In my own words by Andy Canon, DPH-2 student

Throughout our time in pharmacy school, students are taught in-depth about the functions of pharmacists in community and hospital settings. While these career paths may be the most common for recent graduates, there are many more niches that pharmacists can fill within the health care system.

The newest organization at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy, the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO), seeks to educate the student body on how pharmacists can have an impact in an industrial setting, as well as other non-traditional paths within health systems. From medical science liaisons to project managers in research and development for pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists can become leaders in these companies and provide care to patients on a global level. As an organization we have invited numerous speakers from various pharmaceutical fields to educate us about possible career paths that we were previously unaware of.

One highlight was a UW-Madison pharmacy alumnus, Lisa Kreuger, who is currently completing a fellowship at Rutgers University. She spoke to us about applying to fellowship programs and how to build our resumes to be competitive. Fellowship programs are very similar to residencies but are related to work in industrial and academic settings instead of hospitals. Ed Elder, Director of the Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, housed within the School of Pharmacy, shared his numerous career endeavors in industry, giving us advice on what areas of the industry to consider pursuing and what it takes to work for these companies. Paul Roskowski spoke to us about his position as an industry relations executive for Navitus and the other roles that pharmacists can have in pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies, such as formulary development experts, client relations, and sales. Additionally, we were privileged to host George Zorich, a member of the school’s Board of Visitors, for a discussion about his career accomplishments and what to expect when working with Big Pharma.

In addition to speakers, members plan on trips to pharmaceutical companies for facility tours and career discussion panels. The first such trip was to Covance in April. Plans are underway to develop an annual event for the School of Pharmacy to advocate for and educate student pharmacists about non-traditional pharmacy careers. Scott Rajski, scientist and lecturer, serves as an advisor to IPhO and continues to explore new opportunities to offer students a broadened scope of pharmacy practice.