ATLANTA – Two Mercer University pharmacy students have been awarded pre-doctoral fellowships from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE). Doctoral students Nima Akhavein of San Francisco, Calif., and John Bauer of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., each received $6,000 stipends to continue their studies and earn the Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences at the Southern School of Pharmacy of Mercer University.
“This recognition is a tribute to the quality of our students and graduate program,” said Dean H.W. “Ted” Matthews. According to Robert M. Bachman, AFPE president, “These graduate students will join a distinguished group of men and women who have received this award in national competition.”
Akhavein, whose major professor is Dr. Martin D’Souza, is focusing his research on alternative drug delivery systems to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Bauer’s research, which is directed by his major professor, Dr. Stephen Cutler, and his co-adviser, Dr. Stanley Pollock, focuses on the design of novel non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory agents with potential use against cancer and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis.
Both Akhavein and Bauer were among 31 awardees of AFPE fellowships nationwide. Akhavein received a new fellowship, while Bauer received a one-year renewal of a previous fellowship. The awards were made based upon a review of their grades and progress to date in completing their Ph.D. program and on a review of three recommendations from Mercer professors.
Recipients of the AFPE awards often move into professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and into academic positions to train tomorrow’s pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. The AFPE fellowships are designed to support the education of select Ph.D. students at schools and colleges of pharmacy who show exceptional potential for leadership in pharmacy college teaching, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and other pharmacy career areas.
About Mercer University and the Southern School of Pharmacy:
Mercer University’s Southern School of Pharmacy has a century-long tradition of excellence and a national reputation for producing outstanding leaders in the profession of pharmacy. In September 1981, Southern School of Pharmacy became the first pharmacy school in the Southeast and fifth in the nation to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) as its sole professional degree. The School also offers the Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences. Pharmacists from Mercer are currently practicing in 43 states and in several foreign countries.
Founded in 1833, Mercer University has campuses in Macon and Atlanta as well as three regional academic centers. With 10 schools and colleges, the University offers programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law and theology. For 15 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has named Mercer University as one of the leading universities in the South.
