IPhO News

Consumer research has consistently shown that pharmacists are one of the most trusted healthcare professionals. This applies to the traditional professional practices known to consumers and to other healthcare professionals such as community, hospital, and consultant pharmacy. However, the supply and demand of pharmacists in these traditional settings has fluctuated greatly in recent years, and lately it has been more difficult to find the right position upon graduation.

This is one of the reasons pharmacists are increasingly looking towards opportunities outside traditional pharmacy practice, such as those offered within the pharmaceutical industry. The newly licensed PharmD is considered a medication expert, having extensively studied pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and biochemistry in addition to rotating through clinical and community settings to provide direct patient care services and perform drug utilization and drug information reviews. Pharmacists can also apply their skills in the pharmaceutical industry setting, especially as companies gravitate towards more complex specialty medicines that require a higher level of sophistication from their professional employees. Just as other industries have turned toward professionals with a high level of technical expertise, the pharmaceutical sector may significantly benefit if they turn to pharmacy graduates to handle many departmental responsibilities.

In addition, the opportunity exists for pharmacy graduates to benefit pharmaceutical industry employers in other ways, including the opportunity to elevate their corporate image with consumers, healthcare providers, and health insurers.

Based upon this opportunity for pharmacy graduates and the pharmaceutical industry, the IPhO National Fellows Council is sponsoring the VIP Advocacy Challenge. This challenge goes out to all of the IPhO Student Chapters nationally, as an opportunity to increase the awareness and recognition among healthcare consumers, providers, payers, and industry employers of the critical contributions that pharmacy graduates are making within the pharmaceutical industry. Each IPhO chapter is being invited to develop an outreach platform that advocates for the contributions and benefits that industry pharmacists have in supporting the role of industry in improving patients’ quality of life.

The invitation of the VIP Advocacy Challenge has just recently been sent out to all IPhO Student Chapters and applications are to be completed by October 10, 2014. After application submission, feedback and support will be provided to chapters by the INFC, in order to ensure the success of student chapters’ projects and align challenge ideas with the goals of this advocacy challenge and the IPhO mission. Chapters will then have the opportunity to execute the project by March 15, 2015.

Student chapters will be eligible for recognition from the INFC and IPhO leadership team with participation in this challenge. One of the many benefits of this initiative will be the close collaboration between the INFC and each of the IPhO Student Chapters.

Authored By: Jonathan Douek, IPhO Student Pharmacist Intern and Temple PharmD Candidate 2017

Mary Alice Dwyer, PharmD, Vice President, Global Medical Excellence & Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca, Michael Toscani, PharmD, Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships, and Jack Bradley, PharmD, JD, Medical Director North America, Sobi, Inc., discuss the topic, "The impact of changing companies after a brief period of time."

Jill DeSimone, RPh, Head, US Oncology Commercial Unit, Merck, and Jack Bradley, PharmD, JD, Medical Director North America, Sobi, Inc., discuss "How can IPhO work with its constituents to advance the careers of industry pharmacists?"

Leadership Opportunities For Industry Pharmacists: Irene Laurora, PharmD, VP Global Medical Affairs, Bayer Healthcare, Katie MacFarlane, PharmD, Managing Partner, SmartPharma LLC., and Jill DeSimone, RPh, Head, US Oncology Commercial Unit, Merck, share their views on how to seize opportunities.

Mentoring and Leadership for Industry Pharmacists: Irene Laurora, PharmD, VP, Global Medical Affairs, Bayer Healthcare, and Jill DeSimone, RPh, Head, US Oncology Commercial Unit, Merck share their views on Mentoring and Leadership.

