Message from the Chair
Welcome to the website for the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Utah, which is located in Salt Lake City at the foot of the beautiful Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. Pharmacology and Toxicology are integrative and interdisciplinary sciences that investigate the actions of chemical agents on living systems. These chemical agents can include endogenous molecules, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, materials in the environment that can produce adverse effects, as well as synthetic and naturally derived drugs that can treat human disease. Pharmacologists and Toxicologists have an exceptionally broad perspective and investigate virtually every organ system from the molecular to whole organism level. The mission of our Department is three-fold, and focuses on research, graduate and professional training, and service. The faculty of this department place a high priority on the teaching and research training of graduate students for the Ph.D. degree. Our program features close working relationships between individual students and their faculty mentor, rich and diverse research opportunities, and individualized programs of study based on the needs of the students. Doctoral graduates of our program gain employment in research and teaching positions at colleges and universities, engage in research and development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and have additional opportunities in research institutes, government agencies, environmental protection organizations, and many other arenas.
We invite you to examine our research and graduate training programs and we hope you obtain a sense of the exciting work taking place. Students with backgrounds in the biological or chemical sciences are strongly encouraged to apply for graduate study toward the Ph.D. degree. Karen Wilcox, Ph.D. Richard L. Stimson Presidential Professor and Chair.
Karen Wilcox, Ph.D.
Research Funding
The yearly research budget for the Department exceeds
$17 Million
Our research programs are heavily funded from a wide variety of sources including:
- The National Institutes of Health
- The National Science Foundation
- The Fogarty International Center
- The National Institute on Standards and Technology
- The Environmental Protection Agency
- The Department of Energy
- The Department of Justice
- The Department of Commerce
- The Epilepsy Foundation of America
- The U.S. and World Anti-Doping Agencies
- The National Football League
- The Whitehall Foundation
Along with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Our graduate students have successfully competed for fellowship support from:
- The National Institutes of Health
- The American Psychological Association
- The Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association of America
- The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education
Explore Pharmacology
As a leading academic center in the disciplines of Pharmacology and Toxicology, our vision is to advance the field and maintain excellence in the areas of research, teaching, training, and service to the College of Pharmacy, University, and overall Community. The Department is committed to promoting diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive, equitable environment within the Department and, more broadly, in Education and Science.
If you are a highly motivated and enquiring student who is seeking a career in the biomedical sciences and have a strong interest in making a major contribution to the understanding of both novel and current disease processes and the development of new therapies – then Explore Pharmacology.
