IPhO News

Gifty Gyebi, PharmD
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Medical Science Liaison
LinkedIn Profile

What was your motivation to pursue the pharmaceutical industry as a career path?

Honestly, I just knew that a career involving direct patient care was not for me, and I still wanted to make an impact in healthcare. My college of pharmacy didn't offer much guidance in terms of career options outside of retail and hospital. Thankfully, I had (and still have) a great mentor who helped me explore other paths.

Dr. Carol Davis-Shiloh, PharmD

Executive Director | US Field Medical Oncology

Bristol Myers Squibb, US Medical

LinkedIn Profile

When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital? Was there an experience that inspired that decision?

I grew up with so much exposure to community and retail settings because my dad (also a pharmacist) owned a pharmacy in an underserved community in Mobile, AL. While I was very proud of my family-owned pharmacy business and the impact it had on the community in my hometown, I was also very interested in exploring opportunities with a global impact. At Florida A&M University (FAMU), we had access to speaker forums that highlighted the experiences of professionals working in various pharmacy settings. During one of the sessions, I vividly recall hearing a speaker highlighting her experience in the pharmaceutical industry, which definitely piqued my interest. It all started coming together as I listened to this fascinating presentation and the various career paths in pharma, including Medical, Commercial, and Regulatory.

I worked with a student guidance counselor in my school to help navigate and think through different opportunities, including student rotations and internships, so that I could start building my experience while matriculating through my PharmD program. I started taking intentional and proactive steps toward getting experience in the pharmaceutical setting. Through my mentorship from professors with backgrounds or resources in pharma, and my network, I was able to obtain a summer program with Harvard Medical School Health Policy (2002), internship at the Schering-Plough Research Institute (2003), student rotation at Bristol Myers Squibb (2004), and a Rutgers Fellowship with Bristol Myers Squibb (2005-2006). After these multiple incredible experiences in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, I knew pharma was definitely the place for me to have a promising and fulfilling career, and this continues to hold true almost 20 years later!

Jerald Grace, PharmD
Senior Director, Regulatory Science
Day One Biopharmaceuticals
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeraldgrace/

What was your motivation to pursue the Pharmaceutical Industry as a career path?

Growing up, I always enjoyed providing help and assistance to loved ones in any aspect I could - which led me to pursue pharmacy as a career. Additionally, I knew I wanted to work in an environment where I could help patients on a wide scale. In school, I enjoyed working with my classmates in a team atmosphere on projects and activities. Seeing fellow alumni from Florida A&M return to campus and speak about the various opportunities for pharmacists within the industry was quite appealing and lined up well with my career aspirations post-graduation. I continued to network with past and current fellows during my last year of school, which led to me pursue the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program.

Paul Oyefesobi, PharmD, MS
Senior Manager, Pricing & Market Access
REGENXBIO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-oyefesobi/
Instagram: @Tosinsview

What was your motivation to pursue the Pharmaceutical Industry as a career path?

As a young child with asthma, I constantly interacted with the health care system/pharmacies, exposing me to how decentralized and inefficient the process was. I then began familiarizing myself with pharmacy as a whole and noticed small gaps regarding the lack of counseling. When I pursued a Master's Degree in Health Care Systems Engineering, I saw the elevated cost of our specialized therapeutics—HIV, Hep C, and Oncology—which opened my eyes to the inefficiency in the system. Approximately 18% of our country's GDP is spent on healthcare. However, we are still not the most efficient globally. Through this realization, I saw the opportunity to make an impact by marrying my science background with my knowledge of health economics, which led me to start my career in pharma in HEOR. Leveraging my HEOR foundation along with my payer background, I pivoted to pursue a career in market access in biotech.

George Jackson, PharmD
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Medical Science Liaison
Specialty - Renal Anemia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-j-76924816b/

What was your motivation to pursue the pharmaceutical industry as a career path?
My answer is multifactorial. Previously, I worked as an ambulatory care pharmacist, improving patients' lives; however, my impact was limited to only a few patients. As a medical science liaison (MSL), my role allows me to be part of a team that provides scientific support to hundreds of healthcare professionals impacting patient care on a national and global scale. Though improving patient outcomes is paramount in what we do in our roles, self-care is also imperative. My role as an MSL provides an outstanding work-life balance contributing to good physical and mental health and allowing more time to be present for family. Furthermore, base salaries and total compensation are very competitive as well.

Kelly Wright, PharmD, MS
Medical Science Liaison—Gynecologic Oncology
AstraZeneca
Social Media: linkedin.com/in/kellywright611

What was your motivation to pursue the Pharmaceutical Industry as a career path?
One of my goals in life was to wake up every day feeling good about my job and to have a career that doesn't necessarily feel like work. I wanted a life where I'm not dreading Mondays, which led me to the Pharmaceutical Industry. The work-life balance, having a career that incorporates travel (one of my favorite hobbies) and impacting patient lives on a global scale all motivated me to pursue my career path in Pharma/Biotech.

Stephen Boateng, PharmD
Commercial Training and Development Manager
Daiichi Sankyo

Danielle Wiley, PharmD
Senior Medical Science Liaison
Neurocrine Biosciences
Alma Mater: Texas Southern University

How important do you feel a mentor-mentee relationship is for student pharmacists and when is the right time for them to seek an industry mentor?
I think mentorship is really important because you don't know what you don't know. As a student, you don't know what opportunities are out there or you may not know what behaviors are needed in a particular setting. When you're a student, you think as a student. As you move through any professional program, it's important to align yourself with people who have done what you're trying to do or what you are trying to accomplish. I think you should get a mentor as soon as you enter college and even before. You can have mentors in high school, it is never too early. I think that's something that needs to be developed as early as possible. It doesn't matter if you are a Pre-Pharm, Pre-Med, Pre-Dental, or anything else. Those mentors can help guide you. It is also important to note that it is okay to have more than one mentor. Get someone to serve the different areas in your life that you want to pursue.

The key is when you see people doing what you want to do or behaving in a manner that you admire or enjoy, don't be afraid to ask for help. Do not be afraid for someone to say no. Not everyone can be a mentor and/or has the time for it, but it is still important to try. If you are told no, simply seek someone else.

I had the opportunity to speak with Enoch Kariuki, PharmD, MBA, who has an impressive and unique industry career as a biotech strategic advisor and investor. Enoch shared how growing up in Kenya influenced his decision to work in healthcare, how his pharmacy training is put to good use in his day-to-day work, tips for PharmD candidates pursuing a business degree, and much more.

Carolyn Seyss, PharmD
Fellowship Program Director
Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University

Recently I had the privilege of sitting down with Carolyn Seyss, PharmD, the recently appointed leader of the Rutgers Fellowship Program to discuss her successful industry career and some of her thoughts about leading the program in the coming years. Some of the highlights are detailed in this article!

Lindsay Cobbs
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Global Project Lead, Culture, Leadership & Org. Development
UCB

When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital? Was there an experience(s) that inspired that decision?
I chose a career in pharmacy for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Working in the pharmaceutical industry has elevated and amplified the impact I had on individual patients to help improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

I believe my unique skills and work experiences in non-traditional roles guided my career choices. As a result, I encourage pharmacy students or young pharmacists to be open to considering roles that upon first thought might not seem like a good fit for a pharmacist (in my case that was public health service and the pharmaceutical industry).

Tom Marshall, PharmD
Director, HEOR – Heme & CART
Bristol Myers Squibb

When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital? Was there an experience(s) that inspired that decision?
While I was in pharmacy school, I worked in both the retail and outpatient setting. I liked it because of the clinical aspect of the positions. But I was attracted to the pharmaceutical industry because of the overall ability for growth. Additionally, there was a clear business side within the industry and the prospect of bringing innovative therapies to patients was really exciting. I spoke with a lot of people working within the industry to get a better idea of their experiences to assess if I would be a good fit.

George Okpamen, PharmD
Startups Strategy Leader for Diabetes & Biomedicines Business Units
Eli Lilly and Company
Co-founder and Chief Business Officer
Pharmacy Initiative Leaders (PILs)

I recently had the opportunity to speak virtually with Texas Southern University's own, George Okpamen. By day, George works for Eli Lilly and Company as the Startups Strategy Leader in the Diabetes & Biomedicines Business Units. At night, he serves as the Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Pharmacy Initiative Leaders (PILs), an organization committed to increasing diversity and inclusion, both locally and globally in every stage of healthcare. Throughout his journey, George has lived by the sayings "be intentional" and "one time for the one time." The first phrase is self-explanatory, but the second phrase serves as an important reminder to take advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime in the lifetime of that opportunity. George practices these philosophies in every aspect of his life, and encourages others to weave them into their lives as well. George shared with me a more in-depth look at his career path, and the intentional steps he took to get to where he is today.

Neveen Abou-Gharbia, PharmD, MBA
Executive Director, Global Marketing
Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals Inc.

When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital?
Going into pharmacy school, I always knew that I wanted to pursue pharmaceutical industry but I didn’t want to pursue the R&D side of the business. So it wasn’t until I completed my first summer internship at DuPont Merck in cardiovascular medical affairs that it became clear to me what I wanted to pursue upon graduation.

Was there an experience that inspired that decision?
Yes, my mother and father went to pharmacy school abroad then came to the States to pursue their PhDs in chemistry. They went on to have long-standing and successful careers at DuPont Chemicals and Wyeth Ayerst respectively. So growing up, I would see how they leveraged their pharmacy and chemistry education to discover new drug entities, patents & technologies in the lab leading to multiple promotions and increasing responsibility along the way. They both have inspired me to pursue pharmaceutical industry to bring new medicines in therapeutic areas of high unmet need.

Tiffany Pela, PharmD, MPH
Company: Sanofi Genzyme
Current Role: Director, Immunology Strategic Team Lead- Payer Scientific Engagement Strategy
Alma Mater: Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy c/o 2006

I grew up in the northern United States, so I knew about the pharmaceutical industry, but I didn’t know it was the path for me until my final year of pharmacy school. I chose to do my elective rotations at Procter & Gamble (P&G) because I wanted to try something outside of “traditional” pharmacy. I worked in their medical affairs department and fell in love with the strategic mindset of the pharmaceutical industry. I was fascinated by preparing for new competitors, diving deeper into the clinical trials, and designing posters for new clinical information! After that experience, I applied for fellowships and was accepted into the program at Rutgers University and Bristol Myers Squibb. I have been working within the industry ever since. Currently I am the Director, Team Lead of Immunology - Payer Scientific Engagement Strategy at Sanofi Genzyme. In my role I help develop the plan for how our medical affairs team will interact with health care decision makers.

Deb Mathews, PharmD
Experienced Executive, Medical Affairs
VP, Medical Affairs
CTI BioPharma (start in Jan. 2021)
Consultant, Medical Strategy & Medical Affairs
Vaniam Group

When did you decide that you wanted to work in industry versus retail/hospital? Was there an experience that inspired that decision?

As I entered the workforce post-training, I went directly into Clinical Pharmacy. I was fortunate to receive a role at the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center (UMSCCC) in Oncology, without the requirement for a residency or fellowship. During my time at UMSCCC as a clinical research pharmacist, I took advantage of every opportunity to learn, always taking on new projects, and remaining open to any atypical experiences. This opened the door for me to sit on the Institutional Review Board and to lead the P&T Committee, where I gained incredible exposure to a variety of research projects. After a few years, I transitioned into the HIV space, where I managed the pharmacy outpatient service for the largest community hospital in Miami. During my time as the Manager of the outpatient pharmacy service, I did everything from contract negotiations, to writing drug utilization reports, and even conducted a clinical trial measuring cost-effectiveness for pharmacy services. The totality of experiences inspired me to pursue a career within the industry where I felt I could make an impact on patient care on a broader scale. I began my career in the industry as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) in HIV for approximately four years. As is often typical in this industry, when you are working hard, putting out good work and maintaining solid relationships across the spectrum, opportunities for advancement will often find you. As such, I was offered a management opportunity, becoming Manager and National Director of the HIV MSL team with GSK and Tibotec Therapeutics. My career has continued to grow and advance and I have enjoyed many roles in Executive Leadership, including the US Director of Scientific Training with AstraZeneca, US Medical Lead on Global Scientific Launch Team in Oncology, and ultimately VP, Medical Affairs for small biotech companies focused in Microbiome Research and Malignant Hematology.

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.