IPhO News

Filter By
IPhO News
Professional Development
Fellowship Central
Paths to Industry
Fellow Feature
Member's Journey
Coach's Corner
Student Leader Spotlight
Industry Pharmacist Success Stories

Fellow Feature

Featured Fellow: Nardeen Perko, PharmD
September 4, 2022

Nardeen Perko, PharmD
Alma Mater: Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (ACPHS)
Scientific Communications Fellow, Medical Affairs
Edwards Lifesciences / Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)

What interested you in industry and how did you prepare for your interviews?

I wanted a position that offered diverse responsibilities. I did not have the predilection for a static, one-track career and instead, I wanted the fluidity of having different tasks and intertwined problems for me to solve. I knew that a fellowship would propel my professional development at the pace I wanted to grow.

Read More

IPhO News

Meet Our 2022 Diversity Scholarship Recipients!
August 27, 2022

For the past two years, IPhO has partnered with organizations that are committed to the professional development and advancement of underrepresented PharmD students.

As part of this important initiative in 2022, scholarships were provided to 39 Black, Hispanic, and Native American student pharmacists, who now have access to a year of IPhO Membership, Annual Meeting Registration, and a suite of Fellowship preparation resources.

Congratulations to this year's scholarship recipients, and thank you to the generous scholarship supporters below:

Read More

IPhO News

2022 Annual Meeting Instagram Giveaway
August 8, 2022

Believe it or not, this year's Annual Meeting is 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 2022" Giveaway post (to be made at 12 PM ET on August 9, 2022).
  • 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 16.
  • 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 12, at midnight ET. Good luck!

Read More

IPhO News

Three New Schools Join the Growing IPhO Student Chapter Network!
August 4, 2022

We are pleased to announce that Wingate University School of Pharmacy, Appalachian College of Pharmacy, and Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel School of Pharmacy have joined our growing 100 chapter network!

Congratulations to the student pharmacists at these three schools! 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!

Read More

Fellow Feature

Featured Fellow: Kevin Darko, PharmD
July 28, 2022

Kevin Darko, PharmD
Alma Mater: The University of Tennessee
Fellowship Sponsor Company/Affiliation: UCB/IPhO
Fellowship Duration: 2 Years (2022—2024)
UCB Function/Discipline: Global Regulatory Affairs
IPhO Function/Discipline: Fellow Co-Lead, Diversity & Representation National Initiative

Why did you choose Regulatory Affairs as your functional area?

When I started pharmacy school, I knew that my goal was to pursue a career within the pharmaceutical industry, due to my experience working in a drug synthesis lab for two years during my undergraduate education at Bowie State University. However, my decision to pursue a career in Regulatory Affairs was made during my third year of pharmacy school when I enrolled in the Duke Office of Regulatory Affairs training program. I gained an in-depth look into the drug development process, FDA meetings, and how FDA drug regulation impacts drug development strategy applied in clinical studies. Seeing firsthand how collaborative Regulatory Affairs was as a functional area, and how Regulatory Affairs professionals were involved during every step of the drug development process, truly solidified my decision as I’m an individual who must see how all the pieces come together to lead to great results. Regulatory is also an enriching career path because it’s our job to ensure we can stay compliant with regulations and provide safe and effective products for patient use worldwide. One of my top priorities in life is to do impactful work, and Regulatory is a career field filled with impact!

Read More

Industry Pharmacist Success Stories

An Interview with Jerald Grace, PharmD
July 26, 2022

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.

Read More

Fellow Feature

Featured Fellow: Osamagbe (Osa) V. Woghiren, PharmD
July 21, 2022

Osamagbe (Osa) V. Woghiren, PharmD
Alma Mater: Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU)
Fellowship Sponsor Company/Affiliation: UCB/IPhO
Fellowship Duration: 2 Years (2022—2024)
UCB Function/Discipline: Patient Safety
IPhO Function/Discipline: Fellow Co-Lead, Diversity & Representation National Initiative

Why are you passionate about the pharmaceutical industry?

My passion stems from my experience having lived on different continents and being exposed to varying levels of healthcare and the disparities that exist among them. Working in the Pharmaceutical Industry gives me a worldwide approach to healthcare, which I love. By applying my clinical knowledge and innovative strategies, I can impact patient care globally.

Read More

IPhO News

Fellowship Recruiting: AIFA Consensus Statement
July 20, 2022

IPhO is pleased to share the following consensus statement on behalf of the newly-formed Academic Industry Fellowship Alliance (AIFA).

This decision is a step in the right direction to bring stability to a marketplace in which offers were trending earlier each year—as early as the beginning of November—which is 8 months before the Fellowship start date.

AIFA programs offer more than 70% of available fellowship positions. It is not known at this time what the offer timing will be for the other 25-30% of programs. Some may make offers earlier, some may agree to the December 7 timing, while others will extend offers later or even "off cycle."

Class of 2023 students are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming IPhO Annual Meeting from September 9-11 for information on program updates. Students should also follow IPhO news posts/email announcements to learn more.


