Dr. M. Sasikala has been working as a Professor and Head of Pharmaceutical Analysis Department at Karpagam College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She has done B.Pharm from KMCH College of Pharmacy, M.Pharm in Pharmaceutical Analysis from Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences and PhD too in Pharmaceutical Analysis from Karpagam Academy of Higher Education as part of her educational qualification. She has also published 5 National and 22 International papers in reputed journals. Herbal and Bioanalytical Research is her research thrust area.

For her amazing work in the education and research sector, she has received Best Paper Award for Oral Presentation, Young Women Scientist Award in Pharmacy from PMSDS of Rampur - UP, Indian Researcher Award in 2021 from International Research Association of England, Certificate of Excellence in Reviewing from International Journal of Pharma and Biosciences, Best Researcher Award and Young Scientist Award from INSO of VD Good Professional Association.

She is also a proud Life Member of TNPC, APTI, IPGA & PMSDS. Before joining Karpagam College, she has worked with Seven Hills College of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor and Sri Padmavathi School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor. Last but not the least, Documentation and Reporting, Research and Development, Teamwork, effective Time Management, Presentation and Lecturing are her key skills.

Karpagam College of Pharmacy

Which latest program is your college offering to students to outperform and stand apart from the crowd?

Our institute offers 4-years duration B.Pharm at Undergraduate level, 2-years M.Pharm in specializations like Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Analysis followed by 6-years process Pharm.D at Postgraduate level along with 3 years PhD program to students to help them stand apart from the crowd.

And if we talk about the responsibilities, so B. Pharma graduates could effectively sell and market the medications by explaining the mechanism to the Doctors and can also get Government jobs as Pharmacist, Drugs Inspectors and as Analysts at State/Central level entities.

And M. Pharma graduates on the other hand can work as a Professor in academic institutions or Senior Scientists in Drug Development Sectors of Pharmaceutical Industries and can get Government jobs as mentioned for B.Pharm graduates.

Lastly, Pharm.D graduates can get employment as Clinical Pharmacists in Hospitals where they would be responsible for monitoring adverse drug reactions, medication errors and prescription errors.

Which factors make the programs of your institute the best and worth pursuing for students?

Our college has a state-of-the-art infrastructure, wifi-enabled campus, well trained Faculty Members, Hospital Facilities for Case Studies, hostel facility for both girls and boys followed by transport amenities for pickup and drop in and around the city in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from this, our campus is completely ragging free and any kind of discrimination and unequal behavior is strictly prohibited here.

And teachers of our institution have adopted great and modern Teaching-Learning methodologies and students are regularly exposed to a competitive world through national/international conferences and extracurricular activities. Hence I would say these factors make the courses of our college the best and worth pursuing for students.

What are some of the best practices of UG and PG programs your institute is offering to students at present?

Our Karpagam College of Pharmacy offers hands-on training programs to students on the analytical instruments meant for the research work, all aspects of research activities, animal handling as per CPCSEA, best plantation practices and patient counseling. Other than this, they are engaged in workshops which are organized by other institutions and prime research industries.

Rigorous Placement Training is provided to students to be interview ready and we ensure they do sufficient revision before appearing in external exams. We also encourage our fast learners to give seminars on syllabus topics and then we do have a rich collection of books, journals and e-consortium for continuous reference by them.

What are some precious insights of the programs students are pursuing from your college?

Our institution provides training to students to educate them about the learning operating procedures of all the analytical (Preliminary to Sophisticated) instruments and sessions on Calibration of each Instruments, Analytical Method Development, Stability Studies, Fingerprinting, Standardization and Quality Control Methods of Pharmaceuticals are also held on campus from time to time.

Apart from this, training programs on troubleshooting methods of instruments and interpretation of Analytical Data are also held as and when needed.

Lastly, consultancy work in collaboration with other Institutions and Industries using UV/Visible, Fluorimetry, HPTLC and HPLC instruments are organized by us.

Check Karpagam College of Pharmacy Placement

How do the courses of your Karpagam College of Pharmacy ensure the future preparedness of students?

The courses which we offer to students have growth and immense career opportunities and students will have the flexibility of joining sectors like Academic, Corporate World or Pharmacovigilance and Marketing domains.

Along with this, students get the opportunity to apply research concepts to publish Patents, Grants and Start-Up grants from various Governing bodies and Pharmacy courses help them to develop necessary Entrepreneurship Skills for running a Wholesale/Retail Pharmacy business or establishing Clinical Testing Laboratories etc.

