Emily R. Esposito, PhD

Dr. Emily R. Esposito received her B.A. from Bellarmine University (2001) and subsequently began work as a laboratory technician at the University of Louisville’s Birth Defects Center. While in the lab, she obtained her M.S. from the University of Louisville (2006). In 2008, she was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville, where she worked in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department and the department of Molecular, Cellular and Craniofacial Biology. For over seven years, she worked on numerous research projects, including investigating the effects of maternal cigarette smoke exposure on embryonic and fetal development in vivo and the study of toxic effects of cigarette smoke in vitro. Details of her research are found in over 10 publications and have been presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Conferences.

Today, Dr. Esposito’s research investigates the effects of several essential oils on lung cancer cell growth as potential adjuvants to cancer treatment. This work has been presented at the Society of Toxicology Conferences and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Research studies have coincided with the development of an innovative pharmacy elective course, Aromatherapy Science, which has been detailed in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education Journal. Prior to her faculty position at the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy, she was an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at several schools in the area, including Bellarmine University, Spalding University, and Galen College of Nursing. She currently teaches in the Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry courses and continues to bring her love of science to the classroom.