Second cohort of Purdue Pharma Scholars announced

UNMC Graduate Studies has announced its second cohort of Purdue Pharma Scholars, a program that provides funding for UNMC graduate students conducting neuroscience, pharmaceutical science or pain research.

UNMC recently hosted a delegation from Purdue Pharma. Front row, left, Jennifer Larsen, M.D., vice chancellor for research; Purdue Pharma Scholar Justin Grassmeyer; Purdue Pharma Scholar Lee Sleightholm; Max Kurz, Ph.D., associate professor, Munroe-Meyer Institute. Second row, from left, Pamela Carmines, Ph.D., assistant dean for graduate studies; Don Kyle, Ph.D., Purdue Pharma vice president of discovery research; Dele Davies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs; Purdue Pharma Scholar Jamie Gehringer; Purdue Pharma’s Kelley Waara-Wolleat, Pharm.D.; Purdue Pharma’s Hugh Huang, Ph.D.; Purdue Pharma’s Ozgur Akcan; Purdue Pharma’s Douglas Williams.

• Damian Daszynski, a third-year Ph.D. student in pharmaceutical sciences. A mentee of Peter Kador, Ph.D., Daszynski studies application of novel MFAO derivatives in targeting mitochondrial ROS production for neuroprotection. He has been honored with a Silver U award by UNMC, and a travel grant by the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics to present his work at their 13th Scientific Meeting in Florence, Italy;
• Dannah Miller, a second-year Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biology. A mentee of Ming-Fong Lin, Ph.D., she studies Novel CIL-102 derivatives as potential therapeutics for Docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer. She has two publications and is a UNMC Cancer Biology Training Grant Predoctoral Fellow. She recently attended the Redox Biology course at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

They join Jamie Gehringer, Justin Grassmeyer and Lee Sleightholm, UNMC’s inaugural Purdue Pharma Scholars.

The annual scholarships are just one aspect of larger, ongoing partnership between UNMC and Purdue Pharma L.P. Each student selected receives funding for a one-year graduate assistantship, as well as an additional scholarship of up to $10,000, half paid immediately and the rest paid when the student successfully competes for a national fellowship award (federal or national-society funding).

The scholars will have access to research facilities at Purdue Pharma during the year, with travel expenses paid by Purdue Pharma. Scholars will present their research at upcoming Purdue-UNMC Neuroscience Research Conferences, held annually on UNMC’s Omaha campus.

Purdue Pharma research personnel also will visit with the scholars on the UNMC campus at least once a year. In May, UNMC faculty and students hosted:

• Don Kyle, Ph.D., Purdue Pharma vice president of discovery research;
• Douglas Williams, director, alliance management, licensing and business development;
• Hugh Huang, Ph.D., director, pharmaceutics;
• Ozgur Akcan, lead scientist, pharmaceutics;
• Kelley Waara-Wolleat, Pharm.D., associate director, medical science liaison.

The relationship is a win-win, said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.: “Pharmaceutical companies are looking more toward academic medical centers like ours for the talented graduate students and research scientists who will develop the next generation of potential therapies and products.”

The greater partnership between UNMC and Purdue Pharma promotes, develops and expands research and educational exchange in the neurosciences, related to diseases of the central nervous system.

“The partnership blends UNMC’s extensive and growing expertise and training programs in many health disciplines with Purdue Pharma’s strong track record of drug discovery, formulation and development,” said Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dele Davies, M.D.

“Having more and deeper partnerships with industry is critical to helping our investigators understand and commercialize their intellectual property as well as help our investigators identify trainees that might be interested and prepared for job opportunities in the commercial sector,” said Vice Chancellor for Research Jennifer Larsen, M.D.