Summer Intern Perspectives: Tina Gholami, AMCP Foundation/Abbvie, Inc. Intern
Published in Oct. 2020
This past summer, I had an incredible opportunity to take part in the AMCP Foundation/AbbVie, Inc. Summer Internship in Health Outcomes. With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting movement in many parts of the world, this became a virtual internship experience that quickly surpassed all of my expectations. In a span of nine weeks, I had the privilege of working with AbbVie’s brilliant HEOR team to help tackle real world challenges while also engaging with and learning from other cross-functional sectors of industry through insightful informational interviews.
Meanwhile, AMCP Foundation provided us with many virtual opportunities to meet and connect with the other interns from across the country, while also providing us with exclusive training opportunities in managed care pharmacy. By organizing regular journal club meetings as well as other social activities such as virtual networking happy hour events, AMCP Foundation helped complement and enrich my overall learning experience.
One of the most memorable aspects of my time at AbbVie was getting to work on my main internship capstone project, which is to be presented on a poster at AMCP Nexus 2020. This project consisted of conducting a systematic literature review on the economic burden of MDD. With the guidance and encouragement of my immediate preceptors—Sara Higa, Amanda Harrington, and Patrick Gillar—I found myself excited and motivated to work hard and give my 120% every single day. Moreover, my preceptor Sara Higa truly went above and beyond to help me gain a better understanding of her daily job functions by continuously involving me in important meetings and by handing me projects where I could see the immediate impact of my work. Hitting every deadline was challenging yet so incredibly rewarding. I felt accomplished and, most importantly, an integral part of the HEOR team. Overall, this internship provided me with the opportunity to gain practical hands on work experience that cannot be taught in a classroom.
I would like to thank Sara Higa, Amanda Harrington, Amy Tung, and Patrick Gillard for guiding me and inspiring me to follow my professional dreams and aspirations. As well as a big thank you to Ebony Clay, Paula Eichenbrenner, and other members of the AMCP Foundation for paving the way for young professionals like myself to develop into future leaders.