New Faculty Join Fisher: Wegmans School of Pharmacy Welcomes Three

This fall, St. John Fisher College welcomed 18 new, full-time faculty members to the classroom. This week, College News Highlights introduces Drs. Remah Ali, Priyanka Bhatt, and Diane Rudy, new faculty members in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy.

Ali is a Fulbright Scholar who holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Purdue University College of Pharmacy in the field of molecular biology and pharmacology and a Master of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University.

Prior to her graduate studies in the U.S., Ali received her pharmacy degree and practice license in her home country of Syria, after which she joined the College of Pharmacy at the Syrian International University for Science and Technology as a clinical faculty member. She served in this role for two years.

Ali has extensive experience researching and teaching the mechanisms of breast cancer formation and metastasis at the cellular level, molecular mechanisms of drug action, and topics of community pharmacy and practice.

Bhatt received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, India, and a Master of Science in pharmacy as well as Ph.D. in pharmacy from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara, India. While pursuing her doctoral degree in the area of pharmaceutical sciences, she was awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the government of India.

In 2018, she moved to Tampa, Florida to pursue her postdoctoral experience in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Taneja College of Pharmacy at University of South Florida. She has eight years of experience in developing drug delivery systems, mainly focusing oncology and ophthalmology therapeutic areas. Her strength in field of drug delivery lies in her background and experience of formulation development of lipid and polymer based nanoparticulate systems as well as sustained drug delivery systems using thermoreversible gel.  In addition to research, she was instrumental in teaching various courses related to pharmaceutics in across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum.

Bhatt has edited one book, authored nine book chapters, and published 25 peer-reviewed papers in reputed journals. She is also serving as a reviewer for 11 international journals and sits on editorial boards of five international journals.

Rudy earned her Pharm.D. degree from D’Youville College School of Pharmacy in Buffalo, New York before completing a Post-Graduate Year 1 pharmacy residency at Rochester General Hospital.  She then served as a hematology/oncology clinical pharmacist at the Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital, where she provided pharmacy services in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. 

She began her current position as an assistant professor in the Pharmacy Practice Department in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy this past June.  Rudy will be teaching in both the online and campus pathways within the Pharm.D. program at Fisher, primarily the applied pathophysiology and therapeutics courses. 

Rudy will also practice in an internal medicine clinic providing care for patients with chronic disease states such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and conditions requiring anticoagulation at the Anthony Jordan Health Center.