The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page

ASHP MIDYEAR CLINICAL MEETING

The Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship (RPIF)

recruitment was carried out at the 2014 ASHP Midyear Clinical

Meeting, held in Anaheim, CA. Each year, the recruitment

session achieves new heights and this year was no exception.

Using a highly expedited interview sign-up process,

484 candidates were able to sign up for first round interviews

in approximately 3.5 hours. Overall, RPIF executed a smooth,

efficient, and successful recruitment of 67 new fellows.

Thank you to all of our partner companies, the Midyear

Committee, Company Lead Contacts, Technology/Website

Committees, Co-Chiefs, Dean Barone, Dr. Toscani, and to every

single fellow who made this year’s Midyear recruitment yet

another successful event.

IN THIS EDITION

The MBA Edition! - Pages 4-5

RPIF Webinar Series - Page 8

MARCH 2015 484 candidates from 86 schools of pharmacy

in 37 states interviewed with RPIF at Midyear

Midyear Highlights

Brittny Rule and Bryan Murray - Metrics Committee

484 candidates from 86 schools interviewed for 67 positions

2496 total interviews conducted

67 new fellows at 16 companies

36 schools of pharmacy represented by new the fellows

Rutgers (10); MCPHS, USC (5); UNC, USciences (4); St. John’s (3)

119 total fellows for 2015-2016

Dean Barone, Victoria Vazquez, Keith Fairall, and Dr. Toscani at the

Rutgers Reception

Fellows at the Anaheim Convention Center

Rutgers TOPRA Meeting - Page 3

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 2

NEW FELLOWSHIP HEADQUARTERS

ANNUAL SKI TRIP Fellows brave the cold for skiing and snowboarding

What was once an uninhabited laboratory filled with fossilized

containers of goo and an overwhelming amount of lifeless ladybugs is

now a bright and fresh space where many Fellowship ideas are ignited.

The RPIF Fellowship office has

relocated!

Don’t fret though, change is

positive! The new residence is

located across the hall from our

previous home, making our

official address room 407 in the

Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Building. The space

hosts three separate rooms, including a conference area, and is

home to Janet Lupo - Program Coordinator, Melanie

Mostrowski - Marketing Coordinator and Dr. Michael Toscani -

Fellowship Director and scholarly activity enthusiast! To ensure

all our guests feel welcomed, Dr. T. will often invite visitors to try a treat from his Italian heritage, a

torrone, which is a small square-shaped almond honey nougat. We encourage all guests to stop by

and say hello, you might even be treated to a torrone!

By Melanie Mostrowski, RPIF Marketing Coordinator

Over 30 current and past fellows attended the annual

Fellowship Ski Trip this February in the Pocono Mountains of

Pennsylvania. Fellows skied, snowboarded, and snow-tubed

down Jack Frost Mountain together on one of the coldest

days of the year. Coordinated by Benjit Singh and Agnes

Hong of the Community

Development Committee,

several people also stayed

overnight at a large ski house

nearby. Fellows played

games, enjoyed music, and

barbequed, despite below-

freezing temperatures.

Dr. Toscani enjoys the sunlight in

his new office

Program Coordinator, Janet Lupo at her new desk

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 3

FULL HOUSE FOR TOPRA MEETING

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy hosts regulatory affairs meeting at Campus Center

On January 22, 2015, the Busch Campus Center was filled to its limits for the first ever TOPRA and Ernest

Mario School of Pharmacy joint meeting. TOPRA, or The Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs,

is a professional organization for individuals working in regulatory affairs, which works with its members

internationally to enable and promote excellence across the profession. This joint event was organized and

coordinated with great efforts by Caitlin Lentz, a 2nd year fellow at Celgene.

