Research with PharmD?

[aleviya]

Does anyone want to do research or go into industry with your pharmD degree? If so, do you know what kind of opportunities are out there? I've found very few opportunities, perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. Any ideas?

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[Hels2007]

Actually, there are a ton of different options. I have worked as a student on research projects who got in major grants for large studies without having Ph.D., just Pharm.D. I've participated in a preclinical trial and a postmarketing trial. You can do clinical or preclinical research at either the academia or the industry. There are a ton of pharmacists working at Phase I and II trials, always some involved in any Phase III or postmarketing. Some do preclinical/bench science, but it's rare.

As far as other opportunities in the industry - the sky is the limit. Most people just think medical science liaisons and salespeople, but most people in regulatory affairs (dealing with FDA) are pharmacists, a lot of project managers and study coordinators are pharmacists (MDs are the lead investigators, but Pharm.D.s handle the design of the project). You can work in safety, or marketing, or business analytics, or medical communication as a Pharm.D. For example, http://pharmafellows.rutgers.edu/app-position.php here you can see some of the fellowships available, and there are so many more - you can even do public health type stuff as a Pharm.D.. Pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research - anything. That's why Pharm.D. is the best degree - nothing else opens such a variety of opportunities.

 

[HD Chang]

Thanks for the interesting link. Glad you posted something like this up.

 

[Hels2007]

Thanks for the interesting link. Glad you posted something like this up.

You are very welcome. I was going to put together a list for the different non-traditional paths a pharmacist could take, and different residencies and fellowships that may prepare for them, for my school, but I got too busy... I've explored a lot of them over the last year and at the ASHP Midyear I talked to a lot of the programs directly. There are so many things pharmacists can do within managed care, FDA, CDC, industry... it's not just the community vs. hospital.

 

[aleviya]

thanks for the great info. I will definitely have to look into all this some more but that link provides a great start. Thanks again.