DPE Inducts Three New Fellows into the Academy of Pharmacology Educators

The Academy of Pharmacology Educators was established in 2010 to recognize individuals who have made exemplary contributions to pharmacology education in one or more of the following areas: studentteacher interaction, innovative contributions, scholarly endeavors, professional development, and service. Three new Fellows were inducted into the Academy this year by the Division for Pharmacology Education. Additional information about the Academy, including application instructions and a roster of inductees, can be found here: http://www.aspet.org/Education/Academy/.

Dr. Diptiman Bose holds the Associate Professor of Pharmacology position at the Western New England College of Pharmacy and Health Science. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pacific and holds an M.Ed. from Georgia Southern University. Within the PharmD curriculum, he leads various integrated pharmacotherapeutics course modules. Additionally, he serves as the Program Director for the PharmD Distance Learning Pathway in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Alongside his academic roles, Dr. Bose actively engages in clinical pharmacy practice and dedicates his time to volunteering in healthcare and immunization clinics for the community. Dr. Bose’s research primarily focuses on instructional methods that facilitate meaningful learning. His contributions have greatly enhanced our understanding of the effectiveness of graphical representations, such as flowcharts or simulation-based pharmacology instructions. Notably, his research on scaffolded notetaking has revealed the profound impact of visual imagery on retention and learning. Furthermore, his investigations have shed light on the factors influencing motivation and distractions in both classroom and online learning environments.

Dr. Jorge Iñiguez-Lluhí is an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School. A native of Mexico, he is a classically trained pharmacologist that obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center under the guidance of the Nobel Laureate Dr. Alfred. G. Gilman. He joined the faculty at the University of Michigan after completing postdoctoral training on nuclear receptors in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Yamamoto at the University of California San Francisco. In addition to a fruitful research career, Dr. Iñiguez-Lluhí has developed a wide range of experience as a pharmacology educator spanning undergraduate, graduate and professional levels that include pharmacology Ph.D. as well as nursing, dental, pharmacy and medical school learners. He is also the director of the ASPET-funded Pharmacology Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Michigan.

As an early developer of technology and curricular innovations, his experience establishing online interactive mixed-mode flipped classroom approaches years before COVID-19, proved prescient and allowed him to provide timely guidance to colleagues transitioning to these instruction modes. Serving as the Pharmacology Discipline Lead, he has contributed to pharmacology instruction reforms at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Iñiguez-Lluhí has developed and implemented novel, evidence-based pedagogical approaches to pharmacology instruction that incorporate engaging analogies and impactful simulation tools. He is a contributor to the classical pharmacology textbook Goodman and Gilman’s the Pharmacological basis of therapeutics and has received multiple teaching awards at the University of Michigan. Dr. Iñiguez-Lluhí enjoys the outdoors and performing choral works with the University Musical Society Choral Union, with which he was nominated for a Grammy in 2014.

Dr. John L. Szarek is Professor and Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Vice Chair of Curriculum in the Department of Medical Education and Education Director for Simulation at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton PA. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois Chicago

College of Pharmacy, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana. He completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Vermont. Prior to joining GCSOM as a founding faculty member in 2009, Dr. Szarek spent 16 years at Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington WV, five years as Chair of Pharmacology at Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica and two years at A. T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona.

In addition to teaching pharmacology to the medical students at GCSOM, he has been actively involved in curriculum development. He has served on the Executive Committees of the IUPHAR Education Section and ASPET Division of Pharmacology Education. He is a founding codirector of the Pharmacology Education Project, pharmacologyeducation.org, a key project of the IUPHAR Education Section. He is involved in various education-related activities and his work has been shared with peers through regional, national and international presentations at multiple professional conferences plus several peer reviewed publications. Dr. Szarek was recognized by the International Association of Medical Science Educators with the Master Teacher Award in 2015.

The Division for Pharmacology Education considers it a privilege to add these educator-scholars to the roster of the Academy of Pharmacology Educators and appreciates their many contributions to the discipline.

2023 ASPET Young Scientist Award Winners

The ASPET Student/Postdoctoral Poster Competition was held at the ASPET 2023 Annual Meeting held in St. Louis, Mo. Of the nearly 600 posters presented, the following are the winners. Additionally, several divisions held oral competitions for young scientists, and those winners are also recognized.

2023 Dolores C. Shockley Poster Awards

The 2023 Dolores C. Shockley Competition took place at the Student /Postdoctoral Poster Competition in St.

Louis, Mo. Dr. Shockley was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in pharmacology and the first to be appointed to chair a pharmacology department in the United States. The following are the winners in each category.

