Graduate Alumni

Departmental Alumni

Dr Michelle Arnot
Graduated PhD in 1998
Graduate research: Benzodiazepines And The GABA_A Receptor
Current employment position: Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto

Dr Sridhar Balasubramanyan
Joined our graduate program in 2002; graduated PhD in 2006
Undergraduate degree: B.Pharm., Chennai, India; MSc in Pharmacology, NIPER, India
Graduate research: Changes in the properties of substantia gelatinosa neurons induced by peripheral nerve injury
Current employment position: Pharmacist, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Washington State, USA

Dr Christian R Carter
Joined our graduate program in 2004; graduated PhD in 2010
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Specialization) in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Cys loop receptor pharmacology: alterations in agonist or receptor structure may provide insight into receptor activation
Current employment position: Clinical Research Coordinator, The Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre (NACTRC)

Dr Po-Yin Cheung
Graduated PhD in 1998
Undergraduate degree: MBBS, University of Hong Kong, 1985
Graduate research: Novel Interventions In The Heart And Platelets
Current employment position: Professor, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Dr Jason Derry
Joined our graduate program in 1999; graduated PhD in 2004.
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Honors) in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Structure-function relationships of the benzodiazepine binding site on the GABA-A receptor
First employment position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Current employment position: Manager, Corporate Planning at Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, Government of Alberta

Dr Ahmed Fawzy El-Yazbi
Joined our graduate program in 2004; graduated PhD in 2007
Undergraduate degree: BPSc, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University
First employment position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Current employment position: Associate-Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Egypt

Dr Robert A Holt
Joined our graduate program in 1993; graduated PhD in 1997
Undergraduate degree: BSc in Life Sciences, University of British Columbia
Graduate research: Molecular characterization of GABA-A receptors
First employment position: Laboratory Manager, Celera Genomics
Current employment position: Head of Sequencing, Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency

Dr Jay Jaswal
Joined our graduate program in 2000; graduated PhD in 2007
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Honors) in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Regulation of cardiac energy metabolism and ischemia reperfusion injury by stress-responsive protein kinases
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Mazankowski Heart Institute, University of Alberta

Dr Lori Jennings
Graduated PhD in 1996
First employment position: Assistant Project Scientist, UCSD Pharmacology, La Jolla, USA
Current Position: Senior Investigator II-Molecular Profiling, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, USA

Dr Paul Jurasz
Joined our graduate program in 1998; graduated PhD in 2002
Undergraduate degree: BSc in Biological Sciences, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Tumour cell-induced platelet aggregation
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas Institute of Molecular Medicine
Current position: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta

Dr Terry P Kenakin
Joined our graduate program in 1971; graduated PhD in 1975
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Honors) in Chemistry, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Mechanisms of histamine receptor antagonists
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, laboratory of Professor Sir James Black, University College London, UK
Current position: Principal Research Scientist, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Research Triangle Park, USA

Dr Samuel B Kombian
Graduated PhD in 1992
Undergraduate degree: BPharm (Honors), KN(UST), Kumasi, Ghana
Graduate research: Hydrogen Sulphide Actions On CNS Tissue
First employment position: Human Frontiers Postdoctoral Fellowship, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, USCF, San Francisco
Current position: Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Kuwait University, Kuwait

Dr Janna Kozuska
Joined our graduate program in 2003; graduated PhD in 2007
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Specialization) in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Activated states of the GABA-A receptor
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Dundee, Scotland
Current position: Quality Assurance Manager, CTIRC, University of Alberta

Dr Saobo Lei
Graduated PhD in 1997
Graduate research: Trophic Regulation of Ion Channels
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto, National Institutes of Health
Current position: Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota

Dr Van B Lu
Joined our graduate program in 2003; graduated PhD in 2007
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Honors) in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: Role of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the generation of central sensitization and neuropathic pain
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA

Dr Daniel E Lopes de Menezes
Joined our graduate program in 1993; graduated PhD in 1998
Graduate research: Targeting of Immunoliposomal Doxorubicin
First employment position: NCI Canada & Terry Fox Postdoctoral Fellow, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC
Current position: Senior Scientist, Biologics Drug Discovery, Brystol-Myers Squibb, San Fransisco, USA

Dr Puja Sapra
Joined our graduate program in 1999; graduated PhD in 2003
Undergraduate degree: BSc, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Graduate research: Antibody-Targeted Liposomal Anticancer Drugs
Current position: Senior Director, Oncology Research Unit, Pfizer, New York, USA

Dr Rick Schulz
Graduated PhD in 1989
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Chemistry), Univ. of Calgary, 1982
Graduate research: Arachidonate Metabolism In Cerebral Arteries
Current employment position: Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta

Dr Mee-Sook Song
Graduated PhD in 2005
Graduate research: Regulation Of Neuronal Apoptosis in Physiological and Pathological Conditions
Current position: Research Scientist, Field Neurosciences Institute. St. Mary's of Michigan, USA

Dr Darrin Stuart
Graduated PhD in 1999
Graduate research: Development of Novel Liposomal Formulations of asODN
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
Current position: Director Cell Biology - Small Molecule Drug Discovery, Novartis, Cambridge, USA

Dr Raymond Tam
Joined our graduate program in 2009; graduated MSc in 2011
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Honors) 2008 in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Graduate research: MSc 2011 in Pharmacology, University of Alberta
Current position: Resident (Family Medicine), Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada

Dr Haitao You
Joined our graduate program in 2003; graduated PhD in 2008
Undergraduate degree: BSc in Pharmacology, Fudan University, China; MSc in Neuropharmacology, University of Bristol, UK
Graduate research: GABA-A receptor characterisation
First employment position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary
Current position: MBA Candidate, Hayskayne School of Business, University of Calgary