and analysis, and ultimately enhancing the dependability and credibility of the research ( Rosenthal, 2016 , Tuckett, 2005 ).
• c. Transcription of FGs and interviews recording: Verbatim transcription refers to the word-for-word conversion of oral words from an audio-recorded format into a scripted text format. Transcribing data is considered as the first data reduction step because it generates texts that can be examined and rechecked ( Miles et al., 2014 , Grossoehme, 2014 ).

Data analysis comprises several fundamental steps, including reading the transcribed text, arranging data, coding data deductively based on prefigured themes or inductively to produce emergent themes, and then summarizing the codes into themes, and finally presenting the analyzed data as results ( Cohen et al., 2013 , Crabtree and Miller, 1999 , Pope et al., 2000 ).

The most commonly used data analysis methods in health science research are:

Thematic analysis is characterized by identifying, analyzing, and reporting themes that are available in the data ( Braun and Clarke, 2006 , Castleberry and Nolen, 2018 ).

Content analysis comprises systematic coding followed by quantification of the analyzed data in a logical and unbiased way ( Berelson, 1952 , Vaismoradi et al., 2013 ).

Discourse analysis emphasizes the core format and the structure of texts to examine the assumptions and concealed aspirations behind discourses ( Brown and Yule, 1983 , Gee, 2004 ).

Quality Perspectives in Qualitative Research

Qualitative research validation involves ensuring the rigor of the utilized data collection, management, and analysis methods, by utilizing approaches to ensure the quality. In pharmacy practice research, Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b argued that quality in qualitative research topic has not been discussed widely in the literature, and therefore Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b suggested using several trustworthiness criteria to ensure the rigor of qualitative study. The trustworthiness criteria for ensuring quality in qualitative research ( Lincoln and Guba, 1985 ) are:

This criterion aims to ensure that the results are true and increases the possibility that the conclusions are credible ( Cohen and Crabtree, 2008 ).

This criterion aims to indicate that the research results are repeatable and consistent, in order to support the conclusions of the research ( Cohen and Crabtree, 2008 ).

This criterion aims to confirm the neutrality in interpretation by ensuring that the perspectives of participants, not the bias of researchers, influence the results ( Krefting, 1991 ).

This criterion involves identifying the contexts to which the study results can be generalized, and indicating if the study conclusions can be applied in similar setting ( Yin, 2014 ).

Reflexivity implies revealing and evaluating the effect and biases that researchers can possibly bring to research process, by explaining the researcher's opinion, feelings, and experience with the phenomenon in question, and explaining the influence of this experience on research methods, findings, and write-ups ( Creswell, 2013 , Krefting, 1991 , Lincoln and Guba, 1985 ).

Ethical Considerations

Obtaining an ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is required before conducting the qualitative research ( Creswell, 2013 ). The key ethical issues that need to be considered are:

Informed consent refers to the decision taken by a competent individual to voluntarily participate in a research, after adequately understanding the research. Participant information leaflet is usually distributed to participants before they consent to participate in the research to clarify them the voluntary nature of research participation, the aim and objectives of the research, the rights of the respondents and the potential risks and harms, the data collection, management and storage conditions, and the right of participants to withdraw from the research ( Jefford and Moore, 2008 ).

The anonymity is usually ensured by not disclosing names of participants and by utilizing a code system to identify them during data collection, management, analysis, and in the writing up of the research. The confidentiality of participants and data is ensured by using a code system to identify participants, and by storing all data in a locked cabinet and a password-protected computer for a specified period of time ( Creswell, 2013 ).

Power imbalance is caused by the fact that participants have the experience about the investigated phenomenon, and researchers need to obtain information about these experiences. The power imbalance is usually associated with interaction between the researcher and participants during recruitment stage, and during data collection, analysis, interpretation, and validation stages. Hence, researchers should take suitable measures at each stage to decrease the influence of possible power imbalance, and should enhance trust with participants ( Karnieli-Miller et al., 2009 , Yardley, 2000 ).

Mixed Methods in Pharmacy Practice Research

Research studies in pharmacy practice usually utilize single-method research designs. However, often these report numerous limitations and may not adequately answer the research question. Therefore, the combination of more than one research method to answer certain research questions has become increasingly common in pharmacy practice research ( Ryan et al., 2015 ). Mixed methods research design is now a popular and widely used research paradigm in pharmacy practice research fields ( Hadi et al., 2013 , Hadi et al., 2014 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b , Ryan et al., 2015 ). Mixed methods research allows the expansion of the scope of research to offset the weaknesses of using either quantitative or qualitative approach alone ( Creswell et al., 2004 , Hadi et al., 2013 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b , Pluye and Hong, 2014 ). Typically, qualitative and quantitative data are collected concurrently or sequentially in order to increase the validity and the comprehensiveness of the study findings ( Creswell et al., 2004 , Hadi et al., 2013 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b , Pluye and Hong, 2014 , Ryan et al., 2015 ). The mixed method approach provides an expanded understanding of phenomenon under investigation through the comparison between qualitative and quantitative data ( Hadi et al., 2013 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b , Pluye and Hong, 2014 ).

This section provides an overview and application of mixed method research in pharmacy practice. However, considerations in selecting, designing, and analyzing mixed methods research studies as well as the various typologies of mixed methods research are discussed elsewhere. Johnson et al. (2007) proposed the following definition for mixed methods research: “The type of research in which a researcher or team of researchers combines elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches (e.g., use of qualitative and quantitative viewpoints, data collection, analysis, inference techniques) for the broad purpose of breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration.”

