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FROM RETAIL OPERATIONS TO FEDERAL OVERSIGHT, THERE’S A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AND RELATED BUSINESSES.

BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC., BASED IN DEER FIELD, IL, IS A COMPANY BUILT ON FIRSTS. IT WAS THE FIRST MANUFACTURER OF COMMERCIALLY PREPARED INTRAVENOUS SOLUTIONS. IT CREATED THE FIRST SYSTEM TO SEPARATE PLASMA FROM WHOLE BLOOD. IT WAS THE FIRST PRODUCER OF THE FACTOR VIII BLOOD CLOTTING TREATMENT FOR HEMOPHILIA. IT ALSO WAS THE FIRST TO OFFER ALBUMIN IN A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC CONTAINER. SINCE 1980, SIDNEY SMITH HAS MADE KEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOME OF THE COMPANY’S FIRSTS.

IT’S BEEN NEARLY A YEAR SINCE THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA) WAS FULLY IMPLEMENTED, AND MANY PARTIES ARE WAITING FOR A FULL ASSESSMENT AS TO WHAT IMPACT THE LEGISLATION HAS MADE ON THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY. THAT SAID, INDUSTRY WATCHERS ALREADY EXPECT A SIGNIFICANT UPWARD SHIFT IN THE USE OF PRESCRIPTIONS. IN FACT, ANALYSTS ANTICIPATE SPENDING ON PHARMACEUTICALS TO INCREASE BY AS MUCH AS 67% BY THE END OF 2015.

PUTTING THE ACA’S IMPACT ASIDE, PRESCRIPTION USE HAS BEEN ON THE RISE FOR MANY YEARS. BETWEEN 1990 AND 2000, MEDICATION SPENDING GREW BY MORE THAN 11%. IN 2001, AMERICANS DOLED OUT APPROXIMATELY $138 BILLION FOR PRESCRIPTIONS. TEN YEARS LATER, THAT NUMBER NEARLY DOUBLED TO $263 BILLION.

THERE IS A LITANY OF REASONS BEHIND THE INCREASES, SUCH AS AN AGING POPULATION AND A LARGER NUMBER OF DIAGNOSES BENEFITTING FROM DRUG THERAPIES, INCLUDING CHRONIC DISEASES AND MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE MARKET FOR SPECIALTY MEDICATIONS IS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING AREAS. ACCORDING TO A SURVEY BY EXPRESS SCRIPTS, SPENDING ON SPECIALTY THERAPY SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLIMB BY MORE THAN 16% FOR EACH OF THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

BRINGING A NEW MEDICATION TO MARKET, HOWEVER, IS A LABOR-INTENSIVE PROCESS THAT CAN TAKE YEARS. THERE’S ALSO THE ONGOING ASPECT OF MAKING SURE MANUFACTURERS MEET PATIENTS’ NEEDS FOR EXISTING DRUGS. THE ENTIRE ENDEAVOR REQUIRES AN EXPANSIVE AND DIVERSE TEAM OF EXPERTS. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, MORE THAN 275,000 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED IN PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICINE MANUFACTURING IN 2013.

Smith has served as design engineer in a variety of areas, accumulating 37 patents along the way. In research, his interests hit primarily on immunotherapy, aseptic fluid processing, and industrial biotechnology. He’s also worked on projects in medical plastics and packaging, cryogenics, and pharmaceutical product delivery systems as well as providing global manufacturing support.

“When I joined Baxter, engineers with a classical science foundation were prized for their ability to shift seamlessly between fundamental research and applied science,” says Smith of his myriad roles.

Now, he’s assumed the position of director of brand integrity. “This function is often described as a CSI type of activity, and I’m frequently referred to as ‘Baxter’s Gil Grissom,’” notes Smith. “We investigate suspected incidents, analyze, and tabulate them and develop lessons learned, and work with various subject matter experts, to shape business practices that can make it more difficult for counterfeiters or thieves. It’s very rewarding to be able to use my technical background and detailed knowledge of the design and manufacturing of our products to help ensure that the product administered to a patient is the one that left our facility and is safe and efficacious.”

While Smith specializes in dealing with products, Lenae Renier focuses more on the patients who benefit from them. The manager II of operations oversees the franchise credit and collections operations for Baxter BioScience. The company consists of two divisions — BioScience and Medical Products — however, leadership announced it would split into two independent publically held companies in 2015.

