Albany College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences Names Kamal Rashid To Lead New Center For Biopharmaceutical Education And Training
ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 29, 2019) — Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) announces that Kamal A. Rashid, Ph.D. has been named founding director of the College’s new Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), a $37.3 million training center dedicated to workforce development in the rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry.
Rashid, who has more than 40 years of experience in academia and industry, will be responsible for the creation of a center that features hands-on experience with emerging manufacturing technology. Rashid will oversee facilities buildout and development of courses and workshops for degree students and working professionals. He will assist in the recruitment of faculty, support personnel and industry adjunct faculty. Rashid will also coordinate industrial partnerships and an industry advisory council.
“Kamal is an internationally recognized educator with decades of academic experience in both research and biotechnology program development,” said Greg. Dewey, Ph.D., president, ACPHS, noting that he has delivered bioprocessing training programs on-site in China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and Singapore. “We are fortunate to have him join us at this critical stage of CBET’s development.”
Rashid most recently worked as research professor and former director of the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a newly established center dedicated to serving the workforce needs of the biomanufacturing industry.
Before that, he served as research professor at Utah State University and the associate director of the University’s Center for Integrated BioSystems, where he developed the university’s bioprocessing facility to support undergraduate and graduate education and faculty research, and as a contract services provider of training programs and process development for biotechnology companies.
"ACPHS is one of the oldest and most distinguished pharmacy schools in the country,” said Rashid. “I am excited to lead the effort to train our pharmacy students and mid-career professionals for jobs making biopharmaceutical drugs, which is a rapidly-growing part of the drug industry nationwide.”
CBET, the first academic bioprocessing center in New York state to be housed in a pharmacy school, is slated to launch its initial offering of educational and training programs in 5,000 square feet of rented space near campus in January.
ACPHS then plans to embark on a $28.2 million fundraising campaign to develop a 20,000-square-foot advanced technology center near its New Scotland Avenue campus. The facility will feature emerging technologies such as single use and continuous bioprocessing, cell therapy, gene therapy, and real time analytics. Hands-on programing will include real world applications operating in a simulated Current Good Manufacturing Practice environment, as well as broader topics such as quality control and supply chain management. Close ties and consultation with corporate partners will be crucial to providing relevant programming both for traditional students and individuals within the workforce.
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About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is a private, independent institution with a long tradition of academic and research excellence. The College’s mission is to educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society. In separate reports by The Wall Street Journal (2019) and the Brookings Institution (2015), ACPHS was named the #1 value-added college in the country. The College has campuses in Albany, NY, and Colchester, VT. For more information, visit acphs.edu.