In the last issue of the PharmDawg Weekly, we announced nine new members to the PharmDawg community. Read last week’s story here. This week, we are pleased to welcome two more employees and provide an update on one of the previously featured faculty members.
Dr. Joeanna Chastain is the new Medication Access Program Clinical Pharmacist in Augusta, and Brian Fetsko is a Laboratory Professional in Dr. Lei Zhang’s lab in Athens. Also new to the College, Dr. Lei Zhang was listed in last week’s newsletter; however, his feature was not available at the time of publication.
Joeanna S. Chastain, Medication Access Program Clinical Pharmacist, Augusta
- Where are you from originally? What brought you to Athens and UGA?
- I am originally from Albany, GA. My husband (Dr. Daniel Chastain, CoP Clinical Associate Professor) and I relocated to Augusta for work.
- I am originally from Albany, GA. My husband (Dr. Daniel Chastain, CoP Clinical Associate Professor) and I relocated to Augusta for work.
- Where did you receive your training/education?
- I graduated from the UGA College of Pharmacy in 2016 and completed post-graduate training at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare in Tallahassee, Fl.
- I graduated from the UGA College of Pharmacy in 2016 and completed post-graduate training at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare in Tallahassee, Fl.
- How did you become interested in your chosen field/profession? What are your areas of interest and expertise?
- I previously worked as a critical care pharmacist for eight years, gaining extensive experience in managing medications for complex patients while collaborating within multidisciplinary teams. Transitioning to the MAP pharmacist role allows me to continue optimizing medication therapy for complex patients while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams in a different setting.
- I previously worked as a critical care pharmacist for eight years, gaining extensive experience in managing medications for complex patients while collaborating within multidisciplinary teams. Transitioning to the MAP pharmacist role allows me to continue optimizing medication therapy for complex patients while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams in a different setting.
- What previous, relatable job experiences do you bring to your new position at CoP?
- I hope to bring my passion for collaborative health care, teaching, and patient care to the MAP team.
- I hope to bring my passion for collaborative health care, teaching, and patient care to the MAP team.
- Why were you interested in applying for this position and coming to CoP/UGA?
- I am from a rural part of Georgia where many of my patients are underserved and underrepresented. My goal is to improve medication adherence by providing education and supporting patients through medication assistance programs.
- I am from a rural part of Georgia where many of my patients are underserved and underrepresented. My goal is to improve medication adherence by providing education and supporting patients through medication assistance programs.
- What will you be responsible for in your new position?
- I will primarily focus on providing clinical pharmacy services to all patients enrolled in MAP, including those who have received kidney or kidney/pancreas transplant, at the Wellstar MCG Health transplant clinic, while also serving as a liaison between patients and MAP staff.
- I will primarily focus on providing clinical pharmacy services to all patients enrolled in MAP, including those who have received kidney or kidney/pancreas transplant, at the Wellstar MCG Health transplant clinic, while also serving as a liaison between patients and MAP staff.
- Personal information you would like to share:
- I enjoy spending time with our two boys!
- I enjoy spending time with our two boys!
- Contact info at the College
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: 1120 15th Street, AD3430
Augusta, GA - Phone: (706) 721-0855
Brian Fetsko, PBS Laboratory Professional, Athens
- Where are you from originally? What brought you to Athens and UGA?
- I am originally from Ohio. I grew up in the Cleveland area, but moved here from Columbus, because my wife is starting her PhD program (Language and Literacy Education).
- Where did you receive your training/education?
- I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati.
- How did you become interested in your chosen field/profession? What are your areas of interest and expertise?
- While my undergraduate degree was focused in the biology of animals, I got interested in pharmacology by working in the Experimental Cancer Pharmacology Lab at The Ohio State University. I would like to transition into infectious disease research in the future.
- While my undergraduate degree was focused in the biology of animals, I got interested in pharmacology by working in the Experimental Cancer Pharmacology Lab at The Ohio State University. I would like to transition into infectious disease research in the future.
- What previous, relatable job experiences do you bring to your new position at CoP?
- My work in the OSU gave me experience with cell culture, basic pharmacological assays, and murine in vivo experiments.
- My work in the OSU gave me experience with cell culture, basic pharmacological assays, and murine in vivo experiments.
- Why were you interested in applying for this position and coming to CoP/UGA?
- I felt I was highly qualified for this position given my work history. I also was interested in the prospect of developing a high-throughput process to screen for senotherapeutics.
- What will you be responsible for in your new position?
