Your Path
To Industry
Starts Here

Company: Celgene

Current Role: Global Regulatory Affairs Specialist

Alma Mater: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

The road to a career in research and development is as long and tough as it is rewarding. To be honest, I’d never pictured myself being able to get my foot in the door for a major company, but life had other plans—and my journey to a position at Celgene was very nontraditional. After my second year of pharmacy school I was selected to participate in a short-term contract position with the Small Business and Technology Development Center in Durham. The application was provided through the university and my resumé stood out, probably due to my involvement in extracurricular activities, more so than academics alone. Through this, I was matched to two start-up pharmaceutical companies, and served as an Associate Clinical Consultant. I realized that this was an opportunity to truly understand the research and development side of pharmaceuticals, and I immediately became immersed in FDA guidance, regulatory affairs, grant proposal writing, and giving presentations to key opinion leaders. I learned more about the regulatory and medical affairs side of drug development, and over time, better recognized the importance of pharmacists in the industry.

Company: VeganMed, Inc

Current Role: Medical Scientist

Alma Mater: University of the Pacific: Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Entering pharmacy school, I envisioned myself as a retail pharmacist impacting patients’ lives on the frontlines post-graduation. However, my curiosity for nontraditional pharmacist roles grew as I progressed through school and accumulated exposure to various aspects of healthcare where pharmacists played an integral role. Persistence in seeking out varying career paths ultimately led me to discover my passion for industry.

During my final years of pharmacy school, I sought out every opportunity to build my industry-relevant skills. I engaged in a startup environment as a Clinical Research Associate with a physician looking to develop his own nutraceutical, managed cardiovascular research trials as a Primary Investigator at the David Grant USAF Medical Center, and completed a medical affairs internship focused in multiple myeloma at Amgen with the Intercontinental Scientific Affairs team.

Working from home as a marketing fellow at the agency RevHealth can be very challenging given the amount of collaboration necessary to design, develop, and gain approval for client medical and/or marketing materials. Whether it’s initial art concepts, copywriting, editorial, or account management; clear and direct communication among colleagues and clients is more essential than ever before during this stressful period in order to meet quality, timing, and financial expectations.

While live medical congresses and other prescriber live symposia have been postponed/cancelled, there has been an aggressive pivot toward the creation of virtual/digital media to engage with KOLs during the COVID-19 era. If there is one thing that life at an agency requires it’s being flexible to change and quickly adapt on the fly to support our clients’ needs. It’s during periods of significant change that an agency has the opportunity to separate itself from the competition! These days, there are plenty of opportunities to “rise to the occasion”!

Adam Elessawi, PharmD
RevHealth, Second-year Marketing Fellow
IPhO Fellowship Program
National Fellows Council
Professional Programming Committee