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Biography
Biography
I graduated with First-Class Honour BSc Degree in Pharmacy from the School of Pharmacy, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq in 2006, following which I commenced a MSc Degree in the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq, assessing the effect of continuous valproate monotherapy on body mass index (BMI), serum leptin, malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid profile in male epileptic children and adult patients in comparison to healthy male controls, and I graduated in 2010 with First-Class Honour MSc Degree in Pharmacology.
Thereafter, I conduced a PhD Degree at the School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, UK. I characterized the effects of reducing the levels of the NAD precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) with the NMN-synthesizing enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) inhibitor FK866 on axonal damage and behavioural symptoms in in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegeneration including Huntington's disease (HD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and I graduated in 2016.
Next, I worked as Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at The University of Nottingham for 5 years, and I led many Translational Pharmacology projects with broad range of national and international collaborators, both from the public and private sectors, including other UK universities, pharmaceutical companies, NHS, and others, and we published many original research articles.
In 2021, I moved to industry, and I worked as Senior Research Scientist at Crown Bioscience UK Ltd. My role involved performing high quality pre-clinical oncology in vivo procedures for national and international clients in strict compliance with welfare, legislative, health and safety requirements, and generation and provision of high-quality data production and reports.
In 2022, I rejoined the University of Nottingham, and I worked as Lecturer of Pharmacology. I participated in designing, teaching and assessing pharmacology and broad range of Pharmacy, Medical and Biomedical science subjects to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The School of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, and School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham.
Since then, I have been promoted to Assistant Professor of Pharmacology (Teaching and Curriculum Leadership) in the University of Nottingham, and I am currently leading the planning and delivery of the curriculum on the Medicine degree in Year 1 and leading the review and development of the Pharmacology taught content in the Early Years of the Medicine degree. In addition, I lead the teaching (through working as Module Convener) of two modules on the Pharmacy degree and five modules on the Medicine degree, coordinating the teaching on these modules across School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine. Moreover, I contribute to the design and delivery of over 17 modules on the Pharmacy, Medicine, and Pharmacology degrees, leading on development of new programme level assessment for Year 3 of the Pharmacy degree, and contributing to designing, reviewing, assessing, marking, and moderating various written, online, OSCE and IP oral exams across the 3 degrees.
Current Responsibilities
I am currently The Medicine Year 1 Lead, and The Medicine Pharmacology Lead, and responsible for the operational management of the curriculum, mainly across Year 1 of the Early Years and the BMedSci component of the University of Nottingham's Medicine programme. In addition, I convene number of teaching modules at The School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, and lead The Pharmacology and Therapeutics Theme for many teaching modules at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham. Moreover, I deliver teaching (in variety of settings including large group lectures and small group tutorials as well as, workshops, and practical classes) across range of courses, including:
- Pharmacy MPharm Course (UCAS: B230) at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham (ranked top 5 course in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 and 2021).
- Pharmacology BSc Course (UCAS: B211) at The School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham (ranked top 5 course in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 and 2021).
- Medicine BMedSci and BMBS Courses (Bachelor of Medical Sciences, and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) (UCAS: A100) at The School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
- Drug Discovery MSc Course through collaboration from both The School of Pharmacy and School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham.
Besides that, I have other responsibilities, including:
- Working as Senior Tutor for Drug Discovery MSc Course and Personal Tutor for Pharmacy MPharm Course at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham.
- Supervising undergraduate Pharmacy and Pharmacology project students in their research projects, and number of Postgraduate MSc and PhD students.
- Contributing to EC Panel Meetings and Internal/External Exam Board Meetings at The School of Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
- Designing, reviewing, assessing, and moderating written, online, OSCE and IP oral exams at The School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
- Member of various committees cross-faculty at the University of Nottingham, including the Quality Assurance Group for Medicine, the Medicine Curriculum Review Team, and the Medicine Early Years Group Committee.
- Supporting the Civic Engagement at the University of Nottingham via working with The Recruitment Events team to aid the recruitment of UK undergraduate and postgraduate students, including Open Days and Offer Holder Days.
