John Smart

My research interests are in drug delivery using bioadhesive materials, specifically hydrophilic macromolecules and lectins; the multifunctional properties of these materials being of particular interest. Target sites investigated within the body include the eye, mouth, oesophagus, stomach and colon. Currently I am working on delivering water-insoluble but therapeutically active molecules like curcumin more effectively. I have published over 80 research papers in this area. Much of his work has been funded by the pharmaceutical industry, including Reckitt Benckiser, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithkline, Johnson and Johnson, and Smith and Nephew. I have led in the development of a research council UK-wide drug delivery research network. I have served on the SEHTA stakeholder board, and have been an advisor to Medilink on drug delivery. I am an EPSRC college member, and served on the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit South East regional committee for 5 years.

I am a pharmacist, a professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

I teach formulation science and drug delivery technology to pharmacy (MPharm), PgDip/MSc Pharamcy (OSPAP) and BSc pharmaceutical and chemical science  students. I provide students with Powerpoint and  Camtasia presentations of my lectures, and make the sessions as interactive as possible. I also provide self assessment questions on studentCentral and try to give real life examples whenever I can. I find students like relevance and context, as well as clear signposts towards success. With the smaller Masters groups I use a form of flipped learning, where I give them the information before the lecture and a series of questions associated with these, and expect them to prepare by reading the information and attempting the questions and we discuss at the session itself. 

I expect understanding from my students, and the ability to contextualise their learning, and synthesise concepts. I have been teaching for circa 30 years, and always receive positive feedback.

 In addition I am leading on interprofessional education across the university, where we run a series of problem/case based group learning exercises for pharmacy and medicine mixed groups (years 2 and 3).  In addition  we hold a first year conference on ' personal wellbeing' and a  a final year conferences based around workshops from service users and health and social care practice leaders, encouraging discussion and debate about patient and client care in a multiprofessional team.

I was on the Science committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, was a member of the Executive committee of the Council of University Heads of Pharmacy, a committee member of the South East Research For Patient Benefit grants. I was chair of the Pharmacy Schools Council serving a three year period sat on the Department of Health Modernising Pharmacy Careers professional board 2010 - 2013) and then become a member of Health Education England’s advisory group for Pharmacy 2013-2016). I am a member of the EPSRC college of peer  reviewers and the editorial boards of the International Journal of Pharmaceutics (Elsevier), Recent Patents on Drug Delivery and Formulation (Bentham Science)’ I am a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.