The IPhO Podcast

On this podcast episode, we spotlight our IPhO Annual Meeting Premier Sponsor, the USC Mann Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program. We are joined by Michael Lim, USC Fellowship Director; along with former fellows Keya Patel, who transitioned from Gilead's Global Medical Affairs HIV Prevention Fellowship to a Global Medical Affairs strategy role in HIV Treatment; and Trey Graham, who transition...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, Alena introduces our newest podcast hosts: Daniel Ghattas, U.S. and Global Medical Strategy Fellow at Pfizer Oncology, and Una Mehmedović, Marketing and Content Strategy Fellow at Medical Leverage! Daniel and Una share their unique journeys pursuing careers in the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting how APPE rotations, internships, retail and hospital pharmac...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we are joined by Raj Shah, Associate Principal Scientist and Regulatory Affairs Liaison in Neuroscience at Merck, and Timothy Haji, Associate Director in U.S. Regulatory Affairs at Merck and former Rutgers RPIF Regulatory Affairs Fellow. Raj and Tim share how their careers in the pharmaceutical industry began, one through direct entry and the other through a re...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Earl Ettienne, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and Industrial Partnerships at Howard University, and a nationally respected pharmacy leader, researcher, educator, and mentor. As a child, Dr. Ettienne did not see the remedy prepared, but he witnessed its impact. After his godfather suffered severe burns, a pharmacist’s custom mixture hel...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we’re spotlighting the inspiring journey of Dalila Masic, PharmD, Regional Medical Director - T1D Immunology at Sanofi. In this conversation with host Alena Abraham, PharmD, Dalila shares her path from completing PGY1 and PGY2 residencies in critical care at Loyola Medicine to beginning her industry career as a Medical Science Liaison in cardiovascular medicine...

In this special episode of the IPhO Podcast, Waleed Elsweesy, Current National Student Officer for Marketing & Partnerships, sits down with Melissa Rodenbach, IPhO Vice President, Marketing and Communications; and Daniel Ghattas, Former National Student Officer for Marketing & Partnerships and current first-year Fellow at Pfizer in U.S. & Global Medical Affairs, Hematology/Oncology; to...

On this exciting episode of the IPhO Podcast, we’re shining a spotlight on the unique experiences of fellows working in one of the most critical phases of drug development: late-stage clinical development! Joining us are three fellows from the Merck Late Stage Clinical Development Fellowship Program: Vivian Tran, PharmD, Late Stage Clinical Development, General and Specialty Medicine; Lauren Dough...

On this special episode of the IPhO Podcast, we’re doing something a little different! Instead of featuring pharmaceutical industry leaders or fellows, we’re spotlighting our incredible pharmacy students—specifically, the top two winning teams from the 2024-25 VIP Case Competition: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (SJU)! Join u...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we’re joined by Bolu Oladini, PharmD, BCMAS, Director, Generative AI Medical Content Lead at Pfizer. Bolu walks us through his career journey, from starting in medical communications, where he mastered the art of storytelling, to his transition into medical affairs and his current leadership role. He shares how his passion for innovation led him to explore the...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, you'll meet Ajith Varghese, PharmD, Strategy Insights & Planning Associate Consultant. Ajith takes us along on his career journey, which began in retail pharmacy and has culminated in a successful transition to the pharmaceutical industry. He shares his advice on how to craft a standout resume that captures your unique skills and experiences, strategies for...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, you'll meet Alena Abraham—our newest podcast host—and say goodbye to Rita Youssef as she interviews her final guest. Alena chats with Rita about her inspiring journey into pharmacy, which was deeply influenced by her mother’s impactful role as a pharmacist in her community. She offers thoughtful advice on how to network effectively, including how to confidently...

On this special episode of the IPhO Podcast, we put our hosts on the spot! Long-time friends and co-hosts Sergio Gatoulis, PharmD, Senior Medical Director/US Medical Lead at Pfizer, and Alex Schepart, PharmD, MBA, Senior Director, Medical Affairs at Shionogi Inc. (U.S.), chat with fellow co-host Rita Youssef, PharmD about their personal career journeys, connections to IPhO, and how the pandemic in...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Marla Quintana, PharmD, RPh, a second-year Regulatory Sciences Advertising and Promotion Fellow at Biogen/MCPHS; Ibrahim Hegazy, PharmD, a second-year GRA/RAI Regulatory Strategy Fellow at Merck/Rutgers; and Lana Zaki, BPS, PharmD, a Rutgers fellowship alumna who completed her fellowship in Regulatory Affairs Global Labeling Strategy at Novartis...

