Dr. Victor M. Pulgar, tenured professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was awarded the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Research Excellence Award by CPHS Dean Dr. Jeff Mercer. Pulgar is actively involved in peer review for several journals and as a member of the American Heart Association (AHA) Peer Review Study Groups. His research experience is extensive, on-going and impressive.
Pulgar graduated in biochemistry and received his PhD in sciences from University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. In 2003, after postdoctoral work in Chile and the Netherlands, he moved to Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSOM) in Winston-Salem, NC, as a research associate and was promoted to assistant professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2008. During this research-intensive time Pulgar produced high impact publications, grant applications, taught practical sessions in the Integrated Physiology & Pharmacology PhD Program at WFSOM and started to establish international collaborations.
Pulgar was hired by Campbell University’s Department of Pharmaceutical & Clinical Sciences in 2017. He has authored 50 publications since 2003, and 18 of those have been since joining Campbell as faculty. He has presented at national and international conferences more than 100 times and been the first author 60 times. His collaborators are from at least six different institutions in three different countries.
According to Google Scholar, Pulgar’s research articles have been cited more than 2,000 times. His contributions to research extend further to include serving as a reviewer for over 220 manuscripts in over 60 different journals and serving as a grant reviewer for the AHA study group in Vascular Biology for the last 10 years.
He has recently been involved in some very cutting-edge research in multiple areas, including the rare disease porphyria, potential post-partum neurological effects of preeclampsia, and the regulation of blood pH by a newly characterized receptor GPR4, a protein that plays a role in various cellular processes. In 2024, his presentation at the regional AHA Hypertension Scientific Sessions was selected to be given at the national AHA Scientific Sessions.
“It has been very humbling to approach the captivating mechanisms of life. Although at times a difficult career path, a life as an immigrant researcher and mentor in the last two decades has also prepared me to be a better teacher,” Pulgar said.
Colleague Dr. Chris S. Breivogel, chair and professor of Pharmacology, noted, “Dr. Pulgar’s research productivity is very impressive and he deserved the CPHS Research Award.”
