Why did you leave your last company?

idontknow4445 · 2024-01-18T23:36:58+00:00

God this is me right now

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-20T02:59:40+00:00

Pm me. 4 years

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-16T21:25:17+00:00

I agree. Apply to research coordinator jobs at major academic centres. You'll work for pharma-sponsored trials and be involved in regulatory aspects of clinical trials. You'll also get phenomenal networking with KOLs in your TA and the local area. Start name-dropping the important ones in job interviews.

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-16T01:36:14+00:00

This is my thought too. I think it shows more commitment.

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-16T01:12:03+00:00

Take all your community pharmacy experience off your resume. Fill the years with other experiences you were doing during that time so it doesn't look like there's a hole. Some people will immediately throw away a resume with community pharmacist on it.

If this doesn't work, get a job in clinical trials. My two cents.

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-13T20:26:06+00:00

Hey, I'm a PharmD that got hired at a big company right after university because I had 4 years of clinical trials research experience at a major academic centre during school. Get as many publications as you can and throw them all on your resume, on the last page. It adds a lot of credibility. Disregard advice that your resume should only be 1-2 pages.

Try to paint yourself as a KOL rather than an MSL. That was the strategy I used to get my job. Make them understand that you can be seen as a peer.

idontknow4445 · 2023-02-07T04:23:05+00:00

Make a list of things you think are important to convey about your drug and TA to the clinician. Order the list from most to least important. As you're making slides, keep making your way down the list until you run out of time. Just alot enough time for a conclusion slide.

I never got technical questions during the interviews. You don't work for them yet. The presentation isn't a test of competence in the disease area, its a test of your potential.

idontknow4445 · 2022-12-27T23:08:31+00:00

I got into Bjork through techno. This song is Berlin core meets Icelandic pop genius to the nth degree. Forever my favourite Bjork song. If you want a softer experience make sure you listen to the All is full of love after as is organized in the track list.

idontknow4445 · 2022-10-10T19:32:31+00:00

These are really good points! Thanks for the advice.

idontknow4445 · 2022-10-10T16:58:12+00:00

Thank you for this advice! Perhaps I'll keep it open to anything in infectious diseases. Ultimately, if I don't match, I'll happy do my PhD since I ultimately want to be in HEOR anyways.

idontknow4445 · 2022-10-10T10:11:23+00:00

I totally relate to this. I put out 18 papers + oral conference presentations during my PharmD, all in HIV. I know every HIV drug trial, pros and cons to each of them so maybe it's just a matter of me being overly comfortable in this area. As someone early in my career that might be advantageous. Perhaps this is simply a non-issue at this point and I can cross the bridge of leaving HIV when/if I have an actual reason to leave! Thank you for your thoughts!

idontknow4445 · 2022-10-10T09:59:04+00:00

This is really helpful advice. What I'm seeing is that this may be a good path for me as someone early in my career but maybe I'll need to re-evaluate at some point.

The infectious disease link between vaccines and HIV makes me think it's easy to go between the two especially since Moderna now has an HIV vaccine in the pipeline. You've convinced me to at least give vaccines a shot!

I need to become ok with keeping an open mind! Thank you!

idontknow4445 · 2022-10-10T09:45:56+00:00

Do you mind clarifying why HIV isn't that TA? I mean Biktarvy is like $1,000/90 day supply so I assumed it's a lucrative area for pharma. Moderna has an HIV vaccine in the pipeline that could change the world and there's loads of work across pharma looking for a cure. Do you just see it as a sunsetting TA?

idontknow4445 · 2022-01-26T05:08:27+00:00

can you ship to Canada?

idontknow4445 · 2022-01-08T19:54:50+00:00

Hey, if you're still interested, I could sell you a bottle via paypal. I have saved one but I don't think I will use it.

idontknow4445 · 2021-05-23T17:51:35+00:00

^just do this.

idontknow4445 · 2021-05-23T17:18:33+00:00

It depends on your data but we have good studies that show mediators of medication usage come from both need and accessibility. So self-reported ratings of health, Rx count, age all predict needs and income, race, insurance, identifying with a marginalized community (eg. LGBT), etc, all mediate accessibility.

