Dr. Sun Yang

Associate Professor

School of Pharmacy

Expertise: Melanoma; Translational Research; Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Development; Oncology; Pediatric Pharmacy; Medication Safety

Office Location: Rinker Health Science Campus 297Y

Phone: 714-516-5418

Email: syang@chapman.edu

Scholarly Works:: Digital Commons

Education:: Shandong University, Bachelor of Pharmacy
Shandong University, Master of Science

Biography

Dr. Sun Yang is a Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy. She completed an oncology translational research fellowship at the University of California Irvine and PGY1 and PGY2 residencies in Pediatric Pharmacy at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). She is a Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialist and a CA board of pharmacy-certified Advanced Practice Pharmacist. Her professional and research interests are focused on various aspects of pediatric oncology, medication safety, oncology pharmacology, and anti-cancer drug development.

Dr. Yang serves as the faculty advisor for the MS/Ph.D. graduate program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chapman School of Pharmacy. Her primary research and scholarship expertise is in translational research, emphasizing the multidirectional integration of basic science research, patient-oriented studies, and population-based research. Ultimately, her goal is to improve patient care and public health by developing translational therapeutics. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Kay Family Foundation, Pediatric Pharmacy Association, and Chapman University.

Dr. Yang, as one of the founding directors of the esteemed Chapman-Amgen Oncology Medical Affairs Fellowship program, directs and provides guidance to the fellows during their clinical rotations. Additionally, Dr. Yang actively participates as a member of many professional organizations in pharmacy practice and cancer research.

Research Interests

The aberrant pathways in cancer cells may be utilized for developing targeted therapeutics. Dr. Yang’s research is focused on identifying effective novel targets and approaches for melanoma therapy and prevention, especially through the extensive mechanistic studies of abnormal reducing-oxidative (redox)-regulated signal pathways in melanoma compared to normal melanocytes. Her current ongoing projects include developing small molecules targeting APE/Ref-1- and nNOS-mediated signal pathways and the lead compounds exhibited promising anti-melanoma activities both in vitro and in vivo.

