Occupation Station

Mina Tadrous began to understand what career would spark him while getting his Doctor of Pharmacy at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. As his career trajectory shows, Tadrous has turned that spark into a flame in many, many ways. You could say his main focus is on post-marketing surveillance of drugs that have been approved. It is crucial work that uncovers the hidden differences between when a drug moves out of the category of “tolerable” to the determination of the drug’s suitability for a specific individual’s needs. But Tadrous also finds great fulfillment in teaching. He has also become a thoughtful commentator regarding the rising costs of drugs. In this episode of Occupation Station, Tadrous talks about his career and offers advice to students on how to tap into the resources available to them at ACPHS. Bonus! Tadrous reminds us of a special “in” that comes with being a student.

Tom Long admits his career was not the one he’d dreamed of. He’d hoped to one day open his own pharmacy and while he did work in retail pharmacy for about a year after graduation, an opportunity came knocking that he couldn’t resist. Tom was recruited by Bristol Laboratories to become a technical liaison between manufacturing and product development. From there his career took off with increasing responsibilities overseeing the manufacturing, engineering, packaging and management of some of the biggest names in the industry. In this edition of Occupation Station, Tom, who retired in 2008 as senior vice president and general manager, manufacturing and operations at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Inc., talks about how his pharmacy skills gave him the baseline to jump into the challenging world of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Tom also talks about why the core values taught at ACPHS are vitally important in today’s workplace.

During her time at ACPHS Dr. Sema Hart, realized two things: she wanted to go on to medical school and she wanted to finish pharmacy school first! Dr. Hart talks about how her time at ACPHS helped her realize her dream. She is now an associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Working with babies and helping their mothers is a calling that she describes as one of the most satisfying careers there is. Dr. Hart also has a message for today’s students about maintaining balance between hands-on learning and the technology that is at their fingertips.

In this episode of Occupation Station, we meet ACPHS grad Brian Carroll, who had an extremely satisfying career for decades with Eli Lilly and Company before recently retiring. Carroll talks about how his pharmacy background gave him greater credibility in working with physicians as a medical liaison. He recalls what a typical day on the job entailed and how communication skills he honed at ACPHS were called upon to help physicians in their roles of helping patients. Carroll also talks about why pharmacy students were sought after when he was being hired at Eli Lilly and what pharmaceutical companies are now looking for now when they make hiring decisions.

In this edition of Occupation Station, Dr. Whitney Kirschbrown, a Scientist in Clinical Pharmacology at Genentech in South San Francisco, California, talks about her role in pharmacokinetic, drug interaction, and exposure-response analyses that help guide prescribing information in the drug label. Dr. Kirschbrown shares some advice for today’s students. She advises student to engage with faculty and staff at ACPHS and be open to the many opportunities they can help guide you toward.

In this edition of Occupation Station, Marc Watrous, Senior Vice President of Managed Care and Customer Operations for Genentech, talks about how he entered ACPHS thinking he would ultimately run an independent pharmacy in his hometown. Instead his career path took many interesting detours, eventually landing him in the field of Health Economics. Watrous talks what skills are hot in today’s job market and how his education at ACPHS helped him develop the skills he uses today.

In this episode of Occupation Station, Dr. Jo Carreno talks about his first visit to the campus (at age 16!) and how he balanced his studies with friendships and playing in a rock band. Dr. Carreno gives prospective students advice about making mistakes and learning. He also explains how he discovered that it’s not just about finding a position, it’s about finding the right position.

In this episode of Occupation Station, Dr. Thomas Garcia, Research Fellow in the Global Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls group at Pfizer talks about the exciting world of product development. Dr. Garcia, who is also an adjunct instructor in Pharmaceutics at ACPHS explains how his internship helped shape his journey and why he thinks mentorships are vitally important.

In this premiere episode of Occupation Station, Sanjay Gandhi talks about a typical day for him as he operates his two family pharmacies with his wife. He talks about the business of pharmacy and how important his education at ACPHS was in preparing him to fill the many opportunities now available in the changing landscape of pharmacy.

Dr. Helen Figge, Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer at CareFully Inc. and a member of the President’s Advisory Council, has an inspirational story with many interesting career changes along the way. In this two part episode, Dr. Figge talks about why she thinks the curriculum at ACPHS will give students the versatility to branch out in so many directions. Dr. Figge also has some great advice for students about listening, taking chances, and even growing through making mistakes. Part 2 of 2

Dr. Helen Figge, Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer at CareFully Inc. and a member of the President’s Advisory Council, has an inspirational story with many interesting career changes along the way. In this two part episode, Dr. Figge talks about why she thinks the curriculum at ACPHS will give students the versatility to branch out in so many directions. Dr. Figge also has some great advice for students about listening, taking chances, and even growing through making mistakes. Part One of Two

In this edition of Occupation Station Melissa Pavilack, Associate Director in Health Economics and Outcomes Research at AstraZeneca talks about her work supporting oncology products. She talks about why she credits much of her current success to her professors at ACPHS. Melissa is still learning; she is completing her Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from Rutgers University.

In this edition of Occupation Station Mike Canale, Team Lead for Maestro Care Willow at Duke University Hospital, talks about his responsibilities for the management and oversight of Pharmacy and Oncology applications using the Epic software system. Mike is an operational partner with pharmacy and oncology leadership across the Maestro Care Willow health system, serving as an IT liaison to several stakeholder groups. He talks about why his ACPHS clinical experience and problem solving skills are so important in today’s job market.

In this edition of Occupation Station, Dr. Jacqueline Grimaldi '12, Sr. Manager, CMC Program Management at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., talks about how research she began working on as part of her second year at Albany School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences helped shape her career path. Dr. Grimaldi talks about what tools she developed while a student at ACPHS and how she is putting them to work now at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.