Director, Center for Clinical Pharmacology

The Washington University Department of Anesthesiology and University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (formally the St. Louis College of Pharmacy) invites applications for an exciting and critically important senior leadership role as the Director of the Center for Clinical Pharmacology. The Center, established in 2015, marked the first institutional-level partnership between two historic institutions - University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP) and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSM), specifically the Department of Anesthesiology.

The Director will be tasked with leading the strategic planning efforts for all research growth and development, mentorship of trainees and faculty, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment in which to stimulate new and exciting research endeavors, growing inter-institutional partnerships and a collaborative culture, and promoting research innovation. Successful candidates will be expected to direct an active extramurally funded research program.  Generous startup funds and lab space are available.

More than 40 staff and faculty currently occupy 12,000 square feet of dedicated research space.  Faculty investigators have a prime appointment in  either the Department of Anesthesiology or in a department at UHSP and are given adjunct appointments at the partner institution, allowing easy access to rich and plentiful academic and research resources at both institutions.

The mission of the Center is aimed to improve the therapeutic use of drugs and diagnostics to increase their clinical effectiveness and therapeutic outcomes, as well as to discover and develop new therapeutics.  Faculty in the Center bring years of experience in drug discovery and development including drug mechanisms, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics.  There is a significant interest and expertise in basic, translational and clinical research to better understand and improve the treatment of pain. This includes the identification of analgesic drug targets by improving the understanding of the neurobiology of pain, optimizing the use of existing analgesic drugs, as well as developing and identifying new drugs and other therapeutic approaches for treating pain.

The Center also has broad expertise in the pharmacology of nuclear receptors – ligand activated transcription factors that regulate a variety of physiological functions including development, metabolism, immune function, and reproduction.  Pain has emerged as a target area as Center faculty have discovered unique pathways that modulate inflammasome function that reduce chronic pain.  The group is focused on using chemical biology approaches to characterize the physiological roles of these receptors as well as developing drugs targeting nuclear receptors for treatment of an array of diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Qualified candidates will have a PhD, PharmD, and/or MD degree; postdoctoral experience is preferred.  The Director will have a successful research track record with history of federal or similar funding and high impact scientific publications with extensive knowledge of relevant scientific topics, such as pharmacology, drug development, neuroscience, pain and opioid research, and medicinal chemistry and have demonstrated success in mentorship of trainees and faculty at all levels.

The successful candidate will have leadership experience in decentralized research and administrative operations with a leadership and management style characterized by the ability to develop a common vision for diverse constituents, communicate effectively, and take ownership and responsibility for ideas and actions and that emphasizes teamwork, communication, collegiality, flexibility, trust and patience.  It is essential for the Director to understand different institutional cultures with the ability to build bridges and relationships across broad constituent groups, such as academic partners, federal funders, industry sponsors, and private philanthropy.  The Director must have demonstrated success in promoting and supporting a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and possess emotional intelligence and a strong commitment to building a collaborative and safe culture.

To apply, visit the Faculty Opportunities web site by clicking: Director, Center for Clinical Pharmacology.  If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact:

Mark S. Prosperi 

Executive Director, Talent Management  

 and Executive Search

Washington University School of Medicine                                                    

Email: Prosperim@wustl.edu        Tel: +1 (314) 935-2844                        

Simon Haroutounian, MSc.Pharm, PhD

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Chair, Search Committee

Washington University School of Medicine

sharout@wustl.edu; Tel: +1 (314) 286 1715