Bhaskara R. Jasti ’95, MPharm, PhD, professor of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, is originally from India and he first heard about Pacific from family friend Lohit Tutupalli ’74, PhD. As a student at Pacific, Dr. Jasti was mentored by Ravindra C. Vasavada, PhD, professor emeritus of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, and Xiaoling Li, PhD, professor of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry. A few years after completing his doctor of philosophy in pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, Dr. Jasti returned to Pacific, joining the faculty in 2001.
Dr. Jasti’s research focuses on “designing and developing novel drug products that will lead to better treatments in cancer patients.” His research also encompasses targeted drug delivery, specifically mucosal delivery systems. His experience working in the pharmaceutical industry helped him gain a greater appreciation of the importance of developing patient-friendly products.
In 2009, Dr. Jasti was named a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the first at Pacific to receive this honor. “Becoming a Fellow was an unbelievable honor for me,” Dr. Jasti said. “I owe this recognition to all of the contributions of my teachers, mentors, colleagues and students.”
“Becoming a Fellow was an unbelievable honor for me. I owe this recognition to all the contributions of my teachers, mentors, colleagues and students.”
Another memorable experience at Pacific was when he was asked to be chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry. “Some of my teachers were still on the faculty,” Dr. Jasti said. He shared that he was humbled and encouraged by their support. In 2017, he was nominated by his peers and was named the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award, the University’s highest faculty honor. Dr. Jasti was also selected as Pacific’s Faculty Research Lecturer in 2010 and as an Eberhardt Teacher-Scholar Award winner in 2005.
He enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking in Yosemite. “I like sports — watching them, playing them,” Dr. Jasti said. “I’ve been playing tennis for 25 years and more recently I took up golf.” He enjoys playing golf with Eric G. Boyce, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice and associate dean for academic affairs.
Dr. Jasti’s family is his pride and joy. His wife, Hymavathy Jasti, MD is an internal medicine physician with The Permanente Medical Group in Stockton. They have two daughters. Their eldest daughter is starting at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia in the fall and their youngest daughter is an undergraduate student at Pacific.
2017 Distinguished Faculty Award
By Anne Marie H. Bergthold
