Bio (Rhashanda Haywood)

Rhashanda Haywood

Rhashanda a native of Spartanburg, SC received her bachelor’s degree from Johnson C. Smith University in 2009. After spending time working in the chemical industry, she completed an MS Degree in Chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University in 2013. She recently received her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in mid-2024 from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore under the guidance of Dr. Patrice Jackson-Ayotunde. Her work involved the early drug design and discovery of small organic molecules as potential anti-seizure agents, with a focus on hit-to-lead optimization studies to design a library of T-type voltage-gated calcium channel blockers. After completing her doctoral studies, in late 2024 Rhashanda became a UNC SPIRE post-doctoral fellow and joined Dr. Kevin Frankowski’s lab at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Eshelman School of Pharmacy to continue medicinal chemistry research efforts. Rhashanda is currently working on the discovery and optimization of isoquinolinone carboxamides as orexin receptor antagonists to understand neurotransmitter signaling.

Away from the benchtop, Rhashanda enjoys participating in community service and STEM outreach activities with local high school students. From her experience working with students, she has the desire to pursue a career in academia to educate and mentor future scientists.