Mixed methods design allows the viewpoints of participants to be reflected, enables methodological flexibility, and promotes multidisciplinary teamwork ( Ryan et al., 2015 ). Furthermore, the approach allows a more holistic understanding of the research question. However, its major limitations include: need for wide range of research expertise across the research team members, highly labor-intensive, and the complexity of data integration.

Scholars believe that it is challenging to provide researchers with a step-by-step guide on how to undertake a mixed methods study and that this is driven by the specific research question ( Ryan et al., 2015 ). Nevertheless, the investigator should precisely determine the type of qualitative and quantitative methods to be employed, the order of data collection to be undertaken, the data collection instruments to be used, and the method of data analysis ( Ryan et al., 2015 ). This approach encompasses a synthesis of findings from both quantitative and qualitative components, which is achieved through integration of the findings from each approach ( Hadi et al., 2013 ; Hadi and Closs, 2016a , Hadi and Closs, 2016b , Pluye and Hong, 2014 ).

Different models or typologies for mixed methods research have been described in the literature. The most common typologies used in pharmacy practice and health services research include: concurrent or convergent parallel design, exploratory sequential design, explanatory sequential design, and the embedded design ( Hadi et al., 2013 , Pluye and Hong, 2014 ). Scholars believe that there are several factors to consider when selecting the typology or model of mixed methods research to use. These factors include: the order of qualitative and quantitative data collection (concurrent vs. sequential); priority of data (i.e., which type of data has priority between quantitative and qualitative data); purpose of integration of the data (e.g., triangulation); and number of data strands ( Hadi et al., 2013 , Pluye and Hong, 2014 ). In mixed methods research, integration of qualitative and quantitative findings is critical, and this research approach does not simply involve the collection of these data ( Ryan et al., 2015 ).

Summary and Take-Home Messages

• • In the era of evidence-based practice, it is not sufficient to propose new pharmacy services or roles without evidence of their benefit.
• • New pharmacy services and new roles must be proven to be feasible, acceptable, beneficial, and cost-effective.
• • Practice-based research provides such evidence and can inform policy, confirm the value of the new service, and change practice.
• • Various study designs, including, but not limited to experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs, have been used in pharmacy practice research.
• • Pharmacy practice researchers need to be competent in the selection, design, application, and interpretation of these methodological and analytical approaches.
• • The choice of any study design in pharmacy practice research is driven by the expertise of the investigator, type of research question or hypothesis, data availability, time orientation, ethical issues, and availability of funding.

There is a great demand for innovation and quality in pharmacy practice. These can be achieved partly through robust and well-designed pharmacy practice research. Pharmacy students, practitioners, educators, and policy-makers are exposed to a variety of research designs and methods. We need to have the best evidence (e.g., in policy, regulation, practice) for making decisions about the optimal research design that ensures delivering an ultimate pharmacy practice and a quality patient care.

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Ph.D. Program

Admission criteria for the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with emphasis in pharmacy administration and the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with emphasis in pharmacy administration are the same. When completing the online graduate application, students should select which program to which they are applying.

Applicants must have a B.S. degree in pharmacy, B.S. degree in pharmaceutical sciences or higher. A degree in a discipline related to marketing, management, economics, epidemiology or other health-related field may also be considered for admission upon demonstration of a commitment to pursuing a career in the field of pharmacy or the pharmaceutical industry.

College transcripts with a minimum of a B average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) are required.

Our program encourages but does not require either the GRE General Test or the GMAT. GRE/GMAT score submission is optional. You are NOT required to submit GRE/GMAT scores, and applications without GRE/GMAT scores will be given full consideration. You may choose to submit scores if you have them, and they will be considered by the admissions committee. Although you do not have to submit a GRE/GMAT score, opting to submit a strong test score (rather than submitting no score) may increase odds of receiving an invitation to interview, all other things being equal. In our current method of evaluating applicants, a relatively strong GRE/GMAT score could be used to offset a relatively lower GPA, but you would not be penalized for a low or unsubmitted GRE/GMAT score.

International applicants also must meet the University of Mississippi Graduate School’s English Language Proficiency Score Requirement .

Two (2) letters of recommendation, an interview, a resume, and a statement of purpose are used to evaluate candidates. Interested students may apply to the Ph.D. program online and may find additional application information from the University of Mississippi Graduate School website .

The application deadline is January 10. Admissions interviews are scheduled for the second week of January and the last week of January. Competitive applications that are completed by December 15th will be considered for interviews in the second week of January

Curriculum Ph.D. – in Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmacy Administration

Course requirements:.

The Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis in pharmacy administration offers three areas of specialization: management, marketing, outcomes.  The course requirements are dictated by the specialization and are described below in separate sections.

Core Courses (30 hours of credit)

• MKTG 769-Theoretical Foundations of Marketing
• PHAD 679-Primary Data Techniques
• PHAD 688-Research Methods in Pharmacy Administration
• PHAD 689-Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Policy
• PHAD 693-Health Economics
• PHAD 687-Secondary Data Techniques
• PHAD 780-General Linear Models
• PHAD 781-Applied Multivariate Analysis
• PHAD 792-Drug Development and Marketing or PHAD 783-Advanced Pharmaceutical Marketing and Patient Behavior
• PSY 703/EDRS 601/or SOC 501-Statistics

Electives (9 credits)

Non-required 600- or 700-level PHAD or non-PHAD courses approved by advisor.

Students interested in academia may select courses in the School of Education, such as Curriculum and Assessment (EDRS 673), College Teaching (EDHE 662), The College and The Student (EDHE 671), or Topics in Higher Education (EDHE 333).

Non-Thesis Research (6 credits)

Emphasis area.

The Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis in pharmacy administration offers two areas of specialization: marketing and management or outcomes. Students select one area of specialization and then complete the course requirements as described below.

