Charles W. Luetje, Ph.D., has been named Chairman of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the Miller School.

Dr. Luetje, who has served as interim chair since 2008, joined the Miller School faculty in 1991. He was vice chair of the department from 2004 to 2008.

"Over the past couple of years Dr. Luetje has proven himself to be a stellar leader in moving the department forward," said Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School. "He has tremendous plans to take a highly successful department and bring it to become one of the most successful in the United States."

Dr. Luetje's research interests lie within the growing area of receptor structure and function, with a particular emphasis on the molecular basis for ligand recognition. The central focus of his research program was, for many years, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the mammalian nervous system. More recently, Dr. Luetje has shifted much of his research effort into the area of mammalian and insect olfactory receptors.

"In my new role I am looking forward to working with the department's faculty to strengthen and expand our research and educational missions," said Dr. Luetje. "The department is particularly strong in the areas of cellular communication and signal transduction, neuroscience and cardiovascular science. We plan to further strengthen these areas with several new hires. In addition, new University-wide resources such as the Center for Computational Science and the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics offer us the opportunity for exciting interdisciplinary recruiting in areas such as pharmacogenomics and drug design."

Dr. Luetje received his doctoral degree in pharmacology in 1987 from the University of Washington and went on to do his postdoctoral work in neuroscience at the renowned Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego and then at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.