Specialties
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
- Toxicology
Appointments
| 2019 - Present | Shankara Cancer Research Institute (Bangalore, India) | Adjunct Visiting Professor |
| 2010 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Magee Women’s Research Inst. | Professor |
| 2009 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Pathology | Director TDM, Toxicology |
| 2004 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Institute | Professor |
| 2001 - Present | University of Pittsburgh McGowern Inst. of Regenerative Medicine | Professor |
| 1995 | University of Pittsburgh Center for Clinical Pharmacology | Professor |
| 1994 - 1995 | K.J. Post Graduate Education and Research Foundation (Madras, India) | Adjunct Professor |
| 1991 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Department of Pathology | Professor |
| 1983 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Thomas Starl Transplantation Institute | Professor |
| 1980 - Present | University of Pittsburgh Department of Pharmacy & Therapeutics | Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor |
| 1978 - 1980 | University of Washington School of Pharmacy | Research Associate w/ Dr. Milo Gribaldi |
| 1971 - 1972 | Stanley Hospital (Madras, India) | Hospital Training |
Editorial Board
- American Journal of Analytical Chemistry - current Editor
- Therapeutic Drug Monitoring – current – Editorial board member
- Frontiers in Pharmacology – current Editorial board member
- Frontiers in Pediatrics and OBGYN – current editorial board member
- Open Current Clinical Pharmacology – Current Editorial Board member
- Open Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology – editorial board member
- Open Transplantation – editorial board member
- Open-International Journal of Pharmacokinetics – editorial Board member
- BOAJ Pharmaceutical Sciences – current Invited Editorial Board member
- Invited to several additional editorial boards in 2017-2024
Education & Training
PhD - Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics - University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
MS - Pharmaceutics, Physical Pharmacy - Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani, India)
BS - Pharmacy - Madras Medical College, University of Madras (Madras, India)
Awards
2024 - American College of Clinical Pharmacology Distinguished Investigator Award
2022 - University of Pittsburgh Rho Chi Society Award “Outstanding scholarly contribution award”
2021 - HiREC Visiting Endowed Chair at the University of Puerta Rico
2021 - AAPS Distinguished Service Award
2021 - Graduate Faculty of the year University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
2016 - Distinguished Scientist Award AAiPS
2015 - Graduate Faculty of the Year Award
2014 - Honored/invited speaker at Agents for change Symposium organized by the University of British Columbia Vancouver Canada
2011 - APhA Tyler Award for Stimulation of Research
2009 - University of Pittsburgh- Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring
2009 - University of Pittsburgh Rho Chi Society Award “Innovations in Teaching award”
2009 - ACCP-BMS Award for Mentoring in Clinical Pharmacology
2007 - University of Pittsburgh Rho Chi Society Award “Outstanding scholarly contribution award"
1998 - Ranbaxy Research Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences 1997-1998 (Awarded by Ranbaxy Limited India)
1998 - Distinguished Research Scientist Award (The Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center and the Institute of Transplantation, Ahmadabad, India)
1996 - Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
1994 - 1995 - Visiting Scientist, K.J. Hospital, Madras, India (5-month period)
1995 - Orator – SLANT - First scientific session of the Sri Lanka Association of Nephrology and Transplantation
1990 - Medical Research Council, Canada - Special Visiting Scientist (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada)
1989 - Present - Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology
1985 - Alberta Heritage Foundation - Visiting Scientist (University of Alberta at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
1978 - 1979 - Canadian Heart Foundation Fellowship, Canadian Heart Foundation, PhD
1977 - 1978 - British Columbia Heart Foundation Fellowship, British Columbia Heart Foundation, PhD
1975 - 1977 - U.B.C. Graduate Fellowship, U.B.C., PhD
1975 - Summer Session Research Scholarship, U.B.C., Master of Pharmacy
1974 - 1975 - Graduate Student Teaching Assistantship, U.B.C., Master of Pharmacy, PhD
1974 - 1975 - Stanley Drug Products - Novo Group Scholarship, Master of Pharmacy
1972 - 1974 - University Grants Commission Junior Fellowship, Master of Pharmacy
1972 - Bashyam Memorial Prize for Best Outgoing Pharmacy Student (University of Madras, B. Pharm)
1972 - National Merit Scholarship, Government of India, During Pre-University and Bachelor of Pharmacy
1967 - Best Outgoing Student, SRM High School, Madras, S.S.L.C.
Research Interests
Optimizing drug therapy in special patient populations.
The research in his laboratory revolves around “LIFE”. One half addresses, “prevention of preterm labor—giving life for the first time” by optimizing the use of 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate during pregnancy and personalizing buprenorphine use during pregnancy; Second half addresses “optimization of use of medications in organ transplant patients—a second chance in life” and assessing the functional capacity of transplanted organs. Consistently funded for OBGYN pharmacology work for the past 18 years.
Representative Publications
Presented more than 250 lectures/seminars at national/international meetings.
Published over 450 papers in peer reviewed journals and contributed to book chapters.
Mentored: 45 Ph.D. and MS students; several fellows and junior faculty.
