Dr. Vijaianand is the Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the United College of Pharmacy. With over 24 years of experience in academia, both international and national, he started his career with a B.Pharm., M.Pharm. and a Pharm. D. degree. His teaching skills and expertise make him a capable candidate to work both as a Researcher and Teacher at the institution.

Dr. Vijaianand has had his research patterned in the Government of India (15 international and 10 national publications) and approved as the Inspector of PCI and The T. N Dr MGR Medical University. He has received INR 8 lakhs for MODROB SCHEME from AICTE and received the Best A.S. Seith award for paper publication. Moreover, he is the regular paper setter for several universities, like The TN Dr MGR Medical University, SRM, JSS and Annamalai University. He has also been appointed as PhD Evaluator across different universities and NEET Co-coordinator for 7.5% of Government school students between the years 2020-2021.

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You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

I enjoy teaching as it lets me contribute to effective classroom teaching, academic advising and counselling of my students. I get to participate in departmental committee work and contribute to the continuous development of the curriculum through assessments. My position allows me to work in applied research, scholarly activity, and service, such as assisting in the recruitment of students, which is highly motivating and driving for me. Moreover, I am able to work on initiatives designed to help students succeed academically, as well as other assigned duties that keep me connected with academia.

The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in your institute?

Undoubtedly, the education systems between India and international universities differ quite a bit. The major differences are in infrastructure and being able to teach with the latest facilities and equipment. We also tend to stress rote learning and follow evaluation systems that have not been updated for years. We also need better training for educators and to promote more transparency in the administration. Our colleges also lack the introduction of technology and equality in handling.

How does the curriculum of the United College of Pharmacy ensure the best practice of industry?

Our college curriculum follows the guidelines set by the Pharmacy Council of India or PCI. The guidelines are updated to include the latest trends in the industry. It also includes a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. There are also tutorial hours, project work, communication skills and computer literacy training. Students are also required to go through industrial training and a practice school where they learn prescription handling and patient counselling. We have also ensured that co-curriculum and extra-curriculum activities are provided that will provide the best practices in different sectors of the pharmacy industry.

Any insights into how your university could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

Our university has taken care to build a world-class infrastructure and provide all courses at affordable fees. The teachers have adopted a multilingual approach to teaching the classes but also provide field exposure to multi-disciplinary subjects. We focus on handling techniques, and project design in the thrust area. The college has funds allocated for qualified students and provides proper guidance by entrepreneurs from different fields who help with networking and encourage personnel interaction to pursue career goals.

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What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the University and the students are?

My responsibilities for the university include suggesting and providing solutions for challenges or gaps in the syllabus. I help in promoting awareness of new concepts presented by specialized people via visual mode. I also recommend students attend pharma expo exhibitions, minimizing evaluation errors, and get funds allotted for co-curriculum and extracurricular activities. For the students, I help by providing personal attention, promoting innovative ideas, adapting to the terms and conditions set by the university and completing work within the mentioned time limit. I make it a point to provide constant support with proper guidance to understand roles and responsibilities and navigate to be achievers in their respective fields.

What do you think should be the United College of Pharmacy’s top priority over the next 10 years?

Over the next ten years, we will be working to launch a future concept-oriented syllabus. We will adopt more of a technological approach to teaching and learning skills and upgrade our practical approaches to the subjects. We will introduce multidisciplinary topics as options to choose from, plan more interaction sessions with experts, and have a more rational approach to the students.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for United College of Pharmacy specifically?

Our students’ economic status prevents them from choosing the best colleges and universities. Having a clinical approach and providing industry exposure for developing skills students are lacking is also a big challenge. The syllabus, topics and branches should be updated to keep pace with today’s requirements. There should also be a focus on developing our students for competitive exams.

What are some plans that you’re currently (or will be) designing for United College of Pharmacy’s international affairs and/or students?

At present, we have plans to introduce more hobby-based clubs like journal clubs to help our students polish extra life skills. We will also be building a research and development laboratory and setting guidelines for ethical social awareness and behaviour among the students. We will be widening the scope for our students to learn more opportunity-based skills as well.