The 144th Commencement of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 1 p.m. at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York.
We invite graduates' families and friends who cannot attend in person to watch the live stream of ACPHS’ Commencement. We will provide a link on the day of the event.
Ceremony & Event Details
For Students
2024 Commencement Speakers
Mark Shaefer, PharmD, FCCP will serve as the 2024 Commencement speaker. Shaefer is a veteran in the field of HIV and antiviral pharmaceuticals. He was one of the earliest members and helped guide the formation of ViiV Healthcare. His intensive pharmaceutical experience is complemented by expertise in clinical pharmacy, academic teaching, and research.
“We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Shaefer as our 2024 Commencement speaker,” said Toyin Tofade, Professor and President, ACPHS. “His breadth of education and professional experiences in pharmacy and notably HIV research and pharmaceuticals will truly inspire our graduates – the future leaders of the health care field.”
Shaefer’s pharmaceutical career in HIV and anti-virals began at Burroughs Wellcome where he worked on acyclovir and valaciclovir, and then moved to Glaxo Wellcome to oversee HIV clinical trials. He advanced to GSK, where his expertise over the next nine years led him to more senior roles including group director and acting vice president. At GSK, Shaefer facilitated merger integration activities and later, as acting vice president, he led the US HIV program, co-chaired the US Commercial Strategy team, and represented HIV interests on the North American Medical Executive team.
In 2009, Shaefer left GSK to join ViiV Healthcare during its founding. There he led development efforts for a long-acting injectable integrase compound for HIV, prepared the organization to go public, and became one of ViiV’s three medical affairs heads. After five years in the initial role, he progressed to a position as global medical lead for Cabotegravir, a long-acting injectable drug for treatment and prevention of HIV. He retired briefly at the beginning of the COVID pandemic but returned to work for Hengrui, a large Chinese Pharmaceutical company and helped to launch Luzsana Biotechnology in the US. There he was head of antivirals and worked on the non-oncology portion of the portfolio. He left Luzsana in August 2022 to pursue independent consulting.
Shafer has also held academic appointments as assistant and associate professor at the University of Nebraska, is widely published with more than 75 peer-reviewed publications and is valued as a reviewer for multiple industry journals.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of California at San Diego and earned a PharmD from the University of California at San Francisco. Shaefer completed a clinical pharmacy residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Charles “Chuck” Middleton is graduating from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a doctorate in pharmacy and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences on the Pharmacy Skills Track. He held multiple leadership positions while at ACPHS including a three-year tenure as captain of the men's soccer team, president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHSP) campus chapter, and vice-president of the ACPHS Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Upon graduation, Chuck will pursue a PGY-1 pharmacy residency at the Syracuse VA Medical Center in Syracuse, NY.
Patricia (Patty) Tompkins
Events Manager
518-694-7123
patricia.tompkins@acphs.edu