Alma Mater: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Pharmacy
There are usually two trajectories into industry: one more traditional (which I like to call "vertical") and the other one I call "horizontal"—which, if you guessed it, is where I fall. My writing path was from the creative to the scientific prescriptive and is now a comfortable combination of the two.
As an undergraduate, I spent most of my days in class, afternoons in the library, and evenings creating stories in a world of science fiction online. I unlocked a well of creativity and allowed my readers to visualize and internalize some of the abstract notions of modern science. At the start of pharmacy school, I took a hiatus from writing and by my third year, it was a long-forgotten hobby.
Danny Talati, PharmD Lead, Business Development ATAI Life Sciences AG
When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital?
I went to Northeastern University’s direct pharmacy program. During my 4th year, we would have co-ops where we would take a semester off to work in a real-world setting. I worked at CVS and an independent pharmacy, eventually realizing retail was not for me. I was always interested in business and I minored in business during my undergraduate education. So I wanted to seek an industry opportunity, but my pharmacy school’s co-op department had no connections with biotech companies. I was flipping through an alumni book and learned about an alum who worked at a pharmaceutical company in California. Fortunately, they had an opening and I temporarily moved to San Francisco to work at Alza Pharmaceuticals for 6 months in medical information. During this experience, I had great mentors and learned a lot.
Overview
This two-year fellowship in pharmacovigilance and medication safety is a collaboration of BeiGene, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology (OSE) and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS).
This partnership of a global pharmaceutical company with a regulatory agency and an academic institution will provide a rich and rewarding experience for the fellow. In addition, the three partners want to build on their individual strengths and common objectives to create a compelling project that will span the two years.
BeiGene, a global, commercial-stage, research-based biotechnology company focused on molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics. Our vision is to transform the biotechnology industry, creating impactful medicines that will be affordable and accessible to far more cancer patients around the world. Our mission is to build the first next-generation biotechnology company- one that expands the highest quality therapies to billions more people- through courage, persistent innovation, and challenging the status quo.
Currently, employees are located in Asia-Pacific, United States and Europe. BeiGene is advancing a pipeline consisting of novel oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer. BeiGene is working to create combination solutions aimed at having both a meaningful and lasting impact on cancer patients.
BeiGene continues to grow at a rapid pace with challenging and exciting opportunities for experienced professionals. When considering candidates, we look for scientific and business professionals who are highly motivated, collaborative, and most importantly, share our passionate interest in fighting cancer. At BeiGene, we are passionate about our people, science, and creating a lasting impact. These priorities are of utmost importance to our organization. We strive to build a global organization recognized for its impact in cancer research and drug development, talented people, and integrity. For more information, see www.beigene.com.
FDA Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology (OSE) monitors and evaluates the safety profiles of drugs available to American consumers using a variety of tools and disciplines throughout the life cycle of the drugs. OSE maintains a system of postmarketing surveillance and risk assessment programs to identify adverse events that did not appear during the drug development process. OSE evaluates more than 2 million adverse event reports submitted every year to FDA's MedWatch program. Staff in the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology use this information to identify drug safety concerns and recommend actions to improve product safety and protect the public health.
The Regulatory Science Staff (RSS) in OSE is responsible for providing leadership, coordination, and support for OSE’s regulatory science activities in the areas of risk management, pharmacovigilance, medication error detection and prevention in addition to epidemiology and health informatics.
The Regulatory Information System (RIS) Program under RSS manages mission critical systems (e.g., FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Phonetic and Orthographic Computer Analysis (POCA)), implements and maintains data standards required for coding and reporting safety data with medical accuracy and consistency, and leads innovative projects in the area of artificial intelligence to improve the day-to-day management and analysis safety reports.
Since 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has been committed to the advancement of health care and the development of leaders in the profession of pharmacy. The College serves the educational needs of approximately 1,500 students across two campuses in Albany, NY and Colchester, VT. Pharmacy Practice faculty at ACPHS have enjoyed collaborative relationships with experiential sites offering experiences in medication safety and pharmacy informatics since 2004.
The ACPHS component of the fellowship will provide a series of field-based experiences that will allow the fellow to participate in the diverse aspects of medication safety within institutional pharmacy practice and observe how these activities relate to pharmacovigilance, informatics, and regulatory issues that support safe medication use.
Settings
In the first year, the Fellow will work full time at BeiGene on campus at either Emeryville, CA, San Mateo, CA, or Ridgefield Park, NJ. Following that, the Fellow will spend four months at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, NY. Finally, during the last eight-nine months, the Fellow will work at the FDA OSE, White Oak Campus, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Candidates must be able to report to each of the three working sites (i.e. BeiGene, ACPHS and FDA) as required. Relocation support will not be provided.
