Tyler Ackley ’19 (Pharm.D.) has been named a 2018 University Scholar. He is one of just 25 students to receive this distinction, one that is among the top academic honors bestowed by the University.
Being named a University Scholar allows highly motivated students to design and create in-depth research, creative projects, and individualized plans of study that support their academic and intellectual interests during their final three undergraduate semesters.
When asked to describe Ackley, his Honors Advisor in the School of Pharmacy, Brian Aneskievich, said without hesitation, ‘translational.’
“Tyler is very interested in basic science research but in a way that can be applied in clinical settings,” Aneskievich says. “He has an intense interest in translating basic research into applications that will be important in treating real human conditions. He has demonstrate this in his work on rheumatoid arthritis in professor Caroline Dealy’s lab.”
Dealy, an associate professor of reconstructive sciences, is chair of Ackley’s University Scholar Advisory Committee. Aneskievich and Andrea Hubbard, both faculty in Pharmaceutical Sciences, also serve on his committee.
Ackley first began working with Dealy when he participated in the 2016 Technology Incubation Program (TIP) summer program.
His project was titled Soluble Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Isoforms: Functional Roles and Potential Therapeutic Application in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Looking to further his investigational efforts in the summer of 2017, he applied for competitive project funding and earned the Karl A. Nieforth Pharmacy Student Research Award, one of the School’s highest honors.
The ultimate goal of Ackley’s research is to provide a way of managing the effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis using a targeted approach that does not rely on the powerful immuno-suppressant medications that are currently prescribed.
Ackley earned his BS in Pharmacy Studies magna cum laude and a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) summa cum laude in the spring of 2017. With his MCB degree, he also completed a research project as an Honors Scholar, titled: Investigation of Genomic Imprinting in the X-linked Lymphocyte Regulated 3b (Xlr3b) Locus and its implications in Cognition with professor Michael O’Neill.
In fact, Ackley is quick to credit the professors he has worked with at UConn for the majority of his success.
He says, “My plan is to get a Ph.D. in immunology or biochemistry and to eventually have a career in education where I can both teach and do research. I couldn’t have accomplished what I have so far without the support of a series of great professors here at UConn.”
He adds that his original undergraduate thesis, his work in the TIP Summer Program, and now his University Scholar project have prepared him well for his future graduate studies and, ultimately, a career in academia.
Aneskievich says that Ackley is invested in the School of Pharmacy and the success of his fellow students as demonstrated by his tutoring efforts with Rho Chi, the pharmacy honors society of which he is a member. “I respect and appreciate the amount of work Tyler has done academically and the progress he has made in his research, but also his willingness to give back to his fellow students is really impressive.”
For his part, Ackley says the best thing about being part of the School of Pharmacy is the friendships he has made due to the closeness of his class. “We take courses together, we study together. I even live with five of my classmates. I couldn’t do this without their support.”
Ackley joins a cohort of three other University Scholars in the School of Pharmacy. Kelly Chan and Minji Choi will graduate in the Pharm.D. Class of 2018. Sagune Sakya, another Pharm.D. Class of ’18 candidate, completed her University Scholar requirements when she was earning her BS in Pharmacy Studies in 2016.
