2022 College of Pharmacy PhD graduates:

• Suhaila Alhaj-Suliman 
  • Track: Pharmaceutics, Advisor: Bighley Professor Ali Salem
• Dherya Bahl
  • Track: Pharmaceutics, Advisor: Associate Professor Lewis Stevens
• Logan Murry
  • Track: Health Services Research, Advisor: Associate Professor Julie Urmie
• Jackson Russo
  • Track: Pharmaceutics, Advisor: Associate Professor Nicole Brogden
• Emad Wafa 
  • Track: Pharmaceutics, Advisor: Bighley Professor Ali Salem
• Beth Young
  • Track: Pharmaceutics, Advisor: Associate Professor Lewis Stevens

Suhaila Alhaj-Suliman
 

Faculty Advisor: Professor Aliasger Salem
Program of Study: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Topic: My research focused on designing and developing nanotechnology-based combinatorial cancer therapies that circumvent existing chemotherapy-resistance mechanisms.
Post-Graduation Plan: As a research pharmaceutical scientist, I am looking to launch my career in a biotech company where I can contribute to the development of nano-delivery systems for biomedical applications.
What memories will you carry with you about your time at the college?
At this moment, everything flashes back in my mind. I remember the day when I entered the College of Pharmacy with a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm to learn. I had a chance to meet a lot of people of different nationalities and made great friends that are like a new family. Also, I had an excellent opportunity to work with Prof. Salem as a graduate research assistant and gained extensive experience in the design and development of nanoparticles for drug and gene delivery. This journey will be a memory that will remain in the heart.

Dherya Bahl
 

Faculty Advisor: Associate Professor Lewis Stevens
Program of Study: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Topic: Understanding Solubility Improvement of Drugs with Higher Stoichiometery Cocrystals of Drugs
Post-Graduation Plan: I will be joining a Pharmaceutical Company as a Process Development Scientist.
What memories will you carry with you about your time at the college?
I have grown immensely as a researcher and a professional during my time here at graduate school. My advisor, the faculty and staff, and my colleagues have played a big role in that growth.

Logan Murry
 

Faculty Advisor: Associate Professor Julie Urmie
Program of Study: PhD in Health Services Research
Research Topic: Patient Preferences and Willingness-to-Pay for Medicare Part D Consultation Services Offered in the Community Pharmacy Setting
Post-Graduation Plan: I have accepted a 2 year post-doc in Dublin, Ireland at RCSI to assist in developing an essential medicines list for the country.
What memories will you carry with you about your time at the college?
The best memories I have in the college are the mentorship that I received from all members of my department and the opportunities to engage in a wide variety of research.

Emad Wafa

Faculty Advisor: Professor Aliasger K. Salem
Program of Study: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Topic: To design, develop, and characterize nanoparticle-based platforms  (nanomedicines and nanovaccines) for drug and gene delivery
Post-Graduation Plan: I care deeply about developing effective therapies to fight cancer and zoonotic infectious diseases. I will be considering a postdoctoral research fellow or a career in either the academic or industry setting where I can further hone and improve my skills as a research scientist and achieve my goals.
What memories will you carry with you about your time at the college?
During my graduate studies, I have been actively participating in cancer research at Professor Salem’s Laboratory of Advanced Drug and Gene Delivery. This has increased my awareness of the cancer patients’ needs and inspired me to dedicate my time to developing immunotherapeutic vaccines and treatments to combat cancer. Being engaged in cancer research has acquainted me with broad experience and extensive knowledge necessary to understand how the immune system and tumor cells interact with each other.
 

 Beth Young
 

Faculty Advisor: Associate Professor Lewis Stevens
Program of Study: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Topic: My research focused on evaluating the risk of polymorphic transformations through milling. Polymorphs are different materials but have the same chemical composition and can often convert via milling (a commonly used tool to decrease particle sizes).
Post-Graduation Plan: I am currently in the process of moving to Colorado where I accepted a position as CMC Pharmaceutical Scientist at Loxo Oncology at Lilly. I will work exclusively on formulating APIs of clinical trials.
What memories will you carry with you about your time at the college?
My favorite memory/memories are all from different conferences I attended with my peers. During the conferences we would always make time to venture out and see the cities we were in. My favorite was when we went to AAPS in Philly where we toured the city on a double-decker bus. My favorite thing about our college is how approachable and helpful the faculty and staff can be. Ultimately, the college has helped me to grow as a scientist. I feel like I have had plenty of opportunities to learn and continue to grow during my time here. I feel well prepared for my job and ready to begin working.