Department of Pharmacology

Overview

Academics

The Department trains 250 UG Medical students, one PG student and about 600 paramedical students every year. The Department also conducts Basic Science theory classes for clinical Post Graduates.

Undergraduate students are trained using latest teaching methods such as Case based learning, Evidence based medicine (EBM), Problem based learning (PBL), Simulation based learning (SBL), video lectures (e-learning), Peer assisted learning and Observational learning as well as Flipped classroom and small group teaching (6 Groups). As part of their practical exercise, in compliance with the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum, prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India, MBBS students are trained to write a prescription for various common ailments, to critically appraise an existing prescription, to select an appropriate dosage form for a patient, personalized drug therapy, to calculate drug dosages in special situations, pharmacoeconomics, to critically evaluate drug literature & to optimally interact with a medical representative, to communicate clearly & effectively with patients about drug therapy, to report an adverse drug reaction (ADR), and to observe & analyze the effects of various drugs on organ systems using computer simulations in the Animal Simulation Lab in our department. They are also trained to administer injections through various routes, on simulated models, in our college’s Clinical Skills & Simulation Lab.

Similarly, the postgraduates are also trained using traditional as well as latest teaching aids. PGs are trained in demonstrating effects of drugs/interpretation of results in anesthetized animal, interpretation of results of a previous bioassay tracing, assessment of preclinical toxicity data, spotting exercises, calculating pharmacokinetic parameters, designing a protocol for a clinical trial, evaluation of drug literature, ADR reporting and causality assessment, Periodic Safety Update Reporting (PSUR/PADER) writing and Signal detection reports. They are also trained in research paper presentations and encouraged to participate in conferences. Industrial training is also imparted to them at appropriate intervals.

Research

UGs are encouraged to do research and present their results in Conferences/ CMEs. Students are also motivated to do STS projects and are allotted respective mentors from the department to train them more effectively through close monitoring and guidance. All the Staffs are interested in research and regularly publish research papers in reputed journals.

ADR Monitoring Center (AMC)

The Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Medical College & Hospital, was designated as an Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre (AMC) under Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) on 24th June 2021. On the day of initiation, we were one of 346 AMCs under PvPI, functioning all over India. The AMC performs the following

functions:

  1. Collection of ADR reports.

  2. 2. Perform follow up with the complainant to check completeness as per SOPs.

  3. Data entry into VigiFlow.

  4. Reporting to PvPI National Coordinating Centre (PvPI NCC) through VigiFlow with the source data (original) attached with each ADR case.

  5. Training/ sensitization/ feedback to physicians & nursing staff through newsletters circulated by the PvPI NCC & frequent sensitization programs.

Other activities:

1) Value added courses on various thrust topics of learning for MBBS students. Students choose and study topics of their interest

2) To keep posted about knowledge of new drugs, A Drug A Week is published every week on a new molecule that has the potential to revolutionise therapy

3) Saveetha Therapeutic Armamentarium magazine (Published every month, incorporating the new drugs introduced in the country and elsewhere in the world) among medical fraternity of the college and Hospital

Facilities

(A) Lecture theatre

(B) Demonstration room- Four demonstration rooms fitted with strip chairs, Overhead Projector, Slide Projector, Television, Video and other audio-visual aids, so as to accommodate at least 75-100 students.

Four demonstration rooms fitted with strip chairs, Overhead Projector, Slide Projector, Television, Video and other audio-visual aids, so as to accommodate at least 40 students.

Demonstration room

(C) Practical Laboratories – Practical Laboratory with accommodation for 75-100 students for the following namely:

              i) Experimental Pharmacology (200 Sq. m. area) with ante-room (14 Sq. m. area for smoking and varnishing of kymograph papers.

ii) Clinical pharmacology and pharmacy (200 Sq. m. area) with one ante-room (14 Sq. m. area) for technicians, storage of equipment and appliances and preparation room.

(D)  Museum (125sq.mt.) for specimens, charts, models, with a separate section depicting “History of Medicine”, with a seating capacity of   40 students. All the specimens labelled and 15 copies of catalogues for student use provided.

(E) Departmental library-cum-seminar room with 140 books

(F) Research- laboratory (50 Sq. m. area) for research purposes.

