Finding real-world applications in pharmaceutical sciences

Looking for real-world applications of the innovative work they are involved in at the Harrison College of Pharmacy, three pharmaceutical sciences graduate students stepped away from campus this summer for internships with pharmaceutical companies across the country.

Ibrahim Alfayoumi spent part of the summer in New Jersey with Merck while Tim Lai was outside Chicago at Abbvie. Meanwhile, Destini Thornton was in Boston with Takeda. Both Alfayoumi and Lai are pursuing the Health Outcomes Research and Policy program while Thornton is in the Medicinal Chemistry program.

Ibrahim Alfayoumi: Health Economics at Merck

Motivated by the opportunity to be a part of real-world applications of health economics and innovation in the health care industry, HCOP’s Ibrahim Alfayoumi completed a health economics internship this summer at Merck in Rahway, New Jersey. Alfayoumi is a graduate student pursuing his Ph.D. with HCOP.

Merck is a research-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative health solutions that enhance the prevention and treatment of diseases in both humans and animals. Merck has a competitive internship program for students to gain real world experience in various fields like human research and development, finance, marketing, communications, and more. The internship program aims to provide the resources to become adaptable and innovative to prepare students within the pharmacy realm.

“Merck’s work in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) has always stood out to me, especially their focus on using evidence to improve patient access and support policy decisions,” said Aflayoumi, “When I saw the internship opening, I felt it was a perfect match with my research interests and career goals.”

Merck’s core goals and objectives revolve around scientific innovation, expanding access to medicines and vaccines to the community, and committing to the patient first. The opportunity to work in this kind of environment stood out to Alfayoumi and encouraged him to pursue the internship.

“I’m looking forward to building on what I’ve learned in school by working on real-world health economics and outcomes research projects, said Alfayoumi. “I hope to strengthen my skills in cost-effectiveness modeling, data analytics, and understanding how evidence is used in decision-making across a global company like Merck.”

Looking ahead in his career, Alfayoumi would like to work in either pharmaceuticals or the biotech industry as a health economist, focusing on generating evidence that improves access to treatments while also informing various health policies.

With a natural curiosity and a passion for helping others in pursuing his research, Alfayoumi credits involvement with other research projects and the input of mentors for putting him on a course to intern somewhere like Merck.

“Dive into research early, connect with mentors and don’t hesitate to reach out to professionals for advice,” said Alfayoumi. “When applying, take the time to tailor your materials to highlight your passion for your interests and your fit for the company, especially if it’s somewhere like Merck where values and mission matter.”

Tim Lai: Real-World Application at AbbVie

Fueled by his desire to see the real-world application of health outcomes research, HCOP’s Tim Lai completed a Health and Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) internship with AbbVie this summer. Lai is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. with HCOP.

AbbVie is a pharmaceutical company that creates medicines and solutions to enhance people’s lives through research and innovation. AbbVie has a competitive internship program for both undergraduate and graduate students looking to gain experience in the pharmacy field. Their work primarily focuses on serving as an intentional pipeline into their early career development programs.

With this in mind, Lai thought that AbbVie’s mission statement and goals were similar to his own and therefore investigated the internship program. His own experience with research is what compelled him to apply.

“Having been trained as a researcher in an academic environment, I have always wanted to explore how our research in the outcomes research field is applied in the real world, especially in the process of drug development.” 

Through this internship, Lai wanted to understand at a deeper level the roles that Health Economics and Outcomes Research play in a product line.

“Specifically, I want to understand how the evidence we provide influences decision-making, when and how economic models are operationalized, and how patient-reported outcomes are integrated into the evidence-generating process.”

Not only did the learning of new research techniques excite Lai, but also the ability to network with a new team that has more experience in the pharmacy field as professionals. He was able to connect with interns from other aeras at AbbVie, including marketing and finance.

“I hope to play a pivotal role in influencing decision-making processes that improve patient outcomes, make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and align with patient needs.”

Destini Thornton: A focus on toxicology at Takeda

An opportunity to work in toxicology and further her work in botanical-drug interactions, HCOP graduate student Destini Thornton spent the summer completing an internship with Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Boston, Massachusetts.

Takeda is a global biopharmaceutical company that pursues research in various therapeutic areas like oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology. Takeda’s internships are committed to enhancing student career paths through building leadership skills and developing their connections, giving interns meaningful, hands-on work that involve research and operational activities to prepare students in the field.

For Thornton, she was drawn to the internship because of Takeda’s research profile, including work in cytotoxic evaluations, cell-culture-based assays and basic molecular biology techniques, all of which her own research consisted of.

“I saw that Takeda had an Investigative Toxicology position that required the applicant to have experience that aligned with my current research. Specifically, the position required cell culturing experience, cell-culture-based assays, cytotoxic evaluations, and other basic molecular biology techniques,” said Thornton, “These are all techniques that I am proficient in because my research focuses on various botanical-drug interactions on the cellular and molecular level.”

Thornton received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Columbus State in 2022, and has since worked in the lab of Dr. Angela Calderón while pursuing her Ph.D. at HCOP in the medicinal chemistry option. Having so much research experience, she was interested in seeing what the experience was like in the industry.

“Industry research is very different from academic research, and I am excited to experience the pace and approach of industry research,” said Thornton. “I am also looking to gain professional development experience, as well as this is my first time working in a professional scientific environment that may require different protocols than what I currently have for my research.”

With the internship at Takeda, Thornton wanted to bring the experience back to Auburn and also serve as a leader and mentor for the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists.

“My career goals are to become a well-rounded researcher with various experiences and knowledge that I could use to teach and mentor the next generation of scientists either academically or in an industrial setting,” said Thornton. “I feel that my personal and professional experiences can always be applied to challenging future endeavors so I am excited to approach this new chapter at Takeda.”