DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS

Dr. Manisha Patel steps into role of Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is excited to welcome Manisha Patel, PhD, as the new Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. With her 20 years of research experience, Dr. Patel is bringing a range of experiences and passion for answering the unknown.

“I love research, and its ability to make meaningful advances in addressing many challenging health problems we face,” Dr. Patel explained. “Scientific research is a journey initiated by questions for which the answers are unknown. This makes each day exciting and meaningful.”

Dr. Patel’s early love for science pushed her to pursue a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. Her pharmacy education during her undergraduate studies included substantial laboratory work that sparked her interest in research and pursuit of a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology.

“Following my PhD, I conducted my postdoctoral training in Neuroscience,” she said. “I applied for an open tenure-track position in the CU School of Pharmacy and was able to move my laboratory to our 9th Avenue campus in 2002. The research and education in the CU School of Pharmacy were perfectly suited with my background and future goals.”

This year Dr. Patel was recognized for her research work by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with the Faculty Research Excellence Award, and named the President of the American Epilepsy Society, and received a Javits Award in Neuroscience for her ongoing research from the National Institutes of Health.

“It was truly humbling to receive a Faculty Research Excellence Award from a group of highly talented and innovative researchers on the CU Anschutz campus.”

But Dr. Patel’s work never stops. She is committed to building on the school’s national and international reputation as well as the successful faculty and excellence in graduate education with her new Associate Dean position.

“This position offers the opportunity to grow the individual strengths of the faculty as well as build collaborative research teams. I believe basic, translational and outcomes-based research conducted by our faculty is the answer to many of our challenging health care issues,” she concludes. “Developing the next generation of researchers is also critical to this goal. I hope to have a meaningful impact on our research and graduate education missions by inspiring and motivating faculty and trainees to achieve their full research potential regardless of personal or professional backgrounds.”