UB to offer unique graduate pharmacy degree

BUFFALO, NY — The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has launched a new Masters in Pharmacometrics and Personalized Pharmacotherapy program.

The 30-credit degree, beginning this fall, is one of the only “seated” — classroom-based — programs in the country offering this unique course content. Internationally renowned pharmaceutical scientist and SUNY Distinguished Professor William Jusko, PhD, will serve as director.

“Pharmacometricians play a critical role in drug discovery and development in research institutes, pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies and academia,” says Donald Mager, PharmD, PhD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Students in this program will master the skills to optimize drug therapy, allowing for the provision of precision medicine and individualized therapies.”

The program will provide advanced training in pharmacokinetics — the study of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs — and pharmacodynamics, which is the study of drug effects and toxicity in treatment of diseases.

Students will receive not only conceptual training but also practical course work, including hands-on computational training that integrates health and biomedical data and opportunities to partner in high-level research, giving students real-world work experience.

“This unique program draws on the strengths of our school and offers both theoretical training and hands-on experience,” says James M. O'Donnell, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“It provides an excellent opportunity for PharmD students to augment their education, as well as for pharmacy and pharmaceutical science graduates in academia, regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry to gain new skills.”

For more information on the MS in Pharmacometrics and Personalized Pharmacotherapy, visit https://bit.ly/2NBSdpC.