Summer Intern Perspectives: Zach Baldwin, AbbVie, Inc. Specialized Summer Intern

Published in Oct. 2020

My experience with the AMCP Foundation/AbbVie, Inc. Specialized Summer Internship in Health Outcomes was nothing short of the most enriching experience I could have ever asked for. I was able to curate a pharmaceutical skillset not found commonly in a school environment, through supporting business strategy via evidentiary development. My preceptors—Joanna Campbell, Elaheh Shirneshan, Vanessa Shih—and several others directed my projects towards providing tangible results in the therapeutic areas I was working in.  

My main project explored the patient-specific burden of presbyopia— age related near vision loss—and assessed the unmet need of current treatment options. The second main project I worked on was a cost calculator, which will be reformatted to a field tool to support future payer discussions. It’s rewarding to know that both outcomes from these projects provide the necessary resources to allow greater patient access to medication therapy and have an impact on numerous patient lives.   

Not only was I given these opportunities for skillset development and project fulfillment, I had endless opportunities to further expand my network. I had bi-weekly conference calls with other AbbVie interns, several leads or directors, and even some VPs. I got to hear their story and ask any questions I had. Additionally, the whole organization was incredibly open to 1-on-1 calls giving me the chance for a more genuine interaction which can be hard to come by in a virtual environment. Through these conversations these individuals have refined and strengthened my ambitions for pursuing a career in Health Outcomes and Economics Research. I cannot possibly have done it without AbbVie Inc.’s funding of AMCP Foundation’s student internship program.  

I plan to leverage my newly developed skillset in my life going forward through any new opportunities that present by channeling these experiences toward my objective of supporting health care decisions through soundly produced scientific evidence. Thank you again AMCP Foundation and AbbVie Inc. for providing the opportunity of a lifetime!  

Support managed care research and the cultivation of tomorrow's leaders by making a gift today! 

View Zach's capstone research project presented at AMCP Nexus 2020 Virtual: “Patients’ Experience of Living With and Managing Presbyopia: A Systematic Literature Review”