Professor, Martin Safo Appointed Interim Director of the Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development

September 7, 2021

Joseph DiPiro, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, has announced that Professor Martin Safo will serve as interim director of the Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, effective September 1, 2021.

Professor Safo, since 2018 has served as the Director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Structural Biology Core. He is also professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. His areas of expertise include Structural Biology, Hemoglobin Structure and Function, Sickle Cell Disease Drug Development, Vitamin B6 Metabolism and Regulation.

Professor Safo follows Umesh Desai, Ph.D., as director of the Institute who was instrumental in bringing the Institute to the next level. Dr. Desai continues to serve as the Chair of Medicinal Chemistry.