Keynote Address

Christopher McCurdy, Ph.D., F.A.A.P.S.

Associate Dean and Professor, UF College of Pharmacy

Dr. McCurdy serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor in the Departments of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics; and The Frank A. Duckworth Eminent Scholar Chair in Drug Research and Development at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He is also the Director of the UF Translational Drug Development Core.

Dr. McCurdy completed his training as a pharmacist at Ohio Northern University and moved on to complete his PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of Georgia, followed by a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota under Prof Philip Portoghese.  McCurdy began his academic career in 2001 at the University of Mississippi where he rose to the rank of full professor (with tenure).  He moved to the University of Florida in January of 2017.  His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of drugs to treat pain, anxiety, and mental health disorders, with particular attention to substance use disorders. He is an internationally recognized expert on kratom (Mitragyna speciosa). He also has developed a PET/MR imaging diagnostic agent for visualizing the origins of chronic neuropathic pain. Phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials are currently underway.  He has published more than 250 manuscripts and holds 8 patents.  In his career he has received more than $50 M in research funding from multiple sources. He is currently funded by multiple NIH grants, the USDA, and the Florida Department of Health. He has served on more than 80 NIH study section panels and as a reviewer for the Department of Defense and several international grant agencies.  Dr. McCurdy is an Associate Editor for ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science and as a consultant to the US Food and Drug Administration’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.  Dr. McCurdy previously served as President of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).