Medicinal chemistry professor Christopher McCurdy, Ph.D., was installed as the 2018 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, or AAPS, president at the organization’s annual meeting Nov. 12-15. As president, McCurdy will be the face of the organization, chair the board of directors and work with board members in determining AAPS policy, approving programs and activities, as well as supervising the management of AAPS affairs.​
“I hope to continue fostering the new direction the AAPS is taking based on our strategic plan. We are modernizing the organization by moving to a communities format and developing a completely new meeting for 2018 called PharmSci360,” McCurdy said. “As president, I look forward to finally seeing the changes being rolled out from our strategic plan, multiple surveys, consultants, research and hard work into tangible actions that will start to positively impact members in their development of science, career and community.”
McCurdy is a broadly trained medicinal chemist, behavioral pharmacologist and pharmacist whose research focuses on the design, synthesis and development of drugs to treat pain and drug abuse. For over 20 years, much of his research has focused on opioid, neuropeptide FF and sigma receptor ligand/probe design, synthesis, pharmacological evaluation and development. He has been successful in discovering unique and selective tools for sigma receptors, NPFF receptors and opioid receptors. He’s also an internationally recognized expert on kratom, or mitragyna speciosa, that is under investigation for opioid withdrawal syndrome.
AAPS serves as a forum for open exchange of knowledge from pharmaceutical scientists in academia, industry, government and other institutions worldwide. As the foremost international, interdisciplinary community of pharmaceutical scientists, AAPS gives its members access to people, information and opportunities to strengthen their careers.