Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) announces the newest members to its Board of Trustees and its President’s Advisory Council (PAC).
The esteemed roster of leaders from the pharmaceutical, health sciences, and business fields support the College in its mission to educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of society. The changes to the Board of Trustees were approved at a quarterly meeting on November 10, 2022.
“Our College is incredibly fortunate to have such an esteemed group of professionals that work alongside of us and support our many endeavors,” said ACPHS President and Professor, Toyin Tofade, MS, PharmD, BCPS, CPCC, FFIP. “We thank Matt for his service and look forward to working closely with our newest members.”
ACPHS Board of Trustees
Walter Borisenok rejoined the Board of Trustees after a short hiatus. An ardent ACPHS supporter and business owner, Borisenok oversees the Borisenok Family Foundation along with his wife, Michelle. The foundation funded an important laboratory and scholarship at ACPHS’ Stack Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET).
Borisenok has 26 years’ experience in starting, growing and managing a global business as retired Founder and CEO of Fortitech Inc., a global producer of human nutritional products used in the Food, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Industries. The company had four business unit covering the world and eight plants and distribution centers in the United States, Denmark, Poland, Malaysia, Brazil, China and Mexico. The company was sold in 2012 to the DSM, the multibillion-dollar Dutch based global leader in the Life Science Industries. Borisenok is Trustee/Secretary of the National Museum of Thoroughbred Racing and Hall Fame. He is a graduate of SUNY at Plattsburgh in microbiology, and in 2021 was awarded Doctor of Humane Letters by the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Matthew Bette, Bette & Cring, has concluded his board service after serving as vice chair of the Board for six years from 2016-2022.
President’s Advisory Council (PAC)
The College’s PAC appointments are made by invitation of the President to offer insights into how educational institutions should respond to long-term trends in the health sciences and health care industries. The newest members of the College’s President's Advisory Council include Shawn Leland ’08, PharmD; Ernesto Samuel, Rph, MBA; and Darren Triller, ’89, ’98, PharmD.
Dr. Leland is the Founder and CEO of Elevation Oncology, which was formed in 2019 and went public in 2021. He brings over a decade of experience in medical affairs and business development from the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. He has been involved in global transactions totaling more than $450 million in upfront payments and milestone payments at Eli Lilly, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Argos Therapeutics and Verastem Oncology. He holds a PharmD from ACPHS and completed an industry fellowship with Bristol Myers Squibb through Rutgers.
Samuel has more than 35 years of global experience in cosmetic, radiopharmaceutical, and pharmaceutical industries in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. He previously held senior leadership positions at Syncor, INC; Pharmalogic, LLC and IBA Molecular, INC, spanning areas of operations, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs. Currently, Samuel is the CEO of Pharmaceutic Labs, a 503B Outsourcing Facility in Albany, NY, manufacturing sterile and non-sterile medications. He is also CEO of Biomed Innova, an FDA-registered laboratory located on the campus of Albany Medical Center (AMC), and part of AMC’s Biomedical Acceleration and Commercialization Center (BACC). Biomed Innova specializes in new drug formulations, analytical testing, clinical studies and quality and regulatory consulting.
Dr. Triller is Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Anticoagulation Forum, the largest multi-disciplinary member organization of anticoagulation specialists in North America (www.acforum.org). In this role, he has led sequential FDA-funded efforts to define and advance Anticoagulation Stewardship as a national care model. He also led the recent creation and approval of a novel, ASHP-approved PGY2 pharmacy specialty residency in Thrombosis and Hemostasis Management. Dr. Triller has contributed to the development of national quality measures, developed an app for the periprocedural management of anticoagulants, and has published extensively on drug safety topics.
To learn more about these boards and their members, visit ACPHS’ Board of Trustees and President’s Advisory Council.
About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is a private, independent college dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders to improve the health of society. The College offers 12 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including the only Masters of Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing degree in the state. Students have myriad opportunities to extend what they are learning in the classroom through experiential learning opportunities such as in our Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET) as well as at student-supported pharmacies in underserved communities and a public health Collaboratory, designed to alleviate community health disparities. ACPHS ranks #1 in New York State for best return on investment according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and was graded an A+ for value by Niche. For more information, visit www.acphs.edu.