Dr Issa graduated with distinction in pharmacy from Alexandria University in 1996 and earned a PhD from Uppsala University, Sweden, researching natural polymers for non-viral nucleic acid delivery. His thesis won AAPS’s Best Thesis Research Award in Biotechnology, and his publications had 752+ Scopus citations by 2026. Since joining Beirut Arab University in 2009, he has taught pharmaceutics and pharmacy practice. He helped establish the Pharmacy Practice Department in 2012 and supported the faculty’s CCAPP accreditation in 2017. Now department head, he works with the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists to advance pharmacy education, communication, and professional standards in Lebanon and Egypt.

Dr Issa's research interests focus on pharmacists’ practices and behaviours in providing professional services to patients, as well as self-care behaviours within the Lebanese community. Findings from this work may inform the ongoing development of the pharmacy curriculum at Beirut Arab University (BAU). Building on my background in pharmaceutics, I am also interested in exploring simple, practical strategies to control drug release from solid dosage forms.

Dr Issa holds a PhD in Pharmacy from Uppsala University, Sweden (2006), and a BSc in Pharmacy from Alexandria University, Egypt (1996), with distinction and honours, ranked 4th of 255 students. He completed master’s preparatory coursework in Pharmaceutical Sciences (1998–2000), holds a diploma in the psychology of learning, and is a certified Trainer of Trainers through Box Hill Institutes, Australia. His skills include nucleic acid formulation and characterization, cell culture assays, in vivo gene expression studies, confocal microscopy, HPLC method development and validation, and solid-drug characterization using DSC, alongside curriculum development and pharmacist training.

My teaching spans pharmaceutics and pharmacy practice: introductory and physical pharmaceutics, solid dosage forms, micromeritics, drug delivery design and formulation, drug stability, cosmetics, and skin and transdermal delivery. In pharmacy practice, I teach community pharmacy, pharmacist communication, medication safety and patient counselling. I also contribute to curriculum development, experiential learning, assessment, and interactive online teaching.

AAPS Graduate Award for Outstanding Thesis Research in Biotechnology — presented at the AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 29 October–2 November 2006. Best Poster Award — awarded at the 6th European Consortium of Pharmacy Schools meeting, Paris, France, 8–17 July 2003. Academic distinction — BSc in Pharmacy, Alexandria University (1996), awarded with distinction and honours; ranked 4th among 255 students, within the top 5%.