Mager named chair of pharmaceutical sciences

Donald E. Mager has been appointed chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, effective July 11.

Mager, an internationally recognized pharmaceutical scientist with a record of accomplishment in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, received his BS in pharmacy from UB in 1991 and his PharmD and PhD from UB in 2000 and 2002. He completed post-graduate training as an Intramural Research Training Fellow at the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation in 2004.

He was first appointed to the faculty in 2004, granted tenure and associate professor in 2010, and promoted to full professor in 2016 and began his tenure as vice-chair in 2017. During his tenure, he served as interim director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,

Mager is also a graduate faculty member in experimental therapeutics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and currently serves as President and CEO of Enhanced Pharmacodynamics, LLC.

In his past work as vice chair of the department, Mager played a key role in developing and maintaining strong relationships throughout the pharmaceutical industry, along with increasing understanding and appreciation of the unique role the department has played in the development of contemporary pharmaceutical sciences. As chair, he will continue to strengthen these important roles as well as focus on the leadership of the department in drug development and other trending areas within the pharmaceutical sciences.

“Don joins a long line of truly distinguished chairs to emerge from the faculty. I have profound respect for the history of this department and its unique role in the development of the pharmaceutical sciences, and unbounded optimism for its continued success under Don’s stewardship,” said Gary Pollack, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“I also want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Marilyn Morris, who has provided outstanding leadership as chair for the past six years. She is leaving an extremely strong foundation upon which Don can build.”

Morris led many key initiatives during her six years as chair, including the establishment of a program in systems pharmacology, protein engineering and biologically-based drug delivery supported by a $1 million investment from the State University of New York Empire Innovation Program, along with the launch of a new Master of Science degree program in pharmacometrics and personalized medicine.

Mager has a strong history of leadership, collaboration and service. He has been an associate/consulting editor of Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Pharmacology, Research and Perspectives.

He has served on the board of directors of the International Society of Pharmacometrics and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology and has held significant leadership roles at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and is a fellow and former president of the International Society of Pharmacometrics.

He is currently a fellow and president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, and is an appointed fellow within multiple scientific organizations including the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and the International Pharmaceutical Federation.

“I am deeply humbled and honored to be named the next chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. I would like to add my appreciation for Dr. Marilyn Morris and past chairs Drs. William Jusko and Ho-Leung Fung for their outstanding stewardship,” says Mager.

“Our department has a rich tradition of excellence, and I am excited to be working with all members of our department and school in upholding this tradition while advancing the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in pursuit of innovative and improved therapeutics.”

Mager is a research leader in systems pharmacology and pharmacodynamics. His significant contributions include creating new theoretical concepts and applications related to target-mediated drug disposition, assessing properties of monoclonal antibodies, and developing cancer chemotherapy models.

He has received consistent federal and industry funding over his career, published over 155 articles in peer reviewed journals and has been an invited presenter at over two hundred national and international meetings and symposia.