IPhO News

If you're looking to enter industry without a fellowship, don't miss our newly-released direct-to-industry analysis, now available on the IPhO website. From this publication, you'll learn about the roles that were most common for the 276 Class of 2021 graduates who entered industry without a fellowship, along with details about the employers that hired them.

We've shared many times that roughly 80% of pharmacists currently working in industry never completed a fellowship. And we continue to reinforce that statistic because it's important that graduating pharmacy students know that a fellowship is not the only way to launch an industry career!

ACCESS NOW!

Thank you to the publication authors:

• James G. Alexander, PharmD
• Srayant Gayam, PharmD Candidate
• Myra Sheikh, PharmD Candidate
• Sarah Mathre, PharmD Candidate
• Gwang-Wen J. Hu, PharmD Candidate

On January 11, 2022, the IPhO National Fellows Council Student Development Committee hosted a “REVEAL” webinar to announce the VIP Case Competition Challenge Point. The Challenge Point is a scenario that chapters will have to tackle in order to prepare a successful new product launch plan.

Over 70 IPhO chapters are participating in the 2021-22 VIP Case Competition and 170 representatives from those chapters were on the webinar to hear this announcement. Now these chapters have all the information they need in order to sprint to the February 28th finish line!

Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) is pleased to announce the release of its signature 2021-2022 PharmD Industry Fellowship Analysis!

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There are 738 PharmDs currently participating in US-based, industry-focused postgraduate fellowships. This is an 18% increase over last year and a record number, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Amira Yusuf
Midwestern University College of Pharmacy
Class of 2022

It is with immense gratitude … I will be spending the next two years … I am excited to finally announce … that I have accepted a Global Patient Safety and Risk Management Fellowship with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Northeastern University.

Posting that was an out-of-body experience. Not because I did not think I would get a fellowship—I worked incredibly hard to be an undeniable candidate on and off my CV. It was because I never saw this part. The celebration, the triumph, and the peace of getting high enough to see where the path is heading. The reality is the pursuit of STEM as a Palestinian American. Arab. Muslim. Woman. is a lonely path. I am happiest knowing I can now be a guidepost. You are on the right track if you:

Siu Ting "Aileen" Lam
Northeastern University
Class of 2022

The key takeaway of my story: I am an international student from Hong Kong. If I can do it, you can definitely do it too! Nothing is impossible if you are determined enough!

What did you learn as you went through the fellowship interview process?
Being an international student trying to get a fellowship offer has come with many doubts and challenges, but I truly believe that you can do anything if you are determined enough. After going through this process, I also learned that being genuine in your answers during an interview helps you stand out from others because everyone has a unique story about why they want to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry and what they did in the past.

Jinny Hur
University of Illinois Chicago, College of Pharmacy, Class of 2022
UNC/GSK Regulatory Affairs Fellow 2022-2024

What did you learn as you went through the interview process?
When we think about a job interview, we normally assume it’s a one-way process in which the company or the employer evaluates the candidates. But in fact, interviewing is a two-way process. Not only are you getting evaluated on your candidacy quality, but at the same time, you are evaluating the company to gauge if the program is going to provide the learning opportunity and the tools for you to become the industry professional that you aspire to be after completion of the fellowship.

Jerry Silverman, BS Pharm
SVP Professional Development and Coaching
Industry Pharmacists Organization

This is the time of year when many of us reflect on those relationships that we are grateful for. Professionally, I am extremely grateful that so many students and post grads have trusted me to help them in their preparation for and pursuit of an industry career.

Many students believe that a fellowship is the only way to launch a pharmaceutical industry career, but did you know that roughly 80% of pharmacists working in industry never completed one? IPhO is pleased to host its inaugural direct-to-industry virtual career fair on March 1, 2022. Attendees will meet and network with prestigious employers who know the value that pharmacists bring to their organizations—and who offer roles to new pharmacy school graduates without a fellowship. All attendees can participate in group meetings with employers to learn more and ask questions. Class of 2022 attendees can also request one-on-one meetings with employers for an invaluable networking opportunity.

Note: The Career Fair is open to Class of 2022 and Class of 2023 students only.

REGISTER HERE

My name is Madison Trauger and I am a fourth year PharmD/MBA student at Wilkes University. I recently accepted a post-graduate fellowship position in Medical Affairs Medical Information/Regulatory Advertising & Promotion at Novartis in conjunction with Rutgers University (RPIF).

