School of Pharmacy

In 1998, Dr. Alfred Berger endowed the Alfred Berger Professorship in Medicinal Chemistry, through a generous bequest.  This gift was made in honor and recognition of his longtime colleague and collaborator Donald J. Abraham, Ph.D.  Dr. Abraham was then serving as chairman of the School of Pharmacy department and as the editor of Berger’s Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Discovery and Development.   Dr. Berger served on the University of Virginia faculty of the Chemistry Department from 1938 until his retirement in 1970, teaching organic and medicinal chemistry to over 4.500 students.  His research included studies of analgesic chemo-therapeutic and anti-depressant drugs.  Dr. Richard Glennon is the current Alfred Berger Professors.  Dr. Glennon serves as Chairman of the VCU School of Pharmacy Department of Medicinal Chemistry.   Dr. Glennon joined VCU in 1983.  His research utilizes drug design, chemical synthesis, and preclinical evaluations using various functional assays to develop receptor selective- and receptor subtype-selective agents as agonists and/or antagonists.