Pharmaceutical Sciences

The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences subsumes several specialty areas: pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry, natural products/pharmacognosy, and physiology/pharmacology. Pharmaceutics is that area of pharmacy associated with the following: designing various dosage forms for delivery of drugs; determining drug storage and stability; and evaluating the effects of administration and formulation factors on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs in humans. Medicinal chemistry is a science that is unique to pharmacy because it is a hybridization of the physical, chemical, biochemical, analytical, and pharmacological principles employed in explaining the mechanisms of drug action and drug design. The application of principles associated with medicinal chemistry provides the professional undergraduate student with a firm basis for his/her career in pharmacy. Pharmacognosy is that pharmaceutical science concerned with the biological, chemical, and therapeutic uses of drugs obtained from plants, microbes, and animals.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is to empower students with the foundation of knowledge essential to the professional pharmacy curriculum. While providing the highest quality instruction in pharmaceutical sciences, the faculty introduces and develops skills of critical thinking, problem solving and life-long learning in future pharmacists. The members of the faculty serve as role models, nurturing interpersonal skills in pharmacy students during their professional development. In turn, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences enhances the scholarly development of these faculty members by encouraging them to strive for excellence in critical inquiry. The Department also endeavors to contribute significantly to the CSU-COP by excelling in service both within and outside of the College.