Marketing and Management Track (choose 12 hours)

• BUS 667-Global Business Strategy
• MGMT 673-Seminar in Human Resources Management
• MGMT 676-Seminar in Organizational Behavior
• MGMT 679-Theoretical Foundations of Management
• MKTG 762-Marketing Management
• MKTG 766-Advanced Studies in Consumer Behavior
• MKTG 768-Marketing Communication Thought

Outcomes Track (12 hours)

• PHAD 794-Pharmacoeconomics
• PHAD 796-Pharmacoepiemiology
• ECON 604-Statistical Methods for Business & Economics (Econometrics) or equivalent course
• PHAD 786-Patient Reported Outcomes

Other Academic Requirements:

In addition to the course requirements, each student must participate and complete an orientation to the discipline of pharmacy administration and register for a departmental seminar (PHAD 543/544) each semester (1 credit hour per semester). Each student must pass a comprehensive examination, prepare and successfully defend a dissertation prospectus, and complete and defend his/her dissertation project, which is based on original, independent research.

If an applicant has a master’s degree, he or she may petition in writing to the department chair for transfer, substitution or waiver of certain courses upon entry into the program. The faculty will evaluate the request, following the Graduate School policies, and determine which courses, if any, can be waived or substituted. If an applicant has completed a thesis, he or she will be asked to provide a copy of the thesis for review to determine whether waiver of non-thesis research or other courses is acceptable. Substitution or waiver of courses will then be documented on the student’s progression form.

Description of Pharmacy Administration Graduate Course Offerings

541 & 542. PROBLEMS IN PHARMACY ADMINISTRATION. Investigation of individual problems.

543 & 544. SEMINAR IN CURRENT HEALTH TOPICS. Pharmacy administration departmental seminar.

679. PRIMARY DATA TECHNIQUES. An overview of the primary research techniques used in executing research projects related to pharmaceutical marketing and/or pharmacy management. Included are sampling, instrument development, and data collection using several personal interview and self-administered survey techniques. Prerequisite requirements for this course may also be satisfied by consent of instructor. Prerequisite: PHAD 688 with grade of C.

687. SECONDARY DATA TECHNIQUES. Techniques and principles useful in using secondary data to answer research questions, including data and data source evaluation,accessing and preparing secondary databases, and review of common data types and sources.

688. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES. An introduction to the research process from project inception to its conclusion. Students will be exposed to issues surrounding the establishment of the problem statement, hypothesis generation and testing, measurement, research design, sampling theory, data collection and analysis, and ethical conduct in research.

689. PHARMACEUTICAL AND HEALTHCARE POLICY. The delivery and financing of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services; development and implications of pharmaceutical and healthcare policies in the public and private sectors at the federal and state levels.

690. DATA MANAGEMENT AND STATISTICAL SOFTWARE. To introduce students to data management and provide a survey of statistical software.

693. HEALTH ECONOMICS. The financing and delivery of health care in the U.S., including economics of health care, economics of the U.S. health care system, and current policy issues including health care expenditures, health care reform, and economics of the uninsured.

697. THESIS.

698. NON THESIS RESEARCH I AND II.

780.  GENERAL LINEAR MODELS. An intermediate-level course in regression analysis methods covering the basic theory and application of the general linear model (GLM) to conduct relevant analyses.  Simple and multiple linear regression are extensively covered as well as a number of procedures falling under the general category of analysis of variance (ANOVA). Prerequisite(s): An introductory statistics course at the graduate-level, which covered topics such as: descriptive statistics, applications of basic probability theory, commonly used sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, analysis of two-way contingency tables, one and two sample tests, confidence intervals, correlation and simple linear regression, and introduction to one-way analysis of variance.

781. APPLIED MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS.  An intermediate-level course examining techniques generally considered to be multivariate in nature or having a multivariate approach to analyzing data (e.g., multivariate analysis of variance, repeated-measures analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, logistic regression, cluster analysis, and factor analysis). Prerequisite(s): PHAD 780 (minimum grade: C) or consent of the instructor.

783. ADVANCED PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETING AND PATIENT BEHAVIOR. Doctoral seminar exploring the factors affecting acceptance, distribution, promotion, and economics of pharmaceutical marketing and the theoretical perspectives in understanding behavior in the medication use process. Prerequisite requirements for this course may be satisfied by equivalent course work as approved by the department or by consent of instructor.

786. PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOMES. The overall objective of this course is to familiarize students with the understanding and application of PRO’s in health services and outcomes research. The course will involve discussion on PRO topics including quality of life and health-related quality of life, generic and disease-specific PRO instruments, health state preferences (values and utilities), patient satisfaction, measurement issues (including applications of classical test theory, item response theory, Rasch analysis), and adherence to therapy.

792. DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING. Provide participants with insight into the administrative procedures involved in the developing and marketing of new pharmaceuticals, from discovery through market approval, including both industrial and policy perspectives.

794. PHARMACOECONOMICS. Principles and analytical techniques in assessing the overall value of pharmaceutical products, services, programs and other health care interventions, including hands-on experience of pharmacoeconomic modeling.

795. SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHARMACY ADMINISTRATION . Course designed to cover special topics in pharmacy administration or health care administration in general that are not covered in regular courses and may be suitable for M.S. or Ph.D. students in pharmacy administration or other related disciplines. Examples of recent special topics include: Categorical Data Analysis, Markov Simulation Modeling of Health-Related Events, Longitudinal Data Analysis Methods, and Principles of Statistical Mediation and Moderation.

796. PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY . This graduate-level course in designed to familiarize students in pharmacy or other health care fields with the principles of pharmacoepidemiology. Course provides a comprehensive review of research study designs used in the science of pharmacoepidemiology and involves a discussion of primary literature that details case examples of drugs withdrawn from the United States (U.S.) market due to adverse events.

797. DISSERTATION.

Note this is only a list of graduate courses offered by the Department of Pharmacy Administration. Graduate students have the opportunity to take courses across campus including in the School of Business and in the School of Applied Sciences.

Pharmacy Administration Student Discusses His Academic Journey

Thesis proposal

In Pharmacy, the MSc thesis proposal and the PhD thesis proposal are required courses (PHARM 601 and PHARM 616A/B, respectively). The objective is for students to learn how to use the literature to stimulate in-depth thinking about the basis of their thesis research project and to encourage the development of their scientific oral presentation skills, to best prepare and present their research objectives in written and oral form.

In addition to preparing a written and oral presentation of their proposed research, students must complete the following course requirements:

• Involves completing online modules as well as participation in an in-person session co-hosted by the Pharmacy Liaison Librarian and an Advisor from the Writing and Communication Center.
• Provides background on literature searching, citation and proper management of references as part of the preparation of the thesis proposal.  
• The workshop is offered once per term, as needed. 
• Students should attend in their first term, before they register in the thesis proposal course
• Workshop dates are communicated via email and/or Outlook calendar invitation.
• Attend a one-on-one appointment with the Pharmacy Liaison Librarian to discuss. research strategies and reinforce academic integrity.
• Attend two thesis proposals (or one thesis proposal and one thesis defence) by other students in Pharmacy, before their own thesis proposal examination.
• MSc students must hold the thesis proposal examination before the end of their second term.
• PhD students must hold their thesis proposal examination within their first year of the PhD program, before the end of term three.
• Any student requiring more time must request an extension, subject to the approval of the Graduate Officer.

The advisory committee appointment must be approved and the first meeting of the committee held before the proposal examination can take place.

Thesis proposal guidelines

The thesis proposal should outline the reasons for undertaking the project, concisely survey the relevant literature, present a detailed description of the methodology to be used, and outline any preliminary results.

Generally, a report of 30-40 pages is required, not including figures, legends, or references. Excess pages may be removed or disregarded.

Additional material including raw data may be included in appendices if there is a need for it to be included.

The completed thesis proposal should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and size 12 font.  

The style of the report should follow conventions familiar to the area of research of the student.  At minimum, the written thesis proposal report should include the components indicated in the following table.

Students may wish to follow the  preparation of the thesis organization and formatting requirements, set by the Graduate Studies Office, to help prepare them for the final thesis submission.

Scheduling the thesis proposal examination

Follow the steps below when you are ready for your proposal examination:  

• Select two possible dates and times and ask your committee to save those dates until the exam is confirmed.
• Refer to "what to expect at the thesis proposal" to determine how much time you should book for your proposal (two hours is generally enough time for an examining committee with three examiners; additional time may be required for deliberation).
• If you did not sign up for the appropriate course (Pharm 601 or Pharm 616A/B) during the course enrolment period, complete and submit the Graduate Studies course drop/add form at the same time as submitting the meeting request form. 
• The grad coordinator will arrange the examination chair, prepare the proposal examination report, and set up IT support for the day of your exam (for in person and hybrid exams only).
• This is to ensure IT has the equipment/adapters necessary for the exam and not scrambling on the day of your exam.
• It will take approximately 15-30 minutes to go over everything.
• Your email request should be sent no sooner than one week prior to the test/training date.
• Submit an electronic copy of the (written) thesis proposal to each member of the examination committee and cc the grad coordinator at least 10 business days ahead of the proposal examination date.

What to expect at the thesis proposal examination

The oral examination will take approximately 2 hours and should consist of a 25-30 minute PowerPoint presentation, followed by questions from the examination committee.  Due to time limitations for the oral examination, it may not be possible to cover all aspects of the proposal in the presentation.

The question period will involve a first round of questions from the committee lasting 10-15 minutes per committee member, followed by a second round of questions in the same format but usually only 5-10 minutes each. Questions may be taken from the audience and the student's response to questions from the audience may be considered in the evaluation of the student. 

Thesis proposal examinations are not ‘public’ in the same sense that thesis defences are and are not announced throughout the Faculty of Science.  The administrative coordinator will inform pharmacy graduate students of upcoming proposal presentations so they may attend toward fulfillment of the thesis proposal course requirements.  External friends and relatives are not permitted to attend. 

Following the oral examination, the audience and students are excused so the committee can deliberate. All examiners should be present for deliberation.  After deliberation, the student is invited back into the room to hear the results of their exam. Students will receive a summary of their final grading assessment once the report has received approval. 

Assessment of the thesis proposal

Assessment of the thesis proposal is twofold:  The written proposal report and the oral presentation and discussion are each marked separately and independently by three or more committee members (the examining committee) using the thesis proposal grading sheet, following the grading scheme below. The final course grade is calculated by averaging the total scores of all examining committee members; t he assessment of whether or not the student has met the standards for the proposal and for progress in their graduate program overall, is recorded on the thesis proposal examination report . All members of the thesis proposal examination committee participate in grading and in the assessment of the student's overall progress.

Thesis proposal grading scheme

Students must complete all graduate courses with a final mark of 70% or greater, as noted in the Academic Calendar.

