The West Virginia University School of Pharmacy is partnering with a leading healthcare consultancy to offer a new pre-doctoral fellowship that bridges the gap between academia and industry.
The collaboration between the School of Pharmacy and AESARA, a Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) and Market Access (MA) consulting company, will provide graduate students with hands-on training in this growing area while allowing them to consult with top worldwide pharmaceutical companies on outcomes research and reimbursement and access strategies.
The pre-doctoral fellowship is housed in the School’s Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy (PSP), chaired by Dr. Khalid Kamal. Fellows will be mentored by experienced faculty members in a robust learning environment while gaining direct consulting experience working alongside seasoned professionals from AESARA.
“Overall, this program will enhance the knowledge and real-world experience of the fellow and enhance the understanding of the integration of health outcomes research and access considerations within the pharmaceutical industry, said Dr. Kamal. “In addition, the fellow will get a better understanding of how HEOR/MA consulting groups effectively communicate and interact with pharmaceutical companies and gain an overview of how projects are initiated, conducted and finalized.”
The first recipient of the pre-doctoral fellowship is Maryam Pathan, a current third-year graduate student in the School of Pharmacy’s Health Services and Outcomes Research (HSOR) Doctoral program. Pathan officially began her fellowship on February 3—she will divide her time equally between the PSP Department at WVU and AESARA over the next 18 months.
The cross-industry mentorship will help Pathan gain insights from research and consulting perspectives. It will prepare her to pursue leadership roles in academia, government, and private-sector organizations.
“Maryam is a great choice for the inaugural AESARA/WVU pre-doctoral fellow. She brings both strategic thinking and analytical skills that AESARA can integrate into our current and future work,” said Richard Stanford, vice president of strategic partnerships for AESARA. “We are excited to have her as a member of our team and look forward to continued collaboration with the WVU School of Pharmacy.”