2
Leadership Profile A Conversation with ASPET IDEA Chair Ashim Malhotra, PharmBS, MS, PhD, FAPE Ashim Malhotra, PhD is currently ASPET’s Chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA). He is Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Accreditation, and a Professor at the California Northstate University. He is also Founding Senior Director of the university’s Institute of Teaching and Learning Excellence & Academic Affairs and Director of the University Interprofessional Education Program. Dr. Malhotra has been an ASPET member since 2015. He is a Fellow of the ASPET Academy of Pharmacology Education.
How did you get started in pharmacology? My academic journey is one of struggles and economic hardship. My professional identity as a scientist has been sculpted by international experiences, minoritized personal identity, and sometimes challenging access to top-notch programs due to a paucity of resources. Nevertheless, I feel fortunate that I earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree with a “gold medal” for academic achievement from the top-ranked pharmacy school in India due to government-subsidized education. I came to the United States for further studies in 2000. Around this time, monoclonal antibodies were being used for various molecular targeting techniques for the first time. I remember attending a seminar at the NYU School of Medicine, which was in proximity to my alma mater, St. John’s University. I was drawn to the colorful antibody-based microscopy images which
The Pharmacologist • September 2023
made me realize the power of the molecular revolution occurring in pharmacology at the time. I think the very next day, I changed my major from a Master of Cosmetic Sciences in pharmacy to degree pathways in Life Sciences which eventually led to a pharmacology-based PhD thesis. A lifetime commitment to pharmacology came during my postdoctoral career at the NYU School of Medicine under Dr. Michael Schlame, a renowned scholar in cardiolipin research.
How did you first get involved with ASPET? I have been a member of FASEB, ASBMB, and ASEPT for more than two decades! As a graduate student, I first presented work at the Experimental Biology meeting in 2003, 20 years ago! My academic journey and work in mitochondrial molecular pharmacology encouraged me to become an ASPET member. I was also the Chair of the Graduate Student Organization at my PhD program at St. John’s University and thus a representative from my college to ASPET in the early years. Another deeply impactful career-changing moment came from ASPET, when as a graduate student, I was selected for ASPET’s competitive podium presentations alongside prominent national scholars. I am grateful to ASPET for encouraging young scientists through this inclusive approach. This early national-level recognition galvanized my intent as a minority individual in the sciences to continue to conduct good science.
