The IPhO Podcast

On this special episode of the IPhO Podcast, we put our hosts on the spot! Long-time friends and co-hosts Sergio Gatoulis, PharmD, Senior Medical Director/US Medical Lead at Pfizer, and Alex Schepart, PharmD, MBA, Senior Director, Medical Affairs at Shionogi Inc. (U.S.), chat with fellow co-host Rita Youssef, PharmD about their personal career journeys, connections to IPhO, and how the pandemic inspired this very podcast nearly four years ago. You've heard their voices since 2021, now it's their turn to share their own experiences. Don't miss this fun and heartfelt episode—it's one of our favorites!

An unforgettable milestone like a 50th podcast episode calls for an unforgettable guest—and once again, our team delivered! We are honored to welcome David Epstein, seasoned pharmaceutical executive, innovator, and trailblazer, to the show!Throughout his transformative career, David has led teams to develop and launch over 30 new medications worldwide. Currently, he serves as Chairman at Agomab, where he continues to drive strategic initiatives and support groundbreaking advancements in the field. Previously, he led Seagen through a period of marked growth and success as Chief Executive Officer—culminating in its merger with Pfizer.If there's anyone who knows what it takes to rise through the ranks, push boundaries, motivate and inspire others, and enjoy a truly life-changing career, it's David. And you can learn from him by tuning in!

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, Coach Jerry, Architect of the IPhO Coaching Service, talks about his professional career and the circumstances that led to his commitment and contributions to students, fellows, and experienced traditional pharmacists pursuing industry practice.Jerry's professional career includes positions in sales, training, and marketing at Eli Lilly, Searle, and BIMARK Medical Communications. He currently holds the position Senior Consultant, Coach, and Industry Instructor.Jerry attributes his career success to using both his “right and left brain” to integrate complex scientific and clinical principles with creativity and communication skills to bring new pharmaceutical products to market. As an industry coach, he uses these skills to identify clients' strengths and weaknesses, match them with their interests, and prepare them for the competitive interviewing process. In this episode, Coach Jerry will also explain how he overcame his greatest personal challenge, living with a disability, requiring that he retire early from his day job of running a medical communications agency to find professional joy and success in coaching others to pursue their professional dreams.

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Farrell Simon, PharmD, MBA, Chief Commercial Officer for Trevi Therapeutics. Farrell dives deep into his career background and what led him to pursue his PharmD and MBA. After spending a decade at Pfizer, he transitioned into his role at Trevi Therapeutics, and he helps address one of the most common questions we're asked by pharmacy students: should I work at a larger company, or a smaller one? Hear his answer—hint: it's all about experiences—and learn how to tell your personal story in a way that makes potential employers want to know more. We hope you enjoy the episode!

On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Mohamed Elzokm, PharmD, RPh, MBAc, first-year Consumer Health Medical and Clinical Affairs Fellow at Bayer/Rutgers. Mohamed shares a personal reflection on what inspired him to pursue the pharmaceutical industry, skills for students to highlight in interviews if they don't have industry experience, his positive outlook on encountering roadblocks along the way, and so much more. This episode will help students prepare to break out of the pharmacy school mindset, to present with confidence and succeed on the path to fellowship and beyond.

Episode 42 - Maintaining Your Network with Naomi Kozlowski On this episode of the IPhO Podcast, we're joined by Naomi Kozlowski, PharmD, Regulatory Promotion Lead at Amgen. Naomi shares how a unique leadership training experience in pharmacy school piqued her interest in the pharmaceutical industry, how she honed her problem solving and critical thinking skills, and the early connection that changed the entire trajectory of her career. Naomi's journey is proof of the power of building and maintaining your network—in pharmacy school and beyond.

On this episode of the IPhO podcast, we introduce our newest host, Rita Youssef! Rita is the current Rotational Regulatory Affairs Fellow at Amgen in partnership with the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship (RPIF) Program. The Podcast team would like to welcome Rita and thank Brian Arana-Madriz for his hard work and dedication to the series for the past year.

On this episode of the IPhO podcast, we are joined by Josef S. Wills, PharmD, RPh and Brandon Vassar, PharmD for an insightful discussion on the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the pharmaceutical industry. Our guests share powerful first-hand experiences from their own career journeys and offer their thoughts on how to keep moving forward.