Graduate Student Spotlight: Dora Santos, Master of Science in Pharmacology
UC Irvine’s Master of Science in Pharmacology (MSP) program is a two-year online degree program geared toward teaching students the fundamental principles of pharmacology, mechanisms of drug action, current topics in drug discovery, and strategies for drug research.
Designed for working professionals, this program is for pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacologists interested in advancing their careers or enhancing their competitiveness for admission to other professional degree programs.
Dora Santos, a second-year MSP student, shares how the MSP program has helped advance her knowledge and skill in pharmacology in the industry.
Q: How has your experience in the MSP program contributed to your professional growth?
After having been in the pharmaceutical industry for 18+ years, being a student in the MSP program has been a refreshing experience that is providing me with the knowledge and skills in pharmacology to support my development as a scientist.
Although my focus in the industry has been on high-throughput screening of off-target activities, learning about the current landscape of mechanisms of drug action across different therapeutic areas has been eye-opening. In this way, the MSP program has been instrumental in encouraging me to look at my work from a pharmacological standpoint and in understanding the underlying regulatory mechanisms involved.
Q: What do you like most about the MSP curriculum?
I like how the MSP curriculum is well-organized and designed to challenge, question, and promote critical thinking- all important elements for bringing innovation to the next generation of drugs, especially in therapeutic areas with high unmet needs.
I have also particularly enjoyed all the literature we are exposed to and the online group discussions where we get to share, learn, and comment on fellow students’ perspectives on different topics of pharmacology and related literature, as well as research interests.
Q: Can you describe how you have connected with faculty and fellow students while in the program?
I mostly use email to contact professors and chat to connect with fellow students. E-mail has been an effective way to reach out to faculty, which can be conveniently done through the same application portal where all the weekly lecture material and assignments are found. On this same platform, professors post general messages and can also add comments on assignments.
Regarding connecting with student fellows, instant messaging has been an effective tool for informal communications, especially when collaborating on group assignments. I also consider online discussions a great way of connecting with peers. Overall, I have felt connected and supported throughout the program.
Q: What area of pharmacology is most intriguing to you and why?
I’m interested in understanding potential underlying mechanisms involved in the metabolic variability mediated by drug metabolizing enzymes in response to drugs from human hepatocytes from different donors. I believe that elucidating pathways involved in hepatic interindividual differences may guide the selection of representative human hepatocytes donor lots for mitigating hepatic-related liabilities early in the drug discovery process and even lead to the identification of biomarkers. This could ultimately accelerate the delivery of efficacious and safe drugs that would benefit a greater patient population.
Through this program, I also developed an interest in neuropharmacology and cardiovascular pharmacology. While there has been fascinating research conducted in these areas, innovation in therapies for neurological and cardiovascular diseases is still much needed.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I highly appreciate the MSP program being offered online. I had contemplated pursuing a master’s degree before but attending classes while managing a full-time job had been a major deterrent. From my perspective, someone that has been in the industry for several years focused on the technical aspects of research, I consider this program a great stepping stone for advancing a career in research and other life science-related disciplines.
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Click here to learn more about the UCI Master of Science in Pharmacology program.