Biography

Nicole J. Asal, PharmD, BCPS, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and a board‑certified pharmacotherapy specialist with more than a decade of clinical practice experience at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Since joining URI in 2012, she has established a distinguished record as an educator, clinician, researcher, and mentor. You can follow her work here: www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-j-asal-pharmd-bcps 

Dr. Asal teaches extensively across the PharmD curriculum, with expertise spanning internal medicine, cardiovascular and renal pharmacotherapy, gastroenterology, hepatology, immunology, and complex chronic disease management. She has delivered more than 40 unique lectures, coordinated major components of the integrated curriculum, and served as a long‑standing preceptor for PGY1 and PGY2 residents as well as fourth‑year pharmacy students. Her leadership in curriculum development includes serving as Coordinator of the Cardiovascular/Renal Integrated Curriculum and Recitation Coordinator for multiple core therapeutics courses.

Her clinical practice at the Providence VA Medical Center (2012–2025) included service as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist and Outpatient Pharmacist, with active involvement in medication reconciliation, antimicrobial stewardship, and acute care initiatives. She has held numerous committee roles within the VA system, including Co‑Chair of the Medication Reconciliation Committee and member of national VA pharmacy working groups.

Dr. Asal’s research and scholarship span internal medicine pharmacotherapy, pharmacoepidemiology, peer mentoring within pharmacy education, and global health engagement. Her pharmacotherapy work includes publications addressing neurologic, cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, and transplant‑related conditions, with studies appearing in leading journals such as JAMA Neurology, JAMA Network Open, Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Endocrine, and Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. She has contributed to real‑world evidence research evaluating medication safety and effectiveness, including investigations of antihypertensive agents, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and complex case‑based clinical presentations.

Her scholarship in pharmacy education focuses on peer mentoring models, student pharmacist interventions, and experiential learning, generating multiple national presentations and manuscripts that inform best practices in professional training. She has also advanced global health education through work examining the role and impact of student pharmacists on international interprofessional medical brigades. Her contributions include authorship of book chapters in the 2nd and 3rd editions of Fundamentals of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, and her work has been cited more than 230 times. She is also the first clinical pharmacist invited to join the Global NASH/MASH Council, reflecting her national recognition in hepatology and metabolic liver disease. Dr. Asal has disseminated her research widely through presentations at national venues including the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.

A dedicated mentor and student advocate, Dr. Asal has advised multiple student organizations, directed peer mentoring initiatives, and supported student success through academic advising and co‑curricular leadership. She has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership and service, including the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association Presidential Leadership Award, the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award, and the Providence VA Medical Center ICARE Award for Excellence in Patient Care.

Her professional service includes leadership roles within the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association, active membership in ACCP, APhA, AACP, and ASHP, and extensive involvement in statewide and national pharmacy initiatives. Dr. Asal also contributes as a reviewer for high‑impact journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine and PLOS ONE.

Her academic and professional interests include internal medicine pharmacotherapy, liver, gastrointestinal, and metabolic diseases, anticoagulation, interprofessional education, peer mentoring, and the integration of artificial intelligence into pharmacy practice and education.