Dr. Duxin Sun Appointed College’s First William I. Higuchi Collegiate Professor
With the approval from the Regents of the University of Michigan, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Duxin Sun as the College’s first William I. Higuchi Collegiate Professor. His term is effective September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2019.
Dr. Sun is currently a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, with joint appointments in the Chemical Biology program and the Interdisciplinary Medicinal Chemistry program. Dr. Sun also serves as the director of the Pharmacokinetics (PK) Core and is a member of University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. He received his PhD degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Sun’s research is supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and other grant agencies. He has published more than 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has 73 meeting abstracts, 8 book chapters, and 14 U.S. patents.
Dr. Sun has supervised 26 PhD students and 32 postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists. Dr. Sun has served as chair of the Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics (PPB) section in American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), vice president of the American Chinese Pharmaceutical Association (ACPA), and a study section member for many grant agencies, such as the NIH, FDA, Cancer Research UK, French National Research Agency, and Italian Ministry of Health.
This professorship, which was established through the Provost Office, honors Dr. William Higuchi and is given to a distinguished faculty member at the College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Higuchi is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the area of biopharmaceutics and delivery, having made significant contributions in drug transport. Dr. Higuchi joined the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy as associate professor in pharmaceutical chemistry in 1962. He was named the Albert B. Prescott Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy in 1976, a title he held until he left the University of Michigan in 1982. Dr. Higuchi is currently professor emeritus of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Utah. Dr. Higuchi received an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of Michigan in 2013.
“It is a great honor for me to be named as the first William I. Higuchi Collegiate Professor. This honor carries a particular significance to me since my PhD training at the University of Michigan was by Dr. Higuchi’s former student, Dr. Gordon Amidon, the Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Both of them are pioneers in biopharmaceutics and drug delivery. Now, as a faculty member at Michigan, I am so proud to be named as this prestigious professorship, and I am humbled to carry their legacy in the years to come,” states Dr. Sun.
Dr. Sun was recently named Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).
According to AAPS, “the honor of Fellow recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions that elevate the stature of the pharmaceutical sciences, and for professional excellence in the field relevant to the mission of AAPS. The primary criterion for selection of an AAPS Fellow is professional competence reflected through scholarly and research contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences, such as original articles, scientific presentations and Annual Meetings, or patents.”
“We are extremely proud to appoint Dr. Sun as the first William I. Higuchi Collegiate Professor. Dr. Higuchi’s contributions to pharmaceutics are the foundation for much of our understanding of drug transport and diffusion. Dr. Sun’s unique ability to apply these principles to cutting edge research in drug transport and discovery is the foundation of his success and also one of many reasons that he was recently named an AAPS Fellow,” ends Dean Jim Dalton.
Congratulations to Dr. Sun on these wonderful accomplishments!
Learn more: Dr. Sun’s Publications
