Distinguished Alumni

Dr Terrence P Kenakin, PhD

Following graduation with a BSc in Chemistry, Terry Kenakin enrolled in the PhD Graduate Program in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta in 1971 and worked with Dr David Cook. They studied histamine receptor pharmacology and Terry's first paper was published in Nature in 1974. Temperature‐dependent interconversion of histamine H1 and H2 receptors in guinea pig ileum. Kenakin TP, Krueger CA, Cook DA. Nature 252:54‐55. Terry earned his PhD in Pharmacology in 1975 and started a highly successful Post‐Doctoral Fellowship under the expert tutelage of the 1988 Nobel Laureate Sir James Black at University College in London, England. He then joined Burroughs‐Wellcome as an Associate Scientist. From there, he continued working in drug discovery at Glaxo Inc. and at GlaxoWellcome. He is presently a Director at GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development Laboratories at Research Triangle Park, N.C. USA. Dr Kenakin has made many important contributions to pharmacology, having been involved in drug discovery for over 35 years. Currently he is engaged in studies aimed at the optimal design of experimental systems for the assay of drug activities as well as the discovery and testing of allosteric molecules for the treatment of diabetes. He is a member of numerous editorial boards as well as CoEditor-in-Chief of the Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction. He has become a true powerhouse in receptor pharmacology and has authored numerous high impact journal articles and has written 8 textbooks on receptor pharmacology, pharmacodynamics and drug discovery.

The Department of Pharmacology would like to congratulate Dr Kenakin on being awarded the prestigious British Pharmacological Society 'Gaddum Memorial Award' (June 04, 2014).