Prof. Lionel Lewis, Professor of Medicine/Pharmacology & Toxicology
What do you do? and what is a typical week for you?
Monday: Phase I Oncology team meetings; Phase I Oncology Research Clinics - overseeing patients on Phase I studies
Tuesday: As needed overseeing Phase I cancer patients on studies, chairing or vice chair to Hospital Pharmacy & Therapeutics committees
Wednesday: Phase I cancer patients on studies
Thursday: Overseeing patients on Phase I Oncology studies, administration of Clinical Trials Office at Dartmouth
Friday: Lab Research Meetings, principal investigator of a Bioanalytical pharmacokinetics lab for research studies
Every other week I am on call for a Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology service. From February to early March each year. I co-direct and teach a course in Clinic Pharmacology & Rational Therapeutics to final year Dartmouth Medical Students. On weekends I am usually reviewing and writing grants and papers. I also contribute to the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (BJCP) as a board member.
What qualifications and experience do you have?
- BA/MA Medical Sciences
- MB BChir Medical Degree
- MD (Doctor of Medicine) - thesis degree in Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship
What’s the most interesting aspect of your job?
Deriving new knowledge about the human pharmacology of novel drugs or novel drug combinations used to treat cancer.
What are your research interests?
Phase I oncology therapeutics - any novel drug/monoclonal antibody or drug conjugate, or combination of such agents represents an opportunity to gain further understanding of the pharmacology in human beings.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone seeking a career in clinical pharmacology?
Do it! It is the most vibrant field of translational medicine there is. Clinical Pharmacology is the best bridge between the basic and clinical sciences. There is more to know about old and new drugs, and clinical pharmacology is where this scientific knowledge is gained and applied.