- As my PI (Dr. Lei Zhang) is just starting his lab here at UGA, I will help generate data to apply for grants as well as assist in publishing our research.. As mentioned above, I also will be working on a HTS procedure for the lab.
- As my PI (Dr. Lei Zhang) is just starting his lab here at UGA, I will help generate data to apply for grants as well as assist in publishing our research.. As mentioned above, I also will be working on a HTS procedure for the lab.
- Personal information you would like to share:
- My outside interests are board games; hiking; and family, including my wife, Morgan, and our animals and pets.
- Contact info at the College
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: Lei Zhang Lab – WP 342
Lei Zhang, PBS Assistant Professor (Athens)
- Where are you from originally? What brought you to Athens and UGA?
- I’m originally from China. I joined UGA as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences to build my research lab in geroscience drug discovery. I was drawn to UGA by its strong pharmacology program, collaborative academic culture, and yes, much milder winters compared to Minnesota.
- Where did you receive your training/education?
- It’s been a cross-disciplinary journey. I got my PhD in drug design and medicinal chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Boulder, where I broadened into biochemistry and chemical biology. I later expanded into aging research at Scripps Research, and soon after relocated with the group to help establish the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism at the University of Minnesota. I was eventually promoted to Research Assistant Professor and served as the Drug Discovery Core Manager before coming to UGA.
- How did you become interested in your chosen field/profession? What are your areas of interest and expertise?
- I’ve always been fascinated by the mysteries of life. My original career goal was to cure at least one disease in my lifetime. It wasn’t until after my first postdoc that I came across the field of aging research. The more I explored, the more I became convinced: aging is the greatest risk factor for most chronic diseases, and more importantly, aging is malleable and targetable through drug discovery. That realization changed everything. I shifted my career focus from treating individual diseases to targeting the underlying biology of aging itself.
- My lab is driven by two simple but ambitious questions: Why do we age, and how can we intervene with therapeutics? We develop pharmaceutical drugs, known as gerotherapeutics, using diverse approaches such as drug screening, medicinal chemistry, drug design, and AI/machine learning. To understand how these drugs work and to uncover new mechanisms of aging, we also use interdisciplinary strategies by integrating chemical, cellular, and molecular biology with multi-omics and bioinformatics.
- What previous, relatable job experiences do you bring to your new position at CoP? Did you work at other locations on campus?
- Before joining CoP, I led several aging-focused drug discovery projects targeting senescent, or “zombie”, cells, and served as the Drug Discovery Core Manager at the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism at the University of Minnesota. My work involved phenotypic drug screening, drug design, and machine learning-aided senotherapeutic drug discovery using both cell and mouse models.
- At UGA, I am also affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (ILS) graduate program. I always welcome opportunities for cross-department collaborations and student mentoring.
- Why were you interested in applying for this position and coming to CoP/UGA? What drew you to this job?
- First, I’ll admit, I was looking for a warmer place! (Kidding… sort of) More seriously, I was drawn to CoP because of its strong reputation in pharmacology, and welcoming, collaborative colleagues. UGA also provides a supportive environment for both research and professional growth. Athens is quiet and charming, yet close to the vibrant city life of Atlanta. For me, it is the perfect place to build both my lab and my life.
- What will you be responsible for in your new position?
- I am building my own research lab focused on geroscience drug discovery, mentoring students, contributing to teaching, and serving the department and community in any way I can.
- Personal information you would like to share (optional):
- Outside interests/hobbies: I enjoy hiking, running, cooking, and playing tennis. In my spare time, I also have fun trying to make my cats famous by sharing their antics on social media.
Family, including animals and pets: I have three cats who love treadmill running, which I like to call their “longevity training”. Please watch their videos! Here’s the TikTok handle: @runjoelyrun or you can follow this link: https://www.tiktok.com/@runjoelyrun - Memberships in clubs, organizations, etc.: I am actively involved in professional networks related to aging research and drug discovery. I am also the founder of a non-profit pet-welfare organization.
- Outside interests/hobbies: I enjoy hiking, running, cooking, and playing tennis. In my spare time, I also have fun trying to make my cats famous by sharing their antics on social media.
- Contact info at the College: (email address, office room number, office phone number).
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: R.C. Wilson Pharmacy Building, Room 356 (office); 342D (lab)
- Phone: 706-542-2148
- Anything else you would like to share with your new PharmDawg colleagues??
- The biology of aging is incredibly complex, so we are continually expanding our technological toolkit to meet the challenge. In my lab, we embrace innovation, emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches to accelerate discovery. We value bold ideas and collaborative science that push boundaries. If you share our passion for transforming the science of aging, let’s work together!
