April 5, 2006, Washington, DC – Temple University School of Pharmacy received a prestigious endowment from the FDA Alumni Association (FDAAA) creating the first scholarship for students for the School’s graduate program in Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs (QA/RA). Dr. Peter H. Doukas, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, received the award from Robert W. Sauer, Chairman of the FDAAA Scholarship Committee, and John C. Villforth, Chairman, FDAAA Board of Directors.

The FDAAA established the endowment to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Pure Food and Drugs Act and to encourage academic training in regulatory and quality issues. After reviewing graduate programs of schools nationwide, the FDAAA selected Temple University School of Pharmacy. “It was a logical choice, after seeing Temple’s outstanding program and long-standing relationship with the Food and Drug Administration,” said Sauer. Upon receiving the award Dean Doukas remarked,"Temple School of Pharmacy is most appreciative and honored to receive this generous FDAAA Centennial Scholarship on the occasion of the Agency's Centennial. We thank the FDAAA on behalf of the students who will benefit and for the recognition of the QA/RA program that it symbolizes."

Temple University School of Pharmacy is the pioneer in providing advanced academic coursework in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, which refer to the quality practices and regulations governing the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, healthcare and consumer products, and related industries. The School was the first to create a master’s program in QA in 1968. In the 1990’s, the School developed innovative curricular offerings in the regulatory sciences and also created the first academic certificate programs in Drug Development, Clinical Trial Management, and Medical Device Regulation. The School of Pharmacy at Temple University now provides the most comprehensive graduate curriculum of its kind, integrating the disciplines of pharmaceutical law and regulation, pharmaceutical technology and science, and quality assurance practices.

Since 2000, the School has worked closely with the US Food and Drug Administration in sponsoring an annual conference, “FDA and Industry in Dialogue.” Members of the FDA also lecture for and teach in the QA/RA graduate program which is based at Fort Washington. Each semester over 700 students enroll in QA/RA courses, which are taught by industry experts representing virtually every major pharmaceutical corporation in the US.

Created in 2000, the FDAAA is a non-profit volunteer service organization whose mission is to educate the public about the ever-expanding mission of the federal Food and Drug Administration. Members are former Agency employees who continue to use their specialized technical, scientific and institutional knowledge to perform public service related to the FDA.

( from left to right:) Robert Sauer Board Member of FDAAA,
John Villforth  President of the FDAAA,
Burton Love, Chairman of the Board Of Directors of the FDAAA,
Temple School of Pharmacy, Peter H. Doukas, Dean,
Christopher VanVessem, Director of Development,
Wendy Lebing, Assistant Dean, QA/RA
Mr. Robert Myers President of the Parenteral Drug Association,
Dr. Linda Suydam, President of the ConsumerHealthcare Products Association
and Dr. Peter Corr Vice President Science,Pfizer Inc
and also Chairman of the Board of Directors for the PhRMA Foundation.

The first FDAAA Centennial Scholarship will be awarded to a QA/RA graduate student in the fall 2006 semester. The scholarship is open to any student in the QA/RA program who does not currently receive tuition reimbursement from his/her organization and demonstrates academic merit. Applicants must submit a letter no later than August 1, 2006, to the Assistant Dean of the QA/RA program. For further information, contact:

Temple University School of Pharmacy
Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs Graduate Program
Attention: Wendy Lebing, MALD, MS, Assistant Dean
Phone: 215.591.2333
Fax: 215.591.2334
Web: www.temple.edu/pharmacy_QARA
E-mail: qara@temple.edu