IPhO News

The 2019-20 IPhO Industry Fellowship Analysis has been published!

The report highlights key characteristics of all current fellowship programs—such as functional area, academic affiliation and alma mater of the fellow—and identifies emerging trends in PharmD Industry Fellowships based on 6-year longitudinal data.

There are 552 PharmDs currently participating in US-based, industry-focused postgraduate fellowships, representing +10% growth versus last year.

Below is a sneak peak into just some of the findings in the publication.

In December 2019, during the ASHP Midyear meeting, the National Fellows Council hosted its annual "How to Land a Full Time Job Post-Fellowship" event. Eight extraordinary former fellows discussed a variety of topics to help fellow attendees feel prepared to secure the right full-time role when their fellowship program concludes. Both internal and external opportunities were discussed.

Fellowship Sponsor Company: UNC/PPD

Function/Discipline: Clinical Research & Drug Development

Fellowship Years: 2019—2021

Alma Mater: South College School of Pharmacy, Class of 2019

Starting out in pharmacy school, I really wasn’t aware of all the career opportunities for pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry. I always imagined that I would pursue a career as a clinical pharmacist. However, with a bit of luck, a research assistant position opened up in my program’s pharmaceutical sciences department, and I had the opportunity to take an elective course detailing the drug development process. It was through those opportunities that I became interested in researching career paths for pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry. It was also how I first discovered IPhO. IPhO was an incredible resource of information that helped me learn about the different roles in industry and decide on the role that I felt fit my interests the best.

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of two new student chapters to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Ferris State University College of Pharmacy. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 75 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

Fellowship Sponsor Company: Allergan, University of Southern California

Function/Discipline: Clinical Development

Fellowship Years: 2019—2020

Alma Mater: Keck Graduate Institute, Class of 2019

I knew early-on that I wanted to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Before pharmacy school, I earned my certificate in Clinical Trials Design and Management while working as a Clinical Research Associate at a hospital. From that experience, I met pharmacists working in industry and was introduced to this unique career pathway. What attracted me most about Clinical Development was the opportunity to work with investigational drugs in clinical trials. Working with data that is unknown from a clinical perspective resonated with the skills that I developed during my undergraduate studies. It was a natural transition for me to pursue Clinical Development after pharmacy school.

IPhO played an important role for me throughout pharmacy school. I was involved with the Keck Graduate Institute chapter, which started during my P2 year and I served on the executive board. I also participated in the VIP case competition and became a national student intern. IPhO provided me a network of industry professionals and exposed me to the various roles that pharmacists assume in industry. Additionally, IPhO guided me throughout the fellowship application process (which is getting more competitive every year). I joined the National Fellows Council not only to help pharmacy students but also to give back to the organization in any way possible.

Have a fellowship question? Click here to ask a current fellow!

You didn't have to look far at the recent IPhO National Student Meeting to find a maroon wristband, promoting the #valueofindustrypharmacists to all 400 student pharmacists in attendance.

The wristbands were worn by students with pride throughout the meeting, but they were more than just a gift for attendees.

On Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th, IPhO and its National Fellows Council hosted the first-ever stand-alone National Student Meeting in New Jersey. 375 students from 78 universities; 50 speakers; and 20 sponsors attended the meeting, and we are so grateful to everyone who traveled from near and far to attend. View the full album of meeting photos here.

On Friday evening, Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) graciously hosted the meeting reception in The Mansion in the heart of its campus. Jim Alexander, PharmD, Executive Director and Founder of IPhO, shared opening remarks, followed by a special welcome from Michael Avaltroni, PhD, Dean of FDU School of Pharmacy. The keynote speaker for the reception was Rob Kowalski, PharmD, Executive Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Novartis; US Head of Global Drug Development. Dr. Kowalski spoke about the value that pharmacists bring to industry and the tremendous amount of career opportunities available to pharmacists within the pharmaceutical industry. The evening brought together students from across the country to network, learn from leaders in industry, and relax before the meeting on Saturday.

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of another new student chapter to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at Mercer University College of Pharmacy. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 74 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of another new student chapter to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 73 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

Fellows traveled from Atlanta, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and New Jersey for the Second Annual IPhO National Fellows Council (NFC) Live Kick-Off Meeting, which was held at Novartis in Cambridge, MA. Twenty-two members of the NFC gathered for this meeting to participate in professional development activities, network with one another, and plan for the upcoming year with IPhO.

IPhO is pleased to announce five fellowship partnerships for 2019-20! For the programs listed below, IPhO is a full partner in both recruiting and program administration. All candidates were identified through the 4,000+ National Student Network, and all recruiting was successfully accomplished through the IPhO FellowMatch service.

These IPhO fellows will be leaders within the National Fellows Council, and they are involved with IPhO leadership at multiple levels.

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of another new student chapter to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at D'Youville College School of Pharmacy. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 72 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

Fellowship Sponsor Company: Novartis/Rutgers

Function/Discipline: Commercial Launch Excellence

Fellowship Years: 2019—2021

Alma Mater: Purdue University, Class of 2019

I originally chose to pursue my PharmD because of the versatility of the degree. The training in the science and practice of pharmacy prepares you for many different career paths, as I still had no idea what I wanted to do when I finished pharmacy school. I discovered the industry career path through my local IPhO chapter and several students and alumni who had raved about this non-traditional pharmacy path. The beauty of industry is that you still don’t have to decide what you “want to be when you grow up,” because there is so much flexibility in job functions across the industry. Regardless of the career path you choose, the PharmD background provides the framework and base knowledge to succeed in any functional area.

