New Fellowship Program with Alnylam
Pharmacy graduates interested in a career in the biopharmaceutical industry often look to industry fellowships to gain practical experience and a better understanding of potential career opportunities. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has partnered with Northeastern University and established a Medical Affairs focused, Post-Doctoral PharmD Industry Fellowship program. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a small biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, is leading the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) as a new class of innovative medicines, with a core focus on RNAi therapeutics toward genetically defined targets for the treatment of serious, life-threatening diseases.
Under the mentorship of Alnylam Fellowship Director and Director of Medical Communications and Publications, Annie Partisano (Northeastern PharmD, 2002; MS, 2010), fellows will have the opportunity to gain experience through a variety of rotations within the Medical Affairs department, including, but not limited to, Publications, Scientific Communications, Patient Advocacy, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, and Field Medical. The fellow will also have the opportunity for rotations with other departments within Alnylam including, but not limited to: Regulatory, Clinical Operations, Commercial, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, and Clinical Development. These elective rotations will allow the fellow to gain insight into the integral and strategic roles of various functions within Alnylam throughout a product’s life cycle.
Along with the opportunities at Alnylam, the fellowship will maintain a robust academic component through its partnership with Northeastern University. The fellow will receive an adjunct clinical faculty appointment at the University and through the leadership of the Northeastern Fellowship Director and Associate Clinical Professor, Mark Douglass, PharmD, will be engaged in various teaching experiences. The fellow will precept Doctor of Pharmacy students and collaborate with other faculty members on elective courses and lectures as a core function and expectation of this program. Participation in continuing education seminars and planning meetings designed to create a sense of community among the Alnylam/Northeastern University Fellowship community will also be part of the training. Furthermore, the fellow will have the opportunity to participate in a teaching certificate program offered by Northeastern University.
This past July, Alex Wei, PharmD, a 2015 graduate of Rutgers University, became the first Medical Affairs Fellow within this program. Within just a few short months, Alex has gained a greater appreciation for both industry and academia and has highlighted the importance of the fellowship program within Alnylam and Northeastern. As such, the program will be expanding and is in the process of recruiting applications for the 2016-2018 Medical Affairs Fellowship program. If you know of any interested applicants please have them visit the Northeastern University website for more information (https://bouve.northeastern.edu/pharmacy/fellowships/) or email [email protected]