(G) Animal Simulation Laboratory

Animals achieve amazingly good performance using very little energy and trying to understand how they do it is a fascinating question. We get our initial information about drug from watching and measuring the individual performances of living animals and then we build computer simulations that attempt to achieve the same things. If we can make the “digital twin” behave like the original then there is a good chance we have got something right and that really helps understand what is going on under the hood. We use a combination of physics-based models and machine learning to try and work out the best way of getting the performance we want, and because this is all done in a computer, we can experiment with many options very quickly.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) refers to the individualization of drug dosage by maintaining plasma or blood drug concentrations within a targeted therapeutic range or window. By combining knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, TDM enables the assessment of the efficacy and safety of a particular medication in a variety of clinical settings. The goal of this process is to individualize therapeutic regimens for optimal patient benefit.

UV Spectrophotometer

Team Pharmacology

  • Dr J Thirunavukkarasu (HOD & Professor)

    5 times, Best faculty award

    MBBS (Kilpauk Medical College)

    M.D (Pharmacology), Stanley Medical College

    Postgraduate Entrance Coaching for Competitive Exams.

    Chairperson for IHEC in Chettinad Academy

    Member Secretary IHEC SMC

  • Dr Syed Shehnaz Ilyas (Professor)

    Dr. Syed Shehnaz Ilyas

    (Professor)

    shehnazilyas@yahoo.com

    ORCHID: http://orcid.org/0000-

    0003-2830-7728

    SCOPUS:

    https://www.scopus.com/authid/d

    etail.uri?authorId=36716961200

    MBBS (Kilpauk Medical College)

    MD (Pharmacology)

    Madras Medical College

    FAIMER Fellowship, 2014, Seth G SMedical College- FAIMER Regional Institute, Mumbai, India

    Graduate Diploma in HealthProfessions Education, 2011, GulfMedical University, Ajman, UnitedArab Emirates

    Best Teacher award (2008)

    Research grant of Rs. 55 Lakhs

    Best Oral presentation awards twice in international conferences

    Best Poster presentation award in international conferences

    Member of Institutional HumanEthics Committee of Sree BalajiMedical College & Hospital,Chennai & Bioscience ResearchFoundation, Chennai

    Member of Editorial Board of PLOS One

    52 publications

  • Dr Suthakaran C ,MBBS, MD.

    Dr Suthakaran C, (Associate Professor).

    MBBS (Thanjavur Medical College )

    MD (Pharamacology) Madras Medical College

    Honoured with the B. Uvnas Prize by the Indian Pharmacological Society in the year 1990 for the best work carried out in an Indian Laboratory on Autacoid Pharmacology.

    Bestowed with the U.K. Seth Prize by the Indian Pharmacological society in the year 1991 for the best work in Clinical Pharmacology in an Indian Laboratory.

    Serving in various positions in 7 Ethics Committees in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry

    Editor of the journal Capsule Himalaya Drug Company Bangalore

    Panel of Reviewers Indian Journal of Pharmacology and Journal of Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics

    24 publications

  • Dr. Deena Sangeetha C (Associate Professor)

    MBBS (PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Coimbatore)

    MD (Pharmacology) Stanley Medical College

    Best Teacher Award in 2015 at PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research

    10 publications

  • Dr. Srinivasan V (Associate Professor)

    MBBS (Vinayaka Mission’s Medical College & Hospital, Karaikal, Pondicherry University)

    MD (Pharmacology) Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai

    Fellowship in Clinical Diabetology(FCD) accredited by Indian Medical Association

    Certification course- CITI-INDIA program India (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Research Ethics Educational Programme of USA University of Miami).

    Incharge- Clinical Research Facility (CRF) - Saveetha Medical College & Hospital.

    Member of IHEC & Scientific Advisory Committee of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital and Childs Trust Medical Research Foundation, Nugambakkam , Chennai.

    Member of IHEC of SMCH

    Member of the Pharmacy & Therapeutic Committee of SMCH

  • Dr. Preetha Selva (Associate Professor)

    MBBS (Balaji Medical College)

    MD (Pharmacology) Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai

    Gold medalist in Pharmacology, Community Medicine, 2nd in University in Biochemistry, during undergraduation

    University Gold medalist in PG

    16 publications

  • Dr Kaavya S (Associate Professor)

    MBBS (Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, Karnataka)

    MD (Pharmacology) Saveetha Medical College

  • Dr. Sheela D (B Pharm, MSc (Pharmacology), PhD

    B Pharm (Vels College of Pharmacy)

    MSc & PhD - Saveetha Medical College

    13 publications

  • Dr. Yamuna Devi M S (Assistant Professor)

    MBBS (IRT Perundurai Medical College)

    MD (Pharmacology) PSG Institute Of Medical Sciences & Research, Coimbatore

    Won The Dr.Anandhi Gopal Joshi Grant of One Lakh Rupees under PSG PRIME, a competitive intramural research grant for the year 2016