Basic science and clinical research faculty members explore many different cellular and body processes in their search for answers to challenging basic science and health-related questions. Enjoy meeting these brilliant men and women as they describe (in plain English) what drives them in their chosen research fields and the positive impact they are making for Arkansas and the nation. Click “play” to watch a brief YouTube video.

Addiction, Drug Design/Discovery, and Drug Toxicity

Cesar Compadre, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
Research Interest: Bioactive compounds  from natural origin; Medicinal chemistry

 

W. Brooks Gentry, M.D.
Professor, Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Drug abuse treatments affecting concentration/time in the body

 

 

 

Eric Peterson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine
Research Interests: Antibody-based medications to treat chronic and acute methamphetamine (METH) abuse

 

 

 

William E. Fantegrossi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine
Research Interests: Behavioral pharmacology; Drug interactions

Aging

Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Director Reynolds Inst. on Aging; Chair, Geriatrics, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Effects of aging on the heart

 

 

 

Birth Defects & Development

Donald Mock, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Nutrition of biotin and human development

 

 

 

Bone

Stavros C. Manolagas, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Dir., Endocrinology and Metabolism, Osteoporosis/ Metabolic Bone Diseases Center, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Vitamin D metabolism, immune system, osteoporosis

Roy Morello, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Bone formation and disease/osteoporosis

Charles O’Brien, Ph.D.
Professor, Div. of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for osteoporosis

Cancer

Robert Griffin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of Radiation Biology Div., College of Medicine
Research Interest: Blood flow response, tissue oxygenation and cancer growth/metastasis in response to experimental therapeutics

 

 

 

Alan Tackett, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research Interest: Epigenetics, proteomics and cancer

Cardiovascular

Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D.
Professor, Chair, Pharmacology/Toxicology, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Calcium ion abnormalities and high blood pressure

 

 

 

Jean McSweeney, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, FAAN
Professor, Director, Nursing Ph.D. program, College of Nursing
Research Interest: Coronary heart disease in women including symptoms, risk factors and biomarkers; cardiac rehabilitation, bio-behavioral intraventions

Marjan Boerma, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
Research Interest: Radiation-induced heart disease, and medical countermeasures against radiological/nuclear accidents

 

 

 

Steven Post, Ph.D.
Director, Experimental Pathology Division, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Cardiovascular and inflammation

 

 

 

Jerry Ware, Ph.D.
Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine
Research Interests: clarify the role of platelets in hemostasis, thrombosis and in the development of cardiovascular disease

Infectious Disease

Philip R. Mayeux, Ph.D.
Professor, Director of Education, Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine
Research Interests: Kidney infections and damage from sepsis

Mark S. Smeltzer, Ph.D.
Professor, Director, Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Inflammatory Responses (CMPHIR), Microbiology & Immunology; Dept. of Orthopedics, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Staphylococcus aureus infections

 

 

 

Jason Stumhofer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Microbiology& Immunology, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Malaria

Daniel Voth, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, College of Medicine Research Interest: Coxiella burnetii

Liver

Kevin D. Raney, Ph.D.
Professor, Chair, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Protein interactions, aging, hepatitis

 

 

 

Stroke

Michael Borrelli, Ph.D.
Professor, Director, Radiology Research, College of Medicine
Research Interest: Ultrasound/microbubbles to destroy clots and cancer; Nanoscience