Gordon Amidon Named Distinguished University Professor
The U-M Board of Regents has approved the appointment of Professor Gordon L. Amidon as the William I. Higuchi Distinguished University Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Professor Amidon is the first Distinguished University Professor at the College of Pharmacy. Distinguished University Professorships, established in 1947, recognize senior faculty with exceptional scholarly or creative achievements, national and international reputations for academic excellence, and superior records of teaching, mentoring, and service.
Professor Amidon received a BS in pharmacy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he gained a passion for the intersection between pharmacy and mathematics under the tutelage of Professors Gary Levy, Milo Gibaldi, and Eino Nelson, early pioneers in a then-emerging field known as pharmacokinetics. Gordon's zeal for math and using it to understand the physical and biopharmaceutical sciences continues to be a field of special interest to him. Professor Amidon continued his education at the University of Michigan, receiving an MA in mathematics and a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry. Professor Bill Higuchi served as his graduate advisor.
Professor Amidon started his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, rising to associate professor and assistant dean for educational planning and policy before leaving for a subsidiary of Merck & Co. for a 5-year stint in the pharmaceutical industry.
Professor Amidon returned to academia as a professor of pharmaceutics at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy in 1983 and has led, mentored, and served the faculty, staff, and students at Michigan for over 30 years. Professor Amidon has co-authored over 30 book chapters and edited eight textbooks in the pharmaceutical sciences, published over 350 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and been cited over 20,000 times by peers. He has also mentored more than 120 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows over the course of his career; serving as chair of the dissertation committee for 60 graduate students who have received their PhD under his guidance.
His scientific contributions to our understanding of the physicochemical and physiologic factors that govern oral drug absorption are unrivaled and have served as the foundation for guiding principles used by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the determination of generic drug bioequivalence. For a more detailed review of Professor Amidon's life and career to date, see the article written by Professor Maureen Donovan (University of Iowa) et al. that was published in the September 2015 issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a special edition of the journal dedicated to Professor Amidon and his many contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences.
