Mercer University College of Pharmacy

A Tradition of Excellence. A Legacy of Caring.

Since 1903, Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy has educated pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists dedicated to advancing patient-centered care and community well-being. As part of Mercer’s prestigious Health Sciences Center, the College combines rigorous academics, pioneering research, and compassionate service.

Academic Leadership

Mercer was the first college in the Southeast to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree as its sole professional degree. In 1998, the College offered Mercer’s first PhD program. Today, it continues to lead in pharmacy education.

Program Highlights:

• One of the few programs nationwide offering an accelerated January Pharm.D. entry.
• Dual-degree opportunities with other Mercer colleges, including MBA, MPH, MHI, and M.S./Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• 95% of graduates report positive outcomes (employment, residency, or fellowship placement).

Distinguished Faculty

Mercer faculty are recognized nationally for their impact on pharmacy education, practice, and research. Recent honors include:

• Dr. Nicole Metzger: Fellow, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (Class of 2025)
• Dr. Susan W. Miller: Faculty Member of the Year, Georgia Pharmacy Association
• Dr. Tonya Pearson: 25-Year Practitioner Award, Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Student Achievement

Mercer students exemplify leadership and service through research, advocacy, and community engagement.

• Three Ph.D. students earned AAPS Best Abstract Awards, given to the top 10% most scientifically impactful posters out of hundreds of submissions across the country.
• Over the summer, Pharm.D. students provided essential care to rural Georgia farmworker families as part of a program uniting health care students across the state.
• Adrian Ghadrdan and William Turner received two of only seven national Kappa Psi Foundation scholarships.
• Emmanuel Adediran, Ph.D. candidate, received the NOBCChE Tier 1 Advancing Science Conference Grant.

Leadership Transition

Dr. Michael Crouch will join Mercer in January as Dean of the College of Pharmacy. Currently Dean and Professor at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Dr. Crouch brings extensive leadership experience from Virginia Commonwealth University, South University, and East Tennessee State University.

Research that Reaches Out

With a Carnegie R2 designation for high research activity, the College drives discovery that advances global health.

Research Funding and Grants

• $4.2 million in funded project obligations last fiscal year.
• Sponsors include NIH, FDA, and HRSA.
• Recent grants support research on statins and blood pressure regulation, fentanyl drug interactions, and aggressive breast cancers.

By the Numbers:

• 25 grant submissions | $9.1M requested
• 5 new grants funded | $1.24M received
• 21 active funded projects | $4.27M cumulative obligations

Scholarly Publications

Our faculty and researchers continue to publish across leading journals and academic platforms, demonstrating Mercer’s growing influence in the field. Publications included high impact journals such as Advanced Healthcare Materials, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Drug Delivery and Translational Research, and Molecular Pharmaceutics.

• Indexed Journal Articles: 59
• Books: 1
• Book Chapters: 9
• Conference Proceedings: 3
• Other Publications: 3
• Total Publications: 75

Global Citation Growth

Mercer’s research visibility continues to rise dramatically across the scientific community.

• 2,321 total citations of College of Pharmacy papers
• 4,360% increase since 2000
• 430% increase since 2010
• 91% increase since 2020

This growth underscores Mercer’s expanding research reach and sustained scholarly impact.

Presentations and Knowledge Sharing

Mercer faculty and students share their work at national and international conferences, advancing thought leadership in pharmacy and health sciences with 102 poster and oral presentations.

Notable Presentations by Mercer Pharmacy Faculty:

