Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty
Faculty members in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences are experienced scientists who are well published in their respective fields. They conduct innovative research in a wide range of areas, from diabetes and leukemia to depression and cardiovascular disease.
Adeboye Adejare, PhD
Chair
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director, Graduate Program in Pharmacology/Toxicology
a.adejar@usp.edu | 215.596.8944
Dr. Adejare holds a PhD from Ohio State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Iowa. He researches the design and syntheses of small organic molecules to probe neurodegeneration; in vitro models of drug absorption and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier; drug targeting; pharmaceutical profiling; and chemistry of fluoroaromatic compounds. His work has resulted in more than 30 publications, a patent and more than 80 presentations at meetings, including invited presentations at national and international conferences.
Bin Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
b.chen@usp.edu | 215.596.7481
Dr. Chen earned his doctorate from Catholic University, in Leuven, Belgium, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, in China. He studies and develops light-based technology for cancer therapy (photodynamic therapy) and imaging (photodetection).
Natalia Coleman, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
n.colema@usp.edu | 215.596.7592
Dr. Coleman holds a PhD from University of St. Petersburg - Russia. Her research interests include stem cell-based disease model application for drug discovery with a primary focus on neurodegenerative diseases.
Russell J. DiGate, PhD
Provost
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
r.digate@usp.edu | 215.596.8805
Dr. DiGate holds a PhD, MS and BA from the University of Rochester . His research interests include the role of DNA helicases and topoisomerases in DNA metabolism design and the synthesis of novel antibiotics that target DNA topoisomerases.
Anil P. D'mello, PhD
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director, Undergraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences
a.dmello@usp.edu | 215.596.8941
Dr. D’mello holds a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.Pharm from the University of Bombay. His research examines the long-term effects of insults during pregnancy and lactation on drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and lipid homeostasis in the offspring. He is also involved in developing a novel microencapsulated enzyme therapy for management of Phenylketonuria.
Pardeep K. Gupta, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
p.gupta@usp.edu | 215.895.1141
Dr. Gupta earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, an MS from University of the Sciences, and an MPharm and BPharm from Panjab University. He investigates the relationship between structural properties of peptides and their binding and permeation across lipid bilayers and cell monolayers.
Peter J. Harvison, PhD
Abramson Chair of Pharmacology
p.harvis@usp.edu | 215.596.8979
Dr. Harvison earned his PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his BS from Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests include in vivo and in vitro metabolism of drugs and environmental chemicals; the formation and disposition of toxic metabolites; structure-toxicity relationships; and assay development.
S. (Kamal) Jonnalagadda, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
s.jonnal@usp.edu | 215.596.8942
Dr. Jonnalagadda earned a PhD from the University of Nebraska and a BPharm from BIT, in India. He studies the design, characterization and modeling of polymeric biomaterials for specific pharmaceutical applications, including solid dosage forms and biodegradable polymeric implants for macromolecular drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Zhiyu Li, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
zh.li@usp.edu | 267.295.3105
Dr. Li received a PhD from University of Maryland. Research interest on biopharmaceutics is to utilize human endogenous proteins as carriers for drug formulation, targeting and delivery.
Catherine C. Moore, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
c.moore@usp.edu | 267.295.3180
Dr. Moore received a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Neuroscience from Colgate University. Her research interests include G protein-coupled receptor regulation in cancer cells and biochemical mechanisms of tumor metastasis.
Jeffrey C. Moore, BS
Manager, Industrial Pharmacy Laboratory
Instructor in Pharmaceutics
j.moore@usp.edu | 215.596.8987
Mr. Moore holds a BS from Drexel University. He studies the formulation and product development in many of the more common pharmaceutical dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, semi-solid ointments and other forms.
Diane W. Morel, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Director, Undergraduate Program in Pharmacology and Toxicology
Interim Assistant Dean of Curriculum and Assessment, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
d.morel@usp.edu | 215.895.1123
Dr. Morel holds a PhD and MS from Case Western Reserve University and a BA from Douglass College. Her research seeks to understand the mechanisms by which oxidative and nitrative species contribute to changes in cellular function in chronic disease, and how dietary components or antioxidants may protect against these changes.
Steven H. Neau, PhD
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director of Industrial Pharmacy
s.neau@usp.edu | 215.596.8825
Dr. Neau earned a PhD and MS from the University of Michigan, and a BS and BA from Eastern Michigan University. He studies pharmaceutical applications of polymeric materials in the analysis and delivery of drugs, with an emphasis on the use of polymers to achieve sustained or colon-specific drug release following oral administration of the product. His research efforts have resulted in nearly 50 journal articles and book chapters, and more than 60 presentations at national and international scientific conferences.
Clyde M. Ofner III, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
Director, Graduate Program in Pharmaceutics
c.ofner@usp.edu | 215.596.8881
Dr. Ofner holds a PhD and BS from Temple University. His research interest is molecular drug delivery for tumor therapy, with particular emphasis on the role of molecular weight and other properties using a biodegradable carrier at the cellular and tumor level.
Joan B. Tarloff, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
j.tarlof@usp.edu | 215.896.8983
Dr. Tarloff holds a PhD from Medical College of Ohio and a BS from the University of Toledo. She studies the correlation of in vivo and in vitro expression and mechanisms of toxicant-induced injury; the role of pharmacokinetic mechanisms (e.g., selective renal transport systems) in determining target organ specificity; the kidney as a metabolically active organ in drug/toxicant bioactivation; and the influence of disease states and pathology (e.g., hypertension, diabetes) on kidney structure and function.
Ruy Tchao, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
r.tchao@usp.edu | 215.596.8978
Dr. Tchao earned a PhD from the University of Manchester and a BS from the University of Nottingham, both in England. He studies the role of desmosomes in tumor cell motility and invasion, and the development of in-vitro assays as alternatives to the Draize rabbit eye test.
Shanaz Tejani-Butt, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies
s.tejani@usp.edu | 215.596.8594
Dr. Tejani-Butt holds a PhD from Medical College of Virginia and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Bombay, in India. She researches the role of the presynaptic neuron in the regulation of dopamine and norepinephrine, and their implicated roles in depression, alcohol abuse and stress-related disorders.
Rodney J. Wigent, PhD
Research Professor of Pharmaceutics
Dean, College of Graduate Studies
r.wigent@usp.edu | 215.596.7545
Dr. Wigent earned a PhD, MS and BS from Michigan State University. His research interests are the thermodynamic properties of water and aqueous solutions; the physical chemical properties and characterization of drug excipients; and the effect of drug binding on DNA topology.