Pharmacology Department's Recent Accomplishments, Milestones, and Welcomes!
Congratulations to Dr. Phoebe Stewart on her multi-PI R01 award with collaborators at Emory University being selected by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for conversion to an R37 MERIT Award!
Congratulations to Henock Befekadu on being named a recipient of a Travel Award for the 2027 Biophysics Fellows Conference!
Congratulations to Dr. Xu Han on her selection to the 2026–2027 Translational Fellows Program!
Congratulations to (Adams Lab) on winning First Place with the Chemical Biology Team at the Merck Innovation Cup 2026 in Darmstadt, Germany!
Congratulations to Dr. Zaidodine Pashandi on being awarded the 2026 Pharmacology Department Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar!
Congratulations to William Gregor on being awarded the 2026 Pharmacology Department Outstanding Student of the Year!
Congratulations to NaShea Kendrick (Nieman Lab - Graduated) on being named the 2026 Doctoral Excellence Award Winner in Pharmacology!
Congratulations to Dr. Xu Han on receiving the Excellence in Research Award at the 2026 Annual Pharmacology Retreat!
Congratulations to Kaylyn Bennett (Nieman Lab) on receiving the American Society of Hematology Leadership Award!
Congratulations to Dr. Johannes von Lintig on being awarded an NIH/NIDDK R01 grant for "Molecular factors controlling vitamin A uptake homeostasis"!
Congratulations to Dr. Derek Taylor on his appointment to the NIH Macromolecular Structure and Function B Study Section!
Congratulations to Dr. Sudha Chakrapani on her appointment to the NIGMS Advisory Council!
Congratulations to Henock Befekadu (Chakrapani Lab) on being awarded an NIH/NCI F31 Fellowship for "Defining fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) as a novel therapeutic target in Ewing sarcoma"!
Congratulations to Elijah Hayes (Adams Lab) on being awarded an NIH/NIMH F30 Fellowship for "Structural and functional basis of 5-HT3R modulation by antidepressants"!
Congratulations to Dillon Bohinc (Stavrou Lab) on being awarded an NIH/NHLBI F31 Fellowship for "Characterizing Factor XII"!
Congratulations to Dr. Jack Su on being awarded a 2026 ASH Award for Research Careers in Hematology (ARCH)
Congratulations to Dr. Derek Taylor on being awarded a grant from UC Davis and Jordan’s Guardian Angels for “Defining the Mechanism of Neurodevelopment Disorders Related to PPP2R5D.”
Congratulations to Dr. Phoebe Stewart on Being Awarded an NIH/Allergy and Infectious Diseases Multiple PI RO1 award collaborating with Emory University for 'Molecular mechanisms of adenovirus neutralization'.
Congratulations to Dr. Jason Mears on Being Awarded an NIH/General Medicine R35 award for 'Mechanisms and Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission in Health and Disease'
Congratulations to Dr. Yuan Gao on Being Awarded Two Grants
The Charlie Landers Foundation grant, titled: "Therapeutically Targeting Lipid Metabolism to Overcome Vulnerabilities in Ewing Sarcoma"
A Young Investigator Grant from the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research for "Lipid Control of ETV6 in Ewing Sarcoma"
Congratulations to Dr. Fang Chen on Being Appointed to Che George J. Picha Professorship in Biomaterials
Congratulations to Dr. Fang Chen (Nieman Lab) on Being Appointed to Che George J. Picha Professorship in Biomaterials. Dr. Chen explores innovative solutions under the theme ACT with Biomaterials, short for Advancing Curative Therapies with Biomaterials. Focused on vision science and regenerative medicine, the lab’s work will address critical healthcare challenges.
Congratulations to Emma Scritchfield for placing 3rd in CWRU'S TMT Competition!
Please join us in congratulating Emma Scritchfield (Schaffer Lab) for placing 3rd in CWRU's Three Minute Thesis Competition with the presentation "Pharmacology: Using Molecular Mechanics to Restore Protein Delivery in Autism"
Congratulations to Anelise Hutson for receiving the SRA Award at the 70th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting in San Francisco!
