Internal Advisory Board

Dr. Kenneth L. ("Ken") Audus holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of South Dakota in 1980 and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 1984. After completing postdoctoral work in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas, he joined the faculty of that Department in 1986 and worked his way up through the academic ranks to become a Full Professor in 1996 and then Chair of the Department in 1998. He is also a Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. Dr. Audus became Dean of the School of Pharmacy in April of 2004.

Dean Audus' research interests have included the development and application of cell culture models to study drug distribution across the blood-brain barrier for the treatment of tumors and Alzheimer's disease, and human trophoblast culture systems for studying how drug distribution across the placenta might be controlled and provide for safer drugs for mother and the fetus during pregnancy. Dean Audus is the author or co-author of 165 research articles, one patent, and the co-editor of one book on these topics.

Dean Audus is an Editor for the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is a member the editorial boards of Current Pharmaceutical Design, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Journal of Epithelial Biology and Pharmacology, and Pharmaceutics. He serves as a consultant and on the Board of Trustees and/or Directors of a number of private and public foundations. Dean Audus is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and he has been recognized as an American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year and for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Gregory Kopf's academic research interests have focused on invertebrate and mammalian fertilization, gametogenesis and early events of egg activation. Much of this work was carried out as a faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Prior to coming to KUMC in his current position as Executive Director of the KUMC Research Institute, Dr. Kopf was Assistant Vice President and Interim Vice President, Discovery at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. In this capacity, he directed a drug discovery group responsible for the identification, validation and patenting of various targets for contraception and other disease areas in women's health (osteoporosis; reproductive disorders; urinary incontinence). Dr. Kopf's group was also involved in HTS assay development, compound testing, and lead optimization and he was also was involved in various in- and out-licensing activities for Wyeth.

Paul F. Terranova, Ph.D., is Vice Chancellor for Research and President of the Research Institute at KUMC. He also serves as Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the School of Medicine.  He received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and then moved to the University of Kansas Medical Center for postdoctoral studies related to ovarian function in the department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.  He was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at KUMC in 1977 and rose through the ranks to Professor in 1985. He served as Director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences from 1995 to 2007. He has served on numerous editorial boards, NIH review panels, and has published over 150 articles, books and book chapters.