If you are interested in medicine and are unable to pursue conventional medical courses or are interested in related fields, then pharmacy is a lucrative option. Besides various job opportunities in the country, you can also go abroad to work in pharmaceutical companies there. Pharmacy is one field that will never be out of demand as long as there is human life. And the pandemic has only reaffirmed this fact. 

There are many reputed colleges in the country delivering quality education in pharmacy courses. One can be sure of landing a good job in a reputed pharmaceutical company with decent salary. Besides, one can also opt for research in medicine. 

Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous is one such college that has maintained a record of consistently providing pharmacy education of global standards, ever since its inception. Let us take you on a tour of this revered institute so as to give you a clear picture.    

The Esteemed Institution 

Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, is synonymous with high quality pharmacy education established under Raghavendra Educational and Rural Development Society by a team of pharmacy professionals with the focus on promoting quality education with international standards to achieve and ration the current entailment of globalization in healthcare, finance and technology education.  

The institute is exclusively dedicated to pharmacy education offering Diploma, Graduation, Post-graduation, Doctor of Pharmacy, and Doctor of Philosophy; approved by AICTE, PCI, and affiliated to JNT University Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. 

It is the first self-financing private pharmacy institute conferred Autonomous by UGC, accredited by NBA for under-graduate course, and NAAC with “B” grade, and ranked 55th (2020) all over India as per NIRF, released by MHRD, Government of India, New Delhi.  

Infrastructure 

The institute provides holistic and outcome-based education with modern infrastructure and conducive environment, functioning in a pollution-free and noise-free green campus.  

The diverse institute campus with more academic flexibility, enables blended and meta learning pedagogies, and research learning through effective student mentorship program within students.  

The institute promotes effective student-centred teaching-learning process through highly qualified and committed teachers with vast experience and a range of educational backgrounds and proven leadership skills.   

The state-of-the-art research facility at the institute has been pooled under the sophisticated instrumentation facility to support the research activities of faculties and students and promotes multidisciplinary research collaborations.  

History and Journey Since Inception  

RIPER Autonomous, was established under Raghavendra Educational and Rural Development Society by a team of pharmacy professionals in year 2002.   

The institute started B. Pharmacy program, as per norms of AICTE and PCI, and affiliated to JNTU, Hyderabad in year 2002, later in 2008 affiliated to JNTUA due to the bifurcation of university.  The post-graduation was started in the year of 2008 with pharmaceutical analysis and quality assurance, followed by pharmaceutics and pharmacology specializations in 2010-2011, and pharmacy practice in 2014.  PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) and Post Baccalaureate was stared in 2008 and 2009 respectively.     

Mission 

“To enable our students to develop into outstanding professionals and be aware of the immense responsibilities to make the world better in the field of pharmacy.”  

Vision 

“To create professionally competent and socially sensitive pharmacists, capable of working in multifaceted environment with newer evolving technology.”  

Quality Policy 

“Dedicated to impart quality pharmacy education and training leading to “Degree in Pharmacy” and aims at being a global education and research institution through continual improvement and effectiveness of the quality system”.  

Contemporary Teaching-Learning  

The institute always believed in the spirit of academic excellence and commitment to high quality education. The contemporary teaching-learning process in the institution enables graduating students for future. The institute and the lecturing staffs are committed to providing effective student-centred teaching with focus on addressing the needs, talents, career paths and long-term growth and development of individual students.  

Problem solving, project based and experiential, problem based, case-based pedagogies are followed in teaching-learning process at the institute.  

To promote competency and performance in graduating students, the institute established ICT enabled conventional pedagogy in pharmaceutical education.    

The student mentorship programme at the institute motivates student for learning and success by multiple means of engagement with educators.   

The institute engages and encourages students in building intellectual capacities, high degree of creativity, and heightened sensibilities through active participation in research projects. It has enriched scope of community engagement and outreach activities.  

Person Behind the Success 

Prof. (Dr) Yiragamreddy Padmanabha Reddy, the Professor and Principal, is a committed personality in elevating the standards of pharmacy profession, focused on imparting quality education since more than three decades. He is professionally and personally bounded with set of ethics.   

Major Contributions as Principal RIPER Autonomous: 

Accreditations and Affiliations 

• The first self-financing private pharmacy institute conferred Autonomous by UGC, accredited by NBA for undergraduate course, and NAAC with “B” grade; and th55 NIRF (MHRD, GoI) ranked institute, and DSR-SIRO recognized research institution. 
• First institute as research centre with permanent affiliation recognized by affiliating university JNTUA. 
• First institute in the state to establish DST FIST laboratory. 

Collaborations for Research and Practices at RIPER Autonomous 

International: Toledo University, U.S.A., and ISPOR 

National:NIRT, IICT, IPA, RSC India Deccan section 

Hospital:Fortis Healthcare Limited, Mumbai and RDT Hospital, Bathalapalli,   

Research Grants 

Dr YP Reddy has received nearly 23 Lakhs worth research grants from agencies like AICTE, UGC, and ISPOR; and 2 patents.   

Braving Challenges Then and Now 

The institute, since its inception, has faced many challenges in terms of paucity of quality faculty, resources and funds, making students employable, addressing and providing skills to meet students’ requirement of knowledge, and building state-of-the-art infrastructure.  

“The education sector, often considered recession-proof, has not been spared by the current crisis of COVID-19, and we are at arm-chairs in delivering a quality pedagogy due to technocracy disability, and challenges in maintenance of recurring cost and improvement of infrastructure. The major challenge is the limited sanctioned intake for pharmacy program,” said the management of the institute.   

Promoting Effective Learning 

Self-learning at the institute, enables and enhances individual students’ competencies and capacities of academic literacy through student mentorship program, peer project discussion, preceptorship and internship training, guest lectures from Industry, provision of tutorial classes, drug club and journal club presentations, case presentations, students’ seminars and instrumentation hands-on-training; thus, teaching learning process is made effective.  

Pedagogy During the Pandemic 

RIPER believes knowledge sharing should be the inclination of the deliverer and seeking should be on the learner’s side. “Digitization during these challenging times has no doubt penetrated deep and changed the teaching-learning process, but our faculty members made strenuous efforts in establishing a hybrid pedagogy with personalized and mastery-based instruction, giving students control over the time, place, path and pace of their learning. This blended methodology, left our educational offerings with no decline in value to our old-time classroom learning,” said the management.   

Achievements, Accolades, Accreditations, Awards 

The very first self-financing, unaided, private pharmacy institution across the nation conferred Autonomous by UGC, accredited by NBA for undergraduate course, and NAAC with “B” grade; with 55th NIRF (MHRD, GoI) ranking, DSR-SIRO recognized research institution. 

Multidisciplinary research institution with sponsored research projects of Rs 2 crores worth, patents, research publications and collaborations. 

JNTUA recognized first research institute for PhD in pharmaceutical sciences with permanent affiliation.  

Pharmacy institute with more national and international collaborations for education, research and practices, and employment.   

Looking Ahead 

In future, the institute aspires to emerge as ‘centre of excellence’ in pharmaceutical education, research and practices; create and coordinate entrepreneurship activities; improve research collaboration with national agencies and industries; develop strong industry linkages; and to enable technocratic and contemporary pedagogy for 21st century pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences.