Pharmacodynamics, one of two subdisciplines of pharmacology, aims to understand how drugs modify biological processes, and ultimately how drugs modify human physiology and disease. Our faculty are trained in physiology, pharmacology and neuroscience. They are passionate about identifying new cures for the most intractable diseases of our day. The department faculty members are engaged daily in understanding mechanisms of disease in order to find appropriate therapies to treat disease, as well as understanding how existing and novel therapies act at both a cellular and systems levels. Our faculty study physiological and pharmacological mechanisms underlying stress, anxiety, social interactions, decision making, drug abuse, pain, neuroinflammation, neuroAIDS, cardiovascular function, aging, metabolic diseases and cancer.
On a per capita (per faculty member) basis we are among the most well-funded departments in the UF College of Pharmacy, which is currently ranked No. 3 in funding among colleges of pharmacy nationwide. Research in our department is funded largely by grants from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. NIH institutes that have funded grants developed and directed by our faculty include: the National Institutes of Drug Addiction, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Diabetes and , Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Advancing translational Sciences, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Students in our Pharmaceutical Sciences Ph.D. program have opportunities to develop their research project and chart their career in a highly collaborative environment, where they can interact with peers across research groups in the department, across the college, and across the campus. Our program emphasizes developing research skills and knowledge, but also emphasizes skills in verbal and written communication, and provides opportunities for leadership and mentorship. Our students graduate well-prepared for a wide range of careers in academia and industry.
For more information about our department faculty and their research interests, please view our faculty website.