Alma Mater: West Virginia University, School of Pharmacy, Class of 2014
Current Role: Pharmacy Practice Resident, Cleveland VA Medical Center

As a pharmacy student, I was largely unaware of the many opportunities available within the pharmaceutical industry. Like many, I gravitated toward a strong interest and focus in clinical pharmacy through my internship and professional organizational experiences. Then, in my 3rd year of pharmacy school I discovered the exciting and dynamic industry opportunities in the discipline of Medical Affairs. A MSL from a leading pharma company spoke to our AMCP chapter about her career path within the pharmaceutical industry and ability to utilize her clinical knowledge and relationship building skills to positively impact patient care on such large scale.

Unfortunately, based upon the few industry rotations available through my school, and the application and timing process, I was unable to pursue any industry summer internship positions. Realizing that this would be a disadvantage to me, I invested significant effort in reaching out to industry pharmacists for advice on post-graduate training opportunities to help me pursue my goal of securing a position within the pharmaceutical Industry. I also gathered as much information as possible on industry fellowships, including attending the Fellowship Information and Networking Day (FIND) at Rutgers University. Attending the informational session really solidified my interest in industry as a career path. I was very eager to attend ASHP Midyear the following month.

Although few industry pharmacists are engaged in direct patient care that requires a pharmacy license, many still maintain their license because i) they may need it some day, and/or ii) they worked so hard to get it.

As a student pharmacist intern at IPhO, I am working on developing an ongoing service for our members to help them identify continuing education (CE) that is relevant to their professional careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

I am currently contributing to the IPhO Employment Research ("ER") Study as a Student Investigator. The study is designed to document industry pharmacist career paths, and to date it has been a terrific opportunity.

During the past twelve months, IPhO has been conducting an industry pharmacist employment study to collect data for reporting on the employment trends and career paths of industry pharmacists. The IPhO Employment Research (ER) Study involves collection of self-reported public domain information from LinkedIn profiles. The study goal of collecting 1500 industry pharmacist profiles was met and career trends and pathways are expected to begin being reported in the fall of this year.

A vice president recently told me that when he acknowledges his employees’ accomplishments, many of them belittle their success with such comments as “Oh, that was no big deal” or “What a fluke.”

Many business professionals negate compliments, often because they don’t want to be perceived as braggarts or as suffering from too big an ego.

Bragging is obnoxious boasting, and is usually done by people who want to let you know how great they think they are. This includes the technique known as “humblebrag” – its practitioners still brag, but try to disguise it as being humble or mildly self-deprecating. This is usually achieved by admitting to a minor flaw while really drawing attention to the big-brag item. (My favorite example: “I am such a klutz. I just spilled wine on my new book contract.”)

Bragging of any kind is not the way to impress colleagues, or bosses. However, I do believe that tactful and appropriate self-promotion is a business skill. Learning when and how to speak well of yourself is a key to getting and staying ahead.

Listed below are 10 ways to toot your own horn, including accepting compliments, without being insufferable:

Company and Department: Sanofi, Market Access
Current Role: Senior Pharmacy Specialist
Alma Mater: University of Southern California, Class of 2013

It was not until my 4^th year of pharmacy school that I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. By that time it was too late to get any kind of internship with a pharmaceutical company. In my earlier years of pharmacy school, I had a passion for community pharmacy and ambulatory care. I interned at a community pharmacy and volunteered on a regular basis with my school’s student pharmacy clinic in Los Angeles, providing screening services, medication reconciliation, and nutrition counseling. I also had a passion for working with diabetic patients, a disease which largely impacts the Latino community. Several of my projects and volunteer work in pharmacy school focused on Diabetes.

Can you be too nice?

A woman in one of my seminars asked if it were possible for her to be “too nice” when interacting with her employees. She told me that she often felt invisible with them. Since I teach etiquette, some of you may be surprised that I answered “Yes, you can be too nice.” Let me explain.

A few years ago I created The Three Faces of Communication model to help people understand their communication style. Everyone falls somewhere along the spectrum of Too Nice, Polite and Powerful, and The Tough One.

Do you know where you are on this continuum?

IPhO Expresses its Gratitude and Recognition to INFC Upon Completion of a Very Successful Inaugural Year!

