Pharmacy Faculty Researcher Earns Award
April 26, 2016
A Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) School of Pharmacy founding faculty member, Dr. Xinyu (Eric) Wang, was recently named one of 14 recipients of the 2016 American Association of Colleges
of Pharmacy (AACP) New Investigator Awards.
The AACP New Investigator Awards provide start-up funding for faculty research programs;
Dr. Wang was awarded $10,000 to support his research on multiple myeloma, a plasma
cell cancer characterized by the accumulation of malignant cells in bone marrow. It
is estimated that 20 percent of human death related to blood and bone marrow cancers
are consequences of multiple myeloma, and the disease remains incurable due to drug
resistance. Dr. Wang said, “I think that there is a great need to identify new therapeutic
strategies that inhibit the progression of multiple myeloma disease without significant
drug resistance and eventually increase quality of life and survival of multiple myeloma
patients.”
His focus, he explained, is on the discovery and development of such new therapeutic
agents with the potential to treat multiple myeloma. “What I hope to accomplish is
to identify potential drug candidates from natural sources with anti-myeloma effects
and elucidate their mechanism of action,” he said.
Dr. Xinyu (Eric) Wang was recently named a 2016 American Association of Colleges of
Pharmacy (AACP) New Investigator Award recipient.
Nationwide, junior faculty members within five years of their assistant professor
appointment at any School of Pharmacy are qualified to apply for the AACP New Investigator
Award, making it a competitive process. Dr. Wang was pleased to receive the award
and see his research recognized as grants can be difficult to obtain. “Funding opportunities
are particularly limited at this time for a new school that has recently received
accreditation,” he said. “The award of funding for this project provides great support
to my research endeavors and allows me to establish my own track record of research
in this field.”
Dr. Wang, who joined PCOM School of Pharmacy in 2010 as an assistant professor just
before the start of the inaugural PharmD class, has witnessed and contributed to the
development of the program and its achievement of full accreditation. He said, “As
a founding faculty member at PCOM School of Pharmacy, I devoted myself to the development
of an effective and rigorous curriculum and focused on student teaching and learning.”
His efforts in teaching are highly appreciated by PharmD students who chose him as
Teacher of the Year in 2014. Dr. Wang has served on many college committees including
curriculum, assessment, admissions, scholarship and awards, faculty search, academic
appeal, diversity and ACPE self-study.
“Now that I have been with PCOM School of Pharmacy more than five years, I truly have
learned and gained experience in academia. I am glad to see my efforts in both teaching
and research are paying off. I highly appreciate the great support provided from both
PCOM and our School of Pharmacy.”
About PCOM Georgia
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private,
not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year
history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County),
PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical
therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science
and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in
helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach
to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education
and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center,
an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment.
For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Contact Us
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
Connect with PCOM Georgia