Dr. Judy Bolton, professor and head of the UIC Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, recently spoke to Chemical & Engineering News about her research into the use of botanical supplements in the treatment of menopause symptoms and cancer prevention.

Pharmaceuticals are a $460 billion a year industry and the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy is preparing students for it in an innovative new way. Thanks to a competitive internship program, doctoral students can spend a summer working with such industry giants as Takeda, AbbVie, and Sirenas. “From working on regulatory affairs and drug discovery to running experiments, our students are getting a valuable firsthand look at industry,” says program director Dr. Joanna Burdette. The “Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students,” or PIIPS for short, receives institutional support from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Through a pragmatic program focused on sustained, direct interaction with the most vulnerable patients, Dr. Christine Foanio has helped UI Health improve patient outcomes and meet incentive benchmarks.