The Dr. Charles I. Jarowski Industrial Pharmacy Symposium

In 2006, three distinguished Pharmacy professionals proposed that they create an alumni group to build support for St. John’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and its Industrial Pharmacy Program. With the goal of inspiring and training the next generation of research scientists, Salah Ahmed ’85GP, ’91Ph.D., Navnit Shah ’73GP, ’81Ph.D. and Abu Serajuddin ’82Ph.D. formed the Industrial Pharmacy Committee.
 
Together they conceptualized the Dr. Charles I. Jarowski Industrial Pharmacy Symposium, which would act as a dynamic forum for the exchange of information among distinguished research scientists. The Symposium would be an annual event designed to offer our world class alumni the opportunity to explore topics relevant to the changing dynamics within the pharmaceutical industry. It would also act as an opportunity for networking and professional development between students, alumni and industry representatives.

Mansoor Khan, R.Ph. ’92Ph.D. was the first of many distinguished alumni to present at the Jarowski Symposium. He would subsequently become a key member of the Industrial Pharmacy Planning Committee.

Today, the Symposium has evolved into a major event for both the University and distinguished scientists in Pharmacy and the related professions, attracting over 100 participants annually. The theme for the Symposium is chosen by the Industrial Pharmacy Planning Committee each year to reflect the current trends in the pharmaceutical industry.

Each year, selected graduate students in the Industrial Pharmacy Program have the honor of presenting their research findings to attendees, affording them the opportunity to develop their presentation skills, seek career guidance and engage in networking with their peers and world class scientists.

Pharmaceutical industry suppliers and manufacturers also have the opportunity to sponsor the Symposium. In recognition of their support, they are given the chance to set up tables to demonstrate their products and showcase their technology to their key customers, our alumni.

Since its inception, the Dr. Charles I. Jarowski Symposium has become one of the largest academic forums for Industrial Pharmacy in the Northeast.

Coming Soon

Vivek Gupta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
St. John’s University, NY

Dr. Vivek Gupta is an Associate Professor of Industrial Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He is an experienced pharmaceutical researcher with interests in developing novel therapies for respiratory disorders. His expertise lies in the fields of novel drug discovery and repurposing, and the noninvasive delivery of small and macromolecules via oral and inhalation routes. He is participating in the Dr. Charles I. Jarowski Industrial Pharmacy Symposium to help students and academic researchers connect with the pharmaceutical industry.

Nitesh K. Kunda, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
St. John’s University, NY

Dr. Nitesh K. Kunda is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. His research laboratory focuses on developing nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for those battling infectious diseases and lung cancer, and formulating thermostable and inhalable vaccines. 

Dr. Kunda agreed to be on the Jarowski Scientific Advisory Committee to help organize a scientific meeting that presents the latest research advancements in the field; to build and foster relationships between the University and the pharmaceutical industry; and to provide an engaging platform for students to present their research.

Abu T. Serajuddin ’82Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
St. John’s University, NY

Dr. Abu T. Serajuddin is a Professor of Industrial Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Prior to joining St. John’s in 2008, he worked in scientific and managerial positions in the pharmaceutical industry. 

In his latest positions in the industry, he served as Executive Director and the US Head of Pharmaceutical Research and Development at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. He has published more than 125 scientific papers and book chapters, and he is a coinventor in 13 patents. For his scientific and professional contributions, he has been elected Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Pharmacists Association. 

Vivian (Yunxia) Bi, Ph.D.
Director of Pharmaceutical Technology
Ashland

Dr. Vivian Bi is currently serving as a Director of Pharmaceutical Technology at Ashland Specialty Ingredients (ASI). She has led various positions in Pfizer Global R&D, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals prior to joining ASI. She has over 20 years' experience with oral and parenteral drug delivery systems. Her recent research interests have expanded into long -acting injectables and implantable for small molecules as well as biologics.   

Matthew Burke, Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Clinical Development and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Radius Health, Inc., PA

Dr. Matthew Burke is currently serving as Vice President, Head of Clinical Development and Pharmaceutical Sciences, at Radius Health, Inc. Radius’ portfolio includes oral, injectable, and novel microneedle products.  

Prior to joining Radius, Dr. Burke worked for GlaxoSmithKline plc for 18 years at various sites in the US and United Kingdom, and most recently was their Head of Drug Delivery. His motivation for participating in the symposium is to be an ambassador for knowledge sharing and collaboration across the pharmaceutical science field, and to inspire the next wave of young pharmaceutical scientists with new, emerging science. 

Dipen Desai, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Vice President, Complex Product R&D
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC

Dr. Dipen Desai serves as Vice President of Formulation and Analytical Research and Development, Complex Product Research, at Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. Dr. Desai and his group have been instrumental in developing platform technologies for Solubility Enhancement (BIOMAXX^®), Abuse Deterrence Formulations (iADOPT^®), Gastro-Retentive System (GRANDE^™), and a timed, customized, and pulsatile drug release system (KRONOTEC^™). 

