The School of Pharmacy recognizes and thanks Michael Borenstein, PhD '86 for the 35 years of service he dedicated to the Temple University School of Pharmacy as a faculty member, graduate advisor, and administrator and to his 55-year association with Temple University.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts in 1973 followed by a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1979, Borenstein remained at Temple to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Medicinal Chemistry. Throughout his professional and graduate education, Borenstein participated in the American Chemical Society, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Rho Chi Pharmaceutical Honor Society, and the Phi Delta Chi Pharmaceutical Fraternity. His graduate research accomplishments earned him the Roth Memorial Award for Graduate Research in 1984 and led him to his first professional appointment as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Neuropharmacology at Hahnemann School of Medicine (now Drexel) followed by a post-doctoral appointment in Synthetic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Temple University in 1986.

Through his years of service, Borenstein pioneered research at Temple and its schools of dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy. In particular, he set the stage for the current drug research program at the School of Pharmacy as the first Coordinator of the Drug Research Unit from 1990-2004. His early leadership in research led to appointments on the Advisory Committee of the Clinical Research Unit at the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry in 1993 and as Director of the Analytical Core for the Center on Substance Abuse Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in 2004.

Borenstein's faculty service at the School of Pharmacy was dedicated to the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, first as Teaching Associate in 1988, then as Assistant Professor in 1990, then as Associate Professor and Department Chair from 1996-2005. During these appointments, Borenstein mentored doctoral and master's students, co-authored and contributed to many peer-reviewed publications and research projects primarily in the areas of chromatography and drug detection in various matrices. This led to his selection as a founding Associate Editor of the journal Bioanalysis. His teaching achievements were acknowledged by the School of Pharmacy with the Golden Apple Award for Innovations in Teaching in 2018 and Teacher of the Year award in 1996.

Starting in 2005, Borenstein led the School of Pharmacy as Associate Dean and then as Senior Associate Dean for Operations starting in 2015. These positions were created under the school's former dean of 29 years, Peter Doukas, PhD. During this time, Borenstein oversaw key renovations in the School of Pharmacy building, including the additions of the Clinical Skills, Compounding, and Computer laboratories. He also developed Student Services and Admissions teams, which are critical supports for the Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Among his legacy of work, Borenstein's advocacy for minority groups and women will be treasured. He, officially, as a faculty advisor on papers and as a supervisor, and, unofficially, as a professional and personal mentor, has helped numerous students and members of the faculty and staff to achieve their goals, despite adversity. His efforts were recognized with the Award of Appreciation from the Student National Pharmaceutical Association in 1992.

Succession plans will be announced in the coming weeks.