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “Defining the Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Regulating PDAC Cell Sensitivity to KRAS and ERK Inhibition,” Amber Amparo, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

2nd place: “Antinociceptive Effects of Fentanyl and Non-opioid Drugs in Methocinnamox-treated Rats” Saba Ghodrati, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “An Elastin-like Polypeptide-fused Peptide Inhibits MMP-2 Activity at nM Concentrations with High Specificity”, Adesanya Akinleye, University of Mississippi Medical Center

2nd place: “N-cadherin Signaling via PI3K -Akt3 Stabilizes Occludin Tight Junctions in the Blood-Brain Barrier,” Quinn Lee, University of Illinois Chicago

3rd place: “The Plasma Membrane Monoamine Transporter (PMAT) is Highly Expressed in Neuroblastoma and Functions as a Mitochondrial mIBG Transporter”, Leticia Vieira, University of Washington

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Evaluating Serotonin 2C and Dopamine D3 Receptor Ligands, Alone and in Mixtures, as Candidate Medications for Substance Use Disorders,” Briana Mason, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antoni

2nd place: “Sexual Dimorphism of the Fasting Adipose: Mitigation of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Dysfunction in a Non-Obese Prediabetic Rat Model,” Haneen Dwaib, Palestine Ahliya University

3rd place: “Organic Cation Transporter 3 is a Crucial Modulator of Serotonin Clearance in Basolateral Amygdala and Sex-Dependently Modulates Fear Behaviors,” Nikki Clauss, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

2023 ASPET Division Award Winners

Division for Behavioral Pharmacology

Affects Cocaine Related Behaviors,” Rishik Bethi, Vanderbilt University

2nd place: “Antinociceptive Effects of Fentanyl and Non-opioid Drugs in Methocinnamox-treated Rats,” Saba Ghodrati, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Effects of Cannabinoids on Fentanyl Antinociception,” Dalal Alkhelb, Northeastern University

2nd place: “Fentanyl-Targeting Monoclonal Antibodies Block Fentanyl-Induced Respiratory Depression in Non-Human Primates,” Emily Burke, McLean Hospital

3rd place: “Modifying the Conditioned Reinforcing Properties of Cocaine in the New Response Acquisition Procedure,” Lauren Rysztak, University of Michigan

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Targeting A3 Adenosine Receptor (A3AR) Attenuates Paclitaxel-induced Cognitive Impairment”, Silvia Squillace, Saint Louis University School of Medicine

2nd place: “Evaluating Serotonin 2C and Dopamine D3 Receptor Ligands, Alone and in Mixtures, as Candidate Medications for Substance Use Disorders,” Briana Mason, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

3rd place: “Microglia in the Locus Coeruleus Mediate the Behavioral and Neuronal Consequences of Social Stress in Females,” Cora Smiley, University of South Carolina

Division for Cancer Pharmacology

Undergraduate Student

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “Characterizing How Lesioning of Cocaine Activated Ensembles in the Nucleus Accumbens

1st place: “Defining the Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Regulating PDAC Cell Sensitivity to KRAS and ERK Inhibition,” Amber Amparo, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Direct Targeting of Menin-MLL1 Interaction Inhibits Cancer Stem Cells to Inhibit Neuroblastoma Growth,” Rameswari Chilamakuri, St. John’s University

2nd place: “Sotorasib, a KRAS-G12C Inhibitor, Induces Chemoresistance by Activating Human Pregnane Xenobiotic Receptor,” Julia Salamat, Auburn University

3rd place: “Direct Targeting of the Cell cycle Regulator WEE1 is a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Neuroblastoma,” Parul Suri, St. John’s University

Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Division for Drug Discovery and Development Undergraduate Student

1st place: “Effects of Simultaneous Inhibition of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase on Acute and Persistent Pain in Male Rats,” Cassandra Yuan

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Structure, Function, and Pharmacology of Delta Opioid Receptor Bitopics,” Sarah Bernhard, Washington University School of Medicine

Undergraduate Student

1st place: “Clopidogrel Induces More Bleeding in P2Y12deficient Mice: Optimization of Murine Tail Bleeding Assay,” Taylor Rabanus, Michigan State University

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Resolving Unchecked Inflammation in Atrial Fibrillation”, Deanna Sosnowski, McGill University

2nd place: “A Convolutional Neural Network Model classifies Beat-to-Beat Arterial Pressure Time-Series: Sex Stratification and Cardiovascular Risk Prediction”, Nour Mounira Bakkar, American University of Beirut

3rd place: “Effects of Dapagliflozin as an Adjunct Therapy to Insulin in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats,” Abdul-Azeez Lanihun, Southern Illinois University

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Mitochondrial CaMKII as a Novel Regulator of Cardiometabolic Dysfunction,” Kimberly Ferrero, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