Thesis proposal examination report

The decision as to whether standards for the proposal and progress to date are met is made by the committee, recorded by the chair, and reported to the Faculty of Science usingthesis proposal examination report. Committee members assesses the student's position by indicating 'excellent', 'satisfactory', or 'unsatisfactory', in the following areas:

• Understanding of the material: Candidate shows adequate depth and scope of knowledge for the current stage of the project;
• Ability to handle discussion: Candidate is able to understand the pitfalls and interpretation of the project;
• Research progress: Student demonstrates a general level of progress considering the complexity of the work and practical difficulties.

Performance and standards of research concerning expectations for the degree level as well as they pertain to timely completion of the degree are indicated with a yes/no response.  Any questions, concerns, difficulties or corrective measures required by the student must be recorded in the comments sections of the report; the committee must specify an action plan outlining what the student is expected to do by a specified date. 

Pharmacy blackout dates

Pharmacy has blackout dates during which thesis proposals and PhD comprehensive exams are not be held unless special arrangements have been made and confirmed in advance by the pharmacy graduate office. Blackout dates exist to allow maximum participation in the Pharmacy program and to minimize scheduling conflicts for examination chairs and committee members. 

Blackout dates are also noted on the Pharmacy Graduate Studies Outlook calendar. 

Related links

• Thesis formatting
• Thesis information
• Academic Calendar - School of Pharmacy

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• Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ph.D.

The Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences  at the School of Pharmacy offers the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in pharmaceutical sciences. The program provides a rigorous background in a range of scientific disciplines that are critical to the success of the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists. The program’s interdisciplinary training combines pharmaceutically relevant aspects of classical disciplines such as chemistry, biology, and engineering. Students earn a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, concentrating in one of three research cores: Drug Discovery, Drug Action , or Drug Delivery . Extensive communication and collaboration occur between these cores, mirroring the importance of interdisciplinary research teams in the pharmaceutical field. See our webpage  for more detailed information regarding current faculty research directions.

Research in Drug Discovery  focuses on areas related to medicinal chemistry, such as small molecule development, natural products isolation and characterization, organic synthesis, chemical biology, and rational drug design.

Drug Action focuses on areas related to pharmacology, toxicology, cellular differentiation, development, and disease. Interests include the impact of drugs and toxins on biological systems, mechanisms of normal biology, and mechanisms of disease. These are studied at the cellular, genetic, molecular, and biochemical levels using diverse model systems.

Drug Delivery (pharmaceutics) emphasizes principles in physical chemistry and drug transport, aiming for advances in formulation, drug targeting, and multi-modal therapy. Delivery research includes the solid-state chemistry of drugs, nano-pharmacy, biocompatibility, molecular recognition, computational chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and molecular imaging.

The UW–Madison Pharmaceutical Sciences Division has been recognized for its research productivity, extramural funding support, publication record and teaching.

UW–Madison  is one of the nation's most prolific research universities, located on the shore of Lake Mendota in the state's vibrant capital city. The  city of Madison  is consistently recognized as one of the best cities in the nation in multiple categories for quality of life. Visit  grad.wisc.edu  to learn more about the many reasons to choose UW–Madison for graduate study.

Postgraduate Information

Our students are provided many opportunities to explore different careers paths and to hone their skills in areas such as communication and leadership. Recent program graduates have found employment in a variety of settings including industry, academia, science writing, and patent law. We engage our many alumni to participate in career chats and other networking opportunities with our students. For more information on first professional placement following graduation, see employers of recent Pharm Sci graduates . The School's Graduate Program Manager can be consulted for specific career information (both initial placement and longer-term employment information regarding Ph.D. alumni).

The Pharmaceutical Sciences Division is housed in Rennebohm Hall , a seven-story, state-of-the-art facility that comprises both research and teaching space. Affiliate Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate faculty and their labs are housed in other nearby campus buildings. Located on the northwest edge of campus, Rennebohm Hall is in close proximity to the Health Sciences Learning Center (home of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, or SMPH), UW Hospital and Clinics, the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), the Waisman Center, the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), SMPH's Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Nursing, and Ebling Library for the Health Sciences.

Exceptional research facilities and equipment are available in Rennebohm Hall as highlighted by the school's Analytical Instrumentation Center (AIC) , comprising mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry facilities. The division offers centralized facilities for computer-aided drug and catalyst design, real-time PCR, gene array detectors, gas chromatographs, high-pressure liquid chromatographs, cell culture, ultra-centrifuges, scintillation counters, and animal care. Additionally, many researchers leverage equipment and services available through the Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, Biotechnology Center, and other campus core facilities.

The School of Pharmacy's Lenor Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station is a not-for-profit, self-sustaining center of expertise serving faculty researchers across the UW–Madison campus as well as private-sector drug product development. The station provides laboratory services related to compound physical/chemical characterization and basic formulation development to support preclinical development of promising drug candidates and other unmet pharmaceutical-related needs. Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students are eligible to participate in summer project assistantships at the station. Pharmaceutical Sciences also houses the university's Medicinal Chemistry Center (MCC), whose mission is to provide drug discovery expertise to the UW medical community and drive translational research at UW–Madison through designing and synthesizing novel small molecule-based therapeutics. Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty direct the MCC. A Nanotechnology Center for Drug Delivery began in 2018, aiming to improve the efficacy of new drug leads.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

* GRE not required or accepted. Any submitted scores will not be used in assessing applications.

Accepted students commonly have strong scientific backgrounds and significant research experience. Students with undergraduate degrees in the physical (including chemistry) or biological sciences, engineering, pharmacy, and related fields are encouraged to apply. Students who have earned master’s degrees are also welcomed to apply, but a master's degree is not a requirement.  One may apply directly to the Pharmaceutical Sciences Ph.D. program with a bachelor's or PharmD degree- as long as a bachelor's or PharmD degree would be completed by the time one would begin graduate studies.