Of course, credit and collections means making sure the company receives timely payments from customers; however, Renier sees the department’s responsibility differently. “We are not cold-calling like a collection agency,” she insists. “It’s very important we get our work done in a short amount of time so we can get the orders out to patients.”

Renier has spent her entire career in this field, but since joining Baxter BioScience, she has been able to focus on establishing policies and procedures. “My role requires seeing what works best for the company and customers. Servicing patients to the best of our ability means effectively communicating with everyone we deal with — customers or sales team members or different levels in the organization — so we’re not disrupting service to patients,” Renier explains.

With a workforce of more than 61,500, Smith and Renier may have never crossed paths except for the fact that they are among the founding members of Baxter EnAbles, an employee resource group — both deal with limited hearing. Although Renier and Smith concur that the company has always provided support for individuals on an as-needed basis, such as installing assistive technology, there lacked a cohesive representation of people with disabilities. “It’s mainly to bring awareness of different disabilities because not all disabilities are visual,” says Renier.

“It has helped make others more comfortable in self-disclosing their disabilities. I can see the changes we are making are opening for others to follow,” concludes Smith.

FOR MANY, PHARMACISTS PRESENT THE PUBLIC FACE OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. THEY ARE THE EXPERTS FULFILLING PRESCRIPTIONS AND EXPLAINING POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS. BECAUSE OF THIS PUBLIC ROLE, PHARMACISTS ENGAGE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE ALMOST AS MUCH AS THEY TAP INTO THEIR SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE. FRED GHANNAM CREDITS HIS FINE-TUNED CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS WITH HIS ABILITY TO COPE WITH USHERS SYNDROME TYPE II, WHICH HAS LEFT HIM WITH BOTH SIGHT AND HEARING LOSS.

“Professionally, I have benefitted a great deal because I have to pay really close attention to what customers are trying to convey and I am able to respond to each of their needs in an effective manner,” he comments.

Prior to joining Omnicare, a pharmacy consulting company that services a multitude of healthcare entities, Ghannam owned and operated several retail pharmacies as well as a long-term care pharmacy. During that time, he learned what management practices worked well and which didn’t. Now the licensed pharmacist and certified consultant pharmacist relies on those experiences to carry out his duties as general manager for Omnicare of Central Florida in Jacksonville.

“The most important part of my job is creating a unified vision, culture, and set of principles that everyone on my team follows to ensure our customers and their residents are receiving the highest quality of care,” he says. “I am also responsible for maintaining and building relationships with our customers and ensuring that we operate at high efficiency without compromising quality.”

“[They were] struggling with customer service, finance, low employee morale, and not meeting company expectations,” he recalls. “I was able to, with the leaders on our team, turn each negative issue into a positive, which I found extremely rewarding.”

Ghannam also finds the variety of opportunities within the profession rewarding. “As a pharmacist, you can work as a consultant, in the infusion department managing IV therapy, in a triage department communicating with physicians and nurses, with a management team in operations, or in pharmacy technology,” he explains.

Each specialty mandates its own set of technical and people skills; however, Ghannam suggests that individuals with disabilities bring a unique and invaluable perspective, much like how his sight and hearing loss has made him more customer-focused.

“Companies are starting to understand the value of providing opportunities to people with disabilities. [Because] they tend to have a much harder road to travel than those who are able-bodied, they are creative, adaptable to their environments, and most people with disabilities have an internal fortitude to want to succeed,” Ghannam states. “Those traits are attractive to employers.”

“EVERYONE FACES CHALLENGES, BUT WHAT MATTERS IS HOW YOU TAKE THEM, AS OPPORTUNITIES OR BARRIERS. WHEN CHALLENGES COME MY WAY, I TAKE THEM AS OPPORTUNITIES,” ASSERTS SONIA APONTE, MBA.

That’s the attitude she’s embraced throughout her career. For example, when Aponte and her family were brand new to Indianapolis, IN, she happened to drive past the headquarters for Eli Lilly and Company and immediately knew that was where she wanted to work.

“I first heard about Lilly while I was working in Puerto Rico. My employer went through some downsizing and many coworkers went to work at the Lilly offices there. When they came back — they had been brought in as contractors — they spoke well of how Lilly treated its employees. That always stayed in my mind,” Aponte says.

Even though she had no idea if the corporation was hiring at the time, Aponte didn’t let that become a barrier. Instead, she walked in and asked for an application. Turns out she was required to go through a staffing agency, but Aponte never wavered and eventually landed an administrative assistant position at Lilly.

