College of Pharmacy Establishes a Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship

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ATLANTA – The College of Pharmacy has established a pharmaceutical industry fellowship with Atlanta-based Galt Pharmaceuticals. The one-year fellowship is for a pharmacy graduate interested in a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Fellows will divide their time between the College and Galt, where they will help advance the clinical development of secondary indications of approved drugs and support scientific affairs of Galt products as they move from development to commercialization. Faculty of the College’s Center for Clinical Outcomes Research and Education, or CCORE, will train fellows to conduct research in drug therapy outcomes and help guide their research projects. Fellows will be expected to publish their research results in peer-reviewed publications and to present at scientific conferences, in addition to teaching Mercer students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.

“This fellowship will give a graduate in-depth experience in evaluating the economic and clinical outcomes of a drug therapy,” said Samuel Peasah, B.S. Pharm, MBA, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of CCORE. “New pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists will have valuable expertise as they transition into the workforce.”

Fellows will work alongside Galt co-founder Barry Patel, PHARM ’92. Patel founded in 1995 his own pharmaceutical outcomes and education research company, Total Therapeutic Management (TTM), along with another Mercer pharmacy graduate, Ed Perez, PHARM ’92. They sold TTM to Indegene Lifesystems in 2013. Patel and another Mercer graduate, William Smith, PHARM ’88, started Galt Pharmaceuticals to further develop approved drugs for unmet health care needs, in addition to distributing them for current needs exclusively through independent pharmacies.

“We are proud to support our alma mater by sponsoring this unique fellowship experience that will provide pharmacy grads with a comprehensive understanding of scientific affairs, clinical development and outcomes research within the pharmaceutical industry,” Patel said.

A fellow for 2017-2018 has been identified, but applications from candidates with a Pharm.D. degree or a doctorate degree in pharmaceutical outcomes research are sought for the 2018-2019 cycle. Candidates should contact Samuel Peasah at peasah_sk@mercer.edu for more information.

About the College of Pharmacy
Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top five pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to the 2016 U.S. News & World Report. The college offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). Founded in 1903 as the independent Southern School of Pharmacy, the school merged with Mercer University in 1959 and in 1981 became the first school in the Southeast to offer the doctor of pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree. In 1988, the College launched its graduate program, offering the Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences. The College is one of four health sciences units within the Mercer Health Sciences Center. With an enrollment today of more than 670 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses seven centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The college’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts. For more information about the college, visit http://pharmacy.mercer.edu

About Galt Pharmaceuticals
Galt Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company that seeks to serve unmet needs within healthcare through development of niche pharmaceutical products. Galt’s pipeline of products is based on secondary indications of approved drugs, while commercializing them for current needs through a unique distribution model that relies exclusively on independent pharmacies. Its vision of getting the right medication to the right patient in the right dose at the right time is supported by knowledge of a patient’s personalized healthcare needs and the desire for pharmacists, physicians and insurance companies to fulfill those needs. Learn more at www.galtrx.com