Objectives of the fellowship
- Gain extensive understanding of the importance of pharmacovigilance and medication safety across the drug development lifecycle
- Lever strategic cross-functional interactions across BeiGene, the FDA, and ACPHS, including those that will support data analytics/informatics longitudinal project (to be finalized once candidate has been identified) that impacts pharmacovigilance and that has potential for publication and presentation
- Overview the discipline of pharmacovigilance and experience functional core activities including safety data acquisition, medication errors, adverse event case management and evaluation, information technology/informatics, regulatory reporting, inspection readiness, aggregate safety reporting, signal detection and validation, risk assessment, and risk communication
- Gain exposure to applied technologies and innovation developments within the pharmacovigilance space
- Enable fellow to acquire information technology and health informatics skills
- Provide field-based experiences in institutional pharmacy settings that develop the fellow’s understanding of the systems-based approach to improving medication-use safety.
- Provide opportunities to take part in quality improvement projects to understand organizational medication safety risk, and identify risk reduction strategies.
- Offer teaching opportunities for undergraduate education and for presentation to fellowship partners through an additional seminar series.
Successful candidate will have
- Interest in deepening understanding of the contributions pharmacovigilance makes to patient safety and public health
- Interest in applying PharmD education and training to this field
- Aptitude to analyze and deliver data and outputs to internal and external stakeholders, including regulatory agencies, national competent authorities, and ministries of health in a globally regulated environment
- Ability to work in a dynamic environment with globally located, multi-cultural and cross-functional teams
Candidate competencies
- Ethics –?Treats people with respect; inspires the trust of others; works with integrity and ethically in accordance with partners’ Codes of Business Conduct and Ethics, policies and procedures
- Planning/Organizing?–?Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; follows instructions and responds to management direction
- Communication?–?Listens, requests clarification;?responds?well to questions; speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; writes clearly and informatively; able to read and interpret written information
- Teamwork –?Balances team and individual responsibilities; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone's efforts to succeed; contributes to building a positive team spirit; shares expertise with others
- Adaptability –?Able to adapt to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, ambiguity, or unexpected events
- Technical Skills?–?Assesses own strengths and development areas; pursues training and opportunities for growth; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; shares expertise with others
- Dependability?–?Follows instructions and responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan
- Quality?–?Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality
- Analytical?–?Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data
- Problem Solving?–?Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully
- Project Management –?Communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and within budget
Application requirements
- Candidate must be a PharmD holder from an accredited College by July 1 2021
- Candidate must be a US citizen
- Candidate must have maintained good academic standing
- Candidate should provide transcripts, CV, and three letters of recommendation
- Candidate should include cover letter that describes interest in one or more relevant areas (e.g., pharmacovigilance, medication safety, data science, informatics, quality management systems, signal management, safety reports, etc.), and include examples of projects demonstrating positive contributions in any of these areas
Application deadline November 30 2020, 5P EST
Go to https://careers.ashp.org/jobs/14056707 to apply. In order to apply, you will be asked to register for the 2020 Personnel Placement Service (PPS). The complimentary code to use for this is FREEPPS2020.
Name: Andrew Ejiofor School: Hampton University, Class of 2022 Position: Director, Professional Programming Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Witnessing his father's battle with cancer inspired Andrew to pursue a career in industry. His goal: to ensure that medications are safe and effective for all patients in need. Hear about his experience and what he's doing to build his path to industry.
The guide below was written and submitted by Jaqueline Pereira and Michael Schaefer. Both are University of Florida PharmD Candidates, Class of 2022. These talented students helped pave the way to turn the VIP project into a pharmacy school elective credit. Thank you to both of these talented students for their helpful guidance!
The University of Florida (UF) is proud to announce that the IPhO VIP Case Competition is the first industry pharmacy course in the UF College of Pharmacy curriculum called “Pharmacists’ Roles in Drug Development.” This course allows students to learn the various functional roles for pharmacists in industry and how to contribute to a cohesive drug development plan. The VIP Case Competition will enhance students’ exposure to career opportunities in the industry field which is a valuable experience for students to learn more about the many non-traditional pharmacy career paths.
If you are interested in making the VIP Case Competition an elective credit course at your school, these are the steps UF took to get the VIP Case Competition approved for elective credit. VIEW THE GUIDE
Throughout pharmacy school, I heard many of my classmates speaking with such excitement about the career paths they had chosen to take. I was happy for them, but I often felt uneasy about the simple fact that I wasn’t sure which path I wanted to take. My unsettlement about the future changed when I had the privilege of experiencing an APPE rotation at Daiichi Sankyo in US Medical Affairs. While performing various projects that assisted in the drug launching process, I became passionate about being a small part of a larger working organism. During those few weeks, I was able to taste a little bit of how a pharmacist could impact the pharmaceutical industry world.
Alma Mater: University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Gainesville Campus
Going into college for the first time, I always knew that pharmacy was the end goal. But through some serendipitous circumstances, I ended up majoring in business finance while completing my pharmacy prerequisite courses. Over the course of those 4 years, I ended up falling in love with business; so much so that when I entered pharmacy school in 2015, I was determined to integrate it into my future career.
