Centennial Scholarship Award
Description of Scholarship Program
To help commemorate the FDA Centennial, the FDA Alumni Association has established a scholarship fund for students enrolled in the Temple University School of Pharmacy’s Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs graduate program.
The FDAAA Centennial Scholarship Award was announced at the FDAAA annual meeting April 5, 2006 in Washington. Pharmacy School Dean Peter H. Doukas, Ph.D., and Wendy Lebing, assistant dean, quality assurance/regulatory affairs graduate program, received the award from FDAAA Chairman John C. Villforth and Robert W. Sauer, chairman of the FDAAA Scholarship Committee.
FDAAA Establishes Scholarship Fund for Temple Pharmacy School’s QA/RA Program
Representatives of Temple University’s School of Pharmacy accept award of Centennial Scholarship Fund from the FDA Alumni Association at the FDAAA annual meeting last April. From left to right: FDAAA Board Member Robert Sauer; Board Chairman John Villforth; Board Member Burton Love; Temple School of Pharmacy Dean Peter Doukas, Ph.D.; Pharmacy School Director of Development Christopher VanVessem; Assistant Dean – QA/RA Wendy Lebing; Robert Myers, President of the Parenteral Drug Association; Linda Suydam,D.P.A., President of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association; and Peter Corr, Ph.D., Vice President - Science, Pfizer Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Directors - PhRMA Foundation.
The endowment, currently more than $ 52,000, creates the first scholarship in the school’s QA/RA program. FDAAA established the endowment to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Pure Food and Drugs Act and to encourage academic training in regulatory and quality issues, according to Villforth. FDAAA selected Temple after reviewing graduate programs of schools nationwide. “It was a logical choice, after seeing Temple’s outstanding program and long-standing relationship with the Food and Drug Administration,” said Sauer. Since 2000, the school has worked closely with FDA in sponsoring an annual conference, “FDA and Industry in Dialogue.” FDA staff also lecture for and teach in the QA/RA program, which is based in Fort Washington, Pa. Each semester over 700 students enroll in QA/RA courses, which are taught by industry experts representing virtually every major pharmaceutical corporation in the U.S., according to the school’s Website.
Donations to the fund have come from pharmaceutical trade associations, including the PhRMA Foundation, drug firms, and FDAAA members. Donations are still being accepted.
Upon receiving the award, Doukas said, "Temple School of Pharmacy is most appreciative and honored to receive this generous FDAAA Centennial Scholarship on the occasion of the Agency's Centennial. We thank the FDAAA on behalf of the students who will benefit and for the recognition of the QA/RA program that it symbolizes."
Temple University School of Pharmacy is a pioneer in providing advanced academic coursework in quality assurance and regulatory affairs, which refer to the quality practices and regulations governing the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, healthcare and consumer products, and related industries. The school was the first to create a master’s program in QA in 1968. In the 1990s, the school created the first academic certificate programs in drug development, clinical trial management, and medical device regulation.
Scholarship Award Recipients
The 2006 recipient of the FDAAA Centennial Scholarship was Yevgeny (Gene) Tkachuk, who was a research technician at the Oncology Research Group of the Hackensack University Medical Center. Within a year, he obtained a position as Project Manager for CA Inc., (an IT Management Company). With just three more courses to complete, Gene has nearly reached his goal of a master's degree in QA/RA.
The following year, the 2007 Centennial Scholarship was awarded to Katherine McKinney, PhD, MS, technical writer and biochemical engineer consulting with Hemispherx Biopharma in preparing CMC and process validation documents. Though she already earned two graduate degrees, she is pursuing Temple's MS in QA/RA to deepen her regulatory knowledge.
In 2008, Khyati Dave, student and research assistant at Temple's School of Pharmacy, was awarded the scholarship. An avid scientist, she left India where she worked as a QA analyst to pursue a master's degree in the pharmaceutical sciences. Learning of Temple's renowned QA/RA program, she committed to paying for courses out-of-pocket in order to become well-versed in US and global regulations. Her dream is to return to the industry after graduation to pursue a career in drug discovery. She says, "I cannot adequately express my thanks to the FDAAA for helping me to advance my passion for drug discovery. I am thrilled to receive the scholarship, which has motivated me to work even harder at my research and courses."
The year 2009 resulted in the announcement of three scholarship award recipients. They are; Troy Timbrook, Megan Daly, and Paul Mouris. Troy took his BS in Biology to work at AmeriFlora'92 and on to Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane Inc. Upon completion of his MS at Temple, Troy hopes to move out of QA and into DNA submissions. Megan's education path started with a 1998 Associate degree in Biological Science, was followed by an Associate in Applied Science in 01 and culminated with a BS in 05. During this time she worked as a lab tech, a clinical analyst, a private lab analyst, a hospital lab chemist and finally in the Microbiology Dept. of a drug company. Upon completion of Temple's QA/RA graduate program Megan wished to focus on pharmaceutical microbiology. Paul served 6 years in the US Navy before attending the University of Connecticut. In 2003 he graduated summa cum laude with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The past 6 years Paul has been an FDA Investigator focusing on the drug industry. Completion of Temple's QA/RA master's program will help him toward his goal "to become an even better FDA Investigator".
How to Apply for Scholarship
The FDAAA scholarship is open to current and new students in Temple’s QA/RA graduate program who are not eligible for tuition reimbursement at their organization. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of both financial need and academic merit. The first award will be given for the fall 2006 semester and will consist of the tuition costs for one QA/RA course (exclusive of computer and technology and other applicable fees). A selection committee consisting of the dean, assistant dean, director of graduate studies, and at least two QA/RA faculty members will make the final selection. The recipient will be announced in early September.
For further information, contact:
Temple University School of Pharmacy
Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs Graduate Program
Attention: Wendy Lebing, MALD, MS, Assistant Dean
Phone: 267-468-8560
Fax: 267-468-8565
Web: www.temple.edu/pharmacy_QARA
E-mail: qara@temple.edu
FDAAA Centennial Scholarship Application Form
How to Donate to Scholarship Fund
There are many students in the Temple University School of Pharmacy’s Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs graduate program who have no source of funding for their education and would be grateful to receive financial support. You can make a difference in a student’s life by sending donations to the FDAAA Centennial Scholarship Fund. All donations go directly to the FDAAA Centennial Scholarship and are tax deductible, as permitted by federal law. (FDAAA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.) For more information or to make a contribution, please contact:
F. Alan Andersen, Ph.D.
Chair, FDAAA Member Services Committee
1101 17th St., NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-331-0651
Email: andersena@cir-safety.org
or
Christopher Van Vessem
Director of Development
School of Pharmacy
Temple University
3307 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140
Checks should be made out to the FDAAA Centennial Scholarship Fund.