P. Jeffrey Conn, Lee E. Limbird Chair and professor of pharmacology, is among 16 scientists named 2021 fellows of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Selection as a fellow of ASPET is an honor bestowed on members who have demonstrated excellence in their efforts to advance pharmacology through scientific achievements, mentorship and service to the society.
“It is a real honor to be selected as a fellow of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics,” said Conn, who also is the founding director of the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. “I joined ASPET as a young graduate student here at Vanderbilt and have been heavily involved in multiple aspects of the society since that time. As the flagship society of pharmacology, ASPET has played a major role in shaping our field and also an integral part of my own career development.”
“Dr. Conn has been an exemplary member of ASPET for over 20 years. We are proud to honor him for his innovative research, dedicated teaching, and outstanding service to the Society,” said Margaret E. Gnegy, ASPET president.
After his early career at Emory University and Merck & Co., Conn joined Vanderbilt to found the WCNDD in 2003. The primary mission of the WCNDD under Conn’s leadership is to leverage fundamental breakthroughs in neuroscience to develop new treatments for brain disorders. The main research in his laboratory works to develop a detailed understanding of the cellular mechanisms that regulate the brain circuits involved in neurological and psychiatric disorders. These efforts have generated multiple drug candidates for schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and other central nervous system disorders that are advancing to clinical development at Vanderbilt and in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and others.
Conn has served as editor in chief of the journal Molecular Pharmacology, on editorial boards of multiple other journals and on Scientific Advisory Boards of multiple foundations and companies. He has received numerous awards for his translational research. With this recognition, Conn joins F. Peter (Fred) Guengerich and Elaine Sanders-Bush as an ASPET fellow; both were named ASPET fellows in 2019.
ASPET is a 4,000-member scientific society whose members conduct basic and clinical pharmacological research and work for academia, government, large pharmaceutical companies, small biotech companies and nonprofit organizations.