Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology

Curtis D Klaassen

Biography

A native Iowan(Fort Dodge), Dr. Curt Klaassen became interested in toxicology when an older brother studied pharmacy at Drake University. Arriving at the UI in 1964, he found “young, energetic faculty members who were serious about science and had high standards for themselves and their students.” When Dr. Klaassen considers that time, only one generation beyond the Great Depression, he recalls “the work ethic back then was different and generally life was more serious. Students would frequently work in labs until midnight, and “faculty would check to see how many students were still working.” In some cases, working at night was a practical matter; graduate students had to work in Dr. James Fouts’s laboratory at night because they couldn’t fit into the small space along with the technicians and post-docs for whom the daytime hours were reserved.

Research Interest

After receiving his PhD in 1968, Dr. Klaassen went to the Kansas University Medical Center, where he has devoted his career to investigating basic regulatory mechanisms in toxicology, specifically the role ligand-activated transcription factors play in regulating chemical elimination.