College of Pharmacy News

College of Pharmacy Dean Sam Poloyac participated in a panel discussion from the 2023 Texas Leadership Society Luncheon on The University of Texas at Austin's bold pursuits in health and well-being. The discussion was moderated by UT President Jay Hartzell.

Jurata Thin Film, a startup based on the research discoveries of the College of Pharmacy's Maria Croyle, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, is listed as a finalist in the 2023 SXSW Innovation Awards in Patient Safety. Researchers in Dr. Croyle's lab have developed a peelable lightweight film that stabilizes biologics, is inexpensive and withstands extreme temperature changes. Jurata Thin Film works to bring Dr. Croyle's thin film technology to market.

Two of the college's distinguished faculty in the Division of Health Outcomes and Division of Pharmacy Practice were recommended for promotion by President Hartzell due to their outstanding accomplishments in research, outreach and education. Dr. Tish Moczygemba will assume the rank of professor and Dr. Kristin Janzen will become a clinical associate professor.

The newly-created UT Seed Fund, which will provide funds to the most promising new startups built on university-owned intellectual property, will first invest in Jurata Thin Film, a startup based on the research discoveries of the College of Pharmacy's Maria Croyle, Ph.D., a professor in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. Founded in 2019, Jurata has revolutionized the way vaccines and biologics are manufactured, distributed, stored and delivered across the world.

Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery professor Maria A. Croyle, Ph.D. earned this year's Best Paper Award from the University Co-op Research Excellence Awards, presented by UT's Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors and the University Co-operative Society.

The Texas Pharmacy Alumni Association has selected Emmanuel Enwere, Pharm.D., M.S., CPHIMS, Jamie C. Barner, Ph.D., FAACP, FAPhA and M. Lynn Crismon, Pharm.D., FCCP, DABCP, BCPP as the 2022 Alumni Award recipients. This year's winners will be honored on November 12, 2022 at the Texas Pharmacy Homecoming Tailgate, generously sponsored by H-E-B.

Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Hamm Centennial Fellow in Pharmacy, and a team of researchers have released new findings defining the first homeostatic regulatory pathway for manganese in mammalian systems. Identifying these pathways opens up new possible options to prevent or treat manganese-induced parkinsonism and other disorders linked to elevated manganese exposure.

The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy moved up in several research funding categories, as reported in the newly-released rankings from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). The college rose to #8 nationally in total research funding during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, compared to #9 in 2018-2019.

Three researchers from the College of Pharmacy won an award from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation. Leticia R. Moczygemba, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Carolyn M. Brown, Ph.D. and Michael Johnsrud, Ph.D., R.Ph. were awarded $5,000 from the PhRMA Foundation for their proposal to advance racial and ethnic representation in value assessments.

Two of the College of Pharmacy’s distinguished faculty were recently promoted due to their outstanding accomplishments in research, outreach and education. Dr. Kimberly Nixon of the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology will assume the rank of professor and Dr. Lucas G. Hill of the Division of Pharmacy Practice will become a clinical associate professor.