UVA Pharmacology Department

09/18/2026

We’re hiring! We seek candidates at the forefront of drug development, mechanisms of drug action, and novel pharmacological approaches who apply these tools to fundamental, exciting questions in biology. Apply today:

09/15/2026

Please come out and support Elzbieta Dulko and her Advisor, Dr. Mark Beenhakker as she presents her dissertation defense TODAY, September 15. Go Ela, Pharm is proud of you!

08/05/2026

Desai Lab Graduate Student John Duncan has received NIH F31 funding to study "TRPM7-V-ATPase coupling in endolysosomal acidification." His F31 research investigates how macrophages maintain the acidic endolysosomal compartments they use to break down pathogens and cellular debris. A proton pump acidifies these compartments, but its activity creates an electrical charge that restrains the pump. Using endolysosomal electrophysiology, I will directly test whether the ion channel TRPM7 relieves this electrical buildup, allowing the compartments to fully acidify. This research could reveal a fundamental new mechanism central to immune defense, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disease. John would also like to recognize the work of his mentee, Alexander Matthew Werner. He has been instrumental in this research and will continue to play an important role in the project. Congratulations John! Pharm is proud of you!

04/03/2026

Amazing things are happening in Dr. Dokholyan’s lab! His team is harnessing AI to transform how new drugs are developed. Big kudos to the entire group—Pharm is proud of you!

UVA’s Nikolay V. Dokholyan, PhD, and colleagues have developed a suite of artificial intelligence-powered tools, called YuelDesign, YuelPocket and YuelBond, that work together to transform how new drugs are created. The centerpiece, YuelDesign, uses a cutting-edge form of AI called diffusion model...

04/02/2026

Congrats, Dr. Beenhakker. Pharm is proud of you! Thank you for all that you do for our students. You are greatly appreciated!

Congratulations to Mark Beenhakker on his receipt of the 2026 UVA All-University Teaching Award! This award program is designed to recognize outstanding teaching in all schools of the University. The All-University Teaching Award is given for excellence in undergraduate, graduate, or professional te...

03/27/2026

Happening Today! Please come join us!

Pharmacology will be hosting our 2026 Joseph Larner Memorial Lecture this upcoming, Friday, March 27th at 9:30 AM in the PHCC in Pinn Hall. Breakfast will be served at 8:45am in 2ABC. Hope to see you there!

03/24/2026

Pharmacology will be hosting our 2026 Joseph Larner Memorial Lecture this upcoming, Friday, March 27th at 9:30 AM in the PHCC in Pinn Hall. Breakfast will be served at 8:45am in 2ABC. Hope to see you there!

03/03/2026

Proud to share that Bayliss Lab alumnus Adishesh Narahari has contributed to a vital analysis highlighting the critical need for sustained NIH funding to fuel biomedical research and future discoveries.

Check out the full story from our UVA Department of Pharmacology: https://med.virginia.edu/pharm/2026/03/03/bayliss-lab-alumnus-adishesh-narahari-contributes-to-analysis-on-importance-of-continued-nih-funding-for-research/

Great work, Adi—your insights underscore why robust funding supports the next generation of physician-scientists!

02/24/2026

Way to go Abbott Lab! Pharm is proud of you!

"What we found is that a loss of just a few hundred nerve cells leads to unstable blood pressure even though the mean blood pressure was normal,” said UVA’s Stephen Abbott, PhD, the lead investigator of the study. “This shows that the system that keeps blood pressure steady from moment to moment is no longer working.”

A group in University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology has identified a group of nerve cells in the brainstem – a region that controls vital automatic functions – that act as a stabilizing system for blood pressure. The new research suggests these cells help prevent ...

02/24/2026

Way to go, Dr. Schappe! Pharm is proud of you!
https://med.virginia.edu/pharm/2026/02/23/desai-lab-alumnus-dr-michael-schappe-receives-faculty-position/