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Pharm.D./Ph.D. Students Receive Pre-Doctoral Fellowships

July 8, 2009

ATLANTA – Two Mercer University pharmacy students have been awarded pre-doctoral fellowships from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. Both students are candidates in the dual Doctor of Pharmacy/Ph.D. program. The candidates, Delaram Moshkelani, of Duluth, and Rebecca L. Neal, of Marietta, will each receive stipends to continue their studies at Mercer’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

“I am quite pleased that two of our graduate students were appointed as 2009 AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellows in the Pharmaceutical Sciences,” said Dean H.W. “Ted” Matthews. “These prestigious awards are a testimony to the high quality of our graduate program and students.”

Moshkelani and Neal were among 43 awardees of AFPE fellowships nationwide.

Moshkelani is studying in the area of oncology, and her dissertation is titled “Targeted Nanoparticle Delivery of a Drug-Inhibitor Conjugate for Reversal of Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Therapy.” Prior to entering the College, Moshkelani earned her Bachelor of Arts in chemistry at Mercer. She has been a member of the American Chemical Society, Mercer’s International Student Association and Mercer’s Pre-Medical Student Association. Moshkelani is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Sigma Epsilon and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies and was also named to the National Dean’s List.

Neal’s research is focused in the area of diabetes, and her dissertation is titled “Desensitization Characteristics of Long Verses Short Variants of GPR120 Including Internalization, Phosphorlyation and Beta-Arrestin Involvement.” Neal earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Berry College. Neal has been nominated for “Who’s Who,” has received the Pharmacy Dean’s Award and a number of scholarships while a student at Berry and Mercer. She was co-chair of our American Pharmacy Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter’s Operation Diabetes this past year.

Fellowships in the Pharmaceutical Sciences help advanced pharmaceutical science Ph.D. candidates to complete the research and dissertation phase of their Ph.D. programs. The AFPE fellowships are designed to support the education of select Ph.D. students at schools and colleges of pharmacy who show exceptional potential for leadership in pharmacy college teaching, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and other pharmacy career areas. Recipients of the AFPE awards often move into professional positions in the pharmaceutical industry and into academic positions to train tomorrow’s pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.