Perry V. Halushka, Ph.D., M.D., received the first Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation Clinical Pharmacology Award in Excellence March 17.

Halushka, professor of pharmacology and director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, received the award at the organization’s banquet in Philadelphia. The event recognized academic centers and their top scientists who have furthered the PhRMA Foundation’s dedication to advancing public health.

The Washington-based PhRMA Foundation promotes public health through scientific and medical research by providing support for education and training programs in pharmacology, morphology, toxicology, pharmaceutics, pharmacoeconomics and bio-informatics.

Halushka was recipient of the PhRMA Foundation Faculty Development Award in Clinical Pharmacology in 1975. Since then he has become nationally and internationally known for his research in the role of prostaglandins and thromboxanes in platelet functions and cardiovascular disease. He has had more than 200 scientific articles published in peer reviewed journals and has written nearly 50 invited reviews and book chapters.

In addition to his research endeavors, he is a practicing physician, serving as a referring physician for the treatment of difficult-to-manage hypertensive patients for more than 20 years. He has been listed in the “Best Doctors in America.” His numerous responsibilities in the academic arena include the directorship of the Medical University’s M.D./Ph.D. training program.