Please see admissions on the program website for the application deadline and required supplemental materials.  Related links describe frequently-asked admissions questions , selection criteria , and typical pharmaceutical research paths for various undergraduate majors .

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Financial support is provided to all graduate students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD program through a combined mechanism of fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and project assistantships. Financial support includes a stipend, full tuition remission (waiver), and most of the cost of reasonably priced, comprehensive health insurance; and typically extends for the full duration of a student's graduate study as long as they retain good academic standing and a faculty advisor.  Funding packages for first-year students in the PhD program are provided by the School of Pharmacy and consist of fellowships and/or teaching assistant support. In addition, first-year students typically are provided $2000 in flexible funds to aid in the transition to Madison. After the first academic year, students are supported by their thesis advisor through research or teaching assistantship appointments (some students earn funding via federally supported predoctoral fellowships or campus training grants). Additionally, the program awards travel grants to several students every year to support their attendance at scientific conferences and meetings. For more details, see this program-specific funding page .

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Required courses.

Seminar is required every fall and spring semester during enrollment as a graduate student in the program.

Research credits are typically taken every semester in the program, beginning in the second semester. Credits will vary.

 Research rotations in first semester of first year. At least one credit required.

To enhance a required core curriculum, an individualized course of study is planned with a faculty advisor. Faculty advisors have the option to require additional courses beyond the minimum requirements listed above.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate work from other institutions.

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 15 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions (the student must have graduate student status on the other institution’s transcript at the time the courses were taken). Coursework should be presented to the Pharmaceutical Sciences Director of Graduate Studies in the first semester of enrollment for consideration. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

With approval of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Director of Graduate Studies, students are allowed to count no more than 7 credits of UW–Madison courses numbered 500 or above (earned as a UW–Madison undergraduate) toward the Ph.D.  Coursework should be presented to the Pharmaceutical Sciences Director of Graduate Studies in the first semester of enrollment for consideration. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 15 credits of coursework numbered 500 or above taken as a UW–Madison special student toward the Ph.D. Coursework should be presented to the Pharmaceutical Sciences Director of Graduate Studies in the first semester of enrollment for consideration. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

This program follows the Graduate School's Probation policy.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

All students in the Ph.D. program are required to have a major professor/advisor through the duration of their studies. Typically a permanent advisor is found by the end of one’s first semester.

All students are required to conduct an annual progress meeting with their thesis committee each year. The meeting should be completed by the end of August of each consecutive academic year. In years where the preliminary exam or the Ph.D. thesis defense are scheduled, these events may substitute for the annual progress meeting. For details on the annual progress report, see the PSD Student Handbook . For details on the composition requirements of the Ph.D. preliminary exam/thesis committee, see Thesis Committee in the PSD Student Handbook.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

Time limits.

It is expected that Ph.D. major course requirements will be completed by the end of year two in the program.

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may be required to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Grievance Policy for Graduate Programs in the School of Pharmacy

Any student in a School of Pharmacy graduate program who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a faculty member, staff member, postdoc, or student has the right to have a complaint heard about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following these grievance procedures. Any student who discusses, inquiries about, or participates in the grievance procedure may do so openly and shall not be subject to intimidation, discipline, or retaliation because of such activity. The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Pharmacy. Any student or potential student may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts.

This policy does not apply to employment-related issues for Graduate Assistants in TA, PA and/or RA appointments.  Graduate Assistants will utilize the Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures (GAPP) grievance process to resolve employment-related issues.

Requirements for Programs

The School of Pharmacy requires that each director of graduate studies (DGS) serve as a grievance advisor for the school. The program must notify students of the grievance advisors, including posting the grievance advisor’s names in the program handbook. The student will be able to select the grievance advisor of the student’s choice and does not need to use the grievance advisor from the student’s program.

A grievance advisor may be approached for possible grievances of all types. They will spearhead the grievance response process described below for issues specific to the graduate program, including but not limited to academic standing, progress to degree, professional activities, appropriate advising, and a program’s community standards. They will ensure students are advised on reporting procedures for other types of possible grievances and are supported throughout the reporting process. Resources on identifying and reporting other issues have been compiled by the Graduate School.

• The student is advised to initiate a written record containing dates, times, persons, and description of activities, and to update this record while completing the procedures described below.
• If the student is comfortable doing so, efforts should be made to resolve complaints informally between individuals before pursuing a formal grievance. If students would like to seek guidance at this informal step, the student can contact the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the DGS for the student’s program, or the UW Ombuds Office.
• Should a satisfactory resolution not be achieved AND the complaint does not involve an academic program, the procedure outlined in Step 6 below should be followed. Should a satisfactory resolution not be achieved in step 2, the student should contact an SOP grievance advisor of one’s choice to discuss the complaint. The grievance advisor should keep a record of contacts with regards to possible grievances. The first attempt is to help the student informally address the complaint prior to pursuing a formal grievance and should occur within 10 days of notifying the grievance advisor. The student is also encouraged to talk with their faculty advisor regarding concerns or difficulties.
• If the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may submit a formal grievance to the grievance advisor in writing, within 60 calendar days from the date the grievant first became aware of, or should have become aware of with the exercise of reasonable diligence, the cause of the grievance. To the fullest extent possible, a grievance shall contain a clear and concise statement of the grievance and indicate the issue(s) involved including individuals, the relief sought, the date(s) the incident or violation took place, and any specific policy involved.
• The grievance advisor will convene a SOP faculty committee with at least 3 members to facilitate the grievance following step b, c, and d. The grievance advisor assumes the role of coordinator. Any faculty member involved in the grievance or who feels that they cannot be impartial may not participate in the committee. Committee composition will include at least one member from outside the student’s home program.
• The faculty committee, through the grievance advisor, will obtain a written response from the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed. The grievance advisor will inform this person that their response will be shared with the student filing the grievance.
• The grievance advisor will share the response with the student filing the grievance.
• The faculty committee will make a decision regarding the grievance. The committee’s review shall be fair, impartial, and timely. The grievance advisor will report on the action taken by the committee in writing to both the student and the person toward whom the grievance was directed.
• The grievant will be notified in writing, within 5 business days of the written appeal, acknowledging receipt of the formal appeal and establishing a timeline for the review to be completed.
• The associate dean or their designee may request additional materials and/or arrange meetings with the grievant and/or others. If meetings occur, the associate dean or their designee will meet with both the grievant and the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed.
• The associate dean or their designee will make a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee’s recommendation.
• The SOP Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education must store documentation of the grievance for seven years. Significant grievances that set a precedent may be stored indefinitely.  
• The student may file an appeal of the School of Pharmacy decision with the Graduate School.  See the Grievances and Appeals section of the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures .

First-year students are typically offered fellowships and School of Pharmacy teaching assistantships in their initial two semesters. Funding as research assistants is assumed by the student's principal investigator/thesis advisor in the first summer. Subsequently (year 2 and beyond), students are funded by RA-ships, TA-ships and via other extramural funding (fellowship) support.

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Professional development opportunities for Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students include annual performance reviews by their respective thesis committee, providing feedback regarding each student's progress in coursework, research, and career development.  Further, each student, beginning in one's second year, gives an annual seminar to one's research core (Drug Discovery, Drug Action, or Drug Delivery), providing an additional community of support and feedback.  Moreover, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar series welcomes numerous academic and industrial scientists throughout the year; students have regular opportunities to meet such leaders in small settings.  The division's annual poster session brings the community together and is another forum for research interaction.

The UW-Madison student chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is vibrant and active, providing a wide variety of career development "workshops" and discussion "roundtable" events with scientists and faculty.  AAPS also selects and hosts an annual industrial-based scientist as a speaker.  Many students attend the Pharmaceutics Graduate Student Research Meeting (PGSRM) each summer, a graduate student-organized conference for graduate students across the upper Midwest.  A parallel student-led medicinal chemistry-oriented conference (MIKI) is another annual opportunity.

There are a wide variety of opportunities for STEM-based graduate students to develop entrepreneurial and business skills.  These include the Morgridge Enterpreneurial Bootcamp , WiSolve Consulting Group , the graduate certificates in Entrepreneurship or Strategic Innovation, and many others, summarized by the School of Business' Insite Guide.

The program is committed to graduate students organizing an all-day retreat every other summer ; such events typically involve career exploration and professional development themes.  Informational interviews are organized with PhD alumni, either in person or via Skype, to help students understand various post-graduate opportunities.  Graduate students who aspire to develop as instructors and future faculty can work with the School's Director of Graduate Studies for appropriate teaching assistant opportunities that will challenge them in this realm (complementing the ample campus resources for teaching/learning ).  

• Demonstrate critical knowledge and in-depth understanding of principles in the student's area of expertise.
• Identify important research questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and design experiments to test those hypotheses.
• Conduct original research that contributes to the student's field of study.
• Communicate scientific knowledge and research results effectively to a range of audiences.
• Apply ethical principles in conducting scientific research.

A list of Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate faculty and their respective areas of research specialization is available from the division website and related links. The Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program has educated generations of scientists for challenging positions in industry, academia, and government.  

• Requirements
• Professional Development
• Learning Outcomes

Contact Information

Pharmaceutical Sciences School of Pharmacy pharmacy.wisc.edu/pharmsci/

Derek Zimmerman, Graduate Program Manager [email protected] 608-262-6116 1232 Rennebohm Hall

Lara Collier, Director of Graduate Studies-Pharmaceutical Sciences [email protected] 608-890-2149 4117 Rennebohm Hall

Arash Bashirullah, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education, Associate Professor [email protected] 608-262-5345 5123 Rennebohm Hall

Graduate Program Handbook View Here

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

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Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics) PHD (Thesis)

  A Sample Plan represents one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with your academic advisor(s).

Academic Career

Second year, any semester, fourth year.

• PhD in Pharmacy

What does a PhD in Pharmacy Involve?

A PhD in Pharmacy can involve a wide range of subject areas to specialise in. These may include new drug discovery, clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutics, pharmacology and microbiology (to name a few examples).

How long does it take to get a PhD in Pharmacy?

As a full-time doctoral student in the UK, it should take you 3 years to earn a PhD Pharmacy. If you’re studying for a part-time PhD, expect to need about 6 years to complete your research thesis. As is the norm in postgraduate research, you’re likely to register first as an MPhil student, with an upgrade viva at the half-way point leading you to fully enrolling as a PhD student. Postgraduate research programmes are designed on the basis of independent learning and development. As a doctoral student it’s ultimately your responsibility to maintain a focus on time management (with the support of your university supervisor) to ensure that you complete your postgraduate research in good time.

Browse PhDs in Pharmacy

A next-generation genetic technology to identify biotechnologically-valuable enzymes and transporters, development of fluorescent organic molecules for application in super-resolution imaging techniques, ubiquitin-dependent signalling pathways in ageing, speciation in facultatively sexual species, energy dissipation in human soft tissue during impacts, what are the typical entry requirements for a pharmacy phd programme.