2nd place: “Cardiomyocyte Signaling Factors are Responsible for Heart-Fat Communication and Mediate the Development of Cardiometabolic Disease,” Stephanie Kereliuk, Temple University

2nd place: “An Elastin-like Polypeptide-fused Peptide Inhibits MMP-2 Activity at nM Concentrations with High Specificity” Adesanya Akinleye, University of Mississippi Medical Center

3rd place: “Efficacy of LSD1 Directed Agents is Enhanced with Kinase Signaling Inhibition in Glioblastoma Stem Cells,” Lea Stitzlein, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Pharmacological Rescue of Human Disease Mutations in KCNJ10 and KCNJ16 by Novel Kir4.1/5.1 Potentiator, VU0493206,” Samantha McClenahan, Vanderbilt University

2nd place: “Pharmacological and Genetic Preclinical Models of Ghrelin Receptor Functional Selectivity to Investigate Metabolic Disease Pathophysiology,” Joshua Gross, Duke University School of Medicine

3rd place: “Profiling Context-Dependent Activity of Allosteric Modulators at mGlu7,” Xia Lei, Vanderbilt University

Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Tenofovir Activation in Brain and Liver is Diminished in Creatine Kinase Brain-Type Knockout Mice,” Colten Eberhard, Johns Hopkins University

2nd place: “The Plasma Membrane Monoamine Transporter (PMAT) is Highly Expressed in Neuroblastoma and Functions as a Mitochondrial mIBG Transporter,” Leticia Vieira, University of Washington

2nd place: “Human Cytochrome P450 Interactions with Redox Partner Cytochrome P450 Reductase”, Sarah Burris-Hiday, University of Michigan

3rd place: “Development of Novel DIA Based Proteomics Tools for Quantification of Drug-protein Adducts,” Ellen Riddle, University of Washington

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Coupled with XCMS Online for High-throughput Detection and Identification of Drug Metabolites,” Dilip Singh, Washington State University

2nd place: “Metabolism of (-)-∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Chicken and Potential Exposure of THC and Its Metabolites to Humans,” Ziteng Wang, National University of Singapore

Division for Molecular Pharmacology

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “Structural and Functional Characterization of Phospholipase C β 3”, Kennedy Outlaw, Purdue University

2nd place: “Urothelial Knock-in of the Engineered Chloride Channel EG3RF as a Potential Treatment for Cystitis-Induced Bladder Inflammation,” Grace Ward, Emory University

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “N-cadherin Signaling via PI3Kβ-Akt3 Stabilizes Occludin Tight Junctions in the Blood-Brain Barrier,” Quinn Lee, University of Illinois Chicago

2nd place: “Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Spatiotemporal Mapping of Atypical P38 Reveals an Endosomal and Cytosolic Spatial Bias,” Jeremy Burton, University of Georgia Athens

3rd place: “The Adhesion GPCR GPR114/ADGRG5 is Activated by its Tethered-Peptide-Agonist Following Receptor Fragment,” Tyler Bernadyn, University of Michigan

Division for Neuropharmacology

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “Characterization of Novel Tryptamines’ Anxiolytic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Relation to their Psychoactive,” Catharine Carfagno, Louisiana State University

2nd place: “Characterizing the Role of Nicotine on SexSpecific Neural Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Reinforcement,” Grace Bailey, Vanderbilt University

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Nucleus Accumbens Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing Identifies Cell Subtype-Specific Maladaptations after Prolonged Spared Nerve Injury,” Randal Serafini, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

2nd place: “Sex Differences in GABA Regulation of Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens and its Role in Cocaine Use Disorder,” Brooke Christensen, Vanderbilt University

3rd place: “Butyrate Prevents Opioid Induced Peripheral Hypersensitivity via a Gut Dependent Mechanism,” Donald Jessup, Virginia Commonwealth University

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Antidepressants and Dopamine Levels Induced by Substance Misuse Regulate Inflammation and HIV in Myeloid Cells,” Stephanie Matt, Drexel University College of Medicine

2nd place: “Effect of Inhibition of Xenobiotic Transporter MRP5/ABCC5 on Neurite Elongation: Screening for MRP5 Inhibitors among Clinically Used Drugs,” Takahiro Ishimoto, Kanazawa University

3rd place: “Chronic Morphine and Fentanyl Induce Intestinal Dysbiosis by Decreasing the Antimicrobial Activity of the Ileum,” Karan Hitesh Muchhala, Virginia Commonwealth University

Division for Pharmacology Education

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Identifying Students’ Causal Mechanistic Reasoning (CMR) in Medical Pharmacology,” Rosalyn Bloch, Michigan State University

2nd place: “Acute and Subchronic GPR171 Agonism Affects Anxiety and Depression in Female Mice,” Megan Amber Lim, Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Division for Toxicology

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “Eugenol Protects Against DiclofenacInduced Hepatocellular Injury in an In Vitro Mouse Model,” Jaiden Martin, Pacific University

2nd place: “Cutaneous Exposures to Nitrogen Mustard in C57BL/6 Mice Cause Hematologic Toxicity that could lead to Acute and Long-term Effects,” Ellen Kim, Michigan State University

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “The Influence of Arsenic on Selenium Uptake by Red Blood Cell Anion Exchanger 1/SLC4A1 Variants,” Serena Li, University of Alberta

2nd place: “Mitragynine Pretreatment Prevents

Morphine-Induced Respiratory Depression,” Julio Zuarth Gonzalez, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

3rd place: “Nrf2-dependent and independent effects of tBHQ on dendritic cell function,” Saamera Awali, Michigan State University

Postdoctoral Scientist

1st place: “Differential Induction of Microsomal and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolases by Arsenic in Drinking Water,” Hui Li, Hui Li, University of Arizona

Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology

Undergraduate Students

1st place: “3D Reconstruction Reveals Changes in Mitochondrial Morphology in Mouse Skeletal Muscle Across Aging and Upon Loss of the MICOS Complex,” Kit Neikirk, University of Hawaii at Hilo

2nd place: “Excessive exercise increases metabolites associated with pathophysiologic changes in ultramarathon runners,” Mikolaj Marszalek, Medical University of Warsaw

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Chronic Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and Elevated Markers of Systemic Inflammation: Possible Neuroinflammatory and Genotoxic Effects,” Dina El-Gameel, Alexandria University Hospitals

2nd place: “Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) causes Erythropoietin Hyporesponsiveness,” Huixi Zou, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

3rd place: “Social stress causes the emergence of functional Histamine H3 Receptors in urinary bladder smooth muscle,” B Malique Jones, Michigan State University

Postdoctoral Scientist

1st place: “Acute restoration of respiratory function in mice with botulism after treatment with aminopyridines,” William McClintic, University of Tennessee

Oral Competition Award Winners

Division for Cancer Pharmacology

Young Investigator Symposium (Oral Sessions)

In the postdoctoral category, “finalist” prizes were awarded to Jingwen Zhu - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Maria Voronkova - West Virginia University, Vrushank Bhatt - Rutgers Cancer

Institute of New Jersey, Gavin Traber - UC Davis School of Medicine

Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Students

1st place: “Opposing Effects of ß2-ARs on ß1-ARs on Phospholipase C-mediated Cardiac Hypertrophic Signaling,” Wenhui Wei, University of Michigan

2nd place: “Delivery of Human ACE2 Across the Blood Brain Barrier Attenuated Development of Neurogenic Hypertension Using An Engineered Liposome-Based Delivery System,” Yue Shen, North Dakota State University

3rd place: “Angiotensin-(1-7) and Gut-Bone Marrow Axis in Aging,” Kishore Chittimalli, North Dakota State University

Postdoctoral Scientist

1st place: “Sexual Dimorphism of the Fasting Adipose: Mitigation of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Dysfunction in a Non-Obese Prediabetic Rat Model,” Haneen Dwaib, Palestine Ahliya University

2nd place: “ANGPTL4 attenuates hypoxia/ reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via activation of Akt signaling,” Weiyi Xia, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Division for Molecular Pharmacology

Division for Neuropharmacology

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Metabotropic mGlu1 Receptor Regulation of Cortical Inhibition and Cognitive Function: Implications in Adolescent Cocaine Exposure” Deborah Luessen, Vanderbilt University

2nd place: “Role and Regulation of BNST GluN2Dcontaining NMDARs in a Continuous Access Ethanol Task,” Marie Doyle, Vanderbilt University

3rd place: “Antidepressants and Dopamine Levels Induced by Substance Misuse Regulate Inflammation and HIV in Myeloid Cells,” Stephanie Matt, Drexel University College of Medicine

Honorable Mention- “Impact of Maternal Overnutrition in Central Nervous System Circuits That Regulate Feeding,” Sai Shilpa Kommaraju, Barrow Neurological Institute

Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology

Young Investigator Awards Platform (Oral Sessions)

In the Graduate Student category, prizes were awarded to Shams Osman – Alexandria University, Mikolaj Marszalek – Medical University of Warsaw, Yin Zhu – University of Pittsburgh, Kennedy Kuchinski –Xavier University

Postdoctoral Scientists

1st place: “Optimization of a Novel D2 Dopamine Receptor-Selective Antagonist into Lead Candidates for the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders,” Ashley Nilson, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and “Identification and Pharmacological Characterization of a Novel β-arrestin-biased Negative Allosteric Modulator of the β<-adrenergic Receptor,” Francesco De Pascali, Thomas Jefferson University