6th Annual Conference
Innovations in the Field of Pharmacy
Thank you for making our 6th annual conference a success! Our in-person conference took place on March 29, 2025.
Pharmaceuticals Frontiers Panel
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You will have the opportunity to hear from leading medicinal and pharmaceutical scientists in their respective fields, who will talk about new innovations in the field of pharmacy. This panel will showcase groundbreaking advancements in the field of pharmacy, providing insights into the future of pharmaceutics.
Duxin Sun, Ph.D.
Dr. Duxin Sun is the Associate Dean for Research, the Charles Walgreen Jr. Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan. He serves as the Director of the Pharmacokinetics (PK) Core. Dr. Sun also
has a joint appointment in the Chemical Biology program, the Interdisciplinary Medicinal Chemistry program, and University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sun’s research interests focus on drug development, cancer nanomedicine, cancer
vaccine, and pharmacokinetics. Dr. Sun established the STAR system (Structure-Tissue/Cell Selectivity-Activity-Relationship) to enhance drug development success by addressing the 90% failure rate. He designed albumin based nanomedicines to enhance clinical efficacy of immuno-oncology drugs by targeting immune cells in the lymphatic system and tumors. He also developed SARS-CoV-2 B epitope-guided neoantigen peptide or mRNA cancer vaccine to enhance their anticancer efficacy by activating CD4/CD8 T cell immunity through B cell-mediated antigen presentation. Dr. Sun earned his BS in Pharmacy, MS in Pharmacology, and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and has also received training in Molecular Biology as a visiting scientist. With research experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Sun has published over 280 papers, and has mentored 40 PhD students and 75 postdoctoral fellows/visiting scientists. Dr. Sun is an elected Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). He has served on the FDA Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology Advisory Committee and participated in study sections for the NIH and FDA.
Career Options In Pharmacy Panel
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Panelists, including practicing pharmacists and industry experts, will share their experiences across various sectors such as community pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical research, and regulatory affairs. Attendees will learn about the skills required for each career path, emerging opportunities, and the impact of current trends on the pharmacy profession.
Dr. Jason Pogue is a clinical professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and an Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Pogue received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gannon University, before obtaining his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests focus on epidemiology and management of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative organisms and antimicrobial stewardship. Dr. Pogue is a past president of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) and currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of The United States Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (USCAST).
Jason Pogue, Pharm.D.
Graduate School Readiness Panel
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The panel is a unique opportunity for students to hear a bit more about graduate school from both current graduate school students and professionals in admissions departments for different graduate school programs. They will not only be able to learn about applying to graduate programs, but also what graduate school is like.
Cari Ceo
Assistant Director of Admissions–College of Pharmacy
Cari Ceo is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan (LSA ’05), earning a BA in English Language & Literature. She also holds a Master of Education from the University of Southern California. Cari has been an admissions professional at her alma mater for over 10 years. Cari is eager to connect with prospective students interested in joining Michigan’s fantastic community.
PharmCAS
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Through this hands-on workshop, we will discuss the PharmCAS application. If you are interested in applying to pharmacy school, this is the perfect workshop for you to learn to navigate the PharmCAS interface (the pharmD application platform) as well as the application timeline and process!
Assistant Director of Admissions–College of Pharmacy
Cari Ceo is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan (LSA ’05), earning a BA in English Language & Literature. She also holds a Master of Education from the University of Southern California. Cari has been an admissions professional at her alma mater for over 10 years. Cari is eager to connect with prospective students interested in joining Michigan’s fantastic community.
Cari Ceo
Lab Workshop
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This is an immersive workshop designed to give you a firsthand experience of pharmaceutical lab work. This interactive session will guide you through essential techniques and practices used in modern pharmaceutical research.
Lena Thompson Klemm
Lena Thompson Klemm is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry from Kalamazoo College, where she developed a strong foundation in the sciences. She is now in her second year of graduate school in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan, where she works in Dr. Nouri Neamati’s multidisciplinary laboratory. The lab focuses on innovative drug design and pre-clinical pharmacology, particularly for hard-to-treat cancers. Her research focuses on the development and screening of small molecules that target proteins associated with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain cancer. This research allows her to contribute to the ongoing search for effective therapies for GBM, with the goal of improving patient outcomes. She is passionate about fostering knowledge and inspiring undergraduate students in the field of chemistry and biochemistry. Through both her research and mentorship, she aims to contribute to the academic community by promoting learning and encouraging students to explore the possibilities in medicinal chemistry.
Compounding Workshop
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This hands-on workshop aims to expose you to the field of
compounding pharmacy. You will learn how to compound capsules,
solutions, and suspension with kool-aid mix, flours, and candies by
working closely with compounding pharmacists! It’s a very handson interactive workshop! It is our participants' all-time favorite
workshop from the past year’s conferences.
Keynote Speaker
Joerg Lahann, Ph.D.
Education/Experience:
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PhD in Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen, 1998
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MS in Chemistry, RWTH Aachen, 1995
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BS in Chemistry, University of Saarland, 1993
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Robert S. Langer at MIT (1999-2003)Conducted postgraduate studies under the supervision of Prof.
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Serving as the founding director of the University of Michigan Biointerfaces Institute since 2012
Expertise and Interests:
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Prof. Lahann’s research broadly focuses on the design, synthesis, and processing of materials for biomedical applications and the life sciences.
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Specific research interests include but are not limited to, bicompartmental nanoparticles for the delivery of combination cancer therapies and 3D jet writing technologies for the development of tissue-engineered organoids.
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Prof. Lahann is a co-author of more than 320 publications including papers in Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Nanotechnology, and PNAS, and has contributed to more than 50 patents and patent applications.