Dr. Verne Cowles joined Depomed, Inc in 1999.  His current research is focused on developing gastric retentive dosage forms which reduce the dosing frequency while maintaining efficacy of drugs that are absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract and may also reduced the side effects associated with these drugs. Prior to joining Depomed, he was a senior research scientist at Abbott Laboratories and associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He graduated form the University of Wisconsin with a BS in biology and chemistry, and received his PhD in physiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has been awarded research grants from the NIH, the Department of Veterans Affairs and The Michael J. Fox Foundation. He has over 50 peer-review publications and several book chapters in the field of gastrointestinal physiology. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, Functional Brain-Gut Research Group, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the Control Release Society.