• Fox, Laura (Speaker), Farland, Michelle (Speaker), Lockman, Dawn Kashelle (Speaker), Dupree, Lori Hamm (Speaker), 2025 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, “Building Your Alternative Grading Blueprint: A Hands-On Guide to Grading Transformation,” American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL, United States. (July 20, 2025).
• Dupree, Lori Hamm (Discussion Leader), Curtis, Stacey (Discussion Leader), AACP Skills Lab SIG Research & Assessment Team, “LabSIG Looping Session on Competencies,” American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. (December 3, 2024).
• Liao, T.V. “The Role of Your Pharmacist in Medication Management” BrainTalk Live webinar series hosted by the Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States. (October 8, 2024).
• Phillips, Kayla (Presenter), Javellana, Marion, Metzger, Nicole Leyland, Furlow, Kyle W, Callahan, Carrie T, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Virtual Poster Symposium, “Direct oral anticoagulants in acute kidney injury: analysis of 7-day readmission and 30-day readmission rates,” American College of Clinical Pharmacy. (May 21, 2025).
• Miller, Susan W. (Presenter), Ellis, Sharon (Presenter), GPhA Convention 2025, “The Eyes Have It! Strategies for Managing Dry Eye Disease and Allergic Conjunctivitis,” Georgia Pharmacy Association, Amelia Island, FL, United States. (June 12, 2025).
• Miller, S. W., Georgia Falls Free Fridays 2024, “Managing Medications as Patient Advocacy in Reducing the Risk of Falls,” Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory, Atlanta, GA, United States. (October 11, 2024).
• Hayslett, Renee, Proctor, Reid Carter, Moye, Pamela Michelle, Team Based Learning Collaborative (TBLC) Annual Conference, “Comparison of Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Team-Based Learning (TBL) in an Online Global Health for Pharmacists Course,” Orange, CA. (March 24, 2025).
• Ware, Kenric B, Research4Prevention, “Evidence2Practice (E2P): Leveraging Implementation Science to Promote Careers in HIV among Historically Black College and University Students,” International AIDS Society, Peru. (October 9, 2024).
• Uddin, M. N., Annual Conference on Food Science and Nutrition, “Novel Antibiotic Adjuvant Exerts Potent Antimicrobial Activity against MRSA and Synergistically restores Colistin Activity in MDRO,” Bangkok, Thailand. (December 9, 2024).
• D’Souza, M. J., “Development of a Novel Fast Dissolvable Microneedle-Based Delivery System for the Next-Generation Influenza Nanovaccine.  Adediran, E.; Singh, R.; Vijayanand, S.; Arte, T.; Gulani, M.; D’Souza M.J. 2024 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360 meeting. Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2024..” (October 2024).
• D’Souza, M. J., “Enhancing Gonorrhea Vaccine Efficacy: Dosage Response Analysis of a Novel Microparticulate Formulation. Amarae Ferguson, Priyal Bagwe, Susu Zughaier, Martin J D’Souza.  American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360 meeting, 2024. Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2024..” (October 2024).
• D’Souza, M. J., “Heterologous Microneedle Vaccine Strategy for COVID-19. Arte TM; Adediran E; Smital P; Shah S; Pasupuleti D; and D’Souza MJ.  American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) PharmSci 360 meeting, 2024. Salt Lake City, Utah, October 2024..” (October 2024).

Publications

Selected Book chapters

• Boyd, T., Mensah, P. S. “Side Effects of Anti-Lipid Medications” in the book Side Effects of Drugs Annual.
• Dupree, L. H., Li, R. M. (2025). Substance-Related Disorders II: Alcohol, Nicotine, and Caffeine. DiPiro’s Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach (13th Edition ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
• Mayberry, K. M. (2024). Chapter 3- Drugs of Abuse. A Worldwide Yearly Survey of New Data in Adverse Drug Reactions., 46, 13-34.
• Miller, S. W. (2025). Chapter 2 “Ethical and Socioeconomic Considerations”. Fundamentals of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy: An Evidence-Based Approach (3rd ed., pp. 29 – 58). Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists.
• Ware, K. B. (2025). Opportunistic Infections. McGraw Hill NAPLEX Review Guide (5th Edition)(5th Edition).
• Augustine JM, Warholak TL. Ensuring Quality in Pharmacy Operations. In: Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings, A Global Perspective 2026 update. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2025.
• Chougule MB. Chapter 6. Protein and peptide delivery through respiratory pathway. In: Book Challenges in delivery of therapeutic genomics and proteomics [Internet]. New York: Elsevier Publisher; 2025. p. 227–73.
• Chougule MB. Chapter 8: Polymers in advanced drug and gene delivery. In: Book “Polymers for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications, Fundamentals, Selection, and Preparation [Internet]. New York, NY: Elsevier; 2025. p. 291–332.

