Michael Christensen, PharmD, is retiring as a Tenured Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science and Professor of Pediatrics after 33 years. Dr. Christensen joined the full-time faculty at the UTHSC COP in 1990. He also served two years as the Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research and developed the Clinical Trials Unit at UTHSC.
For the past 33 years, Dr. Christensen has been a Clinical Pharmacist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; he spent five years as the Chief Pharmacy Officer and the last seven years as the Director of the Parenteral Nutrition Service. For 20 years, Dr. Christensen was the Director of the Pediatric Clinical Research Unit at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where he directed clinical trials that led to the Federal Drug Administration’s approval of medications for use in children.
Dr. Christensen’s professional service included four years on the ASPEN Board of Directors, 12 years on the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties Specialty Council on Nutrition Support Pharmacy, two as the Council Chair; and four years on the Pediatric Pharmacy Association Board of Directors with two years as the President. The Christensen Memorial Young Investigator Award at the Pediatric Pharmacy Association is named in honor of his parents and has been supported by family and colleagues.
Dr. Christensen has more than 100 published articles and book chapters. His research interests included the metabolic and nutrient requirements in infants and children, as well as the design, implementation, and analysis of clinical drug trials in children with an emphasis on early phase or pharmacokinetic studies in children.