The graduate program in Pharmaceutical Sciences is the only degree program offering similar training in the state of Arkansas. One of the most important and necessary elements of the research enterprise is the education and development of the next generation of scientists and academicians.
Drug Discovery Focus curriculum is to develop scientists focused on the design, discovery and identification of novel drug molecules and targets, the elucidation pharmacological mechanisms of drug action, and the optimization of synthetic and natural product drug entities. Training in the Drug Discovery Track begins with coursework that is tailored to give each student a solid foundation in biochemical, pharmacological and medicinal chemistry aspects of drug discovery, yet is individualized by the student’s advisory committee.
Radiation Health research involves studying the interactions between ionizing radiation and various normal tissues of the human body and the development of pharmaceutical interventions that can prevent the adverse effects of radiation in normal tissues. The overall goal is to make radiation therapy more tolerable, more effective, and safer, and to provide highly effective, non-toxic pharmaceutical countermeasures against radiological and nuclear threats.