Selected Journal Articles

• Karve T, Shrestha N, Kipping T, Banga AK. Development of buspirone hydrochloride-loaded long-acting microneedles for management of anxiety disorders. Drug delivery and translational research. 2025 Feb 14
• Shrestha N, Karve T, Kipping T, Banga AK. Fabrication of Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid Microneedles for Sustained Delivery of Lipophilic Peptide-Carfilzomib. Molecular pharmaceutics. 2024 Sep 10
• Chougule MB, Kashikar R, Kotha A, Shrestha R, Channappanavar R. Formulation and in-vitro testing of nebulized extended-release antiviral Camostat Mesylate loaded nanosuspension product for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2025 May 16;26(5)(139.):1–18.
• D’Souza MJ. Microfluidics-Assisted Formulation of Polymeric Oxytocin Nanoparticles for Targeted Brain Delivery. Adediran, E.; Vijayanand, S.; Kale, A.; Gulani, M.; Wong, J.C.; Escayg, A.; Murnane, K.S.; D’Souza, M.J. Pharmaceutics 2025, 17, 452. Pharmaceutics. 2025 May
• Yasmin T, Menon S, Pandey A, Siqqiqua S, Kuddus SA, Rahman MM, et al. Resveratrol attenuates hepatic oxidative stress and preserves gut mucosal integrity in high-fat diet-fed rats by modulating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways. Scientific Reports [Internet]. 2025 Jul 11;15(1):25162.
• Zerin F, Hoque N, Menon S, Ezewudo E, Simon N, Sooreni S, et al. Nanomolar therapeutic concentrations of statins rapidly induce cerebral artery vasoconstriction by stimulating L-type calcium channels. Biochemical Pharmacology [Internet]. 2025 May 2;238:116970.
• Teyani RL, Moniri NH. Biased agonism at free-fatty acid receptor-4 (FFA4/GPR120). Pharmacology & Therapeutics [Internet]. 2025 Feb;266:108784.
• Bonner, C. L., Barnett, C. W., Proctor, R. C. (2024). An Intervention to Support Newly Admitted Students’ Transition to Pharmacy School. American Journal of Pharmacy Education, 88(12).
• Cain, J., Farland, M., Dupree, L. H., Fox, L., Kleppinger, E., Lockman, K. (2025). The Case for Specifications Grading. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 89(10).
• Donohoe, K., Parsons, K., Barrickman, A., Dupree, L. H., Begley, K., Hong, L., Sourial, M., Taylor, J. (2025). Current State of APPE-readiness Assessments in Schools or Colleges of Pharmacy. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 17(3).
• Dupree, L. H., Augustine, J. M., Miller, S. W. (2024). How did we get here?  Evolution of Specifications Grading in a Required Skills-Based Course Series. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 16(9), 102124.
• Newsom, L. E. C., Marshall, L. L., Nguyen, J. L. T., Momary, K. M. (in press). Impact of a Geriatric Elective on Pharmacy Student Knowledge, Attitudes and Empathy regarding Older Adults. Am J Pharm Educ 2024 Sep 19;88(11):101292. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2024.101292.
• Ajonina, M. U., Ajonina-Ekoti, I. U., Ngulefac, J., Fosah, S. E., Ware, K. B., Nche, C. M., Nfor, C. K., Ayim, M., Apinjoh, T. O. (2024). Uptake of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in Pregnancy and Associated Factors in a Malaria Endemic Setting of Sub-Saharan Africa. Advances in Infectious Diseases, 14(4), 776-792.
• Burns, C. M., Sperry, S. S., Janek, S. E., Blalock, D. V., Woolson, S., Gentry, P., Oakes, M., Ware, K. B., Relf, M. V., Okeke, N. L., Esquire, N., Omarshah, T., Fenton, M. C., Ribbron, J., Bosworth, H. B. (2024). Development of a Curriculum to Improve PrEP Awareness and Counseling at a National Pharmacy Chain. JAPhA Practice Innovations, 100023.
• Ware, K. B., McBrayer, A., Wright, S. (2025). From classroom to community: A college of pharmacy’s faculty and student participation at a harm reduction coalition. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 17(3), 102254.