School of Pharmacy honors graduate Daniel Flynn

Daniel L. Flynn, a 1977 and 1981 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy, is the recipient of the school’s Distinguished Graduate Award for 2024. Flynn received the award Jan. 10, 2024, prior to his keynote lecture as part of the 39th Mossberg Honors Symposium at the Pharmacy Building in KU’s West District. His presentation included an overview of the founding of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals and the development of its underpinning Switch Control Inhibitor technology.

“Dan Flynn’s impact on drug discovery and the pharmaceutical profession are widely acknowledged,” said Ron Ragan, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “We are excited to honor him with the Distinguished Graduate Award and are thankful for his ongoing support of our students and faculty. We’re proud that he is a Jayhawk and admire how he has represented the University of Kansas throughout his distinguished career.”

Flynn recently retired from a 20-year tenure at Deciphera where he was founder and served as president, CEO and chief scientific officer. Deciphera is known for novel drug development to treat cancer. Under Flynn’s leadership, Deciphera has had one cancer drug, Qinlock®, receive FDA approval with others in the development pipeline. Prior to founding Deciphera, Flynn was a researcher and in leadership roles at several other pharmaceutical companies including Warner-Lambert/Parke Davis, Searle, Amgen and Millennium.

At KU, Flynn earned a B.S. degree in Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry. He has also served as an adjunct professor in Medicinal Chemistry at KU. He was active in the American Chemical Society over his career and was inducted as a fellow in 2013. Flynn co-founded the Medicinal & Bioorganic Chemistry Foundation in 1995 which was established and is known for its international conferences, symposia and educational programs. He has authored or co-authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has been named an inventor on over 80 patents during his career.