2020 has been an unprecedented year – from natural disasters, to a global pandemic and a push for significant societal change. With so much activity within the external environment, it can be quite challenging for work-from-home employees to focus on their work assigned. For example, according to an article from Medium, employees working on their computer are distracted once every ten and a half minutes. (Medium, 2017) In addition, it can be a tough transition from pharmacy student life to the virtual working world for many pharmaceutical industry fellows. The topic of “deep work” is pertinent to many as we adjust to this space in addition to the numerous distractions that surround us. Distractions can include the news, social media, our cell phones, families, and even our professional engagement activities. Many influential individuals such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and even the late Steve Jobs incorporated deep work rituals in their daily lives and credit this skill for their overwhelming success.
Clinical research today faces many challenges, from lengthy recruitment periods and poor clinical study outcomes to waste in clinical supplies.
Involving pharmacists as stakeholders in clinical research allows for the creation of new solutions to these long-standing issues.
RxE2 will be disrupting clinical research and creating thousands of jobs specifically for pharmacists in industry, benefiting communities around the world.
Watch the video above and visit the RXE2 website to learn more about how this innovative company is making a global impact with pharmacists at the forefront.
Baylor Scott & White Health in conjunction with the University of Texas at Austin is pleased to offer a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) for 2021-2023.
The purpose of this two-year fellowship is to prepare talented individuals with a strong interest in pursuing a career in HEOR for positions in areas including managed care, pharmaceutical industry, consulting and academia.
Our fellows earn a Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Division of Health Outcomes at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy upon completion of required didactic courses and successful thesis defense.
An interview should be requested by November 30th, 2020.
Hello everyone, please see the attached brochure regarding the Eli Lilly Visiting Scientist Fellowship. They have many positions open across multiple functional areas.
IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of another new student chapter to our growing national network!
Congratulations to student pharmacists at Notre Dame of Maryland University. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 90 chapters and more than 5,000 student pharmacists with similar interests, as well as a national network of hundreds of industry fellows and thousands of industry pharmacists.
Several more schools are in the late stages of filing their chapter applications and will soon join the growing national network.
IPhO is excited to announce its first official Instagram giveaway! We've developed a comprehensive online CV seminar, designed to help pharmacy students stand out to prospective industry employers. We're giving it away for free to three contest winners!
Function/Discipline: Global Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance
Fellowship Years: 2019—2021
Alma Mater: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Amy, a Global Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance fellow, shares her experience with product safety, from development through clinical use. She offers sound advice on pursuing fellowships, including tips on how to approach them with an open mind!
Thursday, October 1st and October 29th, ECIR will be holding an informational webinar from 7:00-8:00 pm EST to deliver an overview of the fellowship program and answer any questions that students may have. Please RSVP for the event below, and we are looking forward to meeting with potential candidates!
At East Coast Institute for Research (ECIR) our mission is to advance medical care by conducting innovative research while maintaining the highest standard of patient care.
ECIR strives for efficiency and accuracy in the clinical trial process. Our diverse, talented and multidisciplinary staff offers customized trial execution regardless of therapeutic area. Our investigators are board-certified and our staff is seasoned, making the research experience streamlined and productive. ECIR is conducting research from 5 fully functioning research offices in Jacksonville and St. Augustine and has affiliations with several hospitals in this area. Our capabilities encompass Phase II, III and IV clinical trials, both sponsor- and investigator-initiated studies.
Visit www.eastcoastresearch.net to learn more about how ECIR is helping patients live longer, healthier lives now and in the future.
Fellows in the Clinical Research department utilize their clinical knowledge in the development of content to support the success of clinical research studies, investigator/physician relationships, and scientific publications.
In this role, Fellows work closely and cross-functionally with:
- Pharmaceutical Companies
- Field Medical Science Teams
- Physicians and their extenders
- Clinical Research Staff Members
To be considered, candidates must:
- Have received a Pharm.D. from an accredited school or college of
pharmacy
- Be licensed or be eligible for pharmacist licensure in Florida
Interested individuals are invited to apply by requesting an interview
through PPS at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and providing a letter of
intent and curriculum vitae.
All applicants should request an interview by December 1, 2020.
Novo Nordisk will be hosting two live webinars: Tuesday, September 29th, and Monday, October 12th both at 8:00 pm EST. If you have questions, please reach out at NNIStudentOpportunities@novonordisk.com.
Several fellowships in multiple functional areas are recruiting for 2021, so please join!
Sincerely,
Novo Nordisk Fellowship Recruitment Team
Now in its second year, the IPhO Annual Meeting was hosted virtually on September 11-13, 2020. Nearly 850 participants tuned in, including 600+ students from 111 schools of pharmacy, 150+ sponsor representatives, and 70+ faculty members. Attendance doubled from 2019—which was the first year that the meeting was held in person in New Jersey.
All meeting attendees gathered on Friday evening for an opening presentation featuring leaders in industry, who covered important topics such as navigating this uncertain time as a student preparing for an industry career; the importance of celebrating and encouraging diversity in industry; taking risks and having a courageous career; and more.
