Gatton welcomes Dr. Siva Digavalli
Gatton welcomed a new addition to its faculty this fall: Dr. Siva Digavalli, who will serve as an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences.
Digavalli has over 16 years of drug discovery experience working for Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), a global biopharmaceutical company. There he served as a principal scientist and led a team of scientists for multiple discovery programs, including areas of neuropsychiatric, pain, and gastrointestinal motility disorders.
His research focuses on advancing biomarkers to facilitate neuropsychiatric drug development. In particular, he has focused on treating schizophrenia. At Bristol, Digavalli was integral to the effort that delivered nearly a dozen candidate drugs, several of which completed early phase clinical trials.
After it was announced that the BMS location he worked at in Wallingford,Connecticut, was closing its doors, Digavalli decided it was time to pursue a long-held interest in academia. He was drawn to Gatton for several reasons: the collegial nature of the department, the right mix of teaching and research, the beauty of this region, and proximity to a major medical center.
“I was impressed by his professional credentials, his publication record, and his extensive industry experience in a cutting-edge laboratory,” said Dr.
David Roane, chair and professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “That, along with his brilliant intellect, bring a unique aspect to the department. Also, he is an idealist with a passion for giving back. He’s a consummate gentleman with a large heart for caring and compassion.”
For Digavalli, his passion for research and drug discovery has always been apart of his desire to reach out and help.
“Schizophrenia is such a complex and debilitating disorder for the patients and their families, and while I may not be able to cure it, there are things I can do to advance a path towards a cure,” he said.
Digavalli earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacology from Kakatiya University, Warangal, India. He went on to earn a Master of Science in Toxicology from the University of Louisiana, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. In addition, Digavalli trained as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Swallowing and Motility Disorders, West Roxbury VA Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School. He has been an invited speaker at national and international meetings on translational biomarkers. He has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications including reviews and monographs.
In his spare time, he loves the outdoors and spending time with his family and two dogs, as well as reading non-fiction.