School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to Launch Fellowship Program in Summer of 2018

The Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is preparing to launch a Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program in July of 2018. This 24-month program is designed to provide Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates with in‑depth, specialized training in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Over the last decade, fellowship programs have expanded rapidly across the U.S. as sponsor companies develop the next generation of industry leaders. Sponsor companies offer innovative, challenging, and promising positions to help reflect their needs in a rapidly changing marketplace. Each position provides significant experience in a real-world corporate setting, allowing the fellow to rapidly develop their business and clinical skills. Sponsor companies often use the fellowship program as their pipeline for future leadership talent.

“KGI’s Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program will provide an exceptional experience that meets or exceeds the expectations of fellows, faculty, and company stakeholders,” said Bernard Tyrrell, associate dean for industry and pharmacy relations in the KGI School of Pharmacy. “We will be establishing relationships of collaboration and trust, which will help meet the evolving needs of our fellows, faculty, and industry colleagues, while supporting the goals of each.”

KGI, in concert with the sponsor companies, plans to offer fellowships in the following areas: Biomarker Development, Clinical Research, Clinical Supply Chain, Clinical Documentation (Medical Writing), Medical Affairs, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, Quality Assurance, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, and Clinical Marketing.

KGI’s Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program will also provide professional development, intensive hands-on training, and exposure to a variety of industry- and academia-based opportunities. At KGI, the fellow will have the opportunity to gain teaching and research experience in an academic setting. KGI faculty and company program leaders will mentor fellows according to their scholarly and professional interests throughout their program.

As a clinical adjunct assistant professor at KGI, each fellow will have opportunities to develop, coordinate, and teach courses as part of the pharmacy curriculum; co-precept students on advanced experiential rotations; create and publish scholarly research and/or review articles; present data at scientific and clinical meetings; and participate in professional development seminars with other fellows and residents from KGI affiliate programs.

“We know that this new program will enrich and support PharmD fellows toward a successful career in the biopharmaceutical industry,” said Kathy Webster, founding dean and professor in the KGI School of Pharmacy. “We are excited to be among a handful of PharmD programs on the West Coast to offer such a program.”

To learn more about KGI’s Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program, and how to get involved as a sponsor company or PharmD fellow, visit kgi.edu/fellowships.