American Pharmaceutical Review
PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College Professor Luis Jimenez, Ph.D., and 13 students had their research published in journals American Pharmaceutical Review this summer and Bios this month. Jimenez, of Fair Lawn, also had personal research published in American Pharmaceutical Review this fall.
“The recent publications by STEM students demonstrate that Bergen Community College is a leader among community colleges not only in New Jersey but across the nation fostering and promoting innovative approaches in STEM education,” Jimenez, a biology professor and researcher, said. “Some of our graduates are currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs at universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell Medical School and Columbia University.”
In one research group, Jimenez and his students, Arianna Pinto, of Kearny, Adelajda Turku, of Elmwood Park, Stephanie Perez, of Englewood, and Vanesa Molina, of Maywood, focused on the rapid detection of bacteria in pharmaceutical products. The pharmaceutical testing conducted by the students demonstrated a new procedure to determine drug quality faster and more efficiently, thereby saving time and money and enhancing consumer’ safety.
The other group, featuring Jimenez and students Matthew Gardner, of Ridgewood, Joy Bochis, of Woodland Park, Theranda Jashari, of Garfield, Victoria Ellman, of Dumont, Jenifer Vasquez, of Lyndhurst, Stephanie Zapata, of West New York, Victorya Ramos, of Englewood, Tina Choe, of Clifton, and Mahtab Tazehabadi, of Edgewater, examined mold cloning in soils – important for nutrient recycling and soil fertility.
Meanwhile, analyzing seven years of FDA reports and drug recalls, Jimenez provided a unique survey on the reasons for the lack of quality control during drug production and the types of microorganisms present in contaminated products. His individual research work, “Analysis of FDA Enforcement Reports (2012-2019) to Determine the Microbial Diversity in Contaminated Non-Sterile and Sterile Drugs,” was published in the October issue of American Pharmaceutical Review. Jimenez previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years.
Research opportunities at Bergen are made available through grant funding by the National Science Foundation, the current 3SP STEMATICS program and previously by the STEM GPS Graduate Path for Success program. Bergen’s biology and science laboratories focus on first-hand research opportunities for community college students.
For more information on the publications where Bergen research was published, please visit https://www.americanpharmaceuticalreview.com/ and https://bioone.org/journals/bios/scope-and-details.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
# # #