Carolyn Fairbanks, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
Email: carfair@umn.edu
Office Phone: 612-625-2945
Dr. Fairbanks received her PhD from the University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Pharmacology (minor in Neuroscience) and joined the College of Pharmacy Faculty of Pharmaceutics in 2002. Her research program seeks to identify mechanisms underlying chronic pain and pursue analgesic development. Her laboratory is supported through NIH and Department of Defense funding. She has nearly twenty years of experience in research compliance with the Research and Innovation Office; she spent seven years as Vice-Chair of the IACUC. She served as interim Associate Dean for Research during 2010-2011.
Dr. Fairbanks supports the Dean in the implementation and facilitation of the Research Mission of the College of Pharmacy and serves as primary representative for the College of Pharmacy to the Research and Innovation Office, Council of Research Associate Deans, and all research related units of Health Sciences. She serves as Chair of the College of Pharmacy Research Advisory Committee and Safety Committee. Through the efforts of her reorganized and evolving office, her overarching goal is to maximize research opportunities and optimize the research environment for College of Pharmacy faculty, staff members, students and other trainees.
ADR Staff
Biography
Dr. Goracke-Postle received her PhD from the University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Neuroscience (supporting program in Pharmacology/Pharmaceutics) and pursued postdoctoral training in Clinical Affairs from Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. She has ten years of experience in research administrative leadership with the Office of the Vice-President of Research (OVPR) as a University-wide Director.
As Research Director in the College of Pharmacy, she supports the Associate Dean for Research in the implementation of research administration and serves as a liaison on behalf of the ADR and College of Pharmacy to all units of the OVPR (TC, IRB, IBC, IACUC) as well as Health Sciences (CTSI). Dr. Goracke-Postle contributes both to compliance protocol and grant proposal development, composition and review. She serves as Associate Chair of the Research Advisory Committee, manages the seed grant review process, mentors the students in the planning and implementation of Research Day, and organizes the College of Pharmacy's contribution to Research Ethics week.
Biography
Dr. Cuellar received her PhD from the University of North Carolina Graduate Program in Organic Chemistry and pursued postdoctoral training with Dr. Gunda Georg in the Institute of Therapeutics Discovery and Development (ITDD). After her postdoc, she served as a Research Assistant Professor in Medicinal Chemistry for six years and now has a year of experience in research facilitation with the Office of Associate Dean for Research.
She supports the Research Director in research administration with an emphasis on grant proposal development, composition, and review. She facilitates the Grant Writer's Workshop and similar initiatives. At ITDD she served as Research Safety Officer (RSO) and is now the College of Pharmacy's RSO providing support and training to all Departments and research staff members. She represents the CoP in interactions with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS). She serves as Associate Chair of the College of Pharmacy's Safety Committee.
Biography
Ms. Nguyen received her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences (Genetics emphasis) and has contributed to pain mechanisms research and analgesic development for over twenty years. She has nearly twenty years of experience in laboratory administration in the College of Pharmacy as Dr. Fairbanks's Research Coordinator. She now also contributes a minor portion of her time assisting the Associate Dean for Research in scheduling her meetings and communications and the Office of the Associate Dean for Research in general operations and events.