UVA Pharmacology Department

Amazing things are happening in Dr. Dokholyan’s lab! His team is harnessing AI to transform how new drugs are developed. Big kudos to the entire group—Pharm is proud of you!

New AI Technology to Speed Drug Development - Department of Pharmacology UVA’s Nikolay V. Dokholyan, PhD, and colleagues have developed a suite of artificial intelligence-powered tools, called YuelDesign, YuelPocket and YuelBond, that work together to transform how new drugs are created. The centerpiece, YuelDesign, uses a cutting-edge form of AI called diffusion model...

Congrats, Dr. Beenhakker. Pharm is proud of you! Thank you for all that you do for our students. You are greatly appreciated!

Dr. Mark Beenhakker Awarded with the UVA 2026 All-University Teaching Award - Department of Pharmacology Congratulations to Mark Beenhakker on his receipt of the 2026 UVA All-University Teaching Award! This award program is designed to recognize outstanding teaching in all schools of the University. The All-University Teaching Award is given for excellence in undergraduate, graduate, or professional te...

Happening Today! Please come join us!

Pharmacology will be hosting our 2026 Joseph Larner Memorial Lecture this upcoming, Friday, March 27th at 9:30 AM in the PHCC in Pinn Hall. Breakfast will be served at 8:45am in 2ABC. Hope to see you there!

Pharmacology will be hosting our 2026 Joseph Larner Memorial Lecture this upcoming, Friday, March 27th at 9:30 AM in the PHCC in Pinn Hall. Breakfast will be served at 8:45am in 2ABC. Hope to see you there!

Proud to share that Bayliss Lab alumnus Adishesh Narahari has contributed to a vital analysis highlighting the critical need for sustained NIH funding to fuel biomedical research and future discoveries.

Check out the full story from our UVA Department of Pharmacology: https://med.virginia.edu/pharm/2026/03/03/bayliss-lab-alumnus-adishesh-narahari-contributes-to-analysis-on-importance-of-continued-nih-funding-for-research/

Great work, Adi—your insights underscore why robust funding supports the next generation of physician-scientists!

Way to go Abbott Lab! Pharm is proud of you!

"What we found is that a loss of just a few hundred nerve cells leads to unstable blood pressure even though the mean blood pressure was normal,” said UVA’s Stephen Abbott, PhD, the lead investigator of the study. “This shows that the system that keeps blood pressure steady from moment to moment is no longer working.”

Abbott Lab and Collaborators Map Brain’s Blood Pressure Control Center - Department of Pharmacology A group in University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology has identified a group of nerve cells in the brainstem – a region that controls vital automatic functions – that act as a stabilizing system for blood pressure. The new research suggests these cells help prevent ...

Way to go, Dr. Schappe! Pharm is proud of you!
https://med.virginia.edu/pharm/2026/02/23/desai-lab-alumnus-dr-michael-schappe-receives-faculty-position/

Please come out and support Synphane Shelton and her Advisor, Dr. Eyo Ukpong as she presents her dissertation defense on Monday, February 16th, 2026 at 2:10 PM in Mckim 1023

Please come out and support Michael Lemke and her Advisor, Dr. Thurl Harris as he presents his dissertation defense on Monday, November 24th, 2025 at 2:00 PM....

Congratulations to Norbert Leitinger on being honored at the 2025 Faculty Awards Ceremony as a School of Medicine Endowed Professorship Electee- Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Pharmacology . Well-deserved honor! Pharm is proud! https://news.med.virginia.edu/featured/school-of-medicine-faculty-honored-at-2025-faculty-awards-ceremony/

The Pharmacology department sends kudos to Dr. Richard Mailman and his team on developing a brain-penetrating drug that specifically targets the D1 dopamine receptor. AbbVie has now submitted an NDA to the FDA for Tavapadon, the first new Parkinson’s treatment in over 50 years. Check out the full story below. Way to go, Mailman Lab! Pharm is proud of you!

Research Breakthroughs Lead to Potential New Parkinson’s Drug The FDA is considering approving a new Parkinson's drug after many years of hard work by a UVA Health scientist.