National Leader in Pharmaceutical Research Scheduled to Deliver Van Greene Lecture

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Gunda I. Georg

ATLANTA – Gunda I. Georg, Ph.D., FAAAS, ACSF, professor of pharmacy at the University of Minnesota (UMN), will deliver the 2019 G. Van Greene Distinguished Lecture at Mercer University College of Pharmacy in Atlanta.

Her lecture is titled “Male Contraception: A Quest.” The 11 a.m. lecture, which is free and open to the public, is March 13 in the auditorium of Mercer University’s Atlanta Administration and Conference Center.

Georg, who is founding director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development at UMN, is the principal investigator of the Contraceptive Discovery, Development and Behavioral Research Center. The center, comprised of research groups from Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Moffitt Cancer Center, is focused on discovering and developing non-hormonal male contraceptive agents and the investigation of contraceptive use. It is supported by an $8.3 million grant by the National Institutes of Health.

According to the World Health Organization, there is a global need for safe and reversible contraceptive methods. Approximately 40% of pregnancies worldwide are unintended; 42 million pregnancies are terminated by abortion; and 830 women per day die of pregnancy-related problems. Many contraceptive options exist for women, though few are available for men.

George’s other research focus is cancer. She is the co-inventor of MinnelideTM, a prodrug of the natural product triptolide, which is in clinical trials for gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers, and of the marketed anesthetic Lusedra® (Eisai Pharma).

About the G. Van Greene Distinguished Lectureship

Named in honor of the late Dr. G. Van Greene, one of the College of Pharmacy’s most loyal and staunch supporters, the G. Van Greene Distinguished Lectureship program is designed to bring world-renowned health care professionals to campus to discuss contemporary topics in pharmacy.

About the College of Pharmacy

Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top five pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to the 2016 U.S. News & World Report. The college offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). Founded in 1903 as the independent Southern School of Pharmacy, the school merged with Mercer University in 1959 and in 1981 became the first school in the Southeast to offer the doctor of pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree. In 1988, the College launched its graduate program, offering the Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences. With an enrollment today of more than 600 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses four centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The college’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts. For more information about the college, visit http://pharmacy.mercer.edu.