College of Pharamacy Faculty Profile

Ph.D. Program Academic Experience x Professor, School of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA. x Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Venezuela, School of Pharmacy, Caracas, Venezuela. x Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Chief, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. x Member of the Faculty of the Neurobiology Curriculum, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. x Member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. x Member of the Hypertension Clinic at North Carolina Memorial Hospital. x Associate Professor, Central University of Venezuela, School of Pharmacy, Dept. of Applied Biological Sciences, Pharmacology Section. x Assistant Professor in Pharmacology, Mid-West University, School of Medicine, Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Administrative Experience x Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Venezuela, School of Pharmacy, Caracas, Venezuela. x Dean of Graduate School, School of Pharmacy, Central University of Venezuela. x Acting Chairman. Dept. of Pharmacology, Mid-West University, School of Medicine, Barquisimeto, Venezuela. x Chair. First International Congress of Therapeutics. Caracas, Venezuela. x Vice-President. First Inter-American Congress for Diabetes. Maracaibo, Venezuela. Scholarly Activities x 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals. x 23 book chapters. x 300 presentations at scientific meetings. Research Focus x Mechanisms and treatment of hypertension associated with obesity. x Salt-sensitive hypertension: epidemiology, genetic and acquired factors. x Early detection of insulin resistance and abnormalities in glucose metabolism: defective insulin release versus insulin resistance. x The statin withdrawal syndrome: molecular mechanisms and role of intracellular cholesterol synthetic pathway. x Antiviral actions of statins: mechanisms of antiviral action and apoptotic effects. Role of small GTPases, lipid rafts and nuclear mRNA transport.