For me, I chose to pursue a fellowship in commercial because of the unique opportunity to utilize both my creative skills and pharmacy knowledge. In order to successfully market a drug, a deep therapeutic understanding of the disease, doctors, and patients is vitally important, and this is where a PharmD can excel. I have a passion for advanced problem solving and strategic thinking and found that marketing roles help flex this skill with a fun, creative twist.

Specifically, in my current role, I am working on products in phase II/III development across therapeutic areas in a new department at Novartis titled Launch Excellence. I am responsible for developing the commercial strategy and activities prior to drug approval to ensure the drug is successful at launch. The unique structure of this new department allows for teams to move with the drug as opposed to the drug moving to different commercial teams as it moves to different phases of development. This would potentially allow me to work on a product from phase III strategy onward to post-approval marketing and gain a wealth of different experiences within the commercial realm.

Overall, the great part about industry is that you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do. I work on something different every day and the career path opportunities following my fellowship are endless. If you are like me and enjoy the challenge of variety and new opportunities, seek out this aspect in your potential future fellowship. I was specifically looking for ambiguity and the ability to move around to work on a variety of projects and I feel that I found this in my current fellowship. Know yourself and your passions, lean on your mentors for support, and the rest will fall into place. Pursuing a fellowship has already proven to be a rewarding professional experience and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Have a fellowship question? Click here to ask a current fellow!

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of another new student chapter to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy. IPhO now connects them to a national network of 71 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

Company and Department: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Regulatory Affairs

Current Role: Regulatory Submission Project Management Specialist

Alma Mater: Rutgers University, Class of 2019

During pharmacy school, I wanted to explore the variety of career paths pharmacists could take before deciding on my own. I tried community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy, but it was during my summer internship at Pfizer when I realized I wanted to pursue an industry career. After researching various areas of industry to learn more about what would interest me most, I set out to pursue Regulatory Affairs.

When selecting APPE rotations, I intentionally chose a rotation in Global Regulatory Affairs at Merck before Midyear because I wanted to be able to share my experiences during interviews. I also applied to a part time job at a Regulatory Affairs agency so I could gain even more hands-on experience. My hope was to secure a fellowship at Midyear.

IPhO is pleased to announce the addition of three new student chapters to our growing national network!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at:

• Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Palm Beach Atlantic University Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy

IPhO now connects them to a national network of 70 chapters and more than 4,000 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.

To start a chapter at your school, contact us here.

For the student benefits of joining IPhO, view the National Student Brochure here!

As the 2018-2019 school year winds down, IPhO is pleased to announce the 2019-20 National and Regional Student Officers! They will continue the beneficial work being done by this year's group and IPhO is looking forward to kicking off the new year with them in the coming months.

Learn more about the IPhO National Student Officers and all of the resources available to student pharmacists interested in an industry career, here.

Congratulations and welcome to the following officers!

IPhO is pleased to introduce the newest member of its leadership team! Dr. Leah Palmer joins as the Vice President of Student Leadership Development. With extensive experience in regulatory affairs, in the area of prescription drug promotion and team management, she offers valuable insight to help students progress toward an industry career. Dr. Palmer will take an active role in helping to oversee and grow the existing IPhO student leadership program, which exposes cohorts of successful student pharmacists to the responsibilities they'll face in common industry functional areas.

Welcome to the team, Dr. Palmer!

Learn more about Dr. Palmer and the IPhO Leadership Team.

On Saturday April 27, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) hosted its second annual Western Symposium. Roughly 40 students attended the event to participate in round table sessions with industry representatives from a number of functional areas. Students from Keck Graduate Institute, Roseman University, West Coast University, Western University, and the University of Southern California came together to learn more about what it's like to work as a pharmacist in industry.

After morning round table sessions, a fellows panel provided the opportunity for students to ask questions about the fellowship application process, benefits of being a potential fellow, and how best to prepare for Midyear.

The day was filled with networking and engaging conversations. Many students in attendance said they found the event to be highly informative and a big success! KGI looks forward to hosting the event again in 2020. Thanks to all students and industry representatives that were able to join.

Article authored by Sona Patel, KGI Class of 2020, IPhO National Student Officer for Professional Affairs

The 2018-19 term has been incredibly productive and exciting for our IPhO National Student Officers (NSOs) and Regional Student Officers (RSOs). We want to take a moment to thank them for their numerous accomplishments. Notably, during their tenure, the number of IPhO student chapters grew to 67! These leaders worked tirelessly to ensure that all IPhO student pharmacists were well informed about the resources and tools available to them.

During the 2018-19 term, IPhO NSOs and RSOs:

• Made significant improvements to the IPhO student chapter annual report process and outcomes measurement
• Developed a new in-depth student chapter handbook
• Designed and produced a comprehensive toolkit for all IPhO products and services, so chapters could better communicate IPhO membership benefits
• Created thorough guides that were utilized by NSO/RSO preceptors and 50 IPhO virtual interns
• Formed the new National Committee of Chapter Advisors and produced the chapter advisor handbook
• Achieved record-setting participation rates in the 2018-19 VIP Case Competition
• Grew the student chapter network to 67 schools, exceeding 2018-19 goals
• Executed national and regional initiatives in partnership with IPhO national leadership with exceptional professionalism
• Helped grow the IPhO Instagram following to more than 1,000 and developed engaging, relevant content for all audiences

Thank you to the following 2018-19 NSOs and RSOs!