Research
Student Research Accomplishments
GRADUATE STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AFPE Awards 2 Mercer Pharmacy Students
The Board of Directors and Board of Grants of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education have approved pharmaceutical science education awards totaling $375,000 to fifty-four Pharm.D. degree students, Ph.D. degree pharmaceutical science graduate students, and pharmacy faculty researchers at twenty-eight schools & colleges of pharmacy during the 2009-2010 academic year. More >
Find out more about the recipients and their work >
Pharmacy Student Receives AFPE Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Delaram Moshkelani, student
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Delaram Moshkelani is one of the recipients of the prestigious 2009 AFPE (American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education) Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Science awards. The primary goal of the AFPE Fellowship program is to identify and support those students who have the potential to become leaders in the pharmaceutical profession. The selection process encompasses academic achievement (e.g., grades), as well as accomplishments that reflect the stature of the "total individual."
Delaram is currently a second-year student at Mercer University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, pursuing a dual degree in Pharm.D./Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She received her B.A. in chemistry with Magna cum Laude from Mercer University in 2006. Delaram’s undergraduate senior research project was in structure/function pharmacology of cancer and enzyme kinetics with Dr. Thomas, assistant professor at Mercer University School of Medicine. Her abstract was among the top 10% abstracts selected for an oral presentation in the 2006 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston. In addition, they published this research in 2008, titled “Structure/function of the inhibition of human 3 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and type 2 by trilostane” in The Journal of Steroid Biochemeistry and Molecular Biology.
Her current Ph.D. research in Dr. Zhang’s lab involves the synthesis and targeted delivery of a drug-inhibitor nanoparticle conjugate for reversal of multidrug resistance in cancer therapy. MDR is the most challenging obstacle in achieving an effective chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer. By using a novel conjugate nanoparticle vehicle delivery system, targeting as well as increased permeability and retention can be achieved to overcome MDR and improve the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Her research interests include controlled release, nanoparticle delivery, pharmacokinetics, and pharmaceutical chemistry. Delaram anticipates pursuing a career in pharmaceutical research in conjunction with pharmacy clinical practice, in the future.
Mercer MSTCO Student's Publishes Her Research
Elizabeth Filippo, graduate
School of Engineering, MSTCO
Elizabeth Filippo took the capstone course in her Master of Science in Technical Communication (MSTCO) degree during the summer of 2008. In completing this course, she had the unique opportunity to apply research and theory to her workplace.
One of Filippo’s deliverables for the course, an article titled “The Road to Personas,” explains her findings. The article was recently published in the January 2009 issue of the Society for Technical Communication’s Intercom magazine. It details the journey involved in creating personas for the development group and the way the lessons learned in the process were passed on to make the project a success. More >
Master of Public Health Poster Research Day
Students enrolled in the Master of Public Health 792 research course presented their final projects as a part of Poster Research Day on April 3, 2009. Students are challenged to confront complex health issues, such as improving access to health care, controlling infectious disease, and reducing environmental hazards, violence, substance abuse, and injury.
The list of poster titles, participants, and photos are available. More >
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Student Participation in Southern Writers, Southern Writing Conference
Two undergraduate students, Eleta Andrews and Eva Walton, presented papers at the Southern Writers, Southern Writing Conference. The conference was held at the Unviersity of Mississippi during the third week of July 2009. Andrews' paper was entitled "Lillian Smith: Strange Fruit and Spirituality," and Walton's paper was "'Some Make You Want to Dance Your Way to Freedom': Guy Carawan and the Development of Freedom Songs." See the abstracts from these papers >
Undergraduate Chemistry Students Present at the National Organic Chemistry Symposium
In June 2009, Justin Peterson (BMB '10) and Luke Cohen (BMB '10) presented their research findings to date at the National Organic Chemistry Symposium, a biennial conference sponsored by the Division of Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society.
Peterson and Cohen have been conducting research with Dr. Bridget Trogden since their sophomore years at Mercer. They are researching the synthesis of fluorophore-labeled carbohydrates for a malarial assay.
The Undergraduate Research Symposium
This annual event includes poster presentations by Macon campus undergraduate students in the University Center's Heritage Hall. The event involved students from the College of Liberal Arts, School of Engineering, and School of Medicine.
Mercer Undergraduate Biomedical Scholars (MUBS) Training Initiative
The Mercer Undergraduate Biomedical Scholar (MUBS) Training Initiative at Mercer University is an intensive, 10-week summer program designed to provide qualified undergraduates the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research early in their academic careers. Students in the program pursue their career goals in modern biomedical research by working directly in the laboratory with faculty mentors. Participating MUBS faculty are drawn from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts, the Mercer University School of Medicine, and the Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The unique, interdisciplinary nature of the program exposes students to several areas of research and provides a solid foundation for future work in the research laboratory. Visit http://www2.mercer.edu/mubs for more information and a list of available research projects.