The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the request to rename the UI Carver College of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology to the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology on Aug. 1.

This name is reflective of the work of the department’s faculty, about 80% of whom conduct neuroscience-related research. Just like pharmacology, neuroscience is fundamental to many areas of research and many new therapeutic approaches are envisioned to arise from basic neuroscience research in the future.

The name change was made in an effort to enhance the department’s ability to develop large research groups and compete for collaborative project and center funding in areas such as neurological disease, metabolism and obesity, and pain and neuronal signaling. It will help increase awareness of neuroscience at Iowa, which can boost the reputation and rankings of the Carver College of Medicine and bolster our efforts to recruit faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows focused on neuroscience.