Regulatory professionals from

over a dozen companies

gathered for presentations by

Kristie Ota (Bayer) and Rob

Kowalski (Novartis) on key

topics including regulating

safety biomarkers and

managing the regulation of

innovative therapies. This was

followed by an interactive

panel discussion featuring:

Rob Kowalski, SVP, Global Head, Regulatory Affairs and US Head of Development - Novartis

Carlos Langezaal, Director, Regulatory Affairs - Eisai Pharmaceuticals

Andrea Masciale, VP, Global Regulatory Policy & Intelligence - Janssen

Darshan Wariabharaj, Deputy Director, Global Regulatory Strategist - Bayer Healthcare

The panel and audience attendees weighed in on topics including the differing EU and US regulatory

perspectives, the future outlook of the regulatory landscape, and the changing role of the regulatory

professional. This event also included an RPIF poster session that allowed attendees to network while

examining research posters created by fellows. This well-attended evening was closed with words from Dean

Barone and Caitlin Lentz.

From left: Andrea Masciale, Chris Griffett, Darshan Wariabharaj, Kristie Ota,

Caitlin Lentz, Carlos Langezaal, and Rob Kowalski

The panel of regulatory experts drove an interactive discussion at the Busch Campus Center

For more information about TOPRA: ◊ To view RPIF research posters:

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 4

THE MBA EDITION By Joe Fiore, Pharm.D., 1st Year Clinical Development Fellow at Merck

Why did you pursue an MBA?

How valuable is an MBA in the pharmaceutical industry? Below, current and past fellows with PharmDs and

MBAs give their perspectives on how they have used their dual degrees during their careers and how they

plan to use them moving forward. Thank you to all of the featured contributors, as well as Alex Schepart,

Ashley Brower, Preston Noon, Shivani Gandhi, and Upasana Marwah for their support.

How have you used your dual degrees in your current role?

Continues on Page 5

I pursued my MBA in order to gain a better understanding of the global market dynamics

and their impact on business decisions. I do believe the knowledge gained while pursing my

MBA has assisted me with this objective.

I started exploring obtaining business acumen to understand molecule filing decision-making

and making more effective advocate R&D/regulatory recommendations. Through exploration

of various part-time and full-time programs, I came across one most suitable for myself. This was a

full-time executive MBA program that focused on obtaining working business knowledge,

advancing decision-making skills, and learning from other seasoned professionals.

Kinnari Patel – Global Regulatory Affairs at AstraZeneca

Pfizer/J&J Fellow 2005-2007

My role as the early stage development representative for various clinical programs requires me to use both my scientific background and business knowledge on a daily basis. I rely heavily on my PharmD training for the design, implementation and interpretation of clinical studies, and my

MBA training for strategic decision making and communication/collaboration in a multidisciplinary team environment.

My MBA degree has enhanced my understanding of how important it is to have all line functions working

together in achieving our business goals amidst environmental and internal changes. My training has enhanced

my presentation skills and the ability to present complex ideas to large and diverse audiences and to drive

cross-functional teams towards achieving a common goal.

The business education not only helps with presentation skills and stronger business acumen,

but it also permits greater understanding and communication with diverse business partners.

With the MBA, I am better able to recognize critical business insights and strategies that will

drive brand growth in the years to come.

Justin Dennie – Experimental Medicine at Daiichi Sankyo

Merck Fellow 2009-2011

Lincy Thomas – Regulatory Affairs at Novartis

Novartis Fellow 2003-2005

Keith Fairall – Business Analytics Fellow at Janssen

Todd Parorello - Vice President, Head US Regulatory Affairs at Bayer

Roche Fellow 1999-2001

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 5

A project in which your MBA was

especially helpful?

Would you recommend fellows in your functional area pursue an MBA?

Gowri Murthy

Associate Director, Early

Stage Development at Merck

Merck Fellow 2009-2011

I was selected for the Merck Fellowship for

Global Health, allowing me to work with an

NGO based in Delhi, India focused on last

mile service delivery of TB treatment and

utilizing an eCompliance technology to track

medication adherence. The project involved

market research to provide a strategy and

business plan on how they can scale the

treatment model using the adherence

technology in additional

areas in India and potentially

in other non-TB settings.

