1999 Pharmacy Handbook - The Graduate School

The Graduate School

Introduction
Research
Flexible learning arrangements

Introduction

The Graduate School was founded in 1970 to develop and direct all graduate studies in the college.
Graduate matters are now administered by a graduate studies committee with elected members from each department. The committee is chaired by the associate dean (graduate studies) who represents the college on the PhD and Scholarships Committee of the university.

Research

Research facilities are available within all departments for students to undertake graduate work in experimental and theoretical areas of the pharmaceutical sciences.
Students may apply for entry to graduate study courses by arrangement with the associate dean (graduate studies). The following fields of research are available for graduate studies.

Pharmaceutics

The general field of research is drug delivery and formulation sciences. Recent projects include effects of excipients on the physical and conformational stability of model proteins; physicochemical assessment and analytical method development for new drug candidates; biopharmaceutical characterisation of novel neuroprotective agents; stability assessment of potential neuroprotective agents; preliminary stability studies for solution formulations of an investigational protein; synthesis, physicochemical and biological evaluation of a novel prodrug for increasing the water solubility of tertiary amine-containing drugs; evaluation of a novel carrier system for a recombinant protein using the in situ isolated perfused rat model; examination of the absorption of lipophilic drugs from intestinal mixed micelles; absorption and lymphatic transport of proteins after subcutaneous injection; absorption of drugs by the intestinal lymphatic system; effect of drug binding to plasma lipoproteins on the pharmcokinetics of alkyl ester products of a model lipophilic drug; enhancement of delivery of drugs acros the skin; formulaton of dry powder inhalers; dispersion of micronised drugs during dissolution; controlled release implants for antigen delivery; studies on drug uptake and pharmacokinetics.

Medicinal chemistry

Synthesis and characterisation of bioactive molecules, such as enzyme inhibitors, peptides, CNS-active drugs and carbohydrate-based drugs. NMR spectroscopic and computer-graphic studies of drug-receptor interactions. Protein chemistry and molecular biology.

Pharmaceutical biology and pharmacology

Pharmacological investigations on antidepressants, antipsychotics, opioids, cannabis and other drugs of abuse. The pharmacology of gut secretion and antidiarrhoeal drugs. Autonomic mechanisms, pre- and postjunctional agonists and antagonists; receptor differentiation; receptor transduction mechanisms. Adenosine and its receptors. The pathology and pharmacology of skin disease.

Pharmacy practice

Quality usage of medicines, drug usage in the elderly, attitudes of patients to their medications and health professionals. Continuing pharmacy education. Attitudes of pharmacists to their professional roles. Pharmacist intervention in the prescribing cycle. Dose optimisation in oncology, spinal and infectious disease. Drug-related problems and rates of hospital admissions.

Flexible learning arrangements

The university is proud of its flexible learning arrangements.
Students with family and/or work commitments can access honours and higher degree research programs on a part-time basis. Part-time scholarships are also available.
The university aims to introduce a scholarship system for fee-paying postgraduate courses in 1999. Students planning to undertake these courses who think they may need fee relief, can contact the Monash Postgraduate Association on 9905 3196 for details about the proposed scholarships.
For more information on all these issues, contact the college's associate dean (graduate studies) or the Research Training and Support Branch of the university on 9905 2059.