IPhO News

It's a busy time of the year for our IPhO coaches, as most industry fellowship program application portals have opened. Year after year, the number of fellowship positions continues to increase, and so do the number of candidates.

Soon after the launch of IPhO in October 2012, I proposed launching an IPhO coaching service. At the time, we never expected it to evolve into one of our most loved signature services—there was nothing else like it for industry-minded pharmacists! We just knew that coaching and mentoring aligned with our mission to prepare IPhO members to be the most competitive candidates possible as they pursued their pharmaceutical industry career.

Listen in as Norris shares his perspective on pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry and more!

The IPhO Annual Meeting was hosted virtually on September 8-10, 2023, with nearly 650 student registrants!

The theme of this year's conference was Learn. Grow. Find Your Place. And attendees did just that! The meeting kicked off with engaging interviews with our Platinum Sponsors, during which students benefited from a deeper dive into many Fellowship programs, application processes, qualities to emphasize in interviews, and more.

Then, Friday evening continued with IPhO organizational highlights, a feature presentation on patient diversity in clinical trials, and the fan-favorite Fellowship stakeholder panel.

Interested in learning more about the different fellowship programs offered by UNC and sponsor companies? Consider signing up for our upcoming informational webinars using the QR code or on this link:

Registration Link

Please see the statement below from AIFA, whose Member Fellowship Programs collectively offer the majority of available fellowship positions. It is not known at this time what the offer timing will be for other programs. Some may extend offers earlier, some may align with the December 13 timing, while others will extend offers later or even "off cycle."

"Recognizing that the choice of a Post-Doctoral Industry Fellowship is an important decision, members of the Academic Industry Fellowship Alliance (AIFA) have agreed to extend offers for Fellowships no earlier than December 13, 2023.'"

AIFA Member Fellowship Programs include Belmont University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, LIU Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Pharmacy, Mercer University College of Pharmacy, Northeastern University Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP) at Saint Joseph’s University, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Rutgers Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships (RPIF), St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (UNC, DPET), USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy

"AIFA sees this respect for candidate choice as a common aspect of each of our Program’s cultures. We hope that other academic and non-academic Fellowship Programs will respect this timeline to allow for best program fit for candidates."

Morgan Loh, PharmD
Global Regulatory Affairs First-Year Fellow
Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease

Can you give a brief overview of your fellowship and its structure and value within your company?

The Global Regulatory Affairs fellowship at Alexion through MCPHS University is structured to give its fellows hands-on experience with a variety of regulatory specialties across several different therapeutic areas. There are three 6-month core rotations, which include Development Strategy, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), and Global Advertising and Promotional Compliance. In addition, the fellow can choose an elective, 6-month rotation within Regulatory Affairs, in areas such as Regulatory Labeling and Regulatory Intelligence. This allows the fellow to not only tailor their experience but also build a strong foundation as a well-rounded regulatory professional. The PharmD fellows at Alexion are widely seen as valuable assets, as we get to transfer our clinical and technical expertise to the biopharmaceutical industry setting.

Recently, representatives from the winning 2022-2023 IPhO VIP Case Competition student chapter - University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) - were privileged to attend the annual Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Think Tank Meeting in Washington, DC, as a result of a collaboration between IPhO, BCAN, Seagen, and Astellas.

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

The rules are simple:

• Follow IPhO on Instagram (@industrypharmacistorg).
• View our feed and locate the "IPhO Annual Meeting 2023" Giveaway post (to be made at 12:00 PM ET on August 7, 2023).
• Like the post.
• Comment on the post and tag three friends who might benefit from entering the contest/attending the meeting.
• Share the post to your story and tag IPhO when you do.
• Five winners who follow the steps above will be selected at random and tagged in an announcement post on August 15.
• 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 11, at midnight ET. Good luck!

For the past three 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 2023, scholarships were provided to 38 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:

Dr. Aaron-Albert Hargrove, PharmD
Manager - Central Clinical Services
Eli Lilly
LinkedIn Profile

What was your motivation to pursue the pharmaceutical industry as a career path?

As a student, I worked in retail and hospital pharmacy. I became engrossed in various pharmaceutical journals and medical reviews. The therapeutic indications were fascinating, however, the data never reflected on the everyday population that I continuously served. So, I immediately saw a need and I knew the pharmaceutical industry is where I could make the biggest impact.

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

Companies should continue advocating for DEI efforts. They need to realize that this is a movement, not a moment. Pamphlets/brochures with diverse ethnicities aren't enough. They should have diverse leadership on every level of the organization.

Dr. LaToya Benjamin, PharmD
Associate Director, Medical Omnichannel & Independent Education
Eli Lilly
LinkedIn Profile

What was your motivation to pursue the pharmaceutical industry as a career path?

I desired a career that provided space for me to constantly evolve, impact large patient populations and have a healthy work/life balance. Endless opportunities for pharmacists within the pharmaceutical industry were the determining factor. The only limitations are self-imposed.

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

Understanding that diversity includes everyone is the major key. Companies should continue to evaluate the reason and need for investment in DEI. Have those tough conversations and be vulnerable from the top down. If the desire to change is genuine to the core, the work that follows will align and eventually lead to the difference respective companies are seeking.

Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) is pleased to announce the release of a new publication: Number of PharmDs Entering Industry Upon Graduation from 2020-2022

VIEW NOW (See Scholarly Publications and Posters)

In 2022, 748 PharmDs entered the US-based pharmaceutical industry upon graduation. This represents more than 5% of all graduating pharmacists—and the number has been increasing each year!

The 2022-23 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.

Dr. Obi Okafor, PharmD
IQVIA Consultant
IQVIA
LinkedIn Profile

What was your motivation to pursue the pharmaceutical industry as a career path?

My motivation is to help bring new medicines to patients. The pharmaceutical industry provides an ecosystem to learn and discover new things and is dynamic, fast-moving, and at the cutting edge of technology.

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

Develop initiatives that will bring new ideas in. Create workforce pipeline programs with colleges and high schools to directly engage equitable and diverse talent. Encourage on-site visits and gap-year alternatives. Recruit and hire regionally and provide opportunities for students to apply for internships or experiential rotations at all times during the year. These initiatives will help the pharmaceutical sector remain competitive and grow stronger.

In a single weekend, IPhO chapters from across the country gathered for three collaborative events:

• IPhO Philly Chapter Conference, March 31
• IPhO Northeast Regional Meeting (NERM), April 1
• IPhO Purdue Chapter Industry Pharmacist Symposium, April 1

Students worked incredibly hard to plan events offering insightful takeaways and networking opportunities for all industry-minded attendees. And we're pleased to report that all three events achieved their goals! Congratulations to everyone involved.

IPhO is pleased to announce the release of two new publications that analyze feedback and opinions of student pharmacists, Fellowship applicants, and incoming Fellows regarding Fellowship recruitment processes and ASHP Midyear attendance.

These reports provide valuable insights not only for students pursuing a Fellowship, but also for Fellowship stakeholders who are planning for the fall 2023 recruitment and application cycle.

The reports below can be accessed and downloaded here (see Scholarly Publications and Posters section):

• Class of 2023 Fellowship Applicants: Recruiting and Midyear Findings
• Class of 2024: Fellowship Recruiting Process Preferences

Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) is pleased to announce the release of its first Diversity Initiatives Analysis! For the past two years, IPhO and its supporters have launched multiple initiatives aimed at increasing equity and inclusion in the pharmaceutical industry—including skill development opportunities and tailored workshops focusing on virtual interviewing, public speaking, and presenting for industry to help student pharmacists of color advance in their careers.

In addition, IPhO and its partners have awarded scholarships to students of color to enhance equity and access to a variety of valuable IPhO resources, including IPhO Membership, Annual Meeting Registration, and 1-1 Coaching.

The goal of this research was to assess the value of IPhO diversity initiatives and their impact on helping student pharmacists of color succeed in the pursuit of a pharmaceutical industry career.

VIEW NOW

One important takeaway was that, compared to the 20% national average of obtaining a Fellowship position, 55.6% of the 2022 IPhO Diversity Scholarship Recipients obtained a Fellowship position upon completion of their PharmD curriculum. This is an increase from the 44.4% of IPhO Diversity Scholarship Recipients from 2021.

In September 2022, 72 IPhO student chapters from across the country embarked on a six-month professional journey to create a drug development plan that would bring a theoretical new bladder cancer medicine to market.

This year's winning team did an extraordinary job putting together a comprehensive drug development plan and was especially impressive when justifying their thinking at key decision points throughout the competition. Congratulations to our winning team members for going above and beyond at every stage!

Team representatives will present their case at the annual BCAN Bladder Cancer Think Tank Meeting in Washington, DC this August.

Vivi Le, PharmD
Pharmaceutical Marketing Fellow - Copywriter
RevHealth

Can you give a brief overview of your fellowship and its structure and value within your company?

Pharmaceutical marketing Fellows at RevHealth have the opportunity to rotate between two main areas: content development and account services. Content development works internally to develop promotional/educational materials, translate scientific data to digestible messages, and help create concepts/campaign ideation for our clients. Account services is the client-facing role in which they work externally with the clients to develop strategic plans, formulate key competitive insights, and oversee development of marketing materials with cross-functional teams through promotional review. The PharmD Fellows at RevHealth are regarded as valuable additions to the team as we have the clinical expertise to ensure all messaging is scientifically sound.

In September 2022, 72 IPhO student chapters from across the country embarked on a six-month professional journey to create a drug development plan that would bring a theoretical new bladder cancer medicine to market.

Congratulations to our second-place winner! Our reviewers were impressed by this team's strong submission, collaboration, and attention to detail. This is a very well-deserved recognition!