In addition, Dr. Yang’s group is also interested in translational research in pediatric pharmacology focusing on the mechanisms of drug action, clinical response, and medication safety in children at various development stages.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications: Patel A, Chavan R, Rakovski C, Beuttler R and Yang S*. Changes in real-world dispensing of ADHD stimulants in youth from 2019 to 2021 in California. Front. Public Health. 2024; 12:1302144. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1302144. PMID: 38504685; PMCID: PMC10948562.; Darwish S, Davani-Davari D, Tong S, Tiwari RK, Yang S, Parang K. Synthesis and evaluation of cyclic peptide-dasatinib conjugates as anti-melanoma agents. Tetrahedron Letters, 2024; 152:155365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2024.155365; Merino S, Tordera L, Jun A, Yang S*. Mitigating the Risk of QTc Prolongation When Using Haloperidol for Acute Treatment of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025; 14(1):163. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14010163; Patel, A.; Nguyen, C.M.; Willins, K.; Wang, E.Y.; Magedman, G.; Yang, S. Improving Pharmacist-Led Pediatric Patient Education on Oral Chemotherapy at Home. Children 2023, 10, 1656. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10101656; Vasu D, Reidl CT, Wang E, Yang S, Silverman RB. Improved synthesis and anticancer activity of a potent neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2023 Jun 15;90:129329. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2023.129329. Epub 2023 May 15. PMID: 37196870; PMCID: PMC10330524.; United States patent: 11,439,632 (Sept.13, 2022): Richard B. Silverman, and Sun Yang. Use of neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitors for immunotherapy in melanoma patients.; Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Jenkins B, Fortier MA, Heyming T, Linstead E, Donaldson C, Kain Z. Evaluating the 0–10 Point Pain Scale on Adolescent Opioid Use in US Emergency Departments. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022; 11(1):38. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11010038; Tong S, Cinelli MA, El-Sayed NS, Huang H, Patel A, Silverman RB, Yang S. Inhibition of interferon-gamma-stimulated melanoma progression by targeting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Sci Rep 12, 1701 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05394-6; Yang S, Patel P, Corcoran A, Dobberpuhl E, Isidro S, Le D, Klassen A, Rho J, Tran D, Beuttler R, Nassr NN, Gruenberg K, Wong SF. Gaps in Patient Education on Safe Handling and Disposal of Oral Chemotherapy Drugs: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Survey Study. Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice 1 March 2022; 70 (2): 23–33. doi: https://doi.org/10.37901/jcphp21-00009; Tong S, Darwish S, Ariani HHN, Lozada KA, Salehi D, Cinelli MA, Silverman RB, Kaur K, Yang S. A Small Peptide Increases Drug Delivery in Human Melanoma Cells. Pharmaceutics. 2022; 14(5):1036. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14051036; Alhazmi R, Tong S, Darwish S, Khanjani E, Khungar B, Chawla S, Zheng Z, Chamberlin R, Parang K, Yang S. Bis-Cinnamamide Derivatives as APE/Ref-1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Human Melanoma. Molecules. 2022; 27(9):2672. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27092672; Yamaki J, Chawla S, Tong S, Lozada KA, Yang S. Iron Effects on Clostridioides difficile Toxin Production and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities. Antibiotics. 2022; 11(5):537. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11050537; Saghaeidehkordi A, Chen S, Yang S, Kaur K. Evaluation of a Keratin 1 Targeting Peptide-Doxorubicin Conjugate in a Mouse Model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13(5):661. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050661; Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM*, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Donaldson C, Fortier M, Jenkins B, Linstead E, and Kain Z. Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid use for adolescents at US emergency departments. BMC Pediatr 21, 252 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-021-02715-y; Phan MT, Wong C, Tomaszewski DM, Kain ZN, Jenkins B, Donaldson C, Fortier M, Yang S. Evaluating Opioid Dispensing Rates among Pediatrics and Young Adults based on CURES Data Reporting in California from 2015–2019. Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice. 2021 March; 67(4):23. doi: https://doi.org/10.37901/jcphp20-00012.; Phan, M., Chavan, R., Beuttler, R., Benipayo, N., Magedman, G., Buchbinder, D., Tomaszewski, D. and Yang, S. (2021), Evaluating risk factors for acute graft versus host disease in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients receiving tacrolimus. Clin Transl Sci, 14: 1303-1313. https://doi.org/10.1111/cts.12982; Donaldson CD, Kain ZN, Ehwerhemuepha L, Fortier MA, Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Yang S, Feaster W, Jenkins BN. Anxiety and Mood Disorders Impacting Physician Opioid Prescribing in the Pediatric Hospital Setting. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2021 Feb 9. doi: 10.1007/s10880-021-09763-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33564959.; Fortier, MA, Yang, S, Phan, MT, Tomaszewski, DM, Jenkins, BN, Kain, ZN. Children's cancer pain in a world of the opioid epidemic: challenges and opportunities. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2020; 67:e28124. https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.28124; Donaldson CD, Jenkins BN, Fortier MA, Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Yang S, Kain ZN. Parent responses to pediatric pain: The differential effects of ethnicity on opioid consumption. J Psychosom Res. 2020 Sep 16;138:110251. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110251. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32979697.; Ehwerhemuepha L, Donaldson CD, Kain ZN, Luong V, Fortier MA, Feaster W, Weiss M, Tomaszewski D, Yang S, Phan M, Jenkins BN. Race, Ethnicity, and Insurance: the Association with Opioid Use in a Pediatric Hospital Setting. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2020 Sep 30. doi: 10.1007/s40615-020-00882-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33000430.; Silverman RB, and Yang S. Use of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors for Immunotherapy in Melanoma Patients (16/703,009). Application number: 16/703,009. Publication date: June 11, 2020.; Darwish S, Sadeghiani N, Fong S, Mozaffari S, Hamidi P, Withana T, Yang S, Tiwari R, Parang K. Synthesis and antiproliferative activities of doxorubicin thiol conjugates and doxorubicin-SS-cyclic peptide. Eur J Med Chem. 2019 Jan 1;161:594-606.; Michael Phan, Luma Munjy, Nicole Benipayo, Jeff Goad, Sun Yang. New vaccines in the pipeline 2019. Pharmacy Times. August 2019 (Cover story); U.S. Provisional patent: 62/775,534 (12/05/2018): Richard B. Silverman, and Sun Yang. Use of neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitors for immunotherapy in melanoma patients.; Tomaszewski DM, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Linstead E. Trends in Opioid Use in Pediatric Patients in US Emergency Departments From 2006 to 2015. JAMA Netw Open. 2018 Dec 7;1(8):e186161.; Yang, S., Lam, J., Sims, N., Lyren, A., Broselow J., and Jordan., R. Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3D: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events. February, 2017.; Fong S, Shevtsev S, Yang S. The role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase ((nNOS) in interferon-gamma-induced melanoma progression. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2017;30:e110-111.; Phan M, Huynh T, Haroutunyan A, Shin E, Corcoran A, Patel P, Yang S, Wong SF. Oral chemotherapy drugs require safe handling, disposal. California Board of Pharmacy. The Script. 2017 October 17:14-15.; Specific nNOS inhibitors for the therapy and prevention of human melanoma. Patent: US9090589B2; Huang H, Li H, Yang S, Martasek P, Roman LJ, Meyskens FL, Poulos TL, and Silverman RB. Potent, selective, and in vivo active double-headed Thiophene-2-carboximidamide inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2014 Feb 13; 57(3): 686-700.; Yang Z, Yang S, Misner B, Liu F, and Meyskens FL. Role of APE/Ref-1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression. International Journal of Oncology. 2014 Nov; 45 (5): 1820-8.; Frank L. Meyskens, Richard B. Silverman, Sun Yang, et al. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase for treatment of melanoma.; Yang, Z, Misner B, Ji H, Poulos TL, Silverman RB, Meyskens FL, Yang S (as corresponding author). Targeting nitric oxide signaling with nNOS inhibitors as a novel strategy for the therapy and prevention of human melanoma. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 2013 Aug 10; 19(5):433-47.

Dr. Sun Yang

Biography

Research Interests

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Faculty Directories by School or College