Last but not the least, interaction sessions with college's Alumni are organized every 6 months to educate students about the latest trends, development and demands of Pharmaceutical Industries.

How did you train your students in accordance with the industry standards?

In order to train our students as per corporate standards, we thoroughly design lesson plans for both theoretical lectures and practical experiments keeping in mind the Scope and Course outcomes.

Along with this, we regularly maintain hard and soft copies of updated course materials for each program and also use a broad range of teaching methodologies such as PPT presentations, smart board classes and video presentations etc. And to improve the interaction between students and teachers, group discussions, class tests and oral examinations are held on a regular basis and we also assign assignments to them from time to time.

Lastly, we encourage our students to give spot seminars and board tests and to guide them as and when needed, we have special mentors. 

How do you build a strong connection between your college courses and industry demands?

For the purpose of establishing a strong connection between our institution courses and demands of the corporate world, we have collaborated with renowned organizations and have signed MOUs with leading Pharmaceutical, Clinical and Herbal Industries.

And these professional associations not only help us in research work, development of new drugs but also in providing required training programs to students for their complete personal and professional development.

What hurdles have you faced while inculcating new programs in the curriculum of your institute?

Developing the required infrastructure and facilities including ultra-modern Laboratories with sophisticated instruments, reagents, chemicals and reference books was the main challenge for us while inculcating new courses into the current of our college.

On what types of projects your students are currently working on under their respective Pharmacy programs?

The students of our Pharmaceutical Analysis Department are working on an extensive range of projects, details for which are mentioned below.

  • Analytical Method Development and Validation for a Drug Substance/Drug Product
  • Bioautographic Method Development for in Vitro Activity Studies 
  • Herbal Compounds Fingerprinting by HPTLC to analyze the secondary metabolites
  • Quantitative Analysis of Synthetic Drugs, Bano Formulations, Isolated Compounds, Natural Extracts, Pharmaceutical Formulations etc.
  • Bio Analytical Studies for the metabolites present in various body fluids like Blood, Serum, Plasma and Urine
  • Stability indicating analytical method development for a drug substance/ a drug product
  • Simultaneous method development and validation for combined dosage form

What career options would be available to students after pursuing courses from your college?

A plethora of work opportunities are available in the outside world for competent individuals with required skills and practical exposure. And after successfully finishing the B.Pharma program from the college, students can primarily work as a Hospital Pharmacist, Pharmacist, Drugs Inspector, Analyst, Junior Scientist in Formulation R&D and Analytical R & D with leading organizations and industries.

And if we talk about M.Pharm. course, then post finishing it, they can join Teaching/ Regulatory Affairs sectors or Research Industries or can also work as a Senior Scientist in Formulation R&D and Analytical R & D, QA Officers, Drugs Inspector. Lastly, post completing 6-years duration Pharm.D, they can work as a Clinical Pharmacist, Pharmacovigilance Officer, Clinical Research Scientist and pursuing higher education in India and abroad is always a suitable option.

How does your college prepare students for the outer competitive world?

Our college regularly organizes Career Guidance Programs to make students placement ready and corporate sessions are conducted too from time to time to improve their Entrepreneurship Skills.

Apart from this, full support, assistance and guidance is provided to them to get research grants while being in college. Last but not the least, for the purpose of enhancing communication skills and professional connections of students and making them aware about the latest technologies, happenings and trends of the outer world, a broad range of students council activities are conducted by us on a regular basis.

Regular guidance sessions for higher education followed by coaching are provided to students to crack competitive exams and interviews.

When you joined Karpagam College, what was your vision for it and how are you trying to achieve the same?

My prime objective when I joined Karpagam College was to develop the institution with my knowledge and research experience. Along with this, my aim was to give my 100% effort while delivering lectures to students, and support my fellow colleagues in teaching, documentation and research activities. 

Lastly, I was determined enough to transform students into well-mannered, well-studied and disciplined individuals who are ready to serve the people of society. And to make my goals come true, I am putting all my efforts and doing consistent hard work in a time-bound environment.

What inspired you to become a Teacher?

I decided to become a Teacher because I had enough confidence that I have gained enough subject knowledge required for the Pharmacy programs and I could deliver the same to the ambitious and young students of our society. Apart from this, I can effectively communicate the learnt content to students and Teaching is a noble profession too. 

Last but not the least, working in the education sector gives me immense opportunities to improve my knowledge and research skills and also helps me to connect with eminent people of the industrial and academic world. Hence I would say all these are the crucial factors behind my decision of joining the dynamic and challenging education sector.