Paul B. Watkins

Paul B. Watkins, M.D., is the Howard Q. Ferguson Distinguished Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Director of the Center for Drug Safety Sciences. He holds joint professorships in the Schools of Medicine (Gastroenterology) and Public Health (Environmental Sciences). His career spans over 30 years, including leadership roles at the University of Michigan and Medical College of Virginia before joining UNC in 1999. He currently directs the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) and co-leads the Triangle CERSI.

Education: B.A. in Chemistry from Cornell University, M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College, and residency at N.Y. Presbyterian Hospital.

Research focuses on mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), leveraging genomic technologies and preclinical models like the Collaborative Cross mouse panel. Key projects include predicting liver safety liabilities in gene therapies and developing 3D liver cell cultures for toxicity testing. His work integrates systems biology approaches and translational research across preclinical to clinical trials.

Awards:

• 2023 American College of Toxicology Distinguished Scientist Award
• 2018 ASPET Toxicology Career Award
• NIH MERIT Award (1998-2008)

Advising & Grants: Chair of genetics committee for DILIN, NIH-funded T32 training program, and multiple industry collaborations. Supervised postdoctoral fellows and doctoral students including Shefali Malhotra (2001 ISSX award recipient).

Labs & Teams: Leads the Watkins Lab for Drug Safety Sciences, collaborating with DILIsym Services Inc. and global institutions like the University of Zurich and University of Liverpool.