Pre-Pharmacy Faculty

Pre-Pharmacy Faculty Spotlight

Eric Yager, PH.D.
Eric Yager, PH.D. Program Director

As Program Director for the Pre-Pharmacy Program, I help students navigate the path towards progression into the first professional (P1) year of the College’s Doctor of Pharmacy Program. In addition, as a member of a student’s Triangle for Student Success I help ensure that students grow academically and professionally during their time in the program. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, I teach Virology, Immunology, and upper-level lab courses for students in our B.S. Microbiology program.

I have a B.S. in Biotechnology from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University at Albany. My areas of expertise include virology, immunology, antibody-based therapies, anti-viral drugs, and vaccines. I maintain an active research program focused on human diseases caused by enveloped RNA viruses including COVID-19, influenza, AIDS, and congenital Zika syndrome. Specifically, my collaborator and I are investigating how these viruses can co-opt host cell biosynthetic pathways with the hope that our findings will lead to the development of improved therapeutics and vaccines against these viral diseases.

When not teaching or in the lab, I enjoy spending time in the gym or outside riding my road bike. I am also an enthusiast of sci-fi movies, video games, coffee, and chocolate.

Full Academic Bio

Allison Burton-Chase, Ph.D
Allison Burton-Chase

I am currently an Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Population Health Sciences who teaches General Psychology as well as upper-level electives, such as Death and Dying. I maintain an active research program focused on the behavioral aspects of cancer prevention and survivorship in families with hereditary cancer syndromes and always have ACPHS students involved in my research. Specifically, I am interested in developing interventions to improve health behaviors in hereditary cancer populations, with a focus on improving patient-provider relationships.

Recent projects include assessing advanced care planning in individuals with Lynch syndrome, examining screening behaviors and patient-provider communication regarding gynecologic cancer risk for women with Lynch syndrome, and determining factors that lead individuals with Lynch syndrome to terminate their provider relationships. I also currently serve as the Secretary-Treasurer for the American Society of Preventive Oncology.

Outside of work, my husband and I have a full house with 1 son, 1 dog, and 3 cats. We love to travel and take the opportunity to explore new places whenever possible. We also enjoy just hang out around our backyard fire pit making s’mores with friends.

Full Academic Bio

Daniel J. Smith, MA, MS
Daniel J. Smith, MA, MS

I am an Instructor of Humanities at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  I have a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Utica College of Syracuse University, a M.A. in History from SUNY Cortland, and a M.S. in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University at Albany.  My areas of expertise are American Labor History, the history of Pharmacy unions, and the history of the Communist Party of America.  I teach a professional elective for the Doctor of Pharmacy Program; the course is HIS 330: History of Public Health and Medicine in the United States.  I also serve as a faculty advisor to pre-pharmacy students.  I am a member of the American Institute for the History of Pharmacy. 

In my spear time I am an avid baseball fan and baseball card collector.

Full Academic Bio