Please join us in congratulating Anelise Hutson (Mears Lab) for receiving the Student Research Achievement Award (SRAA) at the 70th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting in San Francisco! Anelise presented a poster titled "Structural Insights into Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission".
Congratulations to the Yu Lab on Their Recent Nature Communications Publication!
Congratulations to Dr. Ed Yu and his lab on publishing their research in Nature Communications. Their paper is titled ""Structural snapshots of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LptB2FG and LptB2FGC reveal insights into lipopolysaccharide recognition and transport".
Dr. Yuan Gao Awarded a Grant from the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
Congratulations to Dr. Yuan Gao on Being Awarded The Andrew McDonough B+Foundation for the Childhood Cancer Research Grant
Her project is titled Dissecting Ewing Sarcoma On-Chip for Better Therapeutics Program: Childhood Cancer Research Grant.
Congratulations to NaShea Kendrick on Her Recent Blood Advances Publication!
Congratulations to NaShea Kendrick (Nieman Lab) on publishing her research in Blood Advances. Her paper is titled "Neutrophil cathepsin G potentiates biased signaling through Protease Activated Receptor 4 ".
Congratulations to Alexander Day on His Recent ScienceDirect Publication!
Congratulations to Alexander Day (Taylor Lab) on publishing his research in ScienceDirect. His paper is titled "Regulatory mechanisms of PP2A complex assembly driven by physicochemical differences in A-subunit isoforms ".
Congratulations to Xu Han Ph.D. on recently winning the 2025 ISTH Fundamental Research Career Development Award!
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Xu Han on receiving the 2025 ISTH Fundamental Research Career Development Award. This prestigious honor recognizes early career researchers who have shown e exceptional commitment to advancing the field of thrombosis and hemostasis. We are excited to see Dr. Han’s continued achievements and contributions in the years ahead!
Congratulations Dr. Yuli Buckley on Her Recent Journey of Cell Science Publication!
Congratulations to Dr. Yuli Buckley on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis and publishing her research in Journal of Cell Science! Her paper, "Fis1 regulates mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics, and removal of mitochondrial DNA damage in irradiated glioblastoma cells," explores key mitochondrial dynamics in cancer cells. Additionally, she was featured in a First Person article, highlighting her research journey and insights.
Congratulations Dr. Tawna Mangosh on Her Recent Frontiers in Medicine Publication!
Dr. Tawna Mangosh, along with Dr. Philip A. Cola, recently published "Empowering Biomedical Learners to Navigate FDA Regulatory Processes and Entrepreneurship with a Novel Interdisciplinary Training Approach" in Frontiers in Medicine - Healthcare Professions Education. This work highlights the innovative FDA regulation courses she developed, which many Pharmacology students take as an elective. Her efforts continue to enhance interdisciplinary training and equip students with essential regulatory and entrepreneurial skills.
Congrats to Dr. Beata Jastrzebska on EurekAlert Press Release for Published Article
Congratulations to Dr. Beata Jastrzebska on the recent press release, "New potential treatment for inherited blinding disease retinitis pigmentosa," featured on EurekAlert. The press release is based on her published article, "Discovery of non-retinoid compounds that suppress the pathogenic effects of misfolded rhodopsin in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa." Read the press release here and the full research article here.
A Warm Welcome for Dr. Fang Chen, Our New Faculty Member
Dr. Chen's lab themes ACT with biomaterials, which stands for advancing curative therapies with biomaterials, focusing on vision science research. Dr. Chen has developed magnetic silica nanoparticles to improve stem cell therapy efficacy in treating heart diseases as well as in situ-forming collagen hydrogels for corneal blindness treatment. The Chen Lab will continue to utilize nanoparticles and hydrogels to advance curative therapies for currently incurable diseases.