My MBA program provided me exposure to working with people with extremely diverse

professional backgrounds, which has helped me smoothly transition to US Medical at Pfizer, as medical affairs requires you to work with many different functional areas.

Bryan Murray

Medical Affairs Fellow at Pfizer

Matthew Klimek – Regulatory Program Director at Roche

Schering-Plough Fellow 2008-2010

Rather than recommending that you pursue an MBA, I’d tell a fellow that’s considering a

different degree to stay curious and pursue areas that are interesting to them- whether it’s

a certificate or degree in regulatory, public health, project management, or even in business-

If you’re willing to learn something new that will enhance and complement your pharmacy

background, you’re well on your way to defining your career success!

Nancy Nair – Associate Director, Global Regulatory Affairs at Janssen

Johnson & Johnson Fellow 2002-2003

If the fellow is only interested in pursuing a career within Regulatory Affairs, then I would not

recommend a MBA. However, I would recommend a MBA if the fellow is interested in pursuing

future opportunities in commercial or business development in order to round out the necessary

technical skills and to build that complementary business perspective which is generally

not obtained through Pharmacy school.

Degrees in Progress With a focus on group work, MBA classes have allowed me to refine my interpersonal skills. Dan Kim – Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance Fellow at Bayer My MBA courses have helped me better understand what drives a business and better gauge the types of decision making skills necessary. For example, we are currently playing the “MarkStrat” game, which will teach students how to launch a new product and manage the life cycle of a consumer good – principles that can be applied directly to the pharmaceutical industry. Andrianna Guo - Marketing & Managed Markets Fellow at Bayer The MBA also opens up doors in ancillary industries such as banking, consulting, and vendor services. These less talked-about ancillary industries play an important role in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, all successful executives have a strong background in finance which is the cornerstone of the MBA degree. Abel Zhu – Business Analytics Fellow at Janssen

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 6

The scholarly activities season is in full swing! See what our fellows will be presenting this Spring.

SCHOLARY ACTIVITIES UPDATES

By Caitlin Lentz, Pharm.D., Ronak Savla, Pharm.D., PhD, &

Sonie Lama, Pharm.D. - Scholarly Activities Liaisons

DIA Medical & Scientific Communications 2015 Annual Forum

Glendale, AZ — March 16-18, 2015

Poster Title Authors

The Use of Tablet Computers Among Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs): Trends Over 3 Consecutive Years (2012-2014)

Chrissie Chew, Jacob Reichert, Poonam Shah, Ruth Haile-Meskale, Eric Zhao, Michael Toscani

Emerging key opinion leader identification through bibliometric data analysis Arthur Graber

Analysis of Medical Information Standard Response Structure across Pharmaceutical Companies

Kristina Bundra, Evelyn Hermes- DeSantis

Assessment of PharmD Post-Doctoral Fellows Presentation Skills Emily Prince, Priya Ramachandran, Karen Chen, Evelyn Hermes- DeSantis, Michael Toscani

Comparative analysis of patient drug information resources and the trends seen in standardization of information on the internet

Vani Kumaran, Ronak Patel, Michael Toscani

Pharmacists' perspective of industry payments since implementation of the Sunshine Act

Vani Kumaran, Agnes Hong, Unicel-Anne Flores

Evaluation of the impact of pharmaceutical industry fellowship training on obtaining a field-based medical role

Nick Bires, Stuart Rhodes, Michael Toscani

The Role of Pharmaceutical Companies within the Adherence Landscape Nikolas Borodin, Prianka Singh, Michael Toscani

Evaluating Medical Information’s Potential Advancement of Clinical Trial Data Sharing through Lay Summaries of Results

Mindy Chen, Caitlin Lentz

Analysis of Medical Information Services Offered by Pharmaceutical Companies to Consumers

