Peter J. West

Peter J. West, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah's College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology. His research focuses on the pathophysiology of cognitive comorbidities associated with epilepsy and the development of rodent models for pediatric epilepsy caused by hypothalamic abnormalities.

• Education: BS in Biochemistry (Lehigh University), PhD in Neuroscience (University of Utah)

Dr. West conducts independent research and collaborates with the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) as a co-investigator. His lab employs genetic, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and behavioral techniques, utilizing high-throughput multi-brain-slice recording equipment to study synaptic plasticity and cognitive dysfunction in epilepsy models.

His work contributes to the ADD Program, which received a $19.5M contract renewal for anticonvulsant drug development targeting therapy-resistant epilepsy. The program trains undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in neuroscience and pharmacology.