OAKWOOD, VA (APRIL 25, 2025) – The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) will graduate its Class of 2025 during commencement ceremonies in Garden Hall at ACP on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
The ceremonies will get underway at 10 a.m. and feature remarks by Randal “R.J.” Kirk, one of biotech’s foremost individuals and executives; and student speaker, Shobhit Sood, who was chosen by members of his class to deliver remarks at the event. In addition to conferring the Doctor of Pharmacy degree on the candidates for graduation, the college will also be awarding its first Doctor of Public Health degree.
Kirk, originally an attorney by training, entered the biomedical field in 1983, co-founding General Injectables and Vaccines (GIV) in Bastian, VA. GIV rapidly became the largest independent marketer and distributor of pharmaceutics and biologics to the U.S. office physician marketplace and served as a springboard for Kirk’s entry into pharmaceutical manufacturing and ultimately, into research and development.
For more than a decade, Kirk was CEO of Intrexon, a company focused on advancing genetic and biological engineering to benefit the health and well-being of humans, animals and the environment.
In early 2020, Kirk stepped down from his post with Intrexon to become the executive chairman of Precigen, the former healthcare arm of Intrexon. Precigen is dedicated to developing the next generation of gene and cell therapies targeting the most urgent and intractable diseases in immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.
Kirk also owns a controlling business interest in Okanagan Specialty Fruits, grower of the groundbreaking Arctic Apple and Oxitec LTD, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock.
Kirk has been an Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine board member since May 2015 and sat on the board of visitors of Radford University from 2003 to 2009. Additionally, he served on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors from 2009 to 2012; the Virginia Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates from 2006 to 2012; and the Governor’s Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission from 2010 to 2012.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Radford University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia.
Sood, the son of Vandana Sood and Susheel Sood, is originally from Los Angeles, CA.
He is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience. He attended California State University, East Bay in Hayward, CA, where he was enrolled in the pre-professional health academic program and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, VA, where he earned a graduate certificate in pre-medical studies. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Health Economics and Outcomes Research from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.
At ACP, he has served as Student Government Association class president and as vice president of various student organizations, including the Industry Pharmacists Organization, Student Leadership Council, American Pharmacists Association, Apothecary Medicinal Plant Society and the Diversity Task Force. He is a member of the Rho Chi Honor Society and has been on the Dean’s List since August 2022. He received the ACP Outstanding Student Leadership Award and the ACP Highest GPA Award in both 2023 and 2024. Awards for 2025 have not yet been announced.
Early in his pharmacy education, he discovered a passion for a non-traditional, research-oriented career path. Motivated by his own healthcare journey, he set his sights on post-doctoral fellowships in Market Access and Pricing and Health Economics and Outcomes Research.
He has published two papers in ACP’s Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding and Therapeutics. His rotations as a third year student have included those with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (Association Management), CVS Health Corporate (Omnichannel Pharmacy Product Development), True Rx Health Strategist (Pharmacy Benefit Management) and Employers Health (Managed Care Organization).
Sood was successful in securing his top fellowship choice and signed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship contract in Global Oncology Market Access and Pricing with AstraZeneca in conjunction with the Rutgers Health Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships (RPIF). He will be based at AstraZeneca’s headquarters in Gaithersburg, MD.
“This milestone also reflects the strength of ACP’s rigorous three-year accelerated PharmD program, which continues to pave the way for successful industry placements across the classes of 2024 and 2025, an outcome I have no doubt will continue with future cohorts” Sood said.
“We look forward to hearing the remarks offered by Mr. Kirk and Mr. Sood at our commencement exercises next week,” said ACP Provost and Dean Susan Mayhew. “We also look forward to conferring the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree on our members of the Class of 2025 as they conclude their journey at ACP to become pharmacists and our first Doctor of Public Health Degree. We look forward to following the careers of these new graduates as they embark on the next chapters of their lives to make a difference in the profession of pharmacy.”
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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