Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff, Pharm.D.

Associate Professor of Pharmacotherapy & Translational Research

College of Pharmacy

2019 Awardee

Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff is an expert in the field of heart-related medication. Specifically, her research focuses on the intersection of high blood pressure and heart disease, exploring the way in which genetically tailored drugs may be able to regulate the conditions.

“My research career really began with the INVEST study,” Cooper-DeHoff said.

The UF-based International Verapamil Trandolapril Study (INVEST) began 22 years ago and included over 22,000 patients with high blood pressure and heart disease.

“Some of our highlights from this study included our observation that lowering blood pressure too much in diabetic patients with hypertension and heart disease increases their risk for death,” Cooper-DeHoff said.

Currently, her research agenda is delving into precision medicine implementation and education. In January 2019, she was named the UF Health Personalized Medicine Program director for the Gainesville campus. Cooper-DeHoff’s research goals for this program include clinical trials for implementing genetically guided supportive care in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at UF Health, as well as investigating optimal pharmacogenetics and genomics implementation strategies for patients enrolled in the UF Health self-insurance program.

“My goal for the broad impact of my current research is that it will be possible for precision medicine to be a routine part of the delivery of health care based on an individual’s clinical characteristics as well as their genetic makeup,” Cooper-DeHoff said. “I believe we are closer today than we ever have been to seeing this become reality.”

Cooper-DeHoff is also the associate director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics, based in the College of Pharmacy.

To date, she has authored or co-authored over 174 peer-reviewed research publications, many in well-respected journals that have high-impact factors.

Cooper-DeHoff’s work has been cited in other publications more than 10,000 times to date. Cooper-DeHoff’s scholarly contributions have been recognized through her receipt of the Russell R. Miller Award for substantial contributions to the literature from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the 2018 Award for Sustained Contributions to the Literature from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation.