Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Dr. Mark Nickerson, a world-renowned pharmacologist, joined the University of Manitoba in 1954 and was appointed the first professor and head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He developed a modern course in pharmacology and therapeutics, and established it as an important discipline in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Dr. Nickerson recruited several world-class pharmacologists over a short period of time to establish the department as a leader both nationally and internationally in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics. 

He was the primary driving force in the design and construction of a new building for pharmacology, the Chown building, which opened in 1965, and remains the home of the department. The department has trained many pharmacologists, who have continued onto successful careers in government, private industry and academia, and have provided leadership in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics around the world. 

Pharmacology and therapeutics established an endowment fund as a lasting tribute to Dr. Mark Nickerson’s energy and vision in developing the discipline of pharmacology in Canada. Pharmacology encompasses the interactions between drugs and biological systems, and includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics. Each year, the available annual interest from the fund will be used to offer one or more scholarships to graduate students who:

• Are enrolled full-time in the Faculty Of Graduate Studies in a master’s or doctoral program specializing in pharmacology in the Max Rady College Of Medicine at the University Of Manitoba;
• Have achieved the highest entering degree grade point average, minimum 3.75 (or equivalent), based on the previous 60 credit hours of study.

The Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (or designate) will ask the graduate studies committee of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics to name the selection committee for this award.

In memory of Dr. Ian R. Innes, his family, friends and colleagues have established an endowment fund at the University Of Manitoba.

Dr. Innes began his appointment in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in 1958 and retired in 1989. He served as head of the department from 1967 until 1982. His major area of research was autonomic pharmacology, and he devoted his career to postgraduate education.

The award is to be given to a senior graduate student (past the second year of the training program) in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics as recognition for an outstanding research presentation in the year-end evaluation of students in the training program.

The selection committee will be the department’s academic staff who participate in the annual evaluation process of graduate students in the postgraduate training program.

Dr. Clive Greenway served as head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics from 1982 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 1996.

The Clive Greenway Award is awarded for outstanding performance during the department’s annual graduate student presentations.

With the addition of the Dr. Ian R. Innes Memorial Award in 2002, eligibility for the Clive Greenway Award has been focused on graduate students (MSc and PhD) that have been less than a total of two years in any graduate program in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

A student may not be awarded this award and the Dr. Ian R. Innes Memorial Award in the same year.

The selection committee will be the department’s academic staff who participate in the annual evaluation process of graduate students in the postgraduate training program

The award is in recognition of the contributions of Drs. Deepak and Ratna Bose to the discipline of pharmacology. In addition to distinguished research careers, Drs. Deepak and Ratna Bose modeled a commitment to teaching and education excellence at the University of Manitoba in programs including medicine, pharmacy and graduate studies.

The purpose of this award is to recognize and support the professional development of a graduate student who demonstrates critical thinking and self-directed learning (for example by asking questions and citing scientific literature) during discussions on the discipline of pharmacology as well as topics in biomedical research.