The Department of Pharmacology was founded as a separate academic unit in the School of Medicine in 1974, with Dr. Bernard Marks as its first Chair (19741987). The Department was initially relatively small (twelve faculty members), and research interests of the faculty were heavily focused on what were considered traditional areas of pharmacology, including neuropharmacology, cardiovascular pharmacology, behavioral pharmacology and cell biology. The Department successfully competed for NIGMS and Pharmacological Sciences Training Grants over the next two decades.

In 1987, Dr. Paul Hollenberg became Chair of the Department. Under his direction, the Department of Pharmacology experienced significant growth both in its faculty and in its graduate program. New faculty members with expertise in cancer and molecular biology, drug metabolism, and toxicology were recruited, while also consolidating existing expertise in the neurosciences. Faculty with primary appointments grew to 18 in the early-1990s, and the departmental Ph.D. program increased its student enrollment from 8 to 24 students by 1993. In 1985, WSU successfully competed for a NCI training grant in cancer biology, and Dr. Hollenberg spearheaded the development of a new graduate program in Cancer Biology, which was initially centered in the Department of Pharmacology (1989-94).

In 1994, Dr. Bonnie Sloane assumed the Chair of the Department. Her leadership role in the Karmanos Cancer Institute and at the national level at NCI has maintained the vital connection between Pharmacology and the various cancer-related programs on campus. Many Pharmacology faculty members continue to play pivotal roles in the Cancer Biology Program and the current PI of the Cancer Biology training grant is in the Department. Additionally, an interdisciplinary graduate program in Molecular & Cellular Toxicology was established in the mid-1990s, drawing faculty from the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Pharmacology and other departments. The PI of the NIEHS training grant is a member of the Pharmacology faculty. Several new faculty members with expertise in protein trafficking, intracellular signaling, and imaging were recruited to the Department with the last decade. Most recently, the addition of five faculty members working in the area of molecular and cellular neuropharmacology and neurogenomics has revitalized this original area of strength within the Department.

Pharmacology faculty members currently hold appointments in numerous other Departments (including Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physiology, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, Radiology), as well as trans-departmental Centers, Institutes, and graduate training Programs (including the Addiction Research Institute, Biomedical Engineering, Cancer Biology, Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics, EHS Center for Molecular & Cellular Toxicology with Human Applications, Institute of Environmental Health Science, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Kresge Eye Institute, Molecular & Cellular Toxicology, Molecular Biology & Genetics). The latest outreach of Pharmacology has involved addition of adjunct faculty from the Henry Ford and St. Johns Health Systems. We believe that the Department of Pharmacology now represents the very best in terms of transdisciplinary, transdepartmental research and training of the next generation of biomedical scientists.

The NIH ranking of the Department (based on NIH funding) has improved to #28 (latest year available 2005), making Pharmacology the highest ranked of all the basic science departments within Wayne State. During the last 5 year review period, 90% of all graduate students matriculating in Pharmacology have received a graduate degree- fully 70% have earned their Ph.D., with an average time to completion of slightly more than 4 years and an average of 5 peer-review publications apiece upon graduation.