In May of 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) placed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register6 that would transfer marijuana from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to schedule III of the CSA. Although the current Administration of the federal government has not carried forth with the proposal, the Drug Policy Subcommittee of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) would like to make the membership aware of the ramifications of such a rule change and especially for those with preclinical and clinical research programs involving cannabis.
After his final contributions to the ASPET Journals Task Force wrapped up in 2024, long-time ASPET member Michael Jarvis, PhD, FASPET, HonFBPhS,
found himself in an unusual position. Having completed his term as Pharmacology Research & Perspectives Editor-in-Chief and member of ASPET’s Publications Committee in 2023, and having completed his three-year term on ASPET’s Council as President-Elect, President, and Past-President (2021–2023), also previously having served two consecutive terms as Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET) Editor-in-Chief (2010–2015), Mike finally had a rare chance to breathe.
In 2023, CDC received reports of 89,000 Lyme disease cases but cautioned that many other cases were likely not reported. Surveillance efforts are difficult, many individuals are treated as outpatients, and diagnostic lab tests have limitations. CDC estimates that about 476,000 Americans may actually be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year.
A Recap of the ASPET 2025 Annual Meeting. On behalf of the ASPET Council, the ASPET Program Committee, the ASPET 2025 Organizing Committee, and the ASPET staff, thank you for making the ASPET 2025 Annual Meeting a resounding success!
Laura Eghobamien is a cellular biologist who offers expertise in cellular immunology, antibody therapeutics, and high throughput screening to small biotech companies. Eghobamien is also the founder of the Black Medical Scientific Network (BMSN) in the United Kingdom. She established it in 2020 after a close friend in the science field revealed her frustration with having to constantly prove her worth and was considering quitting the field altogether.
Since its founding in 1636, Harvard University had remained an all-male institution. Then, in 1919, Alice Hamilton was appointed to the Harvard faculty. She did not seek the post. Rather, she was actively and enthusiastically recruited by leaders in the medical school. The 50-year-old physician had amassed expertise and an international reputation unmatched by anyone else. She was simply the best person for the job.
In honor of Black History Month, The Pharmacologist is highlighting the journey of Dionna Williams, PhD, Associate Professor at Emory University. Dr. Williams was one of two professors at Emory to recently receive the Presidential Early Career Award, the U.S. government’s highest honor for early-career scientists. She joined ASPET in 2022 and is a member of the Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition.
John D. Schuetz, PhD, is the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of ASPET Discovery, the newest Gold Open Access journal of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. In partnership with Elsevier Publishing Company, ASPET Discovery, a peer-reviewed Open Access journal, will publish bi-monthly and include a range of article types including original research articles and minireviews that address all areas of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. Dr. Schuetz will serve a three-year term that can be renewed for one additional three-year term.
For a long time, my grandfather suffered from indigestion. In his day, gastritis (i.e., inflammation of the stomach lining) was thought to be due to excessive acid secretion. And damage from stomach acid could cause peptic ulcers.
By a show of hands, how many of you reading this article use a mobile app to manage your health? The term digital health has gradually become part of our lives, maybe more than you realize. It allows us to schedule appointments, view our medical records and test results, consult with our healthcare professionals, control our exercise routines, closely monitor health conditions, pay our medical bills, and so much more. Many of these tasks are accessible via mobile apps on smartphones and smart watches; but what exactly is digital health and how does this emerging model for delivering health care intersect with traditional forms of administering therapies to patients?
