ATLANTA — Mercer President William D. Underwood and College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Dean H.W. “Ted” Matthews have announced the establishment of the T.P. Haines Endowed Chair in Transdermal Delivery Systems; Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is the inaugural holder of the endowed position.
The fund will support teaching and research in the College. “The T.P. Haines Endowed Chair in Transdermal Delivery Systems will be used to enhance the visibility of the research being conducted in the College and will help to attract more extramural funding for the Pharmacy program,” Dr. Matthews said.
The Chair was established in memory of Dr. Theophilus Parvin “T.P” Haines, who served as a professor in Mercer’s biology department for 38 years. He joined the College of Liberal Arts faculty in 1943 and was known for his close relationships with his students. He retired in 1980, and the biology laboratory in Willet Science Center on Mercer’s Macon campus was named for the popular professor in 1982. Dr. Haines died in 2004.
Dr. Banga has taught at the College for more than 10 years, where he focuses on pharmaceutical dosage forms and drug delivery systems. He has more than 150 publications and presentations to his credit, and has published 10 peer-reviewed research papers within the last year. He is the author of two books, which are widely used as reference texts in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Dr. Banga is a recipient of the Research Award and the Distinguished Educator Award in the College.
“I am honored to be the first holder of the T.P. Haines Endowed Chair in Transdermal Delivery systems,” Dr. Banga said. “My hope is that this fund will shed light on the important research being done in the College and that it will give the College more opportunities for further research.”
The new chair will support the study of transdermal delivery systems, which allow for the administration of drugs via the skin by using a patch, such as the smoking cessation nicotine patch.
About the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Mercer University
Founded in 1903, the independent Southern School of Pharmacy merged with Mercer University in 1959. It became the first school in the Southeast to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree in 1981. In addition to the Doctor of Pharmacy, the college has one of the largest concentrations of Ph.D. students in pharmaceutics among colleges of pharmacy in the United States. In 2008, the college introduced a Physician Assistant program and will offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in the fall 2010.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University more than 8,000 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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