September
5, 2003
Alumnae
Offer Students an Insider’s Look at the Pharmaceutical Industry
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Photo:
Fred LeBlanc
(left
to right) Lisa Frey ’91, Katherine E. Brighty ’78,
Georgina M. Nemecek ’68, Genny Boice ’00, and
Michelle Bahlin Plamondon ’97 discuss the importance
of research experience in landing a position in the pharmaceutical
industry. |
Lisa
Frey ’91, a research fellow at Merck, knows firsthand how
crucial alumnae contacts are for students. “I found the
job-search process extremely overwhelming,” Frey remembers.
“Then I connected with Ann-Marie Madar Campbell ’89,
who was working at Merck. Having a connection to someone in the
pharmaceutical industry was invaluable. Now I’m hoping to
offer useful advice to students considering the industry, either
as a career or for experience before graduate school.”
This summer, Frey
did just that, joining four other alumnae—all former chemistry
majors—for a panel discussion designed to offer an insider’s
look at careers in the pharmaceutical industry. Organized by the
development office in conjunction with the chemistry department,
the event was moderated by department chair Sean Decatur. The
five panelists represented three of the world’s largest
pharmaceutical companies: Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer. And their
combined experience spanned all stages of the drug-creation process,
from experimenting with promising compounds to leading teams that
bring drugs to market. The event, held in Kendade Hall, was attended
by close to 35 students who took time out from their summer lab
work to hear about careers that alumnae described as “exciting,”
“exhilarating,” and “challenging.”
Katherine E. Brighty ’78, a research adviser at Pfizer,
chronicled her journey from Mount Holyoke to Harvard University
to Pfizer. “The majority of Ph.D. chemists go straight to
graduate school,” she noted. “But others work in industry
first. And others take a more circuitous route. I have a friend
who was a plumber before getting a Ph.D.” Brighty emphasized
the importance of finding the right fit when looking for a job.
“I interviewed at 14 companies—each was different.
Don’t let anyone tell you what is right for you. Go with
your heart.”
Genny Boice ’00, a chemist at Merck, echoed that theme,
urging students to “choose the work you think is most interesting
when you have more than one offer.” Along with encouraging
students to use the resources of the Career Development Center,
Boice also advised students to be prepared to talk about their
research. “Write up an abstract.
Be prepared to send it in,” Boice said. “And be ready
to give a brief seminar about your research to a prospective employer.”
Michelle Bahlin Plamondon ’97 described switching tracks
within the industry. An associate scientist at Pfizer, Plamondon
began her career in analytical research and development, where
her duties included checking for impurities and developing specifications.
“I liked it a lot. But I wanted to see more of the big picture;
I wanted to see what happened with the data I produced,”
she said. When an opportunity arose in regulatory CMC (chemistry,
manufacturing, and controls), Plamondon took it. She now helps
secure approval for worldwide clinical trials by providing data
to regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration.
Georgina M. Nemecek ’68 talked about a different type of
career change: moving from academia to industry. After graduating
from Mount Holyoke, Nemecek earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from
the University of Pennsylvania, then joined the medical school
faculty at the University of Massachusetts. She recalled that
when she was pursuing her Ph.D., graduate students weren’t
trained to enter industry. “But ten years later, when I
was leaving UMass Medical, I decided to give industry a look,”
she said. Nemecek joined Sandoz, a Swiss company, that later merged
with Ciba to become Novartis. Wanting to see more end results,
she moved from research into development. As a project leader,
Nemecek has led teams that have brought three drugs to market,
one for Alzheimer’s disease and two for Parkinson’s.
“In project management, when teams are bogged down, we think
about where we are and where we want to go. Do the same when you
think about your career,” she advised students. “Think
about why you want to get there. If you get past the why, do a
gap analysis. How are you going to get there? What do you need
to get there? Also ask yourself the next question: Suppose you
can’t get there, what else can you do? What’s your
contingency plan?”
Despite their varying career paths, all panelists agreed on one
key to success: the importance of research experience. “The
most important thing you can do is get research experience on
your résumé—which you’re all doing,”
said Brighty.
And that, according to Ann Romberger, assistant director for corporate
and foundation relations in the development office, is precisely
one of the messages that the organizers wanted students to hear.
“We wanted students to be encouraged to pursue research
opportunities at Mount Holyoke, as well as internships in industry”
Romberger said. “We also wanted to give them an overview
of careers, since we know many students are unsure of the functions
of various pharmaceutical departments when applying for a job.
This panel reflects just one way that the College and its strong
alumnae network can team up to to give our students a competitive
advantage in the workplace.”
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