DEVELOPMENT OF A CLINICAL-PHARMACOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY-OF-KENTUCKY

This paper presents a summary of the philosophy, mechanism and possibl e outcomes of a graduate program initiative at the University of Kentu cky College of Pharmacy. The program is intended to develop pharmacy t rained specialists who independently will derive new knowledge through observation, study and experimentation that is focused on drug therap y outcomes in patients, and the factors and mechanisms determining tho se outcomes. Successful completion of this ''Clinical Pharmacology Pro gram'' would ultimately lead to the PhD degree in Pharmaceutical Scien ces, the umbrella graduate program at the University of Kentucky Colle ge of Pharmacy. This program is designed for individuals holding the P harmD degree who are interested in a rigorous, mechanistic approach to problems in clinical pharmacology and in establishing themselves as i ndependent scientists through: intense clinical experience in a medica l specialty of interest, state-of-the-art course work, and integrated laboratory-based and clinical dissertation research. It is emphasized that this program will continue to evolve in response to institutional and disciplinary needs and opportunities.