Pharmacology

Anthony J. (A.J.) Baucum II, Ph.D. – Faculty Liaison
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Tel: 317-274-0540
Email: ajbaucum@iupui.edu
Office: MS A420

Dr. Baucum completed his undergraduate in Biology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 1999. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology under the direction of Annette Fleckenstein at the University of Utah in 2004. Following a brief postdoc there, Dr. Baucum moved to Vanderbilt University where he did postdoctoral training under Dr. Roger Colbran in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics in 2006. Dr. Baucum was promoted to the non-tenure track position of Research Instructor, becoming the first Black faculty member ever in the department. Following his training at Vanderbilt, Dr. Baucum moved to IUPUI as an Assistant Professor of Biology in the School of Science in 2013 and a member of the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at IUSM. In 2019, Dr. Baucum was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure. Dr. Baucum moved to the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at IUSM in the summer of 2021. Dr. Baucum's research focuses on understanding signaling mechanisms underlying function of a brain region called the striatum, which is important in mediating rewarding and addictive properties of drugs of abuse as well as controlling appropriate movement. The striatum is implicated in myriad diseases, including substance use disorder, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to name a few. The overall goal of our studies is to understand normal function and pathophysiological changes in the striatum so that can eventually identify novel pathways that can eventually target with pharmacological agents. In addition to Dr. Baucum's research, he is a member of the Teaching Advisory Committee of the Stark.