Tamer Hassan
Alexandria, Egypt & Brooklyn, NY Long Island University (Biochemistry)
The Egyptian-born Tamer Hassan came to the US as a child when his family sought a better academic future. They settled in Brooklyn. Hassan began studying at Kingsborough Community College. After taking several courses, he decided to take a hiatus and launch several businesses including a pizza parlor, a car dealership and a café (where he still is a silent partner).
Hassan returned to school and enrolled at Ohio State University. “I developed a passion for biochemistry,” Hassan explained. He completed his degree at LIU, writing his thesis about the role of the Ras and Raf proteins in dealing with genes in cancer. Hassan began a master’s program in chemistry before switching to molecular biology. He considered pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular biology and pharmaceutics, before realizing he could do more with a Pharm.D. degree.
“Pharmacy was there my entire life,” he realized. “My aunt and uncle are both pharmacists and I worked as a pharmacy coordinator. All this time, it was calling me.” Looking for a school in New York, Hassan discovered TCOP. “I liked the idea of being part of a newer school,” he said. “New programs tend to care a lot about their students. There was a lot of feedback when I applied and I fell in love with the program.”
Fun Fact: Hassan loves going to museums. His favorite artist is Salvador Dali. “Dali uses moments of his life in his paintings,” he said.
