Each month, the editors of three of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutic’s (ASPET) journals choose who they call their Highlighted Trainee Authors. These early-career scientists are recognized for their innovative research published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, and Molecular Pharmacology. This feature showcases selected young scientists, demonstrates what drives them and reveals why pharmacology is important to them.
King B. Yabut
King B. Yabut, PhD, is a Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb, and recently graduated from the University of Washington. Yabut credits his mentors who encouraged him to pursue his scientific interests and challenged him to do his best. Their immense passion for science and efforts in his career development played a large role in the success he has achieved.
“My mentors are a big reason I am where I am today. As a Filipino immigrant who grew up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, I never thought that getting my PhD was really ever an option until my later years in college,” Yabut said.
Before graduate school, he worked for several years in a biochemistry lab doing mechanistic studies on yeast centrosome formation which cemented his desire to pursue his PhD. The training he received in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics provided the opportunity to get his current position at Bristol Myers Squibb. There, he continues to focus on mechanistic research, but is also making an impact on developing drugs that improve the lives of patients.
Yabut’s research was published in Molecular Pharmacology and he remembers that it was at his first scientific conference at ASPET that he got the opportunity to present his work, which led to a co-author publication that help him acquire grants and fellowships.
“Coming full circle, it is a huge honor for me to be able to contribute to ASPET by publishing my thesis work in Molecular Pharmacology.”
Omar Al Yacoub
Omar Al Yacoub, PhD, is currently the University of Minnesota-AbbVie postdoctoral fellow in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics. It was during his career as a pharmacist, that he realized the need for more effective and safe drugs for many conditions.
“I became passionate about conducting research in the field of pharmacology because I believed that it would enable me to directly contribute to developing new therapeutic options for neurological disorders and eventually enhance the quality of life of patients,” Yacoub explained. “I have always been influenced by the need to improve the pharmacological treatment and the quality of life of patients, especially the most vulnerable populations.”
Yacoub is honored that his research is now published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, which he considers a highly respected and global pharmacology community that advances the science of drugs and therapeutics to improve outcomes and the quality of life of patients.
“Having my work published in an ASPET journal is a significant recognition of the rigor and the importance of our findings,” Yacoub said. “It also provides us with a great opportunity to communicate the significance of our work.”