UArizona College of Pharmacy Ranked No. 7 by American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy has been ranked No. 7 in the nation by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy based on grants and contracts awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for fiscal year 2020.

This ranking represents a consistent effort by the college to center research as a primary component of its mission and strategic plan.  

“We have had a sharp rise in the success of our faculty at obtaining the most competitive NIH grants over the last few years. That success is the direct result of the hard work and ingenuity of our outstanding faculty,” said Nathan Cherrington, PhD, ATS, associate dean of research at the UArizona College of Pharmacy. “What’s even more impressive is the exciting science at the root of new therapeutics, molecular mechanisms, environmental health and clinical outcomes. We are truly fulfilling the mission of our college as a worldwide leader in improving the health of all people.”    

The college received more than $17.2 million from NIH agencies, including the National Institutes of Aging, National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and National Institute of Nursing Research, among others. This is in addition to the significant funding from other federal agencies and nonfederal grants.

“Despite the uncertainty of this past year, the college has continued to prioritize enhancing our research efforts for the betterment of human health,” said Rick G. Schnellmann, PhD, dean of the UArizona College of Pharmacy. “As part of our efforts, we have begun recruitment for six new endowed chair positions, completed the expansion of our Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, and grown the footprint of the Arizona Center for Drug Discovery. These efforts have helped position the college as a global leader in pharmacy education.”

NIH-funded research in progress at the UArizona College of Pharmacy includes studies exploring:  

• A dual-inhibitor strategy for treating COVID-19 
• Poorly understood fungal asthma triggers
• Novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
• Treatments for arsenic-induced lung cancer and type 2 diabetes
• The development of a mobile application to provide greater autonomy for older adults
• The identification of key enzymes for unlocking cancer treatments 

These are in addition to continued research, community outreach and pilot studies in environmental health sciences through the Southwest Environmental Health Science Center.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy NIH grant rankings are based on information compiled from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool and includes all funded research grants awarded to principal investigators in U.S. at colleges and schools of pharmacy. 

“This ranking is a reflection of the incredible talent we have here at the College of Pharmacy,” Dean Schnellmann said.