The dawn of Industry Revolution 4.0 is here, and it signifies an amalgamation of physical, digital and biological worlds. The fourth industrial revolution demands for a workforce who does not simply sit at their desk from 9-6, but for innovative and creative individuals with a passionate entrepreneurial spirit. In this scenario, a competent educational organization would be one who can not only cater to the industry’s changing trends, but also foresee it and consequently prepare the students. In this respect, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies has always been abreast of the evolving trends in industry and has accordingly tuned the curriculum and channelled its activities for a holistic student growth. The University strongly believes that innovation is a continuous process and not a one-time task and continuously strives to inculcate creativity and out-of-the box thinking in students to build their entrepreneurial side.
Dean of SPP School of Pharmacy & Technology Management
Currently the Dean of SPP School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM’s NMIMS, Mumbai, Dr. Bala Prabhakar has been in the teaching profession for more than 33 years with 18 years in administration. She is actively involved in Board of studies, Board of management of NMIMS. She is also a member of various committees of AICTE, NBA and PCI at the national level. She is a Life Member of Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Indian Society for Technical Education, Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India, International Congress of Chemistry & Environment, Pharmacists Organization for Women Empowerment and Research (POWER) and a member of Dean’s Forum, FIP. She has successfully guided 11 PhD scholars, and 4 candidates are registered under her supervision. She has presented more than 68 research papers at national and international conferences and published 62 research papers and articles in journals of repute, authored 2 pharmacy books, has one Indian patent granted to her credit and eight provisional patents filed. She is a proud recipient of Best Dean Award by National Education Awards 2018 by ABP News, Prof. Indira Parikh 50 Women in Education Leaders 2017 by World Education Congress, Distinguished Alumni Award for the year 2007 by SNDT Women’s University.
Established in 1981 by Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM), Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) was declared a deemed to be university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, in 2003. Within a span of 4 decades, NMIMS has found itself amongst the nation’s prime centers for educational excellence and research. Today, the university houses more than 15,000 students and around 700 full-time faculty members, of which 10 faculty members come with Fulbright Scholarship and Humboldt International Scholarship for post-doctoral research. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies is a proud globalized center of learning, providing its students a balanced exposure to research, academics and practical aspects of the industry.
Providing Quality Healthcare Education
Although SVKM’s NMIMS has grown to being one of the top-10 B-schools in India, it does most certainly not limit itself to management education. At its core, the university believes in imparting education in all walks of trade. Therefore, in 2006, the university established the Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy & Technology Management (SPPSPTM). Contributing towards the growth of the healthcare system, the school is one of its kind. SPPSPTM offers integrated programs in pharmacy and management, wherein the students are endowed with technical knowledge and managerial aspects of pharmaceutical industry.
Currently, SPPSPTM offers Doctoral, Postgraduate, Graduate and Diploma Programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences. It pioneers in postgraduate and graduate courses integrated with Healthcare Management; the programs offered are PhD, M.Pharm. + MBA (Pharma. Tech. & Healthcare Management), M.Pharm., B.Pharm. + MBA (Pharma Tech), and B.Pharm., B.Pharm. Lateral Entry & D.Pharm. The courses offered by the institute are customized to be at par with the emerging trends of the growing Pharma Industry. The course curriculum is drafted and reviewed regularly in consultation with Board of Studies constituted by experienced academicians, senior faculty from the institute, eminent researchers, industry experts, regulatory professionals, and alumni who provide valuable inputs pertinent to the current scenario of the pharmaceutical field. The curriculum adopted at the school is not static but dynamic to make the students familiar with the upcoming trends. Students are also trained in newer subjects apart from domain knowledge such as artificial intelligence, certificate courses in intellectual property rights, data analytics through SAS program, etc.
Innovative Teaching–Learning Methodologies
The programs at SPPSPTM are predominantly based on presentations and interactions with a strong focus on the practical concepts of pharmacy and management. This enables the students to take decisions based on their strong technical and managerial skills. In the classrooms, the teachers use recent research materials relevant to the field and videos depicting certain processes, etc. “We also use flipped classroom, interactive learning, and collaborative learning for better learning transfer. Hands on training is provided for recent software, equipment and analytical instruments through workshops. Similarly, regular industry visits are also undertaken to provide a better understanding of industry operations. Also, guest lectures from industry experts on pertinent topics are often organized by the school for better growth of the students.” says Dr. Bala Prabhakar, M. Pharm., Ph.D. (Tech.), Dean, Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM’s NMIMS, Mumbai. The alumnae team also does its bit to help young talents by attending interactive sessions, where the alumni share valuable information with students regarding the current industry standards.
SPPSPTM identifies its faculty on the basis of their exposure to practice in concerned specialization along with their expertise in handling instruments, equipment and other technology involved in all these disciplines. Moreover, they are also sent to national and international conferences to gain an exposure to emerging technology along with modernization of equipment and instruments, which further strengthens the delivery of education to students. SPPSPTM faculty has been recognized at the national level by various government organizations like DST and ICMR who have provided travel grants for participation in international conferences.
In addition to regular teaching and participating in faculty development program for updation, they are also involved in writing grants to the government, consultancy and publication- and patent-related activities, which add to their teaching skills. Along the same lines, SPPSPTM faculty are also working in collaboration with the industry on a myriad of research projects. The collaborative organizations include Fruend Corporation, Japan; SciTech Centre, VAV Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, THINQ Pharma Ltd., Global Herbs Pharmaceuticals, Cerilia Nutritech Pvt Ltd, and SPARC, Mumbai; Nugenics Research Pvt., and Sparge Chem Pvt. Ltd., Pune; Chem Routes, Canada and many more such reputed organizations.
Shaping Future Leaders
SPPSPTM focuses on, and ensures, the holistic development of the students. The school offers a plethora of opportunities to build and shape the students’ pharmacy knowledge, thinking and planning ability, leadership skills, professional identity, societal responsibility, environment consciousness and sustainability, ethics, communication skills, usage of modern tools, and lifelong learning, thus empowering them to be complete professional in the pharmaceutical sector and contribute to society in a meaningful way.
Ranked 13th in the country amongst all Pharmacy Schools as per National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2019, India, by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, SPPSPTM has also won the Best Institute in Pharmacy Award by DNA Innovative Education Leadership Awards, 2018; Best Placement Brochure Award and Institute with Best Academic & Industry Interface Award by Business School Affaire & Dewang Mehta National Education Awards; and has also been conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award.
While, in the near future, NMIMS plans to emerge as a Centre of Excellence and the go to university for quality education in Asia, and in the world by 2030, SPPSPTM plans to develop new programs based on emerging trends and societal needs like incorporating artificial intelligence in healthcare. The school also has set its eyes on developing centers of excellence in the areas of nanotechnology and drug discovery. Similarly, Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy & Technology Management also intends to throw open its gates for more international collaborations in areas of research, faculty exchange and student mobility.