- Working with the central Widening Participation and Outreach team through leading the design and delivery of programmes like Ambition Nottingham and Nottingham Summer Schools to encourage learners from less advantaged backgrounds to access the university.
Expertise Summary
Teaching Expertise Summary
I have over 15 years extensive experience in designing, teaching, learning, delivering, and assessing, Pharmacology, Therapeutics, Physiology, Biochemistry, and other Medical, Biological, and Biomedical science subject modules and broad range of Medical and Biomedical laboratory practical classes (both face to face teaching and virtual using Microsoft Teams and various Technology Enhanced Learning techniques and evidence-based teaching materials and methods) to undergraduate students and apprenticeships at The University of Nottingham. I commenced a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) Course at The School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham, and finished Module 1: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and Module 2: Curriculum Design and Assessment in Higher Education. In recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education, I have achieved the status of Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Teaching Summary
Current Teaching
I am currently The Medicine Year 1 Lead, and The Medicine Pharmacology Lead, and responsible for the operational management of the curriculum, mainly across Year 1 of the Early Years and the BMedSci component of the University of Nottingham's Medicine programme. In addition, I convene number of teaching modules at The School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, and lead The Pharmacology and Therapeutics Theme for many teaching modules at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham. Moreover, I deliver teaching (in variety of settings including large group lectures and small group tutorials as well as, workshops, and practical classes) across range of courses, including:
- Pharmacy MPharm Course (UCAS: B230) at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham (ranked top 5 course in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 and 2021).
- Pharmacology BSc Course (UCAS: B211) at The School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham (ranked top 5 course in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 and 2021).
- Medicine BMedSci and BMBS Courses (Bachelor of Medical Sciences, and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) (UCAS: A100) at The School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
- Drug Discovery MSc Course through collaboration from both The School of Pharmacy and School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham.
Besides that, I have other responsibilities, including:
- Working as Senior Tutor for Drug Discovery MSc Course and Personal Tutor for Pharmacy MPharm Course at The School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham.
- Supervising undergraduate Pharmacy, and Pharmacology project students, and postgraduate MSc and PhD students.
- Contributing to EC Panel Meetings and Internal and External Exam Board Meetings at The School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
- Designing, reviewing, assessing, and moderating various written, online, OSCE and IP oral exams at The School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.
Research Summary
Current Research Interests
- Neuroinflammation plays a pivotal role in the aetiology of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Chronic neuroinflammation is associated with a cascade of self-propagating cellular events including blockade of glutamate uptake by glia, and enhanced release of glutamate. Drugs that attenuate the pre-synaptic release of glutamate at neuronal G protein-coupled receptors, including A1 and A2A adenosine receptors, have been shown to reduce the neuroinflammatory response of microglia cells. Our research focuses on assessing the anti-inflammatory effects of adenosine receptors antagonists in in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegeneration. Techniques include in vitro assays, like tissue culture, sectioning, staining, and imaging of biological samples (human and animal), western blotting, ELISAs, HPLC, qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, and molecular cloning, and in vivo assays, like mice behavioural and cognitive assays, mice dosing (via different routes of administration) and tissue/blood sampling, mice perfusion and dissection of tissues.
- Asthma is affecting millions of people and it's a major cause of morbidity and mortality alongside being costs burdens to healthcare systems worldwide. Inhaled steroids and Beta-2 agonists are the predominant standard therapies, although in severe cases alternative approaches are needed. The airways are innervated by parasympathetic nerves, which release acetylcholine that acts through muscarinic receptors to promote bronchoconstriction, increased mucus secretion and recruitment of inflammatory cells into the lungs, yet the cholinergic pathway is rarely targeted therapeutically. In recent year's we have verified that isolated porcine bronchi contract in response to electrical stimulation through release acetylcholine as the contractions are inhibited by atropine. A question arises: - can we modulate acetyl choline release or action through alternative (non-muscarinic) receptor systems? In addition, can we identify endogenous agents that might serve to accentuate cholinergic responses and from this gain a better understanding of how acetylcholine contributes to lung disease?