MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education, Inc. (NIPTE) is pleased to announce the election of Ajaz S. Hussain, Ph.D. as President of the organization. Dr. Hussain, formerly senior official at the US Food and Drug Administration and top executive at several companies, had served as NIPTE’s Executive Director since October 2014. In his new role, Dr. Hussain will be responsible for providing leadership and guidance on the strategic direction of the organization on the national and international levels. He will devote 50% of his time to this position and will continue operating his consulting firm. Vadim J. Gurvich, Ph.D., M.B.A., was elected to the position of Executive Director of NIPTE. Dr. Gurvich, a research associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota, had served as associate director of NIPTE since the organization’s inception in 2005.
Dr. Donald E. Letendre, Chairman of the Board of directors and dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa, expressed his appreciation to the Board for its efforts in defining a new organizational structure and noted that he was extremely pleased to announce the new appointments. “The appointments of Drs. Hussain and Gurvich as President and Executive Director, respectively, provide NIPTE with the leadership and experience needed to address the many complex issues facing the organization,” Letendre said. “We look forward to their ongoing contributions in advancing the work of NIPTE.”
NIPTE is also pleased to announce that the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin has joined the organization as its 15th member. Texas brings specific strength in many areas, such as pediatric, abuse deterrent and other specialized formulations and drug delivery platforms, translational drug development, and others. “We extend a warm welcome to our Texas colleagues and look forward to working with them," said Gurvich. "As one of the top schools of pharmacy in the nation, Texas will be a significant asset to NIPTE and help expanding its capabilities in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and translational sciences.”
NIPTE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit academic organization dedicated to excellence in fundamental research and education in pharmaceutical science and manufacturing. Its mission is to improve human health through multi-university collaborative research by advancing quality, safety, affordability and speed to market of medicines. NIPTE is comprised of 14 top US schools of pharmacy, chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, and one medical school. Current members are Duquesne University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Rutgers University, University of Connecticut, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland - Baltimore, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Puerto Rico, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Texas, and University of Wisconsin. Contact: Tanya Doble, tanya@nipte.org, Web: www.nipte.org
