Ellen Walker, PhD

Ellen Walker, PhD

Ellen Walker, PhD

  • School of Pharmacy

    • Pharmaceutical Sciences

      • Chair & Professor

Message from the Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences

As the Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Temple University School of Pharmacy, I welcome you to discover our faculty, our science and associated research centers, and our graduate and professional programs. 

Pharmaceutical Sciences is a broad and dynamic area of scientific inquiry centered on discovering, developing, understanding, improving, and delivering drugs, biologics, and therapeutics to gain knowledge and improve patient care. By nature, pharmaceutical sciences is a field that is highly interdisciplinary. 

Indeed, our faculty have research collaborations and affiliative appointments with other faculty at Temple University in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, College of Science and Technology, and the Fox Chase Cancer Center. In addition, our faculty collaborate with other researchers in institutions outside of Temple University and around the world such as the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, prestigious international universities, as well as large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms.  

Our research programs are funded through federal, state, and foundation grants and contracts and investigate pharmaceutical topics from multiple perspectives starting with basic discovery science, theoretical modeling, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, drug delivery, and ending with applied therapeutics. Recent research topics include cancer, central nervous system disorders, metabolic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary disease, formulations, microbes, and infectious disorders. Every day, the faculty at the Temple University School of Pharmacy are making advancements to improve the life of patients and reduce the burden of disease. 

In addition to our important research mission, the faculty of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences are responsible for curriculum development, teaching, and mentoring in our graduate Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs. Our faculty and graduate students also contribute to the foundational science courses in our Doctor of Pharmacy program, including Chemistry, Immunology, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmaceutics. 

As mentors, we foster inclusion and encourage the aspirations of our students while nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, pharmacy, and Temple University undergraduates work in the laboratories on original research with our outstanding faculty. Our students author publications; present original research at local, regional, national, and international conferences; win travel and research awards; and obtain industry internships.  

I am proud to introduce our faculty below and to celebrate their accomplishments as well as those of our students. You are welcome to come and visit us here in Philadelphia. Come see what all the excitement is about at Temple University School of Pharmacy! 

-Ellen Walker, PhD

Dr. Walker's Research

Bibliography

LinkedIn

Teaching & Academic Contribution

  • PharmD Courses:
    • Pharmacology 1
    • Pharmacology 2
    • Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Graduate Teaching:
    • Bioethics in Pharmaceutical Sciences
    • Pharmacodynamics
  • Current Advising:
    • Graduate: 1 doctoral student (TUSP)

Research Focus & Activities

Dr. Walker’s contributions to the field of pharmacology focus on opioid, serotonin, cathinone, stimulant, and cannabinoid behavioral pharmacology using various preclinical models in the fields of abuse liability, pain, memory, and cognition.

Key Interests: In vivo pharmacology, learning and memory, behavioral models and assays

Select Publications

  • Cakir K, Etkins J, Nguyen ML, Gonzalez K, Vivas Casanova GE, Walker EA. Antagonism of the antinociceptive effects of fentanyl and the veterinary anesthetic xylazine in mice. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2025 Feb 5;392(4):103397.
  • Walker EA, Chambers C, Korber MG, Tella SR, Prioleau C, Fang L. Antinociceptive and Discriminative Stimulus Effects of Six Novel Psychoactive Opioid Substances in Male Rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2021 Oct;379(1):1-11.
  • Sanku RKK, John JS, Salkovitz M, Ilies MA, Walker EA. Potential learning and memory disruptors and enhancers in a simple, 1-day operant task in mice. Behav Pharmacol. 2018 Sep;29(6):482-492.

Leadership & Service Experience

  • Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, TUSP
  • Chair, Temple University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, TUSP
  • Member, Center for Substance Abuse Research
  • Treasurer, Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience