The Pharmacist / Fall-Winter 2023 / Volume 1 / Issue 1

More documents

Recommendations

Info

HOW UIC PHARMACY MET BOOMING INTEREST IN INDUSTRY CAREERS B Y M I C H A E L D H A R As interest in the pharmaceutical industry has surged among pharmacy grads, UIC Pharmacy has excelled in preparing students for this rewarding nontraditional path. This year, the college rose to number two nationally in placing students in highly competitive pharmaceutical industry fellowships. That remarkable achievement comes despite the geographical advantages of rival East Coast schools, said Dr. Glen Schumock, dean of the college. In the rankings from the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO), UIC placed 35 fellows, edging out the University of North Carolina and Northeastern University, which tied for third at 29. Rutgers placed first with 72 fellowships, while St. John’s University rounded out the top 5 with 27 placements. The rankings include 122 schools. 12 THE PHARMACIST PHARMACY.UIC.EDU
MIDWEST’S BEST Standing shoulder to shoulder with schools on the East Coast, where the pharma industry is concentrated, makes UIC’s achievement even more impressive, Schumock said. Those institutions frequently work with pharmaceutical companies to develop these very fellowships. So while UIC runs five industry fellowships with pharma companies, places like Rutgers and the University of Massachusetts collaborate on 100 or more—with the networking advantages that entails. “Their students certainly have an advantage because they’re at that school already,” Schumock said. “They know the ins and outs. They know who to talk to, and they may have even worked in the pharmaceutical company, so to be number two on this list really speaks volumes for our students and our program.” SOUGHT-AFTER GRADUATES Coming in at no. 2 also represents a rise through the years for UIC. In 2022, the college placed third and has improved from number five in 2016–2017, when it placed 16 students in fellowships. Overall, that rise shows the success of the college in producing highly sought-after pharmacy graduates, Schumock said, noting that only around 1% to 2% of pharmacy students nationally earn these fellowships. “It’s a sign that the training that they get here is valued by pharmaceutical industry.” UIC has helped prepare its grads in a number of ways, from providing a uniquely strong clinical foundation to offering pharmaceutical-related electives—including marketing and managed care—not available at other schools, Schumock said. This fall, the school debuted a new industryfocused elective that will introduce students to the many roles, from medical affairs to health economics, a pharmacy grad could take in industry. Students learn directly from professionals in the field, with speakers visiting weekly to discuss their roles—and provide networking opportunities. Guest lecturers come from some of the biggest pharma companies, drawing from UIC’s connections with high-ranking experts. This year, UIC College of Pharmacy rose to NUMBER TWO nationally in placing students in highly competitive pharmaceutical industry fellowships “We had a couple of vice presidents of departments come to talk. We have global directors,” said Dr. Brad Bartels, UIC Pharmacy clinical assistant professor and coordinator for the course. “We were able to get a lot of very, very important people, very knowledgeable people.” (The course also continues to seek alumni interested in participating.) Bartels said he hopes the new elective gives students a clearer view of what pharma work entails. “In reality, the process of creating a drug and getting it onto market could take 20 years, 30. There’s a lot of people involved in the process, a lot of different departments.” SWEET HOME CHICAGO The course draws on another strength at UIC: the college’s connections to local companies. Though it doesn’t rival the East Coast, the Chicago area has a much higher concentration of pharma corporations than most other places in the country, Schumock said. “Our students get experience at those companies in the summer. They do internships, or they do their clerkship rotations,” Schumock said. “That also becomes part of their resume or CV . . . when they apply for these positions.” Dr. Sam Hong, PharmD ’19, director of global health economics and outcomes research at cancer diagnostics company Agilent Technologies, agreed about the college’s geographic advantages. UIC is uniquely positioned in that the school’s location gives students access to experiences [in] more traditional pharmacy routes, but at the same time, there are pharma companies . . .
Page 1 and 2: the harmacist FALL/WINTER 2023 | VO
Page 3 and 4: 8 4 20 EDITORIAL CREDITS PUBLISHER
Page 5 and 6: standard for pharmaceutical care ac
Page 7 and 8: Dr. ZACKERY P. BULMAN is the recipi
Page 9 and 10: Student pharmacist SAM FORDJOUR was
Page 11 and 12: EXCELLENT OUTCOMES AND BEEN ABLE TO
Page 13: AIM TO SEE EVERY NEW INTAKE WITHIN
Page 17 and 18: ANDSTAYCONNECTED REIGNITETHEFLAME!
Page 19 and 20: Ten Years gram BY LAURA HAYES Inter
Page 21 and 22: IN MEMORIAM LEONARD R. GROENEVELD,
Page 23 and 24: WEDDINGS SEP 23 CHRIS SAFFORE, Phar

The Pharmacist / Fall-Winter 2023 / Volume 1 / Issue 1

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?