Dr. Desai has been named as an inventor for more than 25 published patents and applications. He has published multiple original research articles and book chapters in the field of formulation development and drug delivery technologies. 

Dr. Desai is also mentoring students for their Ph.D. research work at St. John’s University, Rutgers University, and Long Island University. Dr. Desai earned his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Rhode Island and holds an M.B.A. from the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Simerdeep Singh Gupta ’10GP, ’14Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, Product Development
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Dr. Simerdeep Singh Gupta is a Principal Scientist in Product Development at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. His areas of research are transdermal and topical formulation development. Dr. Gupta is an alumnus of St. John’s University (’10GP, ’14Ph.D.) who has attended and organized past Jarowski Symposiums and continues to be associated with the University.

Donald Kelemen, Ph.D.
Head, Corporate and Business Development
ABITEC

Dr. Donald Kelemen is the Global Business Director for Pharmaceutical Sciences at ABITEC Corporation. In addition to this commercial role, he also maintains responsibilities in the areas of new product development, the establishment of academic and industrial collaborations, and has active research programs focused in the areas of next generation lipid nanoparticle technologies and the functional assessment of neutral and polar lipids to address the global challenges of antibiotic resistant microorganisms.  

Dr. Kelemen earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his MSc. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University in Nutritional Sciences and Biotechnology.

Ajay Saxena, Ph.D.
Associate Scientific Director
Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr. Ajay Saxena is Associate Scientific Director in Drug Product Development at Bristol Myers Squibb in New Jersey. Dr. Saxena has more than 12 years of industrial experience. He is an experienced biopharmaceutics and formulation scientist who has led multiple teams to preclinical (solution and suspension) and clinical (oral solid dosage form) formulation development. His focus area involved the development of Novel Drug Delivery Systems, such as nanosuspension, liposomes, and microspheres, to deliver complex modalities. 

He earned his doctoral degree in Pharmaceutics from the University of Bradford, and pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota. He has received several awards for his contributions, and has several research articles in international peer-reviewed journals and patents to his credit. 

Dr. Saxena believes as the modalities to treat unmet medical conditions are changing, we need to develop right delivery approaches to achieve a targeted response. This symposium is a step forward not just in discussing the need for complex biologics; it will also emphasize the ability of these biologics to be delivered to patients.

St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences calls for presentations at the 13th Annual Dr. Charles I. Jarowski Symposium being held on September 12, 2022 in the D'Angelo Ballroom on the Queens Campus.  The theme of the symposium is “Overcoming Biological Barriers.” Authors are encouraged to submit their presentation abstracts in line with the symposium theme as early as possible, no later than 5 p.m. EDT, Monday, August 15th on via the Poster and Submission Form.

Abstract Guidelines and Submission

Abstract Submission Deadline: 5 p.m. EDT, August 15th. 

1. Abstracts should have the following format:

• Title of the abstract
• Names of the author(s) (first name, last name)
• Affiliation (with address) of each author
• Introduction and purpose
• Study design and methods
• Results
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements and references (optional)

2. Abstracts may contain up to 400 words. Use of data figures and tables is encouraged. Up to two figures/tables can be incorporated in the abstract body.

3. Multiple abstracts from same author(s) will be considered.

4.  Few presentations will be selected for live oral presentation. If selected for oral presentation, guidelines will be sent out separately. 

5. All accepted poster presenters will be required to present a video poster during the virtual event. 

**The author responsible for correspondence must include his/her e-mail address and phone number for communication in the body of e-mail.

Questions? [email protected]

ABSTRACT TEMPLATE

ALL OF THE BELOW INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED AS AN EXAMPLE, AND SPECIFIC FIELDS MUST BE REPLACED WITH RELEVANT AND REQUIRED INFORMATION.

TITLE: Write down your title

AUTHORS: Write down the exact order of authors how you would like it to appear (Usually, first author should be the presenter, and last author should be the advisor).

Affiliation (Institution) and Address: Write down your Institution. If more than one Institution, write the primary one first.

Abstract Body:

• Write down your abstract body divided in (i) introduction and purpose, (ii) study design, (iii) results, (iv) conclusion, and (v) acknowledgement and references (Optional).
• The abstract body must not be over 400 words. Title, author name/s, affiliation are not counted toward the word limit.
• Abstracts above 400 words will be returned for corrections; and may not be included in final program due to time constraints.
• DO NOT use any bullet points, or special formatting; as all formatting will be removed when you paste the abstract in submission site.
• Paste all the above information in the ABSTRACT TEXT tab in the submission site (Microsoft Forms).