College of Pharmacy alumna, Rachel Naida, joins UNE as faculty member

Rachel Naida, Pharm.D. ’13, will return to UNE’s College of Pharmacy, this time as an assistant professor, beginning in November.  Naida is the first COP graduate to join the College as a faculty member.

Naida earned her bachelor’s degree in pre-pharmacy at UNE and stayed with the University until she graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2013. As a member of the inaugural Pharmacy class, Naida had the unique opportunity to grow with the program as it evolved.

“The Pre-Pharmacy program was just getting started and the pharmacy school had not yet been built when I began at UNE,” she recalled. “However, the faculty at the College of Pharmacy kept in close contact with the prospective students and made us all feel connected to the process of the school coming together.”

After graduation, Naida completed her Post Graduate Year One (PGY1) residency at the Veterans Administration Healthcare System at Togus in Augusta, Maine. She then went on to become a clinical pharmacy specialist with the same organization, practicing ambulatory care in a variety of clinics including hepatitis C, diabetes and anticoagulation. These experiences will be an asset to UNE’s students as she embarks on her newest faculty role.

“My whole experience at UNE has been wonderful, from my time during the Pre-Pharmacy program, up through the doctorate program. I am very excited to begin a career in education and even more thrilled to be doing so at UNE!”