“I didn’t care what role was available be - cause I wanted to work at that company. I knew there would be opportunities for growth once I was on staff,” she comments.

Aponte has created many opportunities to grow professionally. She took advantage of the company’s tuition-reimbursement program to earn both an undergraduate degree and a master’s of business administration in healthcare management. Not only did supervisors support her with scheduling flexibility, but they also encouraged Aponte to apply her newly learned skills to her job. In fact, she turned a communications class project into a corporate presentation.

She explains, “I told management that I felt there was a gap in communication with how people interacted with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at work, and I had an idea of how I could help close that gap.” Aponte developed sensorineural hearing loss as a result of receiving high levels of antibiotics as a toddler.

“Management was very receptive to the idea,” Aponte says. “My presentation became a learning experience that helped people on a professional level, but also on a personal level. Many have told me how helpful they found it because they have family members who have hearing loss, and now they can better understand how to communicate with them.”

After turning other challenges into opportunities, Aponte landed her current position as senior assistant, financial, in the Global Business Solutions unit where she functions as the Microsoft SharePoint administrator. “My role provides in-depth support for new and existing Share- Point sites. It’s a lot of small details, but it’s wonderful that I’m working on the global level,” she notes.

LAURENT ECOCHARD WAS BORN WITH MOEBIUS SYNDROME, A RARE DISORDER THAT INHIBITS CERTAIN FACIAL MUSCLE MOVEMENTS, SUCH AS SMILING OR BLINKING. LIVING WITH THE CONDITION HAS CREATED A FEW CHALLENGES FOR HIM REGARDING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION; HOWEVER, IT’S ALSO SERVED AS INSPIRATION. “I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED TO DISCOVER THE CAUSE OF MY DISEASE, WHICH IS WHY I STUDIED MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY,” SAYS ECOCHARD. “UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS NO RESEARCH ON THIS DISEASE AND THE DIAGNOSIS IS STILL DIFFICULT TO MAKE.”

Despite finding limited information available on Moebius, Ecochard realized his professional passion lay in medical research. After completing graduate studies in 2000, he worked for a variety of pharmaceutical companies before joining Novartis more than six years ago. “I was hired as a clinical research scientist [and then] I was promoted to clinical trial head, which was a recognition of my efforts to coordinate the work of several clinical managers [after] being a company manager for only a few months at the time,” he recalls.

Novartis is among the top five largest pharmaceutical producers in the world. It also manufactures consumer health products and animal health treatments. The majority of its approximately 135,000 associates work in Europe, with another 20% based in the United States. Ecochard reports to the corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

Currently, he is the regional trial leader, and it’s his responsibility to define the parameters by which a new product is tested. “I coordinate the conduct of a clinical study, from the writing of the protocols before the start of the study to the completion of the clinical study report at the end,” he explains.

This role requires Ecochard to not only understand the science behind a new drug, but also to communicate with the various parties involved. Oftentimes, he is called upon to make presentations, and admits that at first, this was a bit nerve-wracking. He wondered how he would be received without the benefit of facial expressions.

“The outcomes were positive and now I’m regularly contacted to make presentations in front of our investigators,” he says. “Since I joined Novartis, the company has developed training to increase awareness of dealing with people with disabilities. My manager and some of my teammates have attended that training, and this has helped them to better understand me.”

Ecochard also believes that understanding differences among individuals can be turned into a competitive edge, especially within the pharmaceutical industry. “Healthcare companies [should] aspire to hire young professionals with — or without — disabilities in order to better reflect the diversity of patients,” he concludes.

BEFORE PHYSICIANS CAN PRESCRIBE A NEW DRUG, MANUFACTURERS MUST FIRST SUBMIT IT TO THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) FOR APPROVAL. HOWEVER, THAT IS ONLY ONE ASPECT OF THE FEDERAL ENTITY’S RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL CORPORATIONS. THE AGENCY ALSO TESTS MEDICAL DEVICES. AS A PHYSICIST IN THE FDA’S CENTER FOR DEVICES AND RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH IN SILVER SPRING, MD, MATTHEW R. SCHWERIN INVESTIGATES THESE TYPES OF PRODUCTS.

“I work on medical devices in the clearance process for post-market issues,” he explains. “My job has quite a range, from label evaluation and studies to reviews and consulting.”