Tope Osiyemi, Kristina Bundra, Sonie Lama

An Analysis of Major Pharmaceutical Companies’ Twitter Interactions Pre- and Post-FDA Guidance on Social Media Platforms with Character Space Limitations

Sonie Lama, Tope Osiyemi, Khushbu Shah, Nikolas Borodin, Patrick Brooks, Kelsy Snyder

Identifying Best Practices to Improve the Advertising and Promotional Review Process

Alice Kim, Tara Pummer, Mark Rametta, Juan C. Nadal, Michael Toscani

Providing Feedback to Residents and Fellows (Oral Presentation, Tuesday 8:30am – 10:00am)

Evelyn Hermes-DeSantis, Emily Prince

Benchmarking the Use of Competency Based Knowledge Assessments in On Boarding Training for Medical Information Specialists

Sheena Gurai, Evelyn Hermes-Desantis

The PharmD/MD Program and the Value of a Dual Degree in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Khushbu Shah, Upasana Marwah, Kristina Bundra, John Colaizzi, Michael Toscani, Joseph Barone

Continues on Page 7

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 7

SCHOLARY ACTIVITIES (CONT’D)

APhA 2015 Annual Meeting & Exposition

San Diego, CA

March 27-30, 2015

Poster Title Authors

Evaluating the Correlation Between Insurer Provided Patient Support Programs (PSPs) and HEDIS Ratings

Meerat Oza, Mariam Abouhossein, Kyle Flannery, Michael Toscani

The Economic Viability of Orphan Drug Development: Strategies and Trends

Robert Klepacki, David Dalton, Ashley Brower, Michael Toscani

Identifying Trends in Enforcement Actions According to the FDA Office of Prescription Drug Promotion’s Risk Based Approach

Diane Javier, Jonathan Nguyen Diep, Michael Toscani

International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare

London, England

April 21-24, 2014

Poster Title Authors

Patient Medication Education using Wikipedia (Med-WIKI Trial) Victoria Vazquez, William Jackson, Danielle Candelario

DI-WIKI William Jackson, Kelsy Snyder, Victoria Vazquez, Timothy Reilly

The Journey to Optimizing Outcomes:

Advances in Drug Delivery & Design

Cambridge, MA

March 12, 2015

Oral Presentation Title Authors

Pharmacokinetic considerations for nanoparticle-based therapy Ronak Savla

To view RPIF scholarly activities, click here:

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 8

The RPIF Teaching Committee, in partnership with Dr. Toscani and Dean Barone, are piloting a new

webinar series geared towards teaching the fundamentals of the pharmaceutical industry. This 13

part series will be hosted on the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Website in the Resource

Center: http://pharmafellows.rutgers.edu/resource_webinars.php. Thirteen of our Rutgers Fellows will

be presenting on individual topics ranging from “Early Stage Clinical Research” to “Leveraging

Business Analytics.” The webinar series will be a great resource for students or any person looking to

expand their knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry.

Click here to view the newly launched Webinar Series:

THE RPIF WEBINAR SERIES: INTRO TO PHARMA

Some of the “Webinar’s Stars” at last month’s PDD

Also - Check out our newly

launched Instagram

@RutgersFellow

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 9

The Roche-Genentech fellowship group is excited to

have finished recruiting for the 2015-2016 Fellowship

class. Next year, we will be welcoming 8 new fellows

between our South San Francisco, CA and New York, NY

sites. With this recent expansion, the Roche-Genentech

Fellowship program now consists of six functional

areas including Drug Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Science

(Roche), Clinical Operations, Drug Safety & Risk

Management, Medical Communications, and Medical

Affairs.

We look forward to hosting the 2nd Annual Spring

RPIF West Coast Alumni Networking Session on

Thursday, May 21, 2015 in San Francisco, CA. This

event serves to foster our fellowship family connections

and is open to all alumni and fellows. Details will be

communicated at a future date. The Rutgers Fellowship is

soaring ever higher, coast-to-coast!

