Name: Dr. Sindhoor S M

Educational Qualifications: B. Pharm, M. Pharm (2017), Ph.D. (2022)

College: NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, NITTE (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India

Current Position: Assistant Professor and HOD in charge of Pharmaceutics Department, P.A. College of Pharmacy, Mangalore

1. Where are you working currently?

   P.A. College of Pharmacy, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

2. What are your areas of interest within your profession? 

   Formulation development, Teaching Learning outcomes

3. Things that you are passionate about concerning the clinical/research/current aspects of your profession: 

   I am a passionate academician who looks forward to developing students with a service-oriented mindset. I look forward to developing an innovation-oriented approach in my student's minds and have developed mini projects in my department to develop the intellectual thinking of my students. I have completely redesigned the practice school curriculum to a more research-oriented. I am sure the students who graduate under me will be able to develop cutting-edge technologies in the field of dosage form development and nanotechnology.

4. What made you choose teaching or mentoring as a profession?  

   When life gave me the option of choosing between a corporate life and an academic one, I choose my inner passion which has always been an academic one. The young vibrant energy of my students always makes me energetic and by guiding them to a better future I will be able to contribute to society at large. Moreover, teaching is one profession that gives you the utmost satisfaction at the end of the day. The joy you get when the students under your mentorship achieve success is unparalleled. At the end of the day when I look back I was able to bring about changes in the lives of many budding students and make them successful industrial pharmacists and formulation scientists.

5. According to your experience, what is more important: getting good scores or acquiring knowledge? 

   I always tell my students understanding the concepts and acquiring knowledge is way more important than getting good marks. Grades are always secondary, what is more, important is that they develop their skills and knowledge which comes in handy. At the interview stage what the employer looks for is the skill set of the candidate and his ability to apply the knowledge he has acquired rather than the marks scored.

6. 3 topics/subjects that you like the most: 

   Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, Biostatistics and Research Methodology

7. Any 3 topics/subjects that you dislike/ detest the most: 

   Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Remedial Mathematics, Biochemistry

8. What are your fields of interest in Research?  

   Novel drug delivery systems, Microneedles, Nanoformulations, In-situ gel formulations

9. What are your career goals or expectations? 

   1. To develop a Startup based on innovations developed at the academic level.

   2. To Contribute to society by commercializing lab-based formulations.

   3. To get funded grants from prestigious funding agencies.

10. What would you be doing if not for the current profession?

    I would have stayed connected to my profession albeit in a different manner by working as a formulation scientist in the pharmaceutical industry or as a medical writer in a CRO or as a patent agent in a pharmaceutical law firm.

11. What do you like to do in your leisure time?

    Reading Pharma magazines and newspapers

12. What change would you like to bring about in the Education sector?

    I personally feel the need to revamp the existing curriculum and replace it with a more industry-oriented one. More importantly, the course structure has to be restructured in such a way that the obsolete concepts have to be removed and the latest ones are included. Moreover, modern concepts such as Artificial intelligence, and 3D printing ought to be included in the curriculum. I also feel that student exchange programs should be encouraged and more MoUs from foreign universities should be made. I hope that by recent reforms in the education sector envisaged by the NEP 2020 will help to disrupt the stagnant education sector.

13. What is your Mantra for success?

    Stay Positive, stay focused, and stay flexible, then you shall stay successful.

14. Who do you idolize and why?

    I idolize Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President of India. Born in a poor Muslim family to the country's top position is indeed a commendable journey. His life stories should be an inspiration to every Indian. When asked which was the happiest moment in his life, he answered that the day when his student obtained a Ph.D. degree was the happiest moment. I can relate very much to that feeling. Kalam sir is a role model not only to me, but I am sure every teacher or researcher would like to emulate him.

15. Kindly mention your Publication(s), if any:

    Presently I am having around 12 publications in various reputed journals.

16. Kindly mention your achievements or awards:
    12 Publications

    Granted 1 Australian Patent (2021104540)

    Published 2 Indian Patents (202241036571&202241066535)

    Qualified GPAT, 2015 AIR 2450

    Was invited to write an article for a renowned magazine "Pharmafocus Asia"

17. And finally, what message would you like to give to today's youth?

    My advice to today's youth is to dream big, if you dream till the stars at least you will be able to reach the hill. "Continuous learning is key." Successful people never stop learning and seeking new knowledge, skills, and experiences. Always surround yourself with the right people. Having a supportive network of friends and family with a positive mentality can provide encouragement, motivation, and a sounding board for your ideas. And finally, always believe in yourself no matter what, confidence and self-belief are crucial in achieving success.

(MedTeacher/HN)