Consensus Statement:

Recognizing that the choice of a Post-Doctoral Industry Fellowship is an important decision, the Academic Industry Fellowship Alliance (AIFA) has agreed to extend offers for Fellowships no earlier than December 7, 2022.

  • AIFA is comprised of Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Northeastern University Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships (RPIF), Saint Joseph’s University, University of North Carolina Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (UNC, DPET), and University of Southern California School of Pharmacy (USC School of Pharmacy).

AIFA sees this respect for candidate choice as a common aspect of the Program culture of each member institution. AIFA hopes that other academic and non-academic Fellowship Programs will respect this timeline.

Fellowship Programs interested in joining AIFA should contact any of the member institutions above via their Fellowship Program websites.

Read More

Industry Pharmacist Success Stories

An Interview with Paul Oyefesobi, PharmD, MS
July 19, 2022

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.

Read More

IPhO News

Chapman University Joins Growing IPhO Student Chapter Network!
July 5, 2022

We are pleased to announce that Chapman University has joined our growing network of close to 100 chapters!

Congratulations to student pharmacists at Chapman 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!

Read More

IPhO News

Class of 2023 Fellowship Preferences
June 21, 2022

IPhO recently collected preferences and insights from Class of 2023 IPhO student pharmacist members regarding Fellowship recruiting processes and affordability. These results are being shared widely to help support students and Fellowship employers in preparation for the Fall 2022 Fellowship recruiting season.

Read More

IPhO News

Thank you to the NFC members completing their fellowships!
June 20, 2022

As the 2021-22 fellowship year comes to a close, IPhO would like to recognize and thank its National Fellows Council leaders, who have dedicated time and attention to making the year's initiatives incredibly successful.

Congratulations to the following leads and committee members, who are completing their fellowships and accepting full-time industry roles.

Read More

Fellow Feature

Featured Fellow: Elizabeth Wilks, PharmD, RPh
May 23, 2022

Elizabeth Wilks, PharmD, RPh
First Year Rutgers/Pfizer Fellow
North America Medical Affairs, Hospital Business Unit


What made you choose medical affairs as your functional area?

I chose medical affairs because I like being the barrier between external stakeholders and the company. I enjoy being able to take medical information regarding our portfolio and simplifying it. I had experience working as an intern at Walgreens during pharmacy school and always enjoyed patient education. In my current role, I have been working on education targeted towards healthcare providers (HCPs) for a product in development.

Read More

Industry Pharmacist Success Stories

An Interview with George Jackson, PharmD
May 11, 2022
George Jackson, PharmD

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.

Read More

IPhO News

Introducing the 2022-2023 IPhO National Student Officers!
May 6, 2022

As we wrap up the 2021-2022 school year, IPhO is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 National Student Officers! They will continue the beneficial work done by this year's group and IPhO is looking forward to kicking off the new term with them in the coming months. We are starting with 95 IPhO student chapters (and counting)!

Congratulations and welcome to the following student leaders!

Read More

IPhO News

Thank You to Our 2021-2022 National Student Leadership Team!
May 2, 2022


The 2021-22 student leadership 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. These leaders worked tirelessly to ensure that all IPhO student pharmacists were well informed about the resources and tools available to them.

Read More

Industry Pharmacist Success Stories

An Interview with Kelly Wright, PharmD, MS
April 22, 2022

Kelly Wright

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.

Read More

IPhO News

IPhO Purdue Chapter Hosts 6th Annual Industry Pharmacist Symposium
April 21, 2022

IMG_1327

Co-Authored By: Rebecca Zhang & Nina Teo

On Saturday, April 2, the IPhO chapter at Purdue University hosted the 6th annual Industry Pharmacist Symposium (IPhO Midwest Regional Meeting). This event began at Purdue in 2016 and has become one of the most influential conferences for industry-bound pharmacy students in the Midwest region. This year’s symposium was a great success, with a record-breaking 113 student registrants and 11 different pharmacy schools represented! The theme of the event was “Better Together.”

Read More

Fellow Feature

Tips To Navigate Your Virtual/Hybrid Postdoctoral Fellowship
April 11, 2022

Fellows Article Header

Introduction:

Graduating pharmacy school and landing a post-doctoral fellowship is very exciting when it happens! Congratulations to all those reading this article that will be starting a new chapter of post graduate training. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fellowship programs don’t exactly look like what they did even just five years ago. This article has been written to provide some tips on how to navigate starting your post-doctoral fellowship in a virtual/hybrid setting.

Read More

IPhO News

Announcing the 2021-22 VIP Case Competition First Place Winner!
April 1, 2022
First-Place

During drug development, industry pharmacists are often faced with many challenges on the road to approval. Therefore, the IPhO VIP Case Competition encourages student pharmacists to practice these critical thinking skills in the form of a Challenge Point.

The Challenge Point presents a drug development obstacle in a unique scenario that requires innovative thinking and solutions. It was announced at the midway point of the competition.

Congratulations to Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) for excelling in all aspects of this competition, including the Challenge Point, and placing first in the 2021-22 IPhO VIP Case Competition!


KGI

Read More