An unforgettable milestone like a 50th podcast episode calls for an unforgettable guest—and once again, our team delivered! We are honored to welcome David Epstein, seasoned pharmaceutical executive, innovator, and trailblazer, to the show! Throughout his transformative career, David has led teams to develop and launch over 30 new medications worldwide. Currently, he serves as Chairman at Agomab,...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Irene Laurora, PharmD, Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Perrigo. Irene shares personal anecdotes from her career journey, starting out as a clinical research Fellow and forging her path to senior leadership in the pharmaceutical industry. She explores the differences between clinical research, medical affairs, consumer science, and...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, Coach Jerry, Architect of the IPhO Coaching Service, talks about his professional career and the circumstances that led to his commitment and contributions to students, fellows, and experienced traditional pharmacists pursuing industry practice. Jerry's professional career includes positions in sales, training, and marketing at Eli Lilly, Searle, and BIMARK Med...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Libby Shelton, PharmD, RPh, first-year US Oncology Business Division Training and Development Fellow at Daiichi Sankyo Inc./Rutgers; and Rachel Hawley, PharmD, first-year US Medical Affairs Fellow at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals/Northeastern University.   Libby and Rachel share personal anecdotes from their own fellowship application journeys, includ...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Farrell Simon, PharmD, MBA, Chief Commercial Officer for Trevi Therapeutics.   Farrell dives deep into his career background and what led him to pursue his PharmD and MBA. After spending a decade at Pfizer, he transitioned into his role at Trevi Therapeutics, and he helps address one of the most common questions we're asked by pharmacy students:...

Episode 45: From Community Pharmacy to Medical Information with Marise Khalil   On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Marise Khalil, PharmD, MBA, RPh, Senior Associate, Medical Information - Rare Disease Lead at Amgen.   Marise shares how her scientific knowledge and expertise in pharmacy practice have supported her transition to the pharmaceutical industry. She also breaks down the...

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Mohamed Elzokm, PharmD, RPh, MBAc, first-year Consumer Health Medical and Clinical Affairs Fellow at Bayer/Rutgers.   Mohamed shares a personal reflection on what inspired him to pursue the pharmaceutical industry, skills for students to highlight in interviews if they don't have industry experience, his positive outlook on encountering roadbloc...

Episode 43: From Fellow to Full-Time Role with Megan Kahleifeh On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Megan Kahleifeh, PharmD, Senior Manager, Global Medical Communications at Genmab. As Megan neared the end of her medical affairs fellowship, she began to explore full-time roles at other companies. Though it wasn't her original plan to leave, she found external opportunities that ali...

Episode 42 - Maintaining Your Network with Naomi Kozlowski   On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Naomi Kozlowski, PharmD, Regulatory Promotion Lead at Amgen.   Naomi shares how a unique leadership training experience in pharmacy school piqued her interest in the pharmaceutical industry, how she honed her problem solving and critical thinking skills, and the early connection that c...

On this episode, we're joined by Keroles Nakhla, PharmD, Principal Scientist in PK Sciences at Novartis. Keroles shares the experiences in pharmacy school that set him up for success, provides a helpful overview of PK Sciences, and describes his journey to discovering his passion for this unique functional area.  Plus, he talks in-depth about his transition from industry Fellow to full-time employ...

On this episode of the IPhO podcast, we introduce our newest host, Rita Youssef! Rita is the current Rotational Regulatory Affairs Fellow at Amgen in partnership with the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship (RPIF) Program. The Podcast team would like to welcome Rita and thank Brian Arana-Madriz for his hard work and dedication to the series for the past year.

On this episode of the IPhO podcast, we are joined by Josiah Moore, a current PharmD candidate at Mercer University and a contractor at UCB. Josiah shares how he made the decision to pursue industry, how he secured life-changing industry experiences, and his major takeaways as he began his industry work as a contractor.