News Archive

Ten new academic staff drive School of Pharmacy forwards – University of Reading

With its first intake of Masters students due in October 2005, the University of Reading's newly established School of Pharmacy has recently recruited a host of high quality core pharmacy academic staff. It is hoped that they will help shape Pharmacy at Reading into one of the country's best schools. Professor Gavin Brooks, head of the School, said: "We have recruited both externally and internally to create a leading School of Pharmacy, which will benefit from its proximity to the University's internationally-renowned research groups in biomedical sciences, medicinal chemistry and food biosciences. "This new grouping of academics is looking forward to welcoming our new students and helping to produce the next generation of the nation's pharmacists." The academic staff who recently have joined the School (or will be joining shortly) include: Dr Angela Alexander who worked as a consultant within pharmacy practice, education and research before joining the University earlier this year as a Senior Lecturer in Medicines Management. Her research interests include evaluation of pharmacy training and service development. Dr Andre Cobb joins the University as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Previously working at the University of Cambridge with Professor Steven Ley, Dr Cobb's research interests include design and synthesis of multivalent ligands for protein interaction and asymmetric organocatalysis as applied to the synthesis of biologically active compounds. Dr Rebecca Green was a Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at the University of Reading before taking up her position as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy. Her research interests address the need to understand complex biological interactions that occur at interfaces - these include antimicrobial peptide binding to lipid membranes, protein adsorption to synthetic biomaterials and dendritic polymer drug delivery systems. Ms Vanessa Hayward currently is a tutor for the Royal College of General Practioners (RCGP) Certificate in the Management of Drug Misuse in Primary Care. She shortly will be taking up a role as a Lecturer in Medicines Management at Reading. Her research interests include substance misuse, new roles for pharmacists and CPD for pharmacists. Dr Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy joins the University as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics. He moves to Reading from the University of Manchester, and his research interests include: polymers for pharmaceutical application, biomaterials, drug delivery systems, water-soluble and amphiphilic polymers, polymer complexes, hydrogels, polymer blends, polymer colloids, stimuli-responsive polymers and radiation chemistry of polymers. Dr Cornelius Krasel was a Research Fellow at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, before joining Reading as a Lecturer in Pharmacology. His interests include the desensitisation and internalisation of G-protein-coupled receptors, as well as the application of fluorescent proteins to study intracellular signalling. Dr Helen Osborn was a Reader in Medicinal Chemistry within Reading's School of Chemistry until her move into Pharmacy where she has taken up the role of Director of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Her research interests include the synthesis of carbohydrate based therapeutics and the design of novel prodrugs for the treatment of cancer. Dr Gary Stephens is currently a Wellcome Trust Fellow at University College, London. He will join Reading in September as a Lecturer in Pharmacology. Dr Stephens' principal research interest is in using electrophysiology to investigate presynaptic mechanisms of synaptic transmission, in particular the modulation of voltage-dependent calcium channels and G protein-coupled receptors. Dr Ben Whalley joins Reading as a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice from the London School of Pharmacy where he was a Research Fellow. His research interests focus on developmental aspects of epilepsy and medicines management. Professor Liz Williamson was a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy at the University of London's School of Pharmacy. Her research interests relate to the medical uses of natural medicines and insecticidal effects of natural products. Her role at Reading is as Director of Pharmacy Practice. The School, which was launched in January 2005, is equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. It will help meet the national need for newly trained pharmacists by providing pharmacy education, training, research and service development. The School is subdivided into five disciplines: pharmacology; pharmaceutical chemistry; pharmaceutics; pharmacy practice; and postgraduate education. As well as the four-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programme, the School provides postgraduate education, such as the RPSGB-accredited course on Supplementary Prescribing for Pharmacists, which began in January. End Notes for editors 1. More details about the School of Pharmacy are available at the following website: http://www.pharmacy.rdg.ac.uk 2. The opening of the School of Pharmacy is just one of a number of exciting developments in the life sciences at the University of Reading. For further details please see the press release: http://www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/news/details.asp?ID=539 3. For media enquiries, please contact Craig Hillsley, the University's press officer. T: 0118 378 7388 E: c.hillsley@reading.ac.uk