School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Faculty Share Expertise in ASHP Book

Four Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences faculty members have authored or co-authored several chapters in a newly published American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) book titled Concepts in Pharmacogenomics, 2^nd Edition.

The KGI faculty include Kathy Webster, Founding Dean and Professor; Samit Shah, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Chair of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Sidney J. Weinberg Professor; David Ha, Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences; and Sally Huston, Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences.

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person’s genetic makeup.

“With the rapid advances in genomic technology and the dramatic decrease in the cost of sequencing, testing for genetic variations and how they influence our predisposition to diseases or drug metabolism will become more common,” said Shah.  

As the growing field of pharmacogenomics continues to impact daily practice and offer promising new drug therapies, understanding this complex science is critical for all pharmacists. To meet this need, ASHP’s Concepts in Pharmacogenomics has been completely updated for this second edition and covers both the fundamentals of pharmacogenomics and the latest genomic technologies.

“The book is targeted to pharmacists and pharmacist trainees including pharmacy students and residents,” said Ha. “In this way, it will be useful for both seasoned pharmacists who are familiar with the topic and trainees who may be learning the topic area for the first time.”

In fact, the KGI School of Pharmacy will be using this book and its different chapters to help students get the most relevant and updated information in the field. Of the 18 chapters in this new second edition, four of them are authored or co-authored by the KGI faculty. 

Shah and Webster co-authored Chapter 2, The Genetic Basis of Pharmacogenomics, and Chapter 6, Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacogenomics. Shah and Ha co-authored Chapter 11, Respiratory Diseases, while Huston authored Chapter 17, Ethics and Pharmacogenomics.

“It was fantastic to work with both Dr. Ha and Dean Webster on the different chapters,” said Shah. “By being a co-author, we were able to discuss a number of different things and ensure we got the most up-to-date information.”

This also wasn’t the first time that the KGI faculty have been involved with this book.

“I wrote the ethics chapter for the first edition of this book in 2010,” said Huston. “I was astonished at the significant increase in discussion in the literature from the first to the second editions.”

Concepts in Pharmacogenomics, 2^nd Edition is available for purchase on the ASHP website at store.ashp.org.