Tatiana Bronich she began her career in chemistry as many young chemists do—with a volcanic eruption of baking soda and vinegar.
“My mom was a chemistry teacher, and sometimes she would let me come into the lab and do little experiments, like the famous volcano experiment,” says Bronich, Northeastern's newly appointed dean. School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Bronich, elected partner in American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineeringshe knew she was destined for a life in academia from childhood.
“I started helping my mom grade chemistry when I was a little girl,” says Bronich, who previously worked at the University of Nebraska as a professor of pharmaceutical science and associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies.
Carmen Skepa, dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, says he is pleased to appoint Bronich as dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “She is an outstanding scientist and a globally recognized leader in the fields of drug delivery, nanotechnology, polymer science and pharmaceuticals,” says Sceppa. “She is also an excellent and effective mentor, and all of her trainees have gone on to become successful scientists working in academia and industry.”
Bronich, who began her career in chemistry, has gradually transitioned into medicine where she applies her knowledge of polymer science to pharmaceuticals.
“I'm a polymer scientist,” says Bronich. “I study how molecules interact with each other and assemble themselves so that we can better understand how new materials, whether drugs or other ingredients, will interact with a living organism.
Specifically, Bronich works in an area of medicine called nanomedicine, in other words, medicine that performs at an extremely small level.
“With nanomedicine, you can fit thousands of particles around a human hair, for example,” says Bronich. “The fact that we can work with such small particles means a lot for medicine in terms of drug delivery and the ability of medicine to cross barriers and interact with people's proteins, cells, tissues or DNA.”
In her new position as dean, Bronich plans to use her background in nanomedicine to leverage Northeastern's interdisciplinary approach to pharmaceutical science.
“Nanomedicine is a field that requires the participation of scientists from all different backgrounds,” says Bronich. “We need to work together with data scientists, biochemists and engineers, and we have the ability to do that here.”
Sceppa shares Bronich's vision for an interdisciplinary future and hopes that under Bronich's leadership, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences can “create a center of excellence in multifaceted and cutting-edge drug delivery and nanomedicine research that bridges the pharmaceutical sciences , industrial nanotechnology, biology and medicine”.
Bronich's overall goal for the School of Pharmacy is to prepare students as best she can for the rapidly changing field of pharmaceuticals by tailoring curricula to the specific needs of today's medical students.
“One opportunity we have is to help students find their purpose, their 'why.' As dean, my 'why' is to give students the opportunity to discover and pursue their passions,” says Bronich. “I've only been here for a little over a week, but I'm already so impressed by the vibrancy, creativity and enthusiasm that exists in the school.”
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