Kurt Varner, Ph.D.
Head, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Lederle Laboratories /
David R. Bethune Professor of Pharmacology
The Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics plays an important role in the educational and research missions of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Our faculty provides professional instruction in the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Allied Health and Graduate Studies. The Department offers Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. degrees. We are deeply committed to graduate and post-doctoral training. Our trainees successfully compete for prestigious positions in academia, industry and the government.
In addition to teaching, our faculty conducts cutting edge research in such disciplines as cardiovascular, pulmonary, cancer, renal, central nervous system and behavioral pharmacology. Our faculty's research interests also include the areas of drug metabolism, genetics, molecular and cellular signaling, integrins and adhesion molecules and pain control.
We have developed a number of state-of-the-art core facilities within the Department including, proteomics, cardiovascular function, cell culture, histology and imaging. Additional core facilities are available within the LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans campus.