The Vice President for Research and Technology Commercialization, Wayne State University (WSU), has selected Michael J. Rybak, PharmD to receive the WSU Lead Industry Collaborator award.

Rybak is a researcher and professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. His laboratory is among the leading research laboratories nationally for the study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterial infection resistant to some antibiotics..

The award recognizes Rybak's significant industry collaborations and subsequent sponsored research agreements. According to the WSU Sponsored Research Agreements group, Rybak has had 19 "industry collaborations" or research agreements with companies, which leads other faculty members.

He will receive the award at the "5 Years of Innovation Celebration" on Mar.10 at The Whitney, Detroit.

Rybak recently was awarded a Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. grant in the amount of $94,422 to further his research studies on MRSA. He is a co-author on the recently released Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines for treating MRSA. This is IDSA's first guidelines on the treatment of MRSA infections.

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The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, one of the founding colleges of Wayne State University, is committed to advancing the health and well-being of society through the preparation of highly skilled health care practitioners, and through research to improve health care practices and treatment from the urban to the global arena.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.