- Bergan S, Brunet M, Hesselink DA, Johnson-Davis KL, Kunicki PK, Lemaitre F, Marquet P, Molinaro M, Noceti O, Pattanaik S, Pawinski T, Seger C, Shipkova M, Swen JJ, van Gelder T, Venkataramanan R, Wieland E, Woillard JB, Zwart TC, Barten MJ, Budde K, Dieterlen MT, Elens L, Haufroid V, Masuda S, Millan O, Mizuno T, Moes DJAR, Oellerich M, Picard N, Salzmann L, Tönshoff B, van Schaik RHN, Vethe NT, Vinks AA, Wallemacq P, Åsberg A, Langman LJ. Personalized Therapy for Mycophenolate: Consensus Report by the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology. Ther Drug Monit. 2021 Apr 1;43(2):150-200. doi: 10.1097/FTD.0000000000000871. PMID: 33711005.
- Caritis SN, Venkataramanan R. Obstetrical, fetal, and lactation pharmacology-a crisis that can no longer be ignored. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jul;225(1):10-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.02.002. PMID: 34215351.
- Pilch NA, Sell ML, McGhee W, Venkataramanan R. Important considerations for drugs, nutritional, and herbal supplements in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. Pediatr Transplant. 2021 Feb;25(1):e13881. doi: 10.1111/petr.13881. Epub 2020 Nov 3. PMID: 33142023.
- Chaphekar N, Dodeja P, Shaik IH, Caritis S, Venkataramanan R. Maternal-Fetal Pharmacology of Drugs: A Review of Current Status of the Application of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models. Front Pediatr. 2021 Nov 3;9:733823. doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.733823. PMID: 34805038; PMCID: PMC8596611.
- Dodeja P, Giannoutsos S, Caritis S, Venkataramanan R. Applications of Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling Technique: A Systematic Critical Review. Ther Drug Monit. 2023 Aug 1;45(4):431-462. doi: 10.1097/FTD.0000000000001083. Epub 2023 Mar 6. PMID: 36917733.
- Almazroo OA, Miah MK, Pillai VC, Shaik IH, Xu R, Dharmayan S, Johnson HJ, Ganesh S, Planinsic RM, Demetris AJ, Al-Khafaji A, Lopez R, Molinari M, Tevar AD, Hughes C, Humar A, Venkataramanan R. An evaluation of the safety and preliminary efficacy of peri- and post-operative treprostinil in preventing ischemia and reperfusion injury in adult orthotopic liver transplant recipients. Clin Transplant. 2021 Jun;35(6):e14298. doi: 10.1111/ctr.14298. Epub 2021 May 5. PMID: 33764591; PMCID: PMC8243925.
- Thanukrishnan H, Venkataramanan R, Mehta RB, Jorgensen D, Sood P. The combination of exposure to Tacrolimus, mycophenolic acid, Inosine 5'-Monophosphate Dehydrogenase activity and inhibition in the first week define early histological outcomes in renal transplant recipients. Clin Transplant. 2022 Dec;36(12):e14830. doi: 10.1111/ctr.14830. Epub 2022 Oct 26. PMID: 36177865.
- Hansen-Estruch C, Bikhet MH, Shaik IH, Vasudevan V, Zhao W, Javed M, Collins DE, Ayares D, Judd E, Cooper DKC, Venkataramanan R. Assessment of glomerular filtration and tubular secretion in baboons with life-supporting pig kidney grafts. Xenotransplantation. 2023 Mar;30(2):e12795. doi: 10.1111/xen.12795. Epub 2023 Feb 23. PMID: 36820525; PMCID: PMC10354795.
- Caritis SN, Costantine MM, Clark S, Stika CS, Kiley JW, Metz TD, Chauhan SP, Venkataramanan R; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Centers Network. Relationship between plasma concentration of 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate and gestational age at preterm delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023 Jul;5(7):100980. doi: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.100980. Epub 2023 Apr 24. PMID: 37100349; PMCID: PMC10330330.
- Almazroo OA, Shaik IH, Hughes CB, Humar A, Venkataramanan R. Treprostinil Supplementation Ameliorates Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion Injury and Regulates Expression of Hepatic Drug Transporters: An Isolated Perfused Rat Liver (IPRL) Study. Pharm Res. 2022 Nov;39(11):2979-2990. doi: 10.1007/s11095-022-03384-x. Epub 2022 Sep 7. PMID: 36071353; PMCID: PMC9633539.
- Borda LA, Någård M, Boulton DW, Venkataramanan R, Coppola P. A systematic review of pregnancy-related clinical intervention of drug regimens due to pharmacokinetic reasons. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Nov 29;10:1241456. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1241456. PMID: 38093976; PMCID: PMC10716708.
- Feturi FG, Zhang W, Erbas VE, Dong L, Sahin H, Zhang Z, Oksuz S, Spiess AM, Solari MG, Venkataramanan R, Gorantla VS. Topical Tacrolimus and Mycophenolic Acid Therapy Synergizes with Low Dose Systemic Immunosuppression to Sustain Vascularized Composite Allograft Survival. J Pharm Sci. 2024 Feb 1:S0022-3549(24)00020-0. doi: 10.1016/j.xphs.2024.01.015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38309457.