It's the end of 2025, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has had a year of change, innovation, and research breakthroughs. From new leadership to a new endowed chair, to a donation that came at the right time to change cancer therapy research, this year saw science moving forward. Here are the Top 5 stories of 2025.
After nearly 20 years leading CU Pharmacy dean Ralph Altiere, PhD is stepping down but not stepping away. Under his leadership, the School transformed into a top-tier pharmacy powerhouse with booming research, bold new programs, and rising national stature. Dr. Altiere helped build a cutting-edge campus home, launched innovative degree and certificate pathways, and expanded global learning opportunities for students. He also fueled major research growth, including new centers and facilities that strengthened the School’s scientific impact. His legacy is one of innovation, ambition, and momentum that will shape CU Pharmacy for years to come. Read more.
In 2025, CU Pharmacy announced its first-ever endowed faculty chair. Alumna Debra Devereaux funded the new Debra S. Devereaux Endowed Chair in Translational Pharmaceutical Sciences to support bold, patient-focused research. The School appointed Christina Aquilante, PharmD, a leader in personalized medicine who has delivered pharmacogenomic results to tens of thousands of patients. Dr. Aquilante plans to drive faster translation of scientific discoveries into real-world treatments, from tailored drug therapies to new uses of genomics and AI. Read more.
Alternative therapies are everywhere but when everyone from social-media influencers to online clinics sells them as miracle cures, it’s hard to know what really works. At CU Pharmacy, faculty are tackling that confusion head-on, combining traditional science, regulation awareness, and patient care to help separate hype from reality. Experts like David Kroll, PhD, Kelsey Schwander, PharmD, and Michael DiStefano, PhD, are training future pharmacists and guiding patients to make informed decisions about cannabis, ketamine, herbal remedies, and other “natural” options. They emphasize that “natural” doesn’t always mean safe, and that alternative treatments deserve the same careful evaluation as conventional medicine. Read more.
Thanks to the evidence-based Drug Utilization Review (DUR) team at CU Pharmacy, Colorado’s Medicaid program has lowered costs without compromising care. By rigorously analyzing medications for safety, effectiveness, and value, DUR researchers helped prevent unnecessary spending. Their work ensures patients get treatments that actually work, and taxpayers don’t pay for low-value prescriptions. The initiative struck a balance: better health outcomes while reducing waste, and it’s now a model for other states to follow. Read more.
A private donation supercharged cancer research at CU Pharmacy in 2025, fueling a breakthrough effort at the Center for Drug Discovery. Led by Daniel LaBarbera, PhD, the team is using cutting-edge robotic screening and a massive drug library to hunt down powerful new cancer drugs that could dramatically boost the effectiveness of existing therapies. Their early work targeting the oncogene CHD1L already shows huge promise. In lab and organoid models, the new compounds make chemotherapy thousands of times more potent. With this funding, the Drug Discovery team is moving toward safety testing and first-in-human trials. If successful, this game-changing gift could pave the way for entirely new, more effective cancer treatments and bring new hope to patients worldwide. Read more.