News

september 12, 2025

Congratulations to members of the Ghandehari lab for presenting at the Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference (UBEC) 2025.

Ghandehari Lab members contributed with 8 posters and 3 podium presentations at the meeting hosted by the University of Utah Biomedical Engineering Department. Biomedical Engineering PhD Student Nejra Mujkanović was awarded with best poster presentation award.

August 17, 2025

Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD student Oliver Hubbard was awarded a Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation Scholarship for his research optimizing drug dosing guidelines for patients undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. The Curci Foundation PhD Scholars Program was established in 2021 to provide full scholarships and living expenses for the first two years of Ph.D. programs in life sciences for students.

Congratulations to Oliver!

APRIL 17, 2025

Dr. Hamid Ghandehari named Distinguished Professor

Congratulations to Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics Chair Hamid Ghandehari, who was named a Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah! This recognition is one of the most prestigious at the University. 

The rank of Distinguished Professor is reserved for faculty members whose achievements exemplify the highest goals of scholarship and whose careers reflect a sustained commitment to academic excellence. Recipients are recognized for groundbreaking research, and their dedication to mentoring and inspiring students and colleagues. 

Dr. Ghandehari’s research focuses on novel methods of controlled drug delivery. He is consistently recognized for his excellence in teaching, mentorship, and service to the department, the University at large, and the broader scientific community.

APRIL 21, 2025

Congratulations to Molecular Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student Debika Ghatak (Ghandehari Lab) for winning the 2025 Fox Award, nominated by her fellow students!

Each year, the Department honors the memory of Dr. Jeffrey Fox with this award. The award is intended to recognize an outstanding graduate student based on the recommendation of their peers. As described by Dr. James Herron, Dr. Fox was “a good scientist and a wonderful human being. He had a particular rapport with both his own students, as well as the department’s student body and became a strong advocate for students — which is one of the reasons the Fox Award was created.” Award recipients are selected not only based on academic merit, but also on service to the Department, the University, and to fellow students.

Debika joined the University of Utah in Fall 2022 and began her research in the Ghandehari Lab in Spring 2023. Her project tackles a critical challenge in drug delivery—preventing drug adsorption in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems—through a collaborative effort with Drs. Kevin Watt and Venkata Yellepeddi from the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Clinical Pharmacology. She has co-first authored a research publication and presented her work at 2023 Controlled Release Society Annual Meeting and Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference.

Debika has contributed extensively to the department as a member of the 2023–2024 Student Advisory Committee, serving as the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) representative. She has helped organize department events, mentored fellow students for the past two years, and volunteers with the Red Cross Society. Outside of academics, she is a trained Kathak dancer and is passionate about building an inclusive and connected student community.

Debika’s dedication to research, service, and mentorship embodies the spirit of the Fox Award. Congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition!

OCTOber 15, 2024

Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD student Tanya Chhibber's abstract "Transdermal Delivery of Ultradeformable Cationic Liposomes Complexed with microRNA Prevents Transformation of Melanocytes to Melanoma," was recently featured in the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences Topical and Transdermal Community newsletter for her research on transdermal drug delivery systems. Tanya has been conducting studies aimed at developing ultradeformable cationic liposomes for the transdermal delivery of miRNAs or small molecule drugs. Her work specifically targets BRAFV600E+ melanocytes, with the goal of stabilizing these cells in the nevus state in vivo, thereby preventing their transformation into melanoma.

Tanya’s project is co-mentored by Drs. Hamid Ghandehari and Paris Jafari from the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Dr. Robert Judson-Torres from the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Congratulations Tanya for this recognition!

September 21, 2024

Congratulations to members of Ghandehari/Pulsipher lab for presenting at Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference (UBEC).

At the meeting hosted by the University of Utah Biomedical Engineering Department, Biomedical Engineering PhD Student Sushanto Kumar Saha and undergraduate student Andy Yue Yu gave a talk about their projects. Biomedical Engineering PhD Students Priyanka Arunachalam, Nejra Mujkanović, John Michael Thomas, and Molecular Pharmaceutics PhD student Tanya Chhibber presented their posters.