UB pharmacology scholar, William Jusko, receives ASCPT career award in therapeutics

BUFFALO, N.Y. – William J. Jusko, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, received the 2018 Oscar B. Hunter Career Award in Therapeutics from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT).

The award recognizes Jusko, an internationally renowned leader in the fields of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, for his eminent career in pharmaceutical research, patient care and education.

A UB faculty member since 1972, Jusko studies the disposition and pharmacological effects of drugs, and the optimization of dosing for steroids, anti-diabetics and cancer treatments. His work has led to significant advances in modeling the course of events following a drug’s delivery.

“I am tremendously honored to be designated as the 2018 Oscar B. Hunter Award recipient,” said Jusko, also director of the Center of Excellence in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in the UB Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Receiving this most prestigious award in the field of clinical pharmacology will be the highlight of my career.”

Jusko has received several awards from the ASCPT, including the Rawls–Palmer Progress in Medicine Award, Sheiner–Beal Pharmacometrics Award, and William B. Abrams Lecture Award.

He has also received a coveted MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Russell R. Miller Award and the Distinguished Service Award, both from the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP), the Research Achievement Award in Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), and a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Italy.

Jusko has published more than 600 research articles and serves on the editorial boards of numerous academic journals, including as editor-in-chief for the Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics.

He has also worked as a consultant for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Clinical Pharmacology Advisory Committee, NIH’s Pharmacology Study Section, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, and several pharmaceutical companies.

From 2001 to 2016, Jusko served as chair of the UB Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. More than 100 students and fellows have completed postdoctoral training under his leadership.

Jusko is a fellow of the ACCP, AAPS, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and International Society of Pharmacometrics (ISoP).

He received a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences and bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from UB. Jusko was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the Paris Descartes University.