UArizonaPharmacology

Professor Emeritus Edward D. French, PhD, a dedicated educator, researcher and mentor at the college for 30 years, has passed away. Dr. French devoted his life to science, education and mentorship.

A gifted educator, Dr. French earned 14 teaching awards and was honored as a member of the Academy of Medical Education Scholars. His passion for teaching and research was matched only by his deep care for his students. As he once reflected, “The highlights of my academic life were having the privilege to interact with the best and brightest faculty and to mentor students striving to become accomplished scientists.”

Dr. French’s legacy endures through the countless minds he inspired, the lives he touched and the pursuit of knowledge he championed throughout his distinguished career. His life reflected his kind and generous spirit and an enduring dedication to fostering the well-being of those around him.

“Ed was one of the nicest and most down-to-earth colleagues who taught me pharmacology by challenging me — never directly giving me an answer but helping me come up with the correct answer on my own,” said Regents Professor and Department Head of Pharmacology Todd W. Vanderah, PhD. “We enjoyed talking about the human reward system and how drugs could lead to addiction, guiding me toward a research career in substance use disorder.”

Dr. French earned his doctorate in pharmacology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1976, after which he pursued postdoctoral research at the Arthur Vining Davis Laboratory for Behavioral Pharmacology at the Salk Institute and later as an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, Germany.

From 1980 to 1988, Dr. French served on the faculty of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. In 1988, he joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine, beginning a remarkable 30-year career that would leave a lasting mark on generations of students and colleagues.

“Ed was a talented scientist and a wonderful mentor,” said Art Rigel, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience, optical sciences, and pharmacology and a former doctoral student of Dr. French. “He had a gift for cutting through the noise to find the core of a scientific question, and he instilled in his students a rigorous curiosity that I know we all carry with us to this day. He nurtured independent thinkers. I will be forever grateful for his wisdom, his support and his belief in the potential of others.”

“Ed truly set the standard for academic excellence with his deep knowledge of pharmacology and his unwavering commitment to students,” said Frank Porreca, PhD, associate department head of pharmacology. “He was a wonderful colleague and friend with whom I could share the ups and downs of professional life as well as the day-to-day events of our world. Ed listened and freely shared his experiences in return, and always shared his friendship.”

At the University of Arizona, Dr. French rose from associate professor to full professor of pharmacology in 2001. He was director of the Pharmacology Graduate Program (1996–2005), director of the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics course (1993–2007), and block director for the Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, and Renal Block (2007–2015). He also served on various college committees, including the Curriculum Committee, Student Progress Committee, Student Appeals Committee, Promotion and Tenure Committee, Advisory Committee to Arizona Respiratory Center Training Program, Standing Subcommittee for Preparation for Clinical Medicine Course, Furrow Advisory Committee, Dean’s Search Committee, and many others.

Dr. French is survived by his beloved wife, Vicki Gotkin, his children, Lindsay Nicole French, MD, who was also one of his students while receiving her MD at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Nicholas French (Leah Kaye, MD). His grandchildren include Chloe French-Rosas, Charles French-Rosas, Franklin Alexander French-Rosas, and Benjamin and Martin French. He was also a loving and supportive stepfather to Kelsey and Steven Adler.

A celebration of Dr. French’s life will be held from noon – 1:30 p.m. on Monday, November 10, in Arizona Health Sciences Center Room 2117. All are welcome.

Happy Anniversary, Dr. Porreca!!!!
50 years since graduating from Villanova.

Showcasing MD/PhD Brilliance

This past week, we had the incredible opportunity to hear from two of our very own MD/PhD students—Coco Tirambulo from the Brinton Lab and Matthew Flowers from the Largent-Milnes Lab—as they presented their cutting-edge research.

Coco started things off with her presentation, “Advancing Precision Medicine in Alzheimer’s Disease: Deep Embedded Clustering to Unravel Patient Risk Phenotypes.” She shared her work using deep learning techniques to identify distinct clusters in Alzheimer’s patient data, revealing high-risk subpopulations. Her research plays a vital role in using data mapping of Alzheimer’s biological trajectory to support early intervention and personalized treatments.

Matt followed with his presentation, “The Endocannabinoid System in Mitigating Medication Overuse Headache,” where he explored alternative pathways to treat those suffering from medication overuse headache—a condition that affects many chronic pain patients. He also gave us a glimpse into his interdisciplinary project, “Hearing The Invisible,” an interactive collaboration with the School of Music that artistically contrasts the activity of a healthy brain vs. one affected by neurodegeneration.

