Duane D. Miller Endowment
2025 Duane D. Miller Lectureship Ceremony
May 20 | 9 – 11 am | UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy Building, Memphis, Room 102
2025 Duane D. Miller Lectureship Awardee
Michael S. Wolfe, PhD
Mathias P. Mertes Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Kansas
Michael S. Wolfe received his B.S. in chemistry in 1984 from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry in 1990 from the University of Kansas. After postdoctoral stints at the University of Kansas (medicinal chemistry) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (cell biology), he joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee in Memphis in 1994. In 1999, he moved to Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where his work focused on understanding the molecular basis of Alzheimer’s and related disorders and identifying effective approaches for pharmacological intervention, becoming Professor of Neurology in 2008. He joined the University of Kansas faculty in 2016 as the Mathias P. Mertes Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. Awards for his work include the Sato Memorial International Award in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry from the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (2003), the MetLife Award for Biomedical Research (2008), a Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association (2008), and the Potamkin Prize from the American Academy of Neurology (2009).
About the Duane. D. Miller Lectureship
The UTHSC College of Pharmacy Drug Discovery Center (UTCoP DDC) established the “The Duane D. Miller Lectureship” and its related graduate student award, “The Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery” in 2023. This lectureship and student award honor Dr. Duane Miller, Professor Emeritus at UTCoP, for his exceptional and long-lasting impacts on the establishment of the Medicinal Chemistry programs in UTCoP in 1992 after more than 20 years successful career at the Ohio State University, and his accomplishments in inventing several small molecule investigational new drugs (e.g., Enobosarm, Sabizabulin) that have moved to advanced clinical trials.
- The annual Duane D. Miller Lectureship Award recognizes a small molecule drug discovery expert, with Dr. Miller being the inaugural awardee.
- The Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery recognizes a graduate student for outstanding achievement in small molecule drug discovery and development research. The first named award for students in the UTCoP graduate program carries a monetary award, generously provided by Dr. Miller himself for the inaugural year 2023
Past Winners
| Year | Duane D. Miller Lectureship Award | Duane D. Miller Award in Drug Discovery |
| 2023 | Duane Miller, PhD |
Dr. Madison Sluter
|
| 2024 | Dr. Christopher McCurdy, PhD |
Kelli Adeleye
|
About Duane D. Miller
Dr. Duane Miller joined the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College
of Pharmacy (UTCoP) in 1992 to establish the medicinal chemistry program. Before this,
he had a successful academic career of over 20 years at the Ohio State University
College of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, the medicinal chemistry program at UTCoP
grew from being almost non-existent to a nationally recognized program. The program
has developed several small molecule investigational new drugs like Enobosarm and
Sabizabulin, which have advanced to multiple clinical trials.
Alongside his research, Dr. Miller has been an excellent mentor, collaborator, and friend to many, playing a significant role in shaping the careers of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, and junior faculty. Dr. Miller served as the Department Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at CoP from 2000 to 2015 and retired as a Professor Emeritus in 2015.
Dr. Miller, a true scientist with a strong passion for small molecule drug discovery, returned to UTCoP part-time to continue drug discovery research. His efforts have resulted in invention disclosures, new patents, newly licensed technologies, and new NIH grants.
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