College of PharmacyAt a Glance
The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy is training the nation’s next generation of pharmacists and health scientists. In addition to providing an ACPE-accredited pharmacy education, our school is leading clinical, entrepreneurial and research efforts designed to boost South Carolina’s health outcomes and communities our graduates go on to serve.
Students are well-prepared for traditional and nontraditional pharmacy settings within one-of-a-kind centers, labs and experiences. Our faculty and staff are internationally renowned for clinical innovation, patient care and for empowering pharmacy students to transform health care globally.
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Research by two college of pharmacy assistant professors aimed at new therapies for depression, stress and anxiety.
Alessandra Porcu and Chase Francis, faculty members at the University of South Carolina's College of Pharmacy, are conducting groundbreaking research aimed at developing new therapies for depression, stress, and anxiety. Their work, supported by a developmental research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, explores how circadian rhythms and brain regions like the nucleus accumbens affect mental health. Porcu's research focuses on how blue light exposure, particularly from screen devices, disrupts the adolescent brain, while Francis investigates how circadian rhythm-driven changes in the nucleus accumbens contribute to mood disorders. Together, their findings could lead to new treatments that address the underlying causes of these conditions.
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Renewed grants, funding growth solidify College of Pharmacy's research leadership
The College of Pharmacy, driven by faculty like Jun Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., and Hippokratis Kiaris, continues to lead in pharmaceutical research with $13 million in sponsored awards in 2024, a 67% increase from last year. Zhu’s groundbreaking work on HIV-related cognitive care recently earned a $3.8 million NIH grant, while Kiaris’ COBRE Center has facilitated over $50 million in research funding. Their efforts contribute to USC’s record $309 million in research funding, solidifying its reputation for global health impact.
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Podcast: Pharmacy students head to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Two College of Pharmacy students are also members of the Carolina Coquettes dance team, and they have an exciting trip coming up in November. Logan Acker and Lexi Baldinger will be part of “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast” as it takes part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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2024 rural health faculty experts
More than a quarter of South Carolina residents live in rural areas and must overcome greater health care challenges than their urban counterparts. USC faculty members are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
Disease Fighters
Our faculty includes top researchers in areas such as cancer treatment, pharmaceutical chemistry, genomics, neuroscience and pharmacology. In centers such as the COBRE Center for Targeted Therapeutics, talented junior scientists are collaborating to develop new and more effective classes of drugs used to combat disease.
RESEARCH
