OAKWOOD, VA (OCTOBER 14, 2023) — The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) has announced Dr. Md. Mazharul Islam Chowdhury has joined the faculty at ACP. Also announced was the promotion of Dr. Kristen Nicar to the role of vice chair for the ACP Department of Pharmacy Practice.
“We are pleased Dr. Chowdhury has joined our faculty and we congratulate Dr. Nicar in her new role,” said ACP Provost and Dean Susan Mayhew. “We look forward to working with both of them and to their sharing with our students the knowledge and expertise they bring to ACP.”
Also announced was the hiring of Teena LeAnn Lester as a new employee in the building and grounds maintenance department.
Chowdhury joined ACP as a postdoctoral faculty member in pharmaceutical sciences. He earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Dhaka and obtained the Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT) to complete his Master’s Degree, leading to a Ph.D. concentrating on bioscience and biotechnology.
He has experience in both in-vivo and in-vitro studies. Chowdhury published his first clinical study reports on the relative bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of modified release formulations as his Master’s thesis dissertation.
His expertise in monoclonal antibody preparation by single cell pick-up method was the focus of his study in Japan. He received the “Young Scientist Award” from the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry (JSBBA) during his doctoral studies.
Chowdhury started his professional career as a product development expert at Novartis Bangladesh Limited (NBL). He also brings many years of teaching experience with him to ACP and has been a reviewer for the reputed Elsevier publisher company.
Nicar has been appointed vice chair for the ACP Department of Pharmacy Practice. She will be working with Department Chair, Dr. Richard Nicholas, in advancing the overall mission of the department and assisting with management responsibilities of departmental faculty, education, research and service.
Nicar has been an assistant professor for pharmacy practice at the college since 2016. She attended the University of Virginia and the Medical College of Virginia where she earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1997. She obtained an MBA from King College in 2010. She has 21 years of pharmacy practice experience, the majority of which was spent in home infusion with Advanced Home Care where she served as pharmacy manager. Her current practice site with the college is at Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, TN where she is an acute care clinical pharmacist. Nicar is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS).
Lester joined the ACP staff in the building and grounds maintenance department. A native of Buchanan County, she is a graduate of Twin Valley High School. She resides in Grundy with her husband, Bryan.
ABOUT THE APPALACHIAN COLLEGE OF PHARMACY: The Appalachian College of Pharmacy is the only three-year Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 2003, the college accepted its first students in 2005. It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its mission is to cultivate a learning community committed to education, community outreach and the professional development of pharmacists. Its graduate pharmacists are now practicing throughout the United States.
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