Oncology Expert Chosen to Head Pharmacy Practice Department

PRESS RELEASENew York, N.Y. — October 27, 2016 — Dr. Nelly Adel has been named chair of the Pharmacy Practice Department of the Touro College of Pharmacy, Dean Henry Cohen, PharmD, announced today.

For the past 12 years, Dr. Adel served as director of the Oncology Residency Program and manager of Clinical Pharmacy Services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

“Dr. Adel brings to Touro a wealth of clinical experience, oncology expertise, and an exemplary record of residency and clinical program development in addition to outstanding management skills, leadership and innovation,” said Dr. Cohen.

In her new position, Dr. Adel serves as the academic and administrative leader of the department and supervises its day-to-day operations. She coordinates the long-term development of the clinical faculty, serving as their academic leader. She is also responsible for promoting and supporting research.

“Our objectives are to provide the highest quality professional education and training to our students, to prepare them to become pharmacists, scientists and leaders in the profession as well as to advance discovery and scholarship in pharmacy practice, science and education,” Dean Cohen said.

“I am excited to share the skills and knowledge gained from my previous experiences with the faculty and students at Touro, and I hope that my team and I will positively impact the experiences of our pharmacy students,” said Dr. Adel.

Dr. Adel earned her PharmD from the School of Pharmacy at Lebanese American University in Byblos, Lebanon. She received her first undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science in geology, at the American University of Beirut.

After receiving her PharmD, Dr. Adel moved to the United States and received post graduate training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the International Outreach Program. She then worked as a research assistant at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she continued on to complete a pharmacy practice residency (PGY-1) as well as an oncology specialty residency (PGY-2).

Since she began her tenure at Sloan-Kettering in 2004, oncology treatment underwent a “major evolution” with thousands of new medications approved, including targeted drugs and immunotherapy. “These developments call on pharmacists to become more specialized, generating growth in hiring of pharmacists, more collaboration between pharmacists and oncologists, and a greater appreciation for the role of pharmacists,” said Dr. Adel.

She also served as an associate clinical professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Prior to joining Sloan-Kettering, Dr. Adel worked as a clinical specialist in hematology/oncology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. While in Washington she also was an instructor in pharmacology at the University Of Maryland School Of Pharmacy in Baltimore.

Dr. Adel has spoken and published widely, and worked on numerous special projects in oncology. Among her more significant achievements, she has made meaningful strides in the improvement of patient care.

About the Touro College and University System

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/