“COLLEGE OF PHARMACY GRADUATED 63 STUDENTS AND SETS NEW RECORD”, SAYS DR. FERAS ALALI

Dr. Feras Alali, Professor and Acting Dean of College of Pharmacy at Qatar University (QU) discussed achievements, goals and new developments of The College. He joined the College of Pharmacy in 2013 as Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, and then moved to be the Founder Director of QU Health Office of Research and Graduate Studies 2016-2021 and now Acting Dean of College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Feras has led the establishment of several academic programs (Bsc, Msc and PhD) and pharmacy colleges in the region. In term of research, he is actively engaged in the discovery and development of anti-cancer agents and phytotherapeutics herbal products.

The College of Pharmacy at Qatar University, established in 2007, is the only pharmacy college in the country and accredited by the Canadian Council of Association of Pharmacy Programs. The college offer several programs namely: Bsc in Pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and Msc in Pharmacy Sciences. The college has been recognized globally for a reputation of excellence and quality in education, services and research. Recently, QS Ranking Agency ranked Pharmacy and Pharmacology subject at QU among the top 300 in the world.

In terms of research developments, Dr. Feras said, “We at the college are working to advance pharmacy practice and clinical research methods – developing cutting-edge and contemporary approaches to addressing issues related to medication use optimization, prescribing, de-prescribing, and medication safety, understanding the competency of community pharmacists.”

“We are also actively participating in the Practice Educator’s Academy Program continuing education preceptor development program, innovative educational intervention. Others are researching anticoagulation clinic drive up service during COVID-19 in Qatar. In terms of pharmaceutical sciences, we are designing and preparing new therapeutic agents based on gold nanoparticles, and developing chalcone analogs used to treated breast cancer.”

While other faculty are studying the impact of exposure of environmental toxicants and pollutants on the development of cancer stem cells in breast and ovarian cancer while others investigating the use of 3D Bio-printing for use in screening anticancer drugs and personalizing treatment regimens for individual cancer patients. Another new research is investigating CD44 targeted nanoparticles to deliver platinum based anti-cancer drugs in non -mall cell lung adenocarcinoma.

In terms of new subjects/programs introduced, he said, “We have developed new courses PHAR499 (Industrial & Regulatory Pharmacy): This elective course is designed to provide pharmacy students with in-depth understanding of different facets of drug production including research and development, equipment used, manufacturing processes, documentation and associated regulatory aspects.”

“Another course is PHAR488 (Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine): This is an interactive, practice-based elective course that will address the emerging fields of pharmacogenomics and personalized 'precision' medicine. We also introduced a content related to new areas such as “biosimilar” in several courses within the BSc and PharmD curricula,” he adds.

College of Pharmacy has current enrolled 313 students among which 25% are Qatari and 14% are graduate level (PharmD, Msc and PhD). In AY21, College has graduated in 31 Bachelors, 14 PharmDs and 9 with Msc degree.

Recently and driven by the need for more integration, the college has reviewed and restructured its curriculum to adapt a modular approach that is a biological health system-based. “We are aiming to enforce learning, cut redundancy and encourage spiral integration between pharmaceutical sciences and clinical and pharmacy practice sciences,” says Dr. Feras

The college is also expanding in admission with the advent of male admission and moving to the new permanent state-of the-art facility. He adds, “We are also expanding in graduate program offering with the reinstalling of our Part Time PharmD and the launching of the new track of Clinical and Population Health Research among our PhD in Health Sciences (QU Health collaborative program).”

The college is also studying the feasibility of hosting a Drug Information Center within its premise. This center will be operated by clinical staff and students, will serve as a platform to train students and provide trustworthy drug-related information and counseling to the general public.

The college of pharmacy is currently organizing for the 10th Annual Dean’s list celebration in recognition of its highest achieving students for the Fall 2020/ Spring 2021 semester. In addition, the college is planning to host its annual community outreach awareness campaign to raise public awareness and address their concerns regarding COVID-19 pandemic with focus on advocating for best practices within the community. The college also hosts weekly seminars for its faculty members to maintain their accessibility to current topics that directly add to their teaching, practice, and research skills.

As for students’ events, “Qatar Pharmacy Undergraduate Society (QPhUS) is hosting the 4th pharmacy patient counselling competition during February 2022, where all pharmacy students will have the chance to apply the knowledge and skills gained from the undergraduate curriculum in a patient counselling challenge. Furthermore, the society is organizing for an on-campus campaign on March 2022 to raise awareness about women’s health and for a workshop on April 2022 that will discuss medications management during Ramadan,” said Dr. Feras

The following are among the main recent achievements of College of Pharmacy

1. The college successfully reviewed and restructured both Bachelor Degree and Part-Time PharmD to enhance program and student learning outcome.

2. The college was able to publish more than 109 scientific papers in international peer reviewed journals and securing a record number of research grants; total of 64 and a budget of 4.2 million QR.

3. The college has contributed to the top subject ranking of Pharmacy and Pharmacology by leading Ranking Agency.

4. College has successfully graduated 63 undergraduate and graduate students; a record high.

The college is vigilant to its vision and mission. Dr. Feras said, “We have a strategic committee that meet regularly and monitor performance through KPIs in all domains of teaching, research and community engagement. We also contribute to QU Health Strategy, which emphasizes integration, education quality and operational efficiency. We are committed to excellence and distinction in all of our processes and outcomes.”

“We provide quality education that is governed by the highest standards in pharmacy education sit by CCAPP and the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy in Canada. We also provide a wealth of professional development opportunities to our undergraduate and graduate students. We are pleased to report that we are exceeding our KPI targets on annual basis,” he added.

As a dean of the college, Dr. Feras said, “I am proud to lead an exceptional team working diligently to offer our students a rich and life-changing educational experience with wide range of opportunities including research, experiential education, interprofessional education, student leadership to better prepare them for their future roles in an ever evolving and expanding profession. I am also as proud to lead elite cohorts of passionate and active students who thrive to excel in academia and community engagement.”

Since 2007, the college is witnessing a remarkable level of expansion and growth with important milestones and excellent achievements were made. CPH is playing a pivotal role in shaping health care in Qatar and the region through training the next generation pharmacists and scientists.

As a dean, I commit myself to the betterment of our staff, faculty, student and the profession. I work hard to maintain a healthy supporting and progressive environment where members of our community can achieve their goals and fulfilling our mission.

Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY