Your Path
To Industry
Starts Here

As ASHP Midyear draws to an end, industry fellowship programs are beginning to extend offers to candidates—some of you may even receive verbal offers during the meeting. If you are one of the fortunate candidates to receive an early or multiple offers, this is a huge accomplishment that initiates a time-sensitive, strategic decision-making process. The goal is to secure the best fit for your career while handling all communication with professionalism and courtesy.

We are quickly approaching the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting! For fellowship candidates, this is a career flashpoint, and the industry fellowship receptions are high-stakes networking events. Unlike formal interviews, these receptions are your chance to make a personal and professional impression. They are fast-paced and crowded. The largest is the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship (RPIF) reception as it represents a huge consortium of top companies—often over a dozen in attendance. It requires a targeted, highly efficient strategy.

1. Hyper-Target Your Research

With 10+ companies present, you cannot treat them all equally. You need to narrow your focus based on your application and interview status.

• Prioritize Existing Interviews: If you have PPS interviews scheduled with any Rutgers partner companies, those groups should be your first priority at the reception. Many candidates have already completed an initial phone screen and perhaps even one or two rounds of online interviews. Use the reception not just to introduce yourself, but to leverage those prior conversations and reinforce your interest. Connecting with current Fellows or Preceptors in this informal setting allows you to reference a topic discussed in your earlier interview, demonstrating continuity and genuine enthusiasm for their program, which can significantly boost your standing before the on-site interviews begin.

Alvina Okafor, PharmD
Sanofi/HUPIF
Global Regulatory Affairs Labeling Postdoctoral Fellow

Talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the pharmaceutical industry; what should companies be doing to continue making progress?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the pharmaceutical industry are essential for fostering innovation and ensuring that therapies meet the needs of diverse patient populations. To continue making progress, companies should invest in regions with high disease burdens, deeply study how those conditions affect local populations, and use those insights to develop more effective, equitable interventions.