OUTREACH COMMITTEES COMING TO A CONFERENCE OR UNIVERSITY NEAR YOU

Organizational Outreach

Committee Chairs: Nicholas Bires and

Mike Stamatis

SNPhA Regions I & II

2015 Conference February 20-22, 2015

SNPhA Regions III, IV,

and V 2015 Conference March 13-15, 2015

APhA 2015 Annual

Conference March 27-30, 2015

California Pharmacy

Exchange (CPhA) April 9-12, 2015

Texas Society of Health

System Pharmacists -

Annual Meeting

April 24-26, 2015

The Rutgers Fellowship Program will be

visiting the following conferences and

universities this Spring.

University Outreach - Spring Visits

Committee Chairs: Jennifer Chiu and Chris Isibor

Auburn University

MCPHS Rutgers

University University of

Houston

California Northstate University

Mercer University

Texas Southern University

University of Kentucky

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Notre Dame of Maryland University

Touro College University of

Missouri

Florida A&M University

Nova Southeastern

University UC San Diego

University of the Sciences

(Philadelphia)

Hampton University

Ohio State University

UNC - Chapel Hill

University of Washington

LECOM -Bradenton

Oregon State University

University at Buffalo

Western University

Fellows visited the Golden Gate Bridge

in San Francisco, CA

WEST COAST UPDATE By Jennifer Chiu, Pharm.D., 2nd year Regulatory Fellow at Genentech

The Fellowship Chronicles | March 2015 Page 10

Stuart Rhodes Newsletter Co-Chair Stuart.rhodes@bms.com

Joe Fiore Newsletter Co-Chair

Joseph.fiore1@merck.com

Stay Connected!

http://pharmafellows.rutgers.edu/

Phone: 848-445-6498

Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers, The State University of NJ William Levine Hall 160 Frelinghuysen Road Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020

C O N T A C T T H E N E W S L E T T E R C O M M I T T E E

Want to get involved?

Contact us to write in the next edition of the

Fellowship Chronicles!

The RPIF website is one of the main communication

tools for many stakeholders, including fellows,

preceptors, partner companies, and pharmacy

students. The site has over 2,000 active users, of

which approximately 600 were 2014 fellowship

applicants.

T h e W e b s i t e

C o m m i t t e e i s

constantly making

updates and working

on collaborations with

other committees to

provide a seamless and interactive experience for

users by adding new functionalities to the site.

Together with the Teaching Committee, we’re excited

to launch the RPIF Webinar Series: Introduction to

Pharma.

Through this webinar, we hope to stimulate curiosity

amongst students and provide them with an

overview of what the pharmaceutical industry has to

offer for pharmacists. We are also looking forward

to continue developing an Alumni Portal along with

the Alumni Committee this year. Thanks to our

colleagues, there are many more ideas and

prospective projects we hope to get started on in

2015. Stay tuned!

WEBSITE COMMITTEE Max Nestor, Pharm.D. & Erikah Tran, Pharm.D.

Together with the

Teaching Committee,

we’re excited to launch

the RPIF Webinar Series:

Intro to Pharma.

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE Patrick Lui, Pharm.D. & Jacob Reichert, Pharm.D.

The Technology Committee worked to assemble the

interview sign-up system at ASHP Midyear

At the 2014 Midyear Meeting, a record 484

candidates interviewed for fellowships. This was

made possible by a complete overhaul of the first-

round interview computer system from previous

years by the Technology Committee.

The new system is user friendly, fast, and easily

expandable to support additional laptops. The

Technology Committee also provided laptops for

each partner company to use, allowing companies

to see a constantly updating list of first round

interviews. These system upgrades, along with the

help of volunteer fellows, resulted in the completion

of first round signups in approximately 3 hours.

Additional projects for the committee for the rest of

the year will include the improvement of the west

coast PDD experience through innovative

technologies and further tweaks to the Midyear

system based on valuable feedback received.