Peter Hart

About Me

Dr. Hart received his PhD under the advisement of Dr. Marcelo Bonini at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he investigated the role of mitochondrial redox signaling in metabolic reprogramming of breast cancer. He then pursued his postdoctoral research under the mentorship of Dr. Iris Romero and Dr. Ernst Lengyel at the University of Chicago, where his work focused on drug repurposing to target the tumor microenvironment of ovarian cancer metastases. He has presented his work at half a dozen international conferences, won over 10 awards for his research, and has published over 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts (including those in Nature and Cell Reports) and  has co-authored 21 book chapters.

He joined the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy in 2019 as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. His research program focuses on cell signaling involved in the development of chemoresistance in breast and ovarian cancer. His laboratory specializes in 2D and 3D cancer phenotyping to evaluate the mechanisms of action by which small molecules may prevent tumor development, progression, and chemoresistance. The lab is also well versed in assessing interactions between epithelial cancer cells and the stroma (e.g., mesothelial cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells). He maintains strong collaborations with investigators at University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago, and has long standing collaborations with multiple investigators at Roosevelt University. He is enthusiastic about his research and is dedicated to mentoring younger colleagues in basic and translation scientific research.

At RU Pharmacy, Dr. Hart teaches the Principles of Drug Action on the fundamentals of basic and clinical pharmacology, and teaches the pharmacology component of several of the "Integrated Sequence" modules, including: Endocrine, Immunology & Pulmonary, Gastrointestinal & Hepatobiliary, and Hematology/Oncology. He also runs an annual "Summer Research Intensive" that includes training and supervising multiple undergraduate and PharmD students in the laboratory, in addition to serving as a thesis advisor to MSPS students.