The Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University is partnering with Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest company devoted entirely to human vaccines, to offer a two-year industry pharmacy fellowship program for doctor of pharmacy graduates. The Sanofi Pasteur /Wilkes University Industry Pharmacy Fellowship program is a comprehensive experience that will allow doctor of pharmacy graduates to gain exposure in pharmacovigilance for vaccines.
A primary goal of the new fellowship is to provide recipients with training and experiences in global pharmacovigilance that will prepare them for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry monitors, assesses and communicates safety information throughout a product’s lifecycle, with the aim of enhancing patient care and safety. These activities are referred to as pharmacovigilance. At Sanofi Pasteur, the Global Pharmacovigilance Department is responsible for these activities.
Students in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy will benefit from interaction with the fellow, who will serve as an adjunct faculty member in the school. In addition to teaching, the fellow will precept pharmacy students and direct presentations and projects. The fellow will be a primary resource to the student chapter of Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO). The program was conceptualized and developed by Phil Loscombe, Pharm.D. pharmacovigilance science manager and fellowship director at Sanofi Pasteur and Edward Foote, Pharm.D., professor and former chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wilkes University. Judith Kristeller will serve as the new fellowship director at Wilkes University.
Joshua Pillay, Pharm.D., was recruited as the first fellow in the summer of 2017. Pillay is a 2017 doctor of pharmacy graduate of Temple University. Natalya Romanyak, Pharm.D., is the second fellow starting in the summer of 2018. She is a 2018 graduate of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
“As my alma mater, I can attest to the quality and caliber of the pharmacy doctorate program at Wilkes University,” Loscombe said. “It is an honor to partner with them and we hope to build a strong network and long‐standing legacy through this fellowship program. From the safety surveillance of early clinical stages through post-marketing, this fellowship offers a unique opportunity for a recent graduate to gain exposure to the entire lifecycle of a vaccine. My hope is the fellow’s experience gained through this program will be the catalyst for a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Sanofi Pasteur in delivering this fellowship program. The importance of medication safety in overall health outcomes and health economics cannot be overstated,” said Scott Stolte, dean of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. “In addition, we feel the expertise of the fellow will directly benefit our students in the classroom and in their practice of pharmacy. We look forward to providing this exciting opportunity for years to come.”
The two-year, paid fellowship, based at Sanofi Pasteur’s Swiftwater, Pa., site, includes an on-boarding period to ease the transition of the fellow into a pharmaceutical company with global reach. After the on-boarding period, the fellow will have the opportunity to experience all facets of industry ranging from research and development to regulatory affairs. Throughout the program, the fellow is mentored by a team that includes representatives from Sanofi Pasteur who serve as directors, preceptors and mentors for the fellowship, and a member of the faculty in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes.
The fellow will acquire a comprehensive foundation of the major concepts of pharmacovigilance, including global regulations and guidelines applicable to adverse event reporting, signal detection, and risk management. The fellow will be able apply their newly acquired knowledge to make visible and meaningful contributions to professional project teams. The fellow also will have opportunities to work on multi-disciplinary teams, strengthening communication and technical skills while networking with Sanofi colleagues in Bridgewater, N.J., and Genzyme colleagues in Cambridge, MA.
More information about the fellowship can be found at www.wilkes.edu on the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy page.
