Morris elected president of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Marilyn Morris, PhD, vice chair of the University at Buffalo Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been elected president of pharmaceutical sciences’ premier organization, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).

Morris says that she was honored to have been elected president of the AAPS.

“This position provides an opportunity for me to draw on my experience and background in the pharmaceutical sciences to provide vision and leadership to advance the association and meet the professional needs of our members,” says Morris. 

“Working with the association staff and volunteers, we will focus during the coming year on increasing global outreach and interactions with other scientific organizations, enhancing career and professional development, and, very importantly, developing and implementing innovative approaches for scientific programming and education. As a long-time member of AAPS, for me, it is a means of ‘paying it forward.’”

The AAPS is a professional, scientific society of approximately 12,000 members employed in industry, academia, government and other research institutes worldwide. Founded in 1986, AAPS provides a dynamic international forum for the exchange of knowledge among scientists to enhance their contributions to public health.

James M. O’Donnell, PhD, dean of the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, expressed what a prestigious accomplishment Morris’ AAPS presidency was.

“Dr. Morris’ election to the presidency of AAPS demonstrates the high regard in which she is held by her peers in the pharmaceutical sciences,” says O’Donnell who just recently named Morris vice chair of pharmaceutical sciences.

“This results from her outstanding research on drug transporters and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships that has been supported by highly competitive NIH grants, her mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and her service to the field. I feel fortunate to have her as a faculty member in the school and appreciate her willingness to take on a larger leadership role.”

Morris joined the faculty of the UB Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1985.

She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (2003), and is the recipient of a UB Distinguished Postdoctoral Mentor Award (2012), a Distinguished Alumni award from the University of Manitoba, Canada (2013), an AAPS Service Award from the Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism section (2010), a Faculty Service Award through the Pharmacy Leadership Society/Beta Omicron Chapter/UB (2010), a State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity (2006) and a nomination for Teacher of the Year, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2009).

 Her research focuses on membrane transport proteins, their influence on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, and their use as therapeutic targets. She has published extensively on renal transport, hepatobiliary transport and hepatic clearance models, and the ATP-dependent binding cassette and monocarboxylate transporters.

Morris’s recent research is focused on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of monocarboxylic acids, including the drug abuse of γ-hydroxybutyric acid. Other current research projects involve the dietary components flavonoids and organic isothiocyanates, with an emphasis on their potential for transport and metabolic drug interactions, and their role in cancer therapy and chemoprevention.

She received her PhD in pharmaceutics from UB in 1984 for her work on the pharmacokinetics of sulfate conjugation and inorganic sulfate with SUNY Distinguished Professor Gerhard Levy. After completion of the doctoral degree, Morris became a Medical Research Council fellow (1984- 85) at the University of Toronto, where she worked on drug metabolism in isolated perfused organ systems with K. Sandy Pang, PhD.