Dr. Anjaneyulu Kowluru appointed associate dean for research
The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has appointed Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Anjaneyulu Kowluru to the position of Associate Dean for Research, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Dr. Kowluru earned his PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, India. As a postdoctoral scholar, he was a Fellow of the Belgian Institute for Research in Scientific Industry and Agriculture in the Department of Experimental Medicine at Brussels Free University School of Medicine in Belgium, and a Fellow of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the Department of Pediatrics and Enzyme Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin.
After joining the faculty of the WSU Applebaum Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1998, Dr. Kowluru became a full professor with tenure in 2002, and just two years later was named a Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Faculty Fellow, an honor established by Wayne State University to recognize and provide support for faculty whose continuing achievements and activities are nationally recognized. From 2007-21, Dr. Kowluru held a joint appointment as professor of internal medicine in the Wayne State School of Medicine's Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and he has been an adjunct professor in multiple departments at WSU and beyond. In 2017, he earned the title of distinguished professor.
Dr. Kowluru served as director of research in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2004-11 and as associate dean for external scientific affairs from 2011-17. In 2006, he was inducted into the Wayne State's Academy of Scholars, a prestigious collection of prominent academic experts and celebrated researchers, serving as the academy's president in 2018-19. He is frequently invited to speak across the country and around the world, is a member of dozens of professional societies and journal review boards, and has collected numerous honors, including Wayne State's Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award in 2015.
He is a participating faculty member in the NIH-funded Research Enhancement for Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (ReBUILDetroit) initiative that aims to encourage more undergraduate students from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue careers in biomedical research.
In addition, Dr. Kowluru is a senior research career scientist at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, where he is chief of the Translational Diabetes Research Laboratory. His lab is working to identify specific genes in the islet beta cell that must be regulated by glucose to induce insulin secretion, and to identify novel drug targets for prevention of beta cell failure in diabetes. Over the past four decades, he has earned innumerable research grants, including continuous support for over 30 years from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Award, and published nearly 190 papers, most of which appear in Kowluru's PubMed bibliography.
"This is only a small fraction of Dr. Kowluru's CV, and as impressive as his career is, he remains down-to-earth, making it a priority to share his wisdom as a truly supportive mentor to students and faculty alike," said WSU Applebaum Dean Brian Cummings. "With his long history in our college's labs, classrooms and administration, we are very fortunate to bring Dr. Kowluru's experience and expertise into the Dean's Suite as he steps up to lead and strengthen research initiatives at WSU Applebaum."
An anchor in urban health care
The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit. We have grown deep roots in our city, harnessing its powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care. And our research at all levels - from undergraduates to veteran faculty members - translates into creative solutions for healthier communities.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 24,000 students.