Using the extraordinary intellectual, biological, physical, and cultural diversity of its geographic region as a focus of investigation and study, the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo is proud to offer a Ph.D. degree program in the Pharmaceutical Sciences.

This program, which was inaugurated in 2011, provides graduate training in the pharmaceutical sciences, including medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and pharmacognosy. The college has strong research programs in "Cancer Biology" and "Natural Product Drug Discovery." The Ph.D. degree program is aimed at students with B.S., M.S., or Pharm.D. degrees, and those currently working in the field. 

This program is designed to foster student development to allow students to become critical thinkers, team players, self-directed interdisciplinary scholars and strong communicators. PhD students will be prepared for positions in the pharmaceutical sciences in academia, research, education, government, industry, and related fields.  

Key Faculty

The faculty includes cancer researchers, Dr. Linda Connelly (role of inflammation in tumor progression and metastasis), Dr. Aaron Jacobs (cell signaling and characterization of novel heat shock-induced gene products), Dr. Dana-Lynn Koomoa-Lange (calcium signaling changes in disease states) and Dr. Ingo Koomoa-Lange (cancer cell biology). Faculty members who are medicinal chemists include Dr. Dianqing Sun (organic synthesis of anti-cancer and anti-microbial drugs) and Dr. Daniela Gündisch (organic synthesis of central nervous system drugs and development of in vivo tracers for imaging). Dr. Leng Chee Chang's research on phytochemistry focues on the isolation of novel molecules from plants with anticancer and other biological activities. Dr. Ghee Tan's multidisciplinary drug discovery work focuses on the identification and mechanistic evaluation of anticancer and antimalarial natural products from terrestrial and marine sources. Dr. Susan Jarvi studies host genetics in resistance to avian malaria and is actively involved in rat lung worm disease. Dr. Mahavir Chougule focuses on targeted therapies for lung cancer and asthma utilizing nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. Dr. Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit is involved in mathematical analysis of health care outcomes.

Click here to learn more about the background and diverse research interests of each faculty member.

Tuition and Other Financial Information

Tuition
Tuition for the 2016 – 2017 school year is $11,496 per year for Hawaii residents and $26,328 per year for out-of-state residents. Click here to read more about tuition and fees.

Financial Aid
Click here for more information on financial aid. Financial aid is available to students who qualify.

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistant positions with tuition waivers are available. Students must apply for these positions each academic year and these positions are not guaranteed.    

Other Information

The Student Life Center on campus has an Olympic-sized pool, a cardio and weight room, and also offers classes like yoga and Zumba.