Schwerin was introduced to the FDA as a college intern, and quickly realized it possessed the type of environment in which he could thrive. “I really enjoyed what I did and I guess they enjoyed me and the work I did and thought I’d be a good fit with the staff, because I was invited back after graduation,” he recalls.

Throughout his 16-year tenure, Schwerin has assumed greater technical responsibility; however, he has no aspirations to venture into management. “I prefer to be in the lab. I like to get my hands dirty, resolving problems. Still, I like to continue to expand my knowledge and involvement,” he says. “It’s a very dynamic field.”

Deaf since he was five years old after contracting meningitis, Schwerin relies on a variety of services to help him communicate with coworkers and others with whom he comes in contact during the course of a workday. “Smartphones are wonderful communication tools and have been a benefit on the job. Before, if people wanted to contact me, they had to come to the office or hunt me down in the lab,” he offers. “With smartphones, they can text me.”

Although his preference is to call in an American Sign Language interpreter, Schwerin has obtained various assistive technologies through the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program via the U.S. Department of Defense. This organization provides technology and support services to FDA employees without cost to the individual or department.

“I think there are more services to people with disabilities in the public sector,” he states. “Generally, I think the federal government is more accepting of people with disabilities. My experience at the FDA is that the people are very willing to do what it takes.”

THOUSANDS OF DETAILS GO INTO DEVELOPING NEW MEDICATIONS. NOT ONLY MUST RESEARCHERS CONSIDER A DRUG’S CHEMICAL MAKEUP AND HOW IT WILL REACT IN THE BODY, BUT ALSO HOW IT IS DELIVERED — PILL, LIQUID, INJECTION. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THERE ARE STORAGE CONCERNS. FOR EXAMPLE, IV BAGS ARE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR SOME MEDS VERSUS TRADITIONAL BOTTLES OR SINGLE-DOSE PACKETS. TO MAINTAIN QUALITY CONTROL OVER AS MANY DETAILS AS POSSIBLE, SOME PHARMACEUTICAL/HEALTHCARE COMPANIES HAVE BRANCHED OUT INTO MATERIAL SCIENCES, INCLUDING BAYER CORPORATION. BAYER MATERIAL SCIENCE MANUFACTURES POLYMERS AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE PLASTICS THAT ARE USED IN MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.

As director of the Polyurethane Technology Center in Pittsburgh, Gregory Chapman has no hands-on experience in producing the company’s healthcare products, but by overseeing its polyether production, he plays a supporting part. “We handle the technical improvements of the 11 production facilities worldwide,” he explains.

Chapman began his career with Mobay Chemical Company in 1984 as a process engineer to work on the reformer and nitric acid production unit. Throughout the years, the business was acquired a few times, finally by Bayer AG. Chapman decided to follow along with each transition.

By the late 1990s, Chapman found himself transferring to a German manufacturing site as production manager. “This was the largest plant site I had responsibility for with an annual production of 250,000 metric tons/year, 36 different reaction trains, and 90-plus products,” he says. “This was the most challenging job I have had at Bayer, not only because of the production responsibility, but because I had to learn another language and culture and manage personnel in Germany.”

While working abroad, he was diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), a genetic condition characterized by progressive degeneration of mobility. “Individuals with SCA1 may develop numbness, tingling or pain in the arms and legs, uncontrolled muscle tensing, muscle atrophy, and muscle twitching,” he explains.

To delay the condition’s progression, Chapman remains active. “I find that playing piano, typing, balancing, sports, riding bikes, and [doing] all types of motor skills helps me fend off or at least defer my issues. Also, I have a standup desk so I balance all the time I’m working at that desk,” he says.

Knowing SCA1 does not impede his ability to carry out his professional duties, Chapman wanted to inspire others coping with physical limitations. He decided to get involved with Careers2B, a partnership between Bayer Corp. and Bender Consulting. “It’s a unique program driven by the private sector to address the unemployment of people with disabilities by uniting businesses with eager, knowledgeable career-seekers,” he explains. “It provides individuals with one year of paid work experience in a company, and this experience increases their marketability as they continue their careers.

“Also, since I moved to Pittsburgh in 2004, I have been involved with and now lead the Disability Mentoring Day on the Pittsburgh Bayer campus,” he continues. “We pair up high school students with mentors on the campus to encourage the students to follow their dreams.”

Finally, Chapman advises people with disabilities to adopt a positive mindset. “Concentrate on your abilities and make the best of those abilities. Make that extra effort and you’ll be rewarded for your hard work.”