Dr. Ashwini R. Madgulkar,Principal Dr. Ashwini R. Madgulkar, the Principal of AISSMS College of Pharmacy holds an extensive experience of 26 years. A Masters in Pharmacy and Ph.D., she has been awarded by Indian Rheumatologist Associations for the best research paper and Best Principal of the year by APTI (Maharashtra). Till date, she has received worth Rs 30 Lakhs grants from AICTE & SPPU and has guided more than 40 M. Pharm students and 4 Ph.D. students.

As the world's fourth largest producer of drug formulations and 13th in terms of total turnover of medicines, the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is growing at an unimaginable rate, topping the chart amongst India's science-based industries with wide ranging capabilities in the complex field of drug manufacture. Such a vibrant and progressive industry requires a class of pharmacists who can stand up to the demand. Producing skillful and competent pharmacists since 1996, All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society's College of Pharmacy is in a mission of inculcating the timeless value of caliber, confidence, and conscience in the budding pharmacists. Established under the umbrella of AISSM Society, which was initiated by Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, the society today is growing by leaps and bounds under the supervision of Chhatrapati Malojiraje, Hon. Secretary of AISSMS.

The institute is situated in a centralized location of the Pune city encompassing state-of-the-art facilities including well-equipped research labs, ICT enabled classrooms, Pilot plant, Internet lab, Animal house and so on. "As we highly emphasize on providing student-friendly support systems, we have also placed Central museum, auditorium, playground, common room, sick room, and hostel facilities, within the campus," pinpoints Dr. Ashwini. R. Madgulkar, Principal, AISSMS College of Pharmacy. Affiliated to Savitribai
Phule Pune University (SPPU), AISSMS has received accreditation from National Board of Accreditation and National assessment and accreditation council (A grade). The Institute welcomes students from all over the country and offers Pharmacy courses in four branches i.e. Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Quality Assurance Techniques, Pharmaceutics, and Pharmacology.

"Till date, AISSMS has generated a number of batches who are proving themselves as an asset to their respective working organizations"

The students, however, are admitted according to the Centralized Admission Process (CAP) by State Common Entrance Test Cell, Government of Maharashtra, along with considering criteria like academic achievement, completion of the required qualifying examination, Common Entrance Test (CET) and so on. Dr. Madgulkar claims, "We put a substantial focus on fostering robust research culture in our institute. AISSMS's Research Centre is approved by SPPU, granted for two branches Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutics." Owing to the close rapport with the industry and the unmatched efforts of the Industry Institute Partnership Cell, AISSMS also receives regular support in terms of chemicals and active drug samples for research work and from time to time undertakes projects for pharmaceutical industries like Cipla, Alkem, Indus Biotech, and many more, where students are involved actively.

The Making of Professionals

The major highlight of the teaching-learning process of AISSMS is its faculty members' team which consists of a blend of experienced and young educators, who possess a rich experience and plays a proactive and inclusive role in the development of the institute. "Each one of our faculty members is highly conscious about enriching the learning experience of the students and deliver education in the most effective manner that eventually results into better grooming of the students," says Dr. Madgulkar. Conducted over 100 guest lectures in the last six years, the institute routinely invites eminent personalities from pharmaceutical industries, premier research laboratories, consultants and government institutions for pouring light on the functioning of pharmaceutical industries and the latest technical aspects.
Dr. Madgulkar opines, "As per SPPU syllabus by the Training and Placement Cell our students are mandatorily asked to undergo in-plant training and gain hands-on experience."

When it comes to on-campus training, the faculty members adopt experiential and participative learning methodology making sure all the concepts are clear along with letting the students participate in Quiz, seminars, use of charts and 3-D models. On the other side, personality development workshops are arranged every year covering topics such as grooming, interview skills, mock group discussions and interview sessions, communication skills & body language and resume writing. "In the contemporary times, recruiter values the candidates more if they are equipped with optimum practical training. Hence, we conduct workshops for our final year B Pharm and M Pharm students and also render counseling by mentor teachers for guiding them regarding career avenues," mentions Dr. Madgulkar.

Till date, the institute has generated a number of batches who are proving themselves as an asset to their respective working organizations. For staying in touch with the past students, the institute has incepted AISSMS Pharma graduate Association (APGA) - an alumni association registered with Assistant Registrar of Society, Pune, which greatly helps the ongoing students to know regarding various available opportunities in the industry and also seek opinions for higher education from their seniors. "The list of our notable alumni hardly gets an end, that contains names like Dr. Medha Joshi, Associate Professor, Midwestern University, USA, Yogesh Babrekar, Chetan Khatri, Regional sales manager, Abbott India, to name a few. Our students get recruited by organizations such as Sanofi-Syntheo Laboratories (Goa), Nicolas-Piramal (Mumbai), Lupin Research Laboratories and many more," says Dr. Madgulkar. With a vision of working towards bridging the gap between Institute and Industry and acquiring research grants from Government organizations, AISSMS is planning to start add-on courses and strengthen the regular curriculum.
Top 20 Promising Institutes in Maharashtra