Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D.
As interim executive associate dean for research in the UAMS College of Medicine, Dr. Nancy J. Rusch works to advance research across departments and research groups.
Dr. Rusch has served as professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology since her recruitment to UAMS in 2005. Within her department, she has overseen growth in research funding and the development of faculty who are nationally recognized in their fields of expertise, majorly contribute to research at UAMS and lead key aspects of medical student and graduate student education.
Dr. Rusch is also a key leader in the UAMS Translational Research Institute (TRI), where she co-directs the National Research Service Award (NRSA) Training Core and is director of Translational Workforce Development. She has held many other leadership roles at UAMS, including chair of the College of Medicine Council of Department Chairs, chair of the Basic Science Chairs and founder of the Cardiovascular Interest Group. She has served on numerous search committees for department chairs, UAMS chancellors and other leadership positions.
A leading expert in vascular ion channel remodeling in hypertension, Dr. Rusch has served on numerous study sections and special review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. She is a longstanding member and leader in the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and a past president of the organization’s Cardiovascular Pharmacology Division.
Dr. Rusch received her doctorate at the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in pharmacology at the University of Iowa and in physiology and biophysics at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Rusch served on the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1987 until her recruitment to UAMS. She has received numerous honors at UAMS, including the Chancellor’s Teaching Award in 2011, the Graduate School Best Faculty Award in 2014, and the College of Medicine Educational Innovation Award in 2020.
Contact Dr. Rusch: (501) 686-5510 | NRusch@uams.edu