Elvin Price, Pharm.D., Ph.D., a 2013 UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI) KL2 Career Development awardee, was recently selected to serve as an associate scientific advisor for Science Translational Medicine, sister publication of the journal Science.
Price, an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, is the first scientist from UAMS to earn the selection in the publication’s five-year history. It was based on his writing sample and a nomination from Robert McGehee, Ph.D., who directs TRI’s Research Education, Training and Career Development Program. Price is among just 26 early career researchers nationally selected as associate scientific advisors for 2014.
Price will write nine editorials for the publication this year. The April issue of Science Translational Medicine includes his first editorial on cardiac ischemia titled: “Dancing with the Scars: Choreography of the Macrophage Two Step After Myocardial Infarction.”
“This is a really cool opportunity,” Price said. “I get to work with senior editors from the science family, and I can already see the benefits to the quality of my writing for applications that I will submit in June and to the manuscripts that I’m working on.”
McGehee, dean of the UAMS Graduate School, noted that the editors at Science Translational Medicine were looking for an inaugural set of investigators who could be associate editors and bring interests and expertise across multiple disciplines in recognizing and moving translational medicine forward.
“Dr. Price was a natural and perfect choice,” McGhee said. “His training background in clinical pharmacy as a Pharm.D., furthered by his Ph.D. training in cardiovascular pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, provide him with a very unique translational skill set for such a role, and it is very rewarding the editors recognized this.”
“These are the kinds of opportunities that we really like to see our KL2 Scholars get involved with,” he said.
Price is one of 13 promising early career researchers selected over the last five years for a KL2 award by the Translational Research Institute. The award provides salary and research support to help jump-start the research programs of junior investigators like Price.
Price is studying promising genetic predictors that he hopes will help doctors prescribe the right cardiovascular medicines for their patients.
Science Translational Medicine, established in 2009, is an interdisciplinary medical research journal established by the journal Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It aims to advance the field of translational medicine, which promotes the transfer of basic science discoveries and experimental approaches of modern science to the alleviation of human disease.