Jessica Mamallapalli

Jessica Mamallapalli, Ph.D.

Clinical Lecturer

Department: Medicinal Chemistry
Business Phone: (904) 885-3319
Business Email: jmamallapalli@ufl.edu

On This Page

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught

  1. PHA6354 – Natural Medicinal Products

    College of Pharmacy

  2. PHA5782C – Patient Care 2: Introduction to Infectious Disease and Oncology

    College of Pharmacy

  3. PHA6425 – Drug Biotrans and Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity

    College of Pharmacy

Teaching Philosophy

My past teaching responsibilities at the middle and high school levels as well as for incoming PharmD students (during my graduate studies) have included lesson planning, lecturing, mentoring, and grading. My teaching approach centers on simplifying complex scientific concepts and providing students with multiple ways to approach the materials presented using critical thinking skills that can be applied inside and outside the learning environment. I am passionate about fostering a positive and engaging learning environment that emphasizes curiosity and ensures students are actively learning.

Research Profile

The Eastern philosophy of medicine, using natural remedies given to us by nature to be in homeostasis from the inside out, has been instilled in me from a young age. I have been able to utilize this long-lived philosophy in my research thus far with kava, an extract from the roots of Piper methysticum, used as a beverage by Pacific islanders for centuries to promote a sense of relaxation due to its stress-reducing properties. Kava has demonstrated cancer-preventing characteristics in my graduate lab’s early work, and its components responsible for these known as kavalactones are key to mediating anxiolytic effects. This aligns with my medicinal philosophy of mental and physical health being intertwined, and the maintaining of harmony between the two is key to effectively improving human health. My graduate work mainly focused on kava’s stress-reducing effects, with minor application to cancer risk reduction.

Publications

Academic Articles

  1. Prevalence and use patterns of kava (Piper methysticum) in a US nationally representative sample.

    Journal
    Journal of ethnopharmacology.
    Volume/Issue
    355(Pt A)
    [DOI]
    10.1016/j.jep.2025.120617.
    [PMID]
    40962124.
  2. Flavokavains A- and B-Free Kava Enhances Resilience against the Adverse Health Effects of Tobacco Smoke in Mice.

    Journal
    ACS pharmacology & translational science.
    Volume/Issue
    7(11):3502-3517
    [DOI]
    10.1021/acsptsci.4c00415.
    [PMID]
    39539272.
  3. AB-free kava enhances resilience against the adverse health effects of tobacco smoke in mice.

    Journal
    bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.
    [DOI]
    10.1101/2024.06.25.599576.
    [PMID]
    38979295.
  4. Opportunities and Challenges of Kava in Lung Cancer Prevention.

    Journal
    International journal of molecular sciences.
    Volume/Issue
    24(11)
    [DOI]
    10.3390/ijms24119539.
    [PMID]
    37298489.
  5. Characterization of Different Forms of Kava (Piper methysticum) Products by UPLC-MS/MS.

    Journal
    Planta medica.
    Volume/Issue
    88(14):1348-1359
    [DOI]
    10.1055/a-1708-1994.
    [PMID]
    34839465.
  6. Clinical pharmacokinetics of kavalactones after oral dosing of standardized kava extract in healthy volunteers.

    Journal
    Journal of ethnopharmacology.
    Volume/Issue
    297
    [DOI]
    10.1016/j.jep.2022.115514.
    [PMID]
    35777607.

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(904) 885-3319
Emails:
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
5415 SANTA MONICA BLVD S
JACKSONVILLE FL 32207
Business Street:
5415 SANTA MONICA BLVD S
JACKSONVILLE FL 32207