UConn Names Diane Burgess to Pfizer Pharmaceutical Chair

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UConn Foundation

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UConn announced the appointment of Diane J. Burgess to a five-year term as the Pfizer Distinguished Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology. The Board of Trustees were unanimous in their support of Burgess, a preeminent pharmacology researcher and educator.

Burgess, who has generated $21 million in extramural funding and federal grants, is recognized internationally for her leadership in the development of novel pharmaceutical technologies and the improvement of formulation and delivery of small-molecule and biological drugs.

“Dr. Burgess has outstanding credentials as a scholar, educator, and leader,” said James Halpert, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “She is recognized internationally as a pre-eminent scientist in the area of pharmaceutics, where her emphasis has been on the development of novel pharmaceutical technologies and improvement of formulation and delivery of small-molecule and biological drugs, as well as modernization of pharmaceutical manufacturing.”

Pfizer, Inc. established the Pfizer Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology in 2004 with a gift to support advances in the field. The late Michael J. Pikal was the first chair holder.

“I am thrilled and honored to be the second Pfizer Distinguished Chair of Pharmaceutical Technology,” said Burgess. “This endowed chair is extremely prestigious and will allow me to help grow research and promote teaching in pharmaceutical technology, thereby ensuring that our School remains at the forefront of this field. It will also be fun to work with Pfizer colleagues on workshops and other teaching activities, as well as continue old and start new research endeavors.”

Burgess joined the UConn School of Pharmacy in 1993 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 1999. In 2009, she was appointed the University’s highest honorary title of Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor.

Among her notable accolades, Burgess earned the 2011 recipient of the Nagai APST Japan International Woman Scientist Award and the 2014 Research Achievement Award from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). That same year she received the AAPS Outstanding Educator Award in recognition of her training record. She has served as president of AAPS and president of the Controlled Release Society. Burgess has also served as editor of three major journals.

To date, Burgess has trained 37 Ph.D. students, 18 post-doctoral fellows, seven visiting research fellows, and five master’s degree candidates.

In recognition of her overall contributions in pharmaceutical technology, Burgess holds appointments at two top universities for pharmaceutical sciences in China: Peking University Health Sciences in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai.

 

Image of Diane Burgess is available at https://today.uconn.edu/school-stories/diane-burgess-appointed-pfizer-endowed-chair-pharmaceutical-technology/.

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