The Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program is made up of three tracks: Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research.
The Pharmaceutical Biotechnology track is committed to the application of pharmaceutics, biophysics and medicinal chemistry to solving problems arising in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology. As such, the program focuses on the formulation, synthesis, manufacture, development, stability, biophysical analysis, characterization, delivery, and biodistribution of biopharmaceutical agents and vaccines. Given the analytical aspects implicit in many of these areas, the research tends to be quantitative and mechanistic in nature, with an emphasis on macromolecular systems (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, viruses, polymers). In addition to more applied pharmaceutical problems, many of our faculty are investigating more fundamental questions involving the regulation of gene transcription, immunology, pharmacology and cancer.
The goal of the Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences track is to provide the individual with the knowledge base and skills needed to conduct patient-oriented clinical research in drug disposition and response including, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics. Upon completion of the graduate program, students will be trained for careers in academia, the pharmaceutical industry or government agencies.
The goal of the pharmaceutical outcomes research (POR) track is to provide competent and highly skilled researchers for the evaluation of health care interventions and their economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes. Areas of focus available to students undertaking this course of study include pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, and drug policy.