NSU Horizons Spring 2013

contacted the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the accred- iting body of pharmacy schools. The College of Pharmacy’s inception was in 1987. “So, that was the beginning,” Lippman said. “We ended up seeking the advice and consult of people who were leaders in pharmacy. And here we are.” Both Lippman and Malavé are proud of the Ph.D. program, already considered among the best in the na- tion and responsible for achieving the first two patents awarded through NSU research, both in the field of breast cancer research. “The schools that have been around 75 or 100 years, they have developed good Ph.D. programs along with their pharmacy programs, but after only 25 years, we now have the fourth-largest Pharm.D. program in the United States,” Malavé said. “And, we’re second or third in the Ph.D. program, and our Ph.D. program has only been open three years.” Hugh M. McLean, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate education at the College of Pharmacy, said the Ph.D. program, which he heads, will help alleviate a projected shortage of faculty members for the pharmacy profession, as well as provide researchers for the phar- maceutical industry and university research centers. Admission to the three-year pro- gram is highly competitive. “The first year, we had approxi- mately 30 applicants; the second year around 56 or 60. Last year, we had more than 90 applicants,” said McLean. Students choose one of three courses of study: social and administra- tive pharmacy, molecular medicine and pharmagenomics, or drug development. “After the first semester, students choose their mentors. The mentor serves to shape the student’s research area and offers guidance,” McLean said. “After the first two years, students are conducting almost complete research in one of those areas.” Omar Ibrahim, a second-year Ph.D. student, chose as his mentor Jean Latimer, B.A., Ph.D., a breast cancer researcher. “I was fortunate to be accepted,” Ibrahim said. “I came in wanting to do research, but now I’m leaning toward academia. I like working with students, and I would be able to continue to do research.” In the lab run by Latimer and Stephen Grant, Ph.D., the work involves cancer research at the molec- ular level, including DNA repair. Ibrahim’s plans include working on au- tism, which is at the DNA level. “There are a lot of interesting things going on, a lot of different work and research, all centered around DNA repair,” Ibrahim said. “I believe the Ph.D. program at NSU plays a significant role in trans- forming the university into a premier research university,” McLean said. “The cutting-edge Ph.D. program is among the highlights of the college’s first 25 years,” said Malavé. “We are looking forward to the next 25 years. We are asking ‘Where is the practice of pharmacy going?’ It’s changing tremen- dously, and we’re changing as well.” Malavé believes interactive tech- nologies will play a role in the future of pharmacy and the future of education in pharmacy. “In the past, the way students learned was by spending the whole day at the university. Today, that’s not the reality,” Malavé said. “Students learn differently. Technology has changed. We’re transitioning so that, in the coming years, everything will be done using mobile devices.” Malavé envisions the practice of pharmacy evolving as well. “The future is going to be exciting.” n For more information on the College of Pharmacy, visit http://pharmacy.nova.edu . The NSU College of Pharmacy, which is the only pharmacy college in the United States to operate two pharmacies, stresses research and community involvement. 18 HORIZONS