6th Year Perspective: Industry Elective APPE with Pfizer

Featuring: Isabella Chow, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024
By: Isabelle Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024

Isabella Chow is a sixth-year pharmacy student at St. John’s University. She was involved in various organizations on campus, including PLS, Rho Chi, LKS, Crafts Club, and VSA. She held leadership positions in multiple pharmacy organizations, including IPhO Director of Communications, DIA Community Service Chair, and APhA Operation Public Health Committee Chair. She is looking to pursue a fellowship post-graduation in order to gain experience in industry pharmacy.

What interested you in the industry side of pharmacy?

I love the idea of the drug approval process and seeing a drug from the beginning to end of the process. Additionally, I am very passionate about medication access to patients, which I believe drug companies play a large role in. Industry pharmacy also emphasizes office work, presentations, networking, and communication. This appeals to my type of work ethic, especially in a dynamic and different environment.

Summarize your time at Pfizer. What was your biggest accomplishment while on this rotation?

My time at Pfizer was absolutely fantastic! I had the invaluable experience of speaking to many pharmacists and other healthcare workers about their work experiences and what they do at Pfizer. My biggest accomplishment was a successful final presentation on the newest updates to tuberculosis treatment.

What was the most valuable thing you learned from the Pfizer rotation?

The most valuable thing I learned at this rotation was about the value of connecting and networking with people. At every meeting I had with a Pfizer employee, they emphasized the importance of utilizing your connections in the pharmaceutical industry.

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently? What advice would you give someone who will be rotating here later?

I wish the rotation was longer! I had so much fun in the office and meeting new people. The advice I would give to someone rotating at Pfizer would be to make the most of your time since four weeks flies by really quickly.

What tips would you give younger pharmacy students that may be interested in pursuing industry or are unsure of their career goals?

I would recommend attending as many co-curriculars as possible, and join clubs like IPhO or DIA if you’re interested in industry. If you’re unsure of your career goals, hands on experience is the best way to understand your interests – I recommend pursuing job opportunities and summer internships within industry or institutional pharmacy, and I highly advise speaking to upperclassmen who have these experiences in order to make connections and understand various routes of pharmacy you can pursue post-graduation.

On behalf of the Rho Chi Post, we would like to thank Isabella for taking the time to share her APPE experiences with our RCP community!