Faculty Highlight: Vishakha Bhave, BS, PhD

April 6, 2018

This month's faculty highlight features Vishakha Bhave, BS, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Why did you choose a career in pharmacy education?

Being a faculty at a pharmacy school gives me the perfect platform for balancing my two interests, teaching and research. My bachelor’s in pharmacy and a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology prepared me well for this career path. In addition to teaching students the subject matter, talking about what’s on the horizon in terms of new drugs and research in the next 5-10 years is my favorite. Mentoring PharmD, Master's, undergraduate and high school students in pharmacology and toxicology research is a very rewarding experience as well.

What is your research interest?

Research in my lab focuses on mechanisms involved in liver injury and repair, and new approaches for acute and chronic liver diseases. Current research projects focus on novel therapeutic options for drug-induced acute liver failure, and mechanisms of liver regeneration following toxicity. We make use of in vitro and in vivo models for our research.

What advice do you have for a person considering a career in pharmacy?

Pharmacy is so much more that dispensing drugs. So as you think about pursuing pharmacy as a career, make yourself aware of all the possible paths for you including but not limited to hospital and retail pharmacy, drug development and discovery (pharmaceutical industry) or a drug specialist or clinical toxicologist at poison control centers across the nation.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Butterscotch (hard to find!)