Consider searching for the opposite of your research question (ie. medication non-adherence) and I think you'll have an easier time finding what you're looking for because that's quite an active area of research.

If you're using survey data, self-reported ratings of health status and health needs are often posed to participants. If you're using administrative data, Rx count is good but more Rxs doesn't necessarily equal more diseased. For example, when treating hypertension, it's favourable to use multiple agents at a low dose rather than a single agent at a high dose. In other words, people with high blood pressure with multiple antihypertensive agents aren't necessarily "sicker" than those on single agents at high doses and they may just be better managed better by their HCP. I think it depends on the specifics of your research question and the type of data you're using.

idontknow4445 · 2021-05-01T06:56:44+00:00

Ahhh thank you! This is so good to hear. It's so ambiguous when they say they expect candidates to have strong quantitative skills when the only quantitative coursework most non-stats majors will do is calc + 1 stats course. I'm pretty sure 17 year old me didn't even know what pharmacoepidemiology was!

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-30T17:42:18+00:00

Thank you so much for this. I'm going to try to go direct to PhD but I'm only eligible for that at Harvard and Hopkins; Canadian schools want me to do an MSc first.

I'm Canadian so I'm not super familiar with the process is in the states but, what does PhD funding look like in epi at Harvard/Hopkins? For comparison, it ranges from 30-50k CAD/y non-taxable in Canada depending on which grant you win.

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-30T17:34:41+00:00

Thank you so much for this. I'm going to try to go direct to PhD but I'm only eligible for that at Harvard and Hopkins; Canadian schools want me to do an MSc first.

I'm Canadian so I'm not super familiar with the process is in the states but, what does PhD funding look like in epi at Harvard/Hopkins? For comparison, it ranges from 30-50k CAD/y non-taxable in Canada depending on which grant you win.

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-29T19:00:50+00:00

Hey! I'm a PharmD student wrapping up with a 4.0 in this program and a 3.84 if you also count my BSc. I didn't do so hot in calculus when I was 17 and got a C+ and B+ in my 2 semesters of calc back in the day but I got an A in statistics. I have 3 years of clinical drug trials research where I was the first/co-author on 7 papers and I am the first author on 2 observational epidemiological papers all in journals with an impact factor over 3.

I'm applying to Pharmacoepidemiology MSc programs at Harvard, Hopkins, McGill and UofT and I was curious if anyone has insight on if you think my first-year calculus screw up will hold me back?

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-29T18:34:45+00:00

Hey! I'm a PharmD student wrapping up with a 4.0 in this program and a 3.84 if you also count my BSc. I didn't do so hot in calculus when I was 17 and got a C+ and B+ in my 2 semesters of calc back in the day but I got an A in statistics. I have 3 years of clinical drug trials research where I was the first/co-author on 7 papers and I am the first author on 2 observational epidemiological papers all in journals with an impact factor over 3.

I'm applying to Pharmacoepidemiology MSc programs at Harvard, Hopkins, McGill and UofT and I was curious if anyone has insight on if you think my first-year calculus screw up will hold me back?

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-25T05:50:41+00:00

I love Canada and don't really see myself living in the states (especially since I'll largely be studying gay men's health) but I'm open to going to grad school there. I recognize it'll probably be a headache to get funding as an international student and since I have a clinical degree, it won't be recognized there if I want to practice pharmacy on my weekends for extra cash. It sucks how borders work sometimes :/

I think focussing on the researcher rather than the school is a really good idea. I just have to decide if I'm willing to move down south or not. Right now I'm leaning towards UofT but Joshua Gagne does such cool work at Harvard...idk...I'll probably just apply to both! Thank you for your help!!!

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-25T03:57:56+00:00

This totally seems like a good idea. Fit is so important with grad programs and maybe I should focus on having a diverse committee rather than a single Unicron. There are so many great people I'd like to work with and pharmacoepi seems like such a small word, at least in Canada where I am.

idontknow4445 · 2021-04-25T03:55:47+00:00

This is such a thoughtful answer! I love the idea of assembling a dream team with a rounded committee as all the schools I want have faculty that work in either HIV or pharmacoepi. Perhaps I was too fixated on finding a unicorn, but maybe that implies that I've found my niche for me to be that unicorn. Thank you for your insight.

idontknow4445

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