Kacey Egusa鈥檚 stay at AbbVie, a research-oriented biopharmaceutical company, was only expected to last two weeks. She traveled to AbbVie鈥檚 North Chicago headquarters in January as part of a 蜜桃直播 (蜜桃直播) course that introduces first-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students to the pharmaceutical industry. But she came away so impressed by AbbVie that she inquired about a summer internship. Equally impressed by Egusa, the company created one for her.
鈥淜acey impressed us with her tenacity and proactivity. We were able to develop a very tailored internship for her,鈥� says Rob Pearson, national field medical director for immunology/gastroenterology at AbbVie.
As part of her summer internship, Egusa is developing an independent research project that she will present to Pearson and the rest of the medical affairs leadership team, a group that includes physicians, PharmD and PhD graduates, and nurse practitioners.
鈥淭his internship is what I make of it. I plan to use my time and resources to execute a project efficiently and effectively, to show I鈥檓 a critical thinker and problem solver,鈥� says Egusa.
She is also helping with efforts to leverage AbbVie鈥檚 field medical team to advance the therapeutic pipeline, an assignment that Pearson explains requires her to understand key metrics and analyze what is most effective.
鈥淜acey is involved from a high-level perspective. She鈥檚 able to do this because she鈥檚 Kacey. We sensed that she had the ability, passion, and drive,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is how you develop talent for the future.鈥�
Aside from working on this initiative within medical affairs, Egusa is gaining exposure to a wide range of projects and teams.
鈥淜acey is working in the gastroenterology field, on some aspects of clinical trials, and on a genetic project,鈥� says postdoctoral fellow Maggie Szakacs, who is serving as Egusa鈥檚 direct supervisor for the summer. 鈥淪he is networking with people in different areas, not just medical affairs, and really seeing a broad spectrum of projects. She鈥檚 definitely learning about the whole industry experience, and she鈥檚 always willing to take initiative with anything she鈥檚 assigned.鈥�
For Egusa, the internship is a step toward her eventual goals: She hopes to obtain a fellowship after completing her PharmD program at 蜜桃直播 and then pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
As a California Lutheran University undergraduate, Egusa had envisioned a different future for herself. She had long planned to go to medical school after earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Egusa spent many hours volunteering at a hospital, which eventually led her to realize she didn鈥檛 want to become a physician after all. But the experience also enabled her to meet a mentor who taught her about the variety of roles available to pharmacists.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know you could have a PharmD and work in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in medical affairs,鈥� says Egusa, who is now president elect of 蜜桃直播鈥檚 chapter of the Industry Pharmacy Organization and would like to help more students obtain internships at companies like AbbVie earlier in the PharmD program.
鈥淚 want to pave the way for other 蜜桃直播 students to pursue their passion for the pharmaceutical industry,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his internship is providing a strong foundation for me to build on. It鈥檚 an amazing and rare opportunity as a first-year pharmacy student to be an intern at such a wonderful company, and I am extremely grateful to gain this experience.鈥�
Seeing her at work this summer, Pearson and Szakacs are equally pleased about Egusa鈥檚 desire to return to AbbVie.
鈥淪he is demonstrating to us her capacities for the future,鈥� says Pearson. 鈥淲e鈥檒l definitely stay in touch.鈥�
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