St. John’s Alumni Offer an “Insider’s View” into Careers in Pharmacy What does it mean to take pride in your university? Simply ask any of the St. John’s University alumni who participate in the school’s Alumni Insider’s View program, a series of content-specific tracks and resources dedicated to helping current St. John’s students succeed in finding the best career possible. Participating alumni show them first-hand how to master job interviews, exhibit proper business etiquette and much more. The program goes beyond just basic networking; it immerses students in the behind-the-scenes world of a St. John’s professional. As the largest alumni chapter outside of the New York metropolitan area, the St. John’s University Washington, DC Alumni chapter coordinates the program’s U.S. Capital–Pharmacy Track, available to students in the St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Students receive an “insider’s view” into the various and diverse career paths in the pharmaceutical sciences through alumni-led panel discussions, one-on-one interactions and networking receptions.
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academic Pharmacy now Oct/Nov/Dec 2011
The two-day event in October 2011 began at MedImmune, one of the leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry, and included a Career Overview Panel featuring Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Pharmacy Founding Dean and Professor Dr. Anne Y. Lin, Colonel Dr. John Spain, deputy commander for clinical support at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Hiren Patel, regulatory health project manager at the FDA Center For Drug Evaluation and Research, and Dr. Robert Fuentes, senior director for medical information at MedImmune. DC Alumni Lead Chapter Coordinator Laura Cranston moderated the event. Providing students with the academic pharmacy perspective, Lin, who received her bachelor’s and doctor of pharmacy degree from St. John’s, spoke about how her academic career began—at her alma mater as a clinical faculty member. “I wanted to influence students,” she said, reflecting on why she chose academia. “I wanted to pay it forward and say ‘thank you’ to St. John’s.” Interestingly, each of the panel members spoke about being chil-