In the UK, you should expect most universities to ask for a minimum of a 2:1 undergraduate degree or the equivalent grade from an institution outside of the UK. The degree will need to have been in a field that’s relevant to Pharmacy. You may still be eligible to apply if you have a grade lower than a 2:1, if you also hold a Master’s degree. If English is not your first language, then the University will ask for evidence of your English language proficiency. Usually this is a minimum IELTS test score of 6.5 for research programmes however this may be higher from one university to another.

How much does a Pharmacy PhD cost?

In a UK university, UK based postgraduate research students should expect to incur annual tuition fees in the region of £4,500/year. With a full-time PhD lasting 3 years, this equates to £13,500 in fees. This is on the basis that you’re studying full time; part time students should expect to pay lower fees, with some variability between institutions about how this is calculated. For international students (including now EU students), the annual tuition fee costs around £23,500/year, equating to £70,500 over the span of 3 years. As with all PhDs, potential students will need to consider living costs and any bench fees that may be expected by their particular project or graduate school.

What can you do with a PhD in Pharmacy?

Two common career paths taken by Pharmacy PhDs are to continue into post-doctoral research roles , followed by lectureships and even professorships. The second route that many take is to develop their careers within the pharmaceutical industry. This may in itself involve further research, such as involvement in clinical trials. PhD graduates may become involved in regulation or perhaps move out of the field into areas such as medical writing and publishing. As a PhD holder you’ll have developed many valuable transferable skills in addition to your academic skills, including excellent communication skills, making you attractive to many recruiters.

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Home > Dissertations and Theses > Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Below is a selection of dissertations from the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program in the School of Pharmacy. Additional dissertations from years prior to 2019 are available through the Leatherby Libraries' print collection or in Proquest's Dissertations and Theses database.

Theses from 2024 2024

Influence of Human and Viral IL-6 on KSHV Infection in Human Tonsil Lymphocytes , Wajd Zakir

Theses from 2023 2023

Renal Toxicity Warnings and Precautions of Drugs Marketed in the US , Mohammad Al Ghamdi

An Economic and Regulatory Analysis of Breast Cancer Drugs Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration , Abdullah Althomali

Cyclic and Linear Peptides Containing Tryptophan and Arginine Residues as Cell-Penetrating Peptides and Antifungal Agents , Khushbu Bhakta

Analyzing Functional Interactions of Designed Peptides by NMR Spectroscopy , Wonsuk Choi

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Oleyl-WRH Peptides for siRNA Delivery , Mrigank S Rai

Theses from 2022 2022

Approvals and Prices of Systemic Antibiotics in Saudi Arabia and the United States , Saad Alharthi

Investigating Hybrid Cyclic/Linear and Linear Peptides as Vehicles for Nucleic Acid Delivery , Abdulelah Alhazza

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of N-Methylated H2R2W4 , Talal Alrubaie

Content and Activity of Cytochrome P450 3A in Rat Brain Microsomes and Mitochondria , Nouf Alshammari

Role of Macrophages in Ocular Surface Fibrosis , Alyanna Corpuz

Cyclic and Linear Cell-Penetarating Peptides Composed of Tryptophan (WW) and Arginine (RR) Residues as Molecular Transporters , Lois Kim

Effects of nNOS Inhibitors on Melanoma-Induced Immunosuppression , Kate Alison Lozada

The Development of a Novel Peptide-Drug Conjugate for Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer , Phi-Phung Than

Theses from 2021 2021

The Development of a Cancer-Targeting Peptide-Drug Conjugate for the Treatment of Melanoma , Cassandra Dill

Characterization of The Growth Factor Receptor Network Oncogenes in Lung Cancer , Ashley Duche

Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Alternative Positive and Hydrophobic Residues as Molecular Transporters , Sorour Khayyatnejad Shoushtari

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Tisagenlecleucel, Blinatumomab, and Clofarabine for Treatment of B-cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia , Kamron Lotfi

Establishing the Role of DC-SIGN and Glycoprotein H for KSHV Entry in B Lymphocytes , Nancy Palmerin

Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural and Unnatural Amino Acids as Drug Delivery Tools and Antimicrobial Agents , David Salehi

Modulation of Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity in Amphipathic Cyclic Peptide [R4W4] Using Histidine Substitution , Ryan Stueber

Theses from 2020 2020

Hybrid Cyclic/Linear Peptides in a Multi-Component Lipid Structure as a siRNA Delivery System , Abdulaziz Alasmari

Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Ocular Surface Tight Junctions and Glycocalyx , Saleh M. Alfuraih

Role of Protein Phosphatase-2A in Regulating Monocyte Activation by Soluble and Crystalline Uric Acid in Gout , Sandy ElSayed

Design and Evaluation of Peptide Lipid-Associated Nucleic Acids (PLANAs) for siRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 Delivery and Protein Silencing , Ryley Hall

Theses from 2019 2019

Targeting Primary Cilia Immune Receptor Proteins for the Treatment of Polycystic Kidney Disease Mechanisms , Nedaa Alomari

Identification of Molecules by Spectral Imaging , Qamar Alshammari

Proteomic Evaluation and Cytotoxicity of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) Leaves , Saud Alshammari

Trends in Prices of Insulin Marketed in the US , Hana Althobaiti

Proteomics and Biological Evaluation of Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) Seeds , Mahshid Amini

Altering the Regiospecificity of C6 Indole Prenyltransferase Enzymes Towards Drug Development , Ahmed R. Aoun

Gender Differences in Opioid Prescribing Patterns among Adults in the US , Salena Marie Preciado

The Development of Novel Apurinic/Aprymidinic Endonuclease/Redox-factor 1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Human Melanoma , Bella Sharifi

Theses from 2018 2018

SK Channel Modulators as Drug Candidates and Pharmacological Tools , Razan Orfali

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