Dr. Jarrod Fortwendel joins the faculty in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy July 1st as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Fortwendel received his BS in Clinical Laboratory Science from Indiana State University in 1999 and his PhD in Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine from the University of Cincinnati in 2005. He completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati and at Duke University. During his training at Duke University, Dr. Fortwendel was awarded an NIH K22 Career Development Award focused on delineating the role of Ras-mediated signal transduction in fungal morphogenesis. Dr. Fortwendel later joined the faculty at the University of South Alabama as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in 2011. As a faculty member at USA, Dr. Fortwendel was awarded an R01 Research Project Grant to further his studies into fungal-specific Ras signaling mechanisms orchestrating fungal growth and virulence.