Two Pharmacy Students Become First to Complete Social and Administrative Ph.D. Track

Two students from NSU’s College of Pharmacy have become the first to successfully defend their doctoral dissertations in the Social and Administrative Track in the college’s Ph.D. program. Please see below for additional information on Diena Almasri, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D., and Ahmad Noor, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Diena Almasri, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Diena Almasri, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Diena Almasri received her Pharm.D. degree from King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU) in 2008 with a first honor. She then began practicing pharmacy as a pharmacist-I for King Khalid National Guard Hospital in Jeddah for a few months. Almasri then accepted a teaching assistant position in the School of Pharmacy at KAU; she worked there for one year and was offered a full scholarship to continue her education in the United States.

In the summer of 2011, Almasri earned her Master’s Degree in Pharmacy Administration from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In the fall of 2011, Almasri joined the Ph.D. program at NSU’s College of Pharmacy to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmacoeconomics. On August 14, 2015, Almasri presented and successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “Modeling The Cost-effectiveness of Statin Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis A Markov-cycle Evaluation from National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases” to become one of the first two graduates from the Social and Administrative Pharmacy Ph.D. track.

Almasri’s professional interests include social and behavioral pharmacy, pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. She is an active member of the Rho Chi and Delta Epsilon Iota academic honor societies, the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, and the Society of Medical Decision Making.

Upon completion of the Ph.D. program, Almasri plans to return to KAU to work as an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy.

Ahmad Noor, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Ahmad Noor, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Ahmad Noor is originally from Saudi Arabia. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in 2007. Upon graduation, he accepted a teaching assistant position at the school of Pharmacy in KAU, where he worked for two years. He was offered a full scholarship to continue his education in the United States.

In the summer of 2011, Noor earned his Master’s Degree in Pharmacy Administration from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In the fall of 2011, he joined the Ph.D. program at NSU to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmacy Administration. On August 14, 2015, Noor presented and successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Investigating The Impact of Organizational Cynicism & Job Attitudes as Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: An Empirical Study of Chain Community Pharmacists” to become one of the first two graduates from the Social and Administrative Pharmacy Ph.D. track.

Noor’s professional interests include social and behavioral pharmacy, pharmacy administration, and pharmaceutical marketing. He serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Business Studies Quarterly (JBSQ) and is an active member of the Rho Chi and Delta Epsilon Lota academic honor societies.

Upon graduation from the Ph.D. program, Noor will return to KAU to work as an assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy.