Division for Pharmacology Education Inducts Two New Fellows into the Academy of Pharmacology Educators
The Academy of Pharmacology Educators was established in 2010 in order to recognize individuals who have made exemplary contributions to pharmacology education in one or more of the following areas: student-teacher interaction, innovative contributions, scholarly endeavors, professional development and service. Two new members were inducted into the Academy during the Annual Meeting of the Division for Pharmacology Education at EB 2015. More information about the Academy, including application instructions and a roster of inductees, can be found here.
Senthil K. Rajasekaran, MD
The first 2015 Academy inductee is Senthil K. Rajasekaran, MD. Dr. Rajasekaran received his MD from Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry in 1997 after which he completed his postgraduate medical training in basic and clinical pharmacology at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai, India in 2004. He has been involved in medical education and the teaching of pharmacology for more than 14 years. He has taught pharmacology for medical, nursing, pharmacy, dental, physician assistant, and other allied health courses. In 2004 he joined the National University of Ireland Galway in Ireland as a lecturer. In 2006, he joined St. Mathew’s University, School of Medicine in Grand Cayman, where he served as professor, dean of Basic Sciences and director of the Center for Excellence in Medical Education (CEME).
In 2012, he joined Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB), where he served as the co-director of the CEME and associate professor in the Division of Biomedical Sciences.
Currently he serves as an assistant dean for Academic Affairs and professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where he leads a major curriculum reform project. He has received multiple awards for teaching excellence including the institutional Golden Apple awards and the Pharmacology Education Award given by ASPET’s Division for Pharmacology Education.
He also serves as a senior advisor for the World Federation for Medical Education and a deputy editor of the reputed Teaching and Learning in Medicine Journal. He has been actively engaged with ASPET since 2004 as a student member, and since 2008 as a regular member. He is a primary member of the Division for Pharmacology Education, and served as its secretary/treasurer from 2011–2013.
Robert P. Soltis, PhD
The second 2015 Academy inductee is Robert P. Soltis, PhD. Dr. Soltis is the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at Drake University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He received his bachelor’s in pharmacy from Butler University and a PhD in pharmacology from Indiana University. Prior to joining the faculty at Drake University, Dr. Soltis was a Pharmacology Research Associate (PRAT Fellow) at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Soltis’ lab-based research program focuses on central mechanisms regulating the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine response to stress.
In recent years, he has pursued the scholarship of teaching and learning focusing on process oriented guided inquiry learning. His area of teaching includes neuropharmacology, autonomic pharmacology, and mechanisms of drug interactions. He is a co-author of the textbook Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Sciences: An Integrated Approach.
He has received the College Teacher of the Year Award three times and the College Professional Leadership Award and Distinguished Professor Award. He has also worked to advance pharmacology education through his service to the US Pharmacopeial Convention, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and others. He has been an ASPET member since 1993, and a primary member of the Division for Pharmacology Education for the past 10 years.
Last updated: June 4, 2015