Nancy Zahniser

Nancy R. Zahniser
Born Nancy Rutledge
(1948-10-26)October 26, 1948
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Died May 5, 2016(2016-05-05) (aged 67)
Denver, Colorado, United States
Cause of death Neuroglioblastoma
Nationality American
Known for Research on dopamine
Academic background
Education PhD
Alma mater University of Pittsburgh
Thesis title Is 2-Dimethylaminoethanol (Deanol) a Precursor of Acetylcholine? A Neurochemical and Behavioral Investigation
Thesis year 1977
Doctoral advisor Israel Hanin
Academic work
Discipline Pharmacology
Institutions University of Colorado Denver
Doctoral students Robert P. Yasuda, Donald M. Burnett, Margaret J. Velardo, Jilla Sabeti, Bruce H. Mandt, Anna M. Nelson, Dorothy J. Yamamoto
Main interests Dopamine, addiction

Nancy Rutledge Zahniser (October 26, 1948 – May 5, 2016) was an American pharmacologist, best known for her work involving the mechanism of dopaminergic pathways and chemical modifications of them. Although born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zahniser grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio and subsequently enrolled at the College of Wooster, where she obtained a degree in chemistry. After completing her degree, Zahniser spent some time in India where she met her first husband Mark Zahniser; she later returned to the United States to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where she earned her PhD in pharmacology in 1977. Zahniser went on to complete her post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center's Department of Pharmacology and then became a part of the faculty there. In 2007, she became associate dean for research education. She played a role in advancing the careers of many post-doctoral students in her lab. In addition to her work as a professor, Zahniser was also a member of several boards, committees, review panels, and professional societies related to pharmacology, neuroscience, and addiction. She led several national research meetings from 1995-2002.

Early life

Zahniser was born October 26, 1948, in Ann Arbor, Michigan[1] and grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio,[2] graduating high school in 1966.[2] She obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry at the College of Wooster in 1970[3] and subsequently taught high-school science for a year at the Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India.[2][3] While in India, she met Peace Corps volunteer Mark Zahniser, and the two were married in New Delhi in 1971.[4] She obtained her PhD in pharmacology in 1977 at the University of Pittsburgh, with Israel Hanin as her adviser. Her doctoral dissertation was on the mechanisms of brain acetylcholine production in mice and rats.[3][5] The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy would later present her with their Distinguished Alumna Award in 2009.[2]

Career

After earning her doctoral degree, Zahniser was trained as a postdoctoral fellow by Perry Molinoff at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.[2][1] Upon completion of post-doctoral training in 1980, Zahniser became an instructor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and soon joined the faculty, obtaining tenure in 1991.[6][2][3] At this university, she taught in three programs: pharmacology, neuroscience, and medical student training.[2] As a professor, she supervised several theses and postdoctoral students. Several of her students went on to establish laboratories of their own.[2][3] During her tenure, she was appointed the Department of Pharmacology's vice-chair and acting chair as well as associate dean for research education.[3] Zahniser's role in these positions proved crucial for those who sought funding by the university for related scientific projects, including various awards and fellowships.[2] Although her primary affiliation was with the University of Colorado, she also lectured at various universities throughout the United States, including the University of Pittsburgh, Loyola University, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.[2]

From 1981 on she regularly received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that supported her work through grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), including an NIH Merit Award, a Senior Scientist Award, and a Research Scientist Development Award.[6] She served on NIH and NIDA committees related to the science of drug abuse.[3]

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America foundation presented her with the Award in Excellence in Pharmacology/Toxicology both in 1984 and 2014 for her work involving addiction to drugs of abuse and its relation to dopamine regulation.[2][3]

Research

Zahniser's research concerned the role of dopamine in the brain, especially in relation to addictive disorders.[2] Her doctoral dissertation was completed under the supervision of Israel Hanin in March 1977[2] and investigated the principal effects of increases of deanol-p-acetamidobenzoate (colloquially known as deaner or deanol) on the synthesis of brain acetylcholine in mice and rats as well as possible elevations of deanol and choline.[5]

Her postdoctoral research in the lab of Perry Molinoff examined how the nucleotide guanine could influence the binding of H-spiroperidol in certain brain regions.[2][7] Much of her later work was related to the effects of cocaine administration and its pharmacology throughout dopaminergic pathways in the brain.[8][9]

Zahniser published more than 150 articles and book chapters,[2] which have been cited over 6200 times, giving her an h-index of 44.[10]

Meetings

Zahniser was an organizer for the Gordon Research Conferences on Catecholamines in 1995 and 1997.[2][6] On April 9, 2013, the University of Florida's Center for Addiction Research and Education held the "Zahniser Addiction Symposium" in her honor, where she discussed her extensive work involving dopamine transmitters and cocaine, followed by other scientists who presented their own original research regarding substance abuse and dependence.[2][11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nancy R. Zahniser". Cremation Society of Colorado. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Obituary: Dr. Nancy Rutledge Zahniser". American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ASPET Members in the News: Dr. Nancy Zahniser Awarded 2014 Award in Excellence in Pharmacology/Toxicology from the PhRMA Foundation". American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Nancy Zahniser's Obituary on Denver Post". Denver Post. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  5. 1 2 Zahniser, N. R.; Chou, D.; Hanin, I. (1977-03-01). "Is 2-dimethylaminoethanol (deanol) indeed a precursor of brain acetylcholine? A gas chromatographic evaluation". Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 200 (3): 545–559. PMID 850128.
  6. 1 2 3 Zahniser, Nancy Rutledge (March 2009). "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). University of Colorado, Denver. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  7. ↑ Zahniser, N.R. and Molinoff, P.B. Effect of guanine nucleotides on striatal dopamine receptors. Nature 275:453-455, 1978.
  8. ↑ Dwoskin, LP; Peris, J; Yasuda, RP; Philpott, K; Zahniser, NR (1988). "Repeated cocaine administration results in supersensitivity of striatal D-2 dopamine autoreceptors to pergolide". Life Sci. 42: 255–262.
  9. ↑ Peris, J; Zahniser, NR (1989). "Persistent augmented dopamine release after acute cocaine requires dopamine receptor activation". Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 32: 71–76.
  10. ↑ Science Citation Index, accessed June 8, 2016
  11. ↑ "Invited Speaker's | labsite". Khoshbouei laboratory. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
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