Dr. Bharat Parashar is the Principal of Pharmacy at ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh. He is an acclaimed academician in the field of pharmacy with 16+ years of experience. He acquired his doctorate from Mohanlal Sukhadia University in the year 2011 and completed his M.Pharmacy from Rajasthan University of Health Sciences in the year 2007. He has vastly contributed to the field of pharmacy through 168 publications and authoring 2 books. His awards and recognitions include the Best Teacher Award on 5th September 2009 by Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. He got “ICONIC EDUCATIONIST AWARD-2020” on 27th Dec 2020 by the Glorious Organization for Accelerated Literacy Society, New Delhi.

ICFAI University , Himachal Pradesh

You held key positions at various prestigious institutions throughout your career. What is that one thing that made you excited and walk with ICFAI Himachal University in the journey?

Yes, I have handled various capacities in my previous Organizations and acquired vast knowledge. But it’s a huge matter of rapture for me to be an integral part of ICFAI University. Being distinctive and universally known motivated me to join this prestigious organization, where I can apply my experiences and learnings to create positive changes.

How do you balance the needs of faculty, students, and administration as a Principal of Pharmacy?

The University plays a vital role in this regard. I believe that setting clear expectations and providing feedback are essential for ensuring that faculty and staff are meeting the academic standards of the University. In my role as a Principal, I ensure that faculty members are meeting their job requirements and performing their duties at a high level & satisfying the students’ needs. Being a part of various committees, my views and thoughts are always considered & welcomed by the higher authorities.

As a Principal of the School of Pharmacy, what is the USP or what are the differentiating factors that make ICFAI Himachal University stand out from other colleges?

We have world-class infrastructure facilities, experienced Faculty members, MoU’s with various Industries & Educational Institutions, regular guest lectures by industry & academic personnel, industrial visits, Free GPAT coaching etc. Besides these, We provide a platform for our students to get involved in various community services such as Health Checkups camps, Dental Check-up Camps, Blood donation camps etc. these activities make our University unique and distinctive to stand out from other educational Institutions.

How do you stay current with the latest trends and developments in the field of Pharmacy and incorporate them into the curriculum and programs offered by ICFAI Himachal University?

Although the curriculum and programs offered at the ICFAI University are regulated and governed by Pharmacy Council of India. Nevertheless, we focus on conducting various seminars, webinars, guest lectures & expert talks by personnel from Industries, Academia and research on a regular basis. These activities help our students and faculty members to remain updated about the outer world. We are in the process of introducing some industry-relevant subjects and courses to make our students industry-ready, more competent and stand out indistinctively.

How well is ICFAI Himachal focusing on maintaining industry relationships with companies in order to leverage them for live projects, training, and placements for the students?

The main focal point of ICFAI University is collaborations and tie-ups. As we The ICFAI University, Himachal Pradesh residing inside the “Industrial hub Baddi” we are targeting more ‘n’ more industries and research labs to sign MoU’s. The process has already been started and we have signed many MoU’s which will help our students to get placed near future and with their training & internships. Recently our students successfully completed their internships at various departments such as QA, QC, warehouse, Production, Research & Development sections from various renowned industries like, Glenmark, Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Aimil Pharmaceuticals, etc. Our focus is to place all the students who want to get placed.

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What measures would you take to ensure that ICFAI Himachal University provides a conducive learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure?

The management of the ICFAI group takes excellent care of the state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. We are in the process of constructing new Laboratories for the students and setting up a new research lab bearing all the sophisticated instruments such as UV Spectrophotometer, IR, HPLC, Karl Fischer, Flame Photometer etc. This will help the department to unveil new research.

What are the biggest challenges currently faced by Pharmacy colleges, and how Do you plan to address them as a Principal?

I think the biggest challenge a pharmaceutical institution faces today is to bridge the gap between industry & academia, to prevail over this challenge many steps have already been taken by the University. We regularly call trained and experienced people from industries, research labs and other institutions for guest lectures and expert talks to guide our students. All our faculty members are well experienced not only from the reputed institutions but also from industries which makes the pharmacy department plenteous.

How would you promote experiential learning and practical application of knowledge within the College?

The key area we focus on is practical. The experimental procedures are demonstrated by faculty members and then performed by the students in such a way that correlates to the experiments performed in the industries and research labs. Every student was encouraged to handle all the instruments in the presence of the lab instructor and subject in charge.

What kind of steps ICFAI Himachal University is taking in order to bridge the gap between academia and the real industry world?

We frequently conduct guest lectures, webinars, seminars & expert talks at our University where we invite Indian as well as globally renowned experts & scientists from industries, academia & research labs, etc. In their lectures, they discuss the recent discoveries, research and advancements in the field of medicine & science. Additionally, we have added various industry experts to our BOS to introduce new subjects and courses related to the industries.