José Manautou, Ph.D.  will serve as the School of Pharmacy Department Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences effective immediately. Dr. Manautou’s first term as head of the department is for a period of five years.  “José has served in the role as interim department head here in the School of Pharmacy for the past three years and we are all grateful for his service, says Phil Hritcko, School of Pharmacy Interim Dean. “José is an innovator and will lead the Pharmaceutics team here in creating more opportunities for students as well as continue to grow research. We are very fortunate to have an individual with José’s stature, experience, and dedication to the school as the Department Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences.” Dr. Manautou will continue his roles of assistant dean for graduate education and research, and professor of toxicology.

Dr. Manautou obtained his BS in Pharmacy from the University of Puerto Rico and Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology at Purdue University. He joined the School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor in 1995, became an associate professor in 2001, and was promoted to full professor in 2011. He has been serving as assistant dean for research and graduate education since 2013 and interim department head since 2016.

He is recognized internationally as a scholar and leader in toxicology. His long-term research interests are on biochemical and molecular mechanisms of xenobiotic-induced hepatotoxicity and on defining compensatory responses to liver injury leading to toxicant adaptation and tolerance. He has published over 200 original research articles, abstracts, commentaries and other reports. His involvement in national and international professional service is extensive. He has done significant peer review of extramural and intramural science for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , having just completed a three-year term as a member of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council. He has also been a member of three different committees for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. He previously served as councilor of the Society of Toxicology (SOT). He also previously served as associate editor of Toxicology and Applied Toxicology for fourteen years and is the new co-editor-in-chief of the journal Current Opinions in Toxicology. Dr. Manautou is also a member of the editorial board of seven other journals in the fields of toxicology, pharmacology, drug metabolism, and gastrointestinal pathophysiology. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI), and the president-elect of the International Union of Toxicology.

At the University level, José served as a member and chair of the Faculty Review Board. Similarly, he served as member and chair of the University Centers and Institutes Review Committee. He has also served as a member of The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Distinguished Professors Selection Committee. As assistant dean for research and graduate education, José represents the school on the Research Deans Council. He was part of UConn’s STEM Facilities Space Needs Assessment Working Group and the task force that reviewed and updated postdoctoral compensation practices at the University. For his many service contributions to the University, José was recognized with the 2017 Provost’s Outstanding Service Award.