We're beyond proud of these two for pushing the boundaries of translational research and creatively bridging science and human experience.

Industry Insights from Genentech

We were honored to host Dr. Paul Setlak, Medical Executive Director, and Dr. Kay Smarzinski, Senior Medical Science liaison at Genentech, as they visited to share their invaluable experience from the medical industry side of pharmacology.

They presented data from “Year 1 Results From ELEVATUM in the US: Advancing Inclusive Research,” where Dr. Smarzinski highlighted Genentech’s dedication to diversity and inclusion in clinical trials—a crucial step in advancing equitable healthcare outcomes.

Beyond the data, both speakers shared about their career journeys, offering students a glimpse into what it’s like to work in industry. Dr. Setlak provided practical advice on navigating the world of industry medicine, emphasizing the value of building meaningful connections and cultivating resilience along the way.

Thank you, Dr. Setlak and Dr. Smarzinski, for inspiring us to think beyond the traditional paths and embrace continuous growth in our medical careers!

Our very own Dr. Tally Largen-Milnes. Check out her interview with the Journal of Physiology.

Check out this new featuring Tally M. Largent-Milnes from UArizonaPharmacology speaking about her research into the inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase α-induced blood–brain barrier breach 🧠 📢

📹 https://buff.ly/QtYwgXi
📜 https://buff.ly/7cyfb2q

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: The Department of Pharmacology had the privilege of hosting Dr. Don Kyle, CEO of the National Center for Wellness and Recovery at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Dr. Kyle's lecture explored the profound impact of the o***m poppy on human history, from its cultivation and alkaloid biosynthesis to the pharmaceutical industry's role in opioid development, highlighting the discovery of key compounds like morphine, naloxone, and fentanyl, the pharmacology of opioid receptors, and emerging drug design efforts in collaboration with UArizona researchers, all framed through his 30+ years of experience in the field.

At lunch with the Medical Pharmacology graduate students, Dr. Kyle shared his journey from the lab bench to the boardroom. Doctoral student Emma Louis reflected on his visit:

"I asked Dr. Kyle how he navigated from the science side with his PhD in chemistry to the business side and becoming a CEO. He said he was always a scientist first. Even when climbing the corporate ladder, he never removed himself from the science, and I thought this was very admirable and excellent advice."

Emma also shared a memorable lesson Dr. Kyle learned from an unexpected source--his college judo class:

"He made us laugh about being the designated throwing dummy. But then he said what stuck with him the most was his instructor's philosophy on the colored belts that denote rank: only two belts mattered--the white belt that you use to hold up your clothes when you're just starting, and the black belt you use when you're ready to become a serious student. He said he remembered this sentiment when he earned his PhD and how it shaped his career ever since."

A powerful reminder that no matter where our careers take us, we should always remain students of our craft.

https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/news/stories/hearing-invisible-inspiration-behind-installation

Hearing the Invisible: the inspiration behind the installation A children’s book sparked a question – can you hear brain waves? – that has grown into an immersive artistic installation opening to the public soon.

Check out our very own Dr. Vanderah discussing what it would mean to our research if the DEA reclassifies cannabis to a Schedule III drug.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify ma*****na as a less dangerous drug US poised to ease restrictions on ma*****na in historic shift, but it'll remain controlled substance.

Join us tomorrow when Dr. Ted Price presents “New insight into neuropathic pain mechanisms from human dorsal root ganglion studies”.

New insight into neuropathic pain mechanisms from human dorsal root ganglion studies | The University of Arizona Health Sciences College of Medicine – Tucson Department of Pharmacology

Should cannabis still be a Schedule I drug?

The Drug Enforcement Agency received a recommendation to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug, a move that would be a boon to research and patient care.
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A personal journey to solve the migraine puzzle In sixth grade, Tally Largent-Milnes, PhD, woke up one morning with a headache – a really bad one. Yet more powerful than the headache was Largent-Milnes’ competitive drive; she had a perfect attendance record to keep intact. So, Largent-Milnes got out of bed and went to the kitchen, where her m...

John Michael Streicher, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, is part of a research team working on ways to improve opioid medication by looking into how cells respond when they receive messages from an opioid neurotransmitter.

New on The Conversation: Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs | UA@Work Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.