After a very successful first year, IPhO Leadership wants to thank our National Fellows Council for their outstanding accomplishments during the past 12 months. Several of our INFC members are finishing up their post-doctoral work and have already accepted their first position in industry; congratulations and we look forward to your continued contributions to IPhO and accomplishments as an industry pharmacist.

The mission of INFC is to connect fellows of all programs nationally and to advocate for their career development. A list of the INFC's recent accomplishments is provided below.

I am pleased to announce that Tina Chang, PharmD has joined the IPhO Leadership Team as VP, Marketing & Strategy! She will be working on the Advocacy for Industry Pharmacist platform and other exciting initiatives.

To learn more about Tina and other members of the IPhO Leadership Team, please visit here: industrypharmacist.org/leadership

It's Not Rocket Science! 10 Ways to Connect and Engage With People by Barbara Pachter

Lately, I have worked with a number of people with outstanding technical skills whose career growth has been limited by their inability to connect with others. They were referred to me for coaching to provide them with the necessary skills to engage successfully with coworkers, bosses, and customers/clients.

People want to hire, work with, promote and do business with others whom they know and like. If you were not born with the “gift of gab,” and many people weren't, you can still learn the skills to connect with others. Here are 10 actions that will help you to be more approachable, and to engage more easily with others in your workplace.

What do industry pharmacists need to do to prepare themselves to take advantage of the increasing demand for pharmacists’ skills and experience?

Mary Alice Dwyer, PharmD, VP Global Medical Excellence and Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca provides some of her personal perspectives.

Are some departments more likely than others to highly value Industry Pharmacists' backgrounds?

Click or tap below as Irene Laurora, PharmD, VP of Global Medical, Bayer Healthcare weighs in on this topic.

Please check out and like this video of Grace Lee, a student pharmacist at Rutgers who is extremely talented! Her cover version of the Oscar-winning song from the Disney film Frozen, has garnered more than 5 million hits.

On Sunday, March 30 the IPhO National Student Leadership Group hosted our first ever national IPhO student event at APhA 2014 in Orlando, FL, entitled “Industry Careers: Pathways and Preparation.”

On Wednesday, March 26 the MPCHS University-Boston IPhO Chapter hosted an exciting event entitled, “The Emerging World of the Industry Pharmacist” on the MCPHS-Boston campus.

Over 200 Industry Pharmacists, Fellows, and Students came together to network and discuss industry pharmacists’ emerging role and future growth opportunities. The event featured a keynote address from Michael Ku, PharmD, VP Global Clinical Supply for Pfizer and a panel discussion about challenges and opportunities for industry pharmacists moderated by IPhO Executive Director James Alexander. The panel was comprised of a number of accomplished industry pharmacists from Boston-area biopharmaceutical companies, including:

• Tanya Basu, Manager, Medical Information, Sunovion
• Kelly Hageman, Fellow, Global Medical Affairs, Sanofi Oncology
• Dipak Mistry, Senior Medical Science Liaison, BMS
• Scott McConnell, Senior Director, Global Medical Information, Cubist
• Drilon Saliu, Worldwide Medical Director, Medical Affairs, BD Diabetes Care

MCPHS University President Charles Monahan delivered the welcoming address, and closing remarks were provided by MCPHS Assistant Dean and Fellowship Director Bernie Tyrrell.

Many thanks to the MCPHS-Boston IPhO Student Chapter, including student leaders Sonny Shah, Nicholas Heath, Neal Kharawala, Paul Avenoso, Mary Salatino, Bridget Cloonan, Sandeep Singh, Alisha Couto, Pooja Patel, and Chintan Patel.

Stay tuned as we will be featuring a video series from the “Emerging World” event on the IPhO website in the near future!

Check out what’s new for student pharmacists from IPhO!

• See the valuable resources we offer students, including a database of industry internships, a "how to" guide for how to get an industry internship, a catalog of all available fellowship programs, and a guide for how to apply to fellowships: