Andrew Coop

Dr. Andrew Coop serves as Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Students at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences since 1999 and chaired the department from 2007 to 2015.

Education:

• PhD in Chemistry of Drugs of Abuse, University of Bristol
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institutes of Health (Fogerty)

Research Focus: Dr. Coop's NIH-funded work centers on medicinal chemistry for novel therapeutics. His primary research streams include designing opioid analgesics with reduced tolerance and developing new antidepressants through cholinergic system modulation in collaboration with Dr. James Woods. His methodology integrates synthetic chemistry with neuropharmacological evaluation to address critical limitations in pain management and depression treatment.

Scientific Recognition:

• Fogerty Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Research Leadership: As principal investigator, Dr. Coop secures continuous funding from NIDA, NIMH, and TEDCO to support his medicinal chemistry program. His administrative role as Associate Dean for Students oversees all academic and professional development initiatives for pharmacy students while maintaining an active research laboratory focused on CNS drug discovery.

Research Infrastructure: Dr. Coop directs a medicinal chemistry research group within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, utilizing university core facilities for molecular synthesis and pharmacological testing to advance opioid and antidepressant candidates toward preclinical development.