CCNPP

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Administration Team

Kent Vrana, PhD

Director, Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics

kvrana@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Wesley Raup-Konsavage, PhD

Scientific Director, Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics

wkonsavage@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Diana Sepulveda

Research Technologist, Medical Sciences, Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics

dqc5322@psu.edu

Basic Science Team

The basic science division utilizes pre-clinical models, such as in vitro studies and rodent models, to explore the potential therapeutic uses of cannabinoids for a variety of disease. Current projects are exploring the efficacy of cannabinoids or cannabis to treat cancer, acute and chronic pain, anxiety, high blood pressure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additional research within this group focuses on the chemistry of cannabinoids including pharmacokinetics, receptor binding and the development of novel cannabinoid-based compounds. These preclinical data will help to steer clinical research projects.

Amy Arnold, PhD

Associate Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

aarnold5@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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A professional photo of Neil Christensen

Neil Christensen, MSc, PhD

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

nchristensen@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Dhimant Desai, PhD

Professor, Molecular and Precision Medicine

ddesai@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Reyad Elbarbary, PhD

Vice Chair of Research, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

relbarbary@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Nicholas Graziane, PhD

Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

ngraziane@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Jeremy Hengst, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

jhengst@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Jiafen Hu, MSc, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

jiafenhu@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Cheng Jiang, MD

Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

cjiang@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Fadia Kamal, PharmD, PhD

Director of Medical Student Research, Penn State College of Medicine

fkamal@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Junxuan Lu, PhD

Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

junxuanlu@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Jeffrey Neighbors, PhD

Associate Professor, Molecular and Precision Medicine

jneighbors@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Leslie Parent, MD

Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Penn State College of Medicine

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Arati Sharma, PhD

Professor, Molecular and Precision Medicine

asharma@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Yuval Silberman, PhD

Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Research, Penn State College of Medicine

ysilberman@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Douglas Stairs, PhD

Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

dbs18@psu.edu

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Dongxiao Sun, PhD

Associate Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

dsun@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Yang Yang, PhD

Assistant Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

yxy24@psu.edu

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Jong Yun, PhD

Associate Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

jyun@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

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Clinical Science Team

The clinical science division focuses on examining the benefits and potential harm of medical cannabis use for the current state-approved medical conditions. Currently, there are two teams within this division. The first team is focused on health outcomes in patients currently taking medical marijuana for the treatment of state-approved conditions, with special attention on anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and pain. The second team focuses on clinical trials, and they will be conducting double blind, placebo-controlled studies on the efficacy of cannabis to treat medical conditions and reduce reliance on opioids for pain.