Dr. J. Sangeetha, M. Pharm., Ph. D., is a professor in pharmacognosy and has been engaged in teaching and research activities since 2002. She is working as Professor and Head of Department at the Malla Reddy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. She has published and presented at many national and international journals and conferences. Dr. J. Sangeetha has delivered many guest lectures at national conferences on standardization techniques for crude drugs and herbal formulations. She is a life member of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association and the Association of Pharmacy Teachers in India.

Malla Reddy Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

What are the factors that make this program the best for the students to opt?

The program actually combines various domains in the healthcare industry. We help the students to build their career in pharmaceutical industries for manufacturing of medicines; also we include clinical, regulatory affairs, alternative systems of medicine, and novel technology used for effective and efficient delivery of medication to patients, which can be considered promising fields to explore when students complete their Bachelor of Pharmacy.

What would you say are the “best practices” in the course you’re offering?

Research & Development, Projects, Internships, Seminars and conferences are the best practices we offer for our students

We inculcate the idea of research and experimental approach from the bud. Students were allowed to participate in national and international seminars and conferences while experiencing the latest technology in the field. Guest lecturers were invited to widen their knowledge in industrial and clinical sectors. 

What are some valuable insights of the program that is offered at your Department?

Our college believes in bringing out the talents and innovations among the students. The students are given the opportunity to acquire leadership skills during their course of work. Research-based learning and project-based learning are the two major reasons for a booming career in the pharmaceutical field. Our department believes in molding students towards a successful future.

How did you train yourself/faculty to deliver this program to the students?

Our college encourages us to attend various training processes like the Faculty Development Program (FDP), workshops, seminars, conferences, and NPTEL online courses in novel technology to enhance our teaching skills. Personally, the heads of departments are responsible for efficient teaching by the faculty, who may serve as their mentors in delivering the class. Regular training and assessments were made to upgrade the faculty's skills.

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How do you tend to build an industry connected with this program? 

The curriculum designed by the university is in great favor of the students, as they are assigned industrial visits, industrial training, and project training during their course work. In view of this, the college has several MOUs with various localized industries in which our students can participate whenever required.

What were the challenges that you faced while inculcating this program in your curriculum?

Being with the students is the best way to be updated and upgraded in many aspects. Students change with every generation; they are not the same. Even the approach towards them has to be changed. As such, I didn’t feel any difficulty in my career until now.

What are the types of projects that the students are working on through this program?

We have several projects that the students are working on in this program. To list a few projects, we are working on a novel drug delivery system where less soluble potent drugs are made available into our biological system for effective treatment. We are also working on newer antibiotic synthesis for treating bacterial infections, as we know that many antibiotics are resistant towards infections caused nowadays. We are also working on herbal drugs for treatment of chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes etc. these are the few works I have mentioned but every year we do several projects and research on this.

What are the benefits and career options after pursuing this course?

The benefits can be considered as we learn and approach the healthcare industry from different perspectives. We have a wide range of career options that can be selected after we complete our bachelor's or master's degree. The student can become a pharmacist, community pharmacist, hospital pharmacist, drug inspector, or medical representative. We can work in the pharmaceutical industry under R & D Scientist, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), Formulations, Production, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Stores, Packaging, etc. In the IT section, students work in pharmacovigilance, medical content writing, etc. In the clinical sector, they are employed as CROs, CRAs, analysts, etc. These options are only a few; we have a lot more to explore in the pharma field.