What did you learn as you went through the interview process?
As I continued through the interview process, I learned a lot about myself and what I was looking for in a company and fellowship. I used the interviews to ask questions about the positions to evaluate the opportunities I would have during my time there. It started to become very clear to me what experiences were important for me to have, helping me narrow down to my top programs. Additionally, it is important to see how your personality fits with those you meet. Every interview made me more comfortable and helped me prepare for the next.

Recently, I presented at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting for the very first time! Over the summer, I completed my internship with Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) where I was able to work on a project titled “Fellows’ Primary Therapeutic Areas and Implications for Fellowship Strategies.” I am highly appreciative of this opportunity as I gained many skills and grew as a student despite being a remote intern.

IPhO Press Release:

Three IPhO Internship Research Projects to be Presented at ASHP Midyear 2021!

IPhO is pleased to announce the acceptance of three internship research projects to this year’s virtual ASHP Midyear. The three research posters provide highly relevant data and previously not addressed in the literature including industry practice specific job satisfaction, fellows’ therapeutic areas of focus, and CRO direct-to-industry opportunities.

IPhO is committed to providing the necessary insights, data, and analytical information to assist students, fellowship program stakeholders, and industry employers in their identification of industry opportunities and recruitment of industry talent. Results of all three research studies directly offer application and career development guidance.

Study Previews

We are pleased to announce that High Point University has joined our network as the 97th chapter!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at High Point University! IPhO now connects them to 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.

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

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

The meeting takes place this weekend (September 17-19)! Click here to join the meeting if you are registered (please make sure to log into your IPhO website account). We look forward to seeing you!

Thank you again to our meeting sponsors/exhibitors!

If you missed the deadline to register for the IPhO Annual Meeting, taking place from September 17-19, you still have options! P4s and recent graduates can sign up to attend the sponsor exhibit Q&A sessions, and ALL students can be added to a waitlist in case any additional full meeting slots open. Visit the meeting landing page to learn more!

We are pleased to announce that University of Washington School of Pharmacy has joined our network as the 96th chapter!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at University of Washington! IPhO now connects them to 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.

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 excited to announce the launch of the 2021-2022 Value of Industry Pharmacists (VIP) Case Competition! This signature IPhO professional development program and annual competition is offered to all student chapters to challenge you to design a cohesive drug development and commercialization plan for a theoretical new molecular entity.

Team registration is open and can be completed here.

The new case and competition guidelines can be found in the VIP Case Competition Guide 2021-2022.

MCPHS is conducting a national research survey entitled, Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program Assessment of Trainee Preparedness for Employment, and kindly invites you to complete this survey (see link below), which is expected to take no more than 15 minutes.

This survey is for all fellowship programs and their preceptors. Please help spread the word! Deadline to complete the survey is October 1, 2021.

Click here to access the survey.

Believe it or not, this year's Annual Meeting is exactly one month away! We're giving registration away for free to ten contest winners!

The rules are simple:

• Follow IPhO on Instagram (@industrypharmacistorg).
• View our feed and locate the "IPhO Annual Meeting" Giveaway post (made at 12 PM ET on August 17, 2021).
• Like the post.
• Comment on the post and tag three friends who might benefit from entering the contest/attending the meeting.
• Ten winners who follow the steps above will be selected at random and tagged in an announcement post on August 24.
• Winners will receive a complimentary code to register for the meeting on the IPhO website.
• Terms and conditions apply. Please see below.

Deadline to like and comment is Friday, August 20, at midnight ET. Good luck!

Nicole Fuchs, PharmD and Alec Thompson, PharmD are no strangers to the fellowship application process. They navigated arguably one of the most challenging recruitment cycles during the pandemic, and both secured fellowship roles in their desired functional area. Hear what they have to say about what they learned, what not to do, and how to position yourself as a competitive fellowship candidate in our newly-launched Fellowship Prep Perspectives video series.

Note: this resource is for IPhO members only. If you are interested in signing up for a membership, you can do so here!

Now in its 6th year, the annual VIP Case Competition has become a highly recognizable, signature IPhO program that provides participating chapters with an opportunity to develop a cohesive plan to bring a theoretical new molecular entity from ‘bench to bedside’.

Each and every year, chapter participation and submissions grow more competitive and knowledge of key industry functional areas for new product commercialization are critical for a competitive submission.

The top performing chapters from the 2020-2021 competition are hosting a series of Best Practice Seminars to help prepare IPhO chapters for this year's competition. Your chapter's VIP Case Competition team is strongly encouraged to attend one of the sessions below to learn:

• How best to prepare for the competition.
• How to optimize your participation and create a "winning" presentation.
• How to work together as a team to ensure a strong performance during the competition.