Summer Intern Perspectives: Albert Truong, AMCP Foundation/Abbvie Intern
Published October 2022
This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the AMCP Foundation/AbbVie Inc. Specialized Summer Internship Program in Health Outcomes. Due to my prior interest in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), my mentors recommended that I apply to this internship because of its stellar reputation. I am so grateful that I was selected because it has been one of the best learning experiences of my professional career.
AMCP Foundation held numerous opportunities for growth and professional development. They organized webinars, networking events for interns, and weekly journal clubs for interns to attend. Additionally, each intern was assigned a paper to present during journal club. My assignment, which focused on insurance churning, allowed me the chance to strengthen my professional presentation and discussion skills. Overall, these events provided a valuable opportunity for me to connect and learn from industry leaders, managed care pharmacists, and my fellow interns. Hearing about experiences and perspectives gave me greater insight into managed care and the pharmaceutical industry, which gave me a better understanding of the thought processes of external stakeholders.
On the AbbVie Inc. side, I was assigned to their campus in Irvine, Calif., where I supported and learned from their Global HEOR department. During my ten weeks with AbbVie, I learned about HEOR strategy, economic modeling, real-world evidence research, and patient-reported outcomes. I also received training in programs such as Health Economics in R Online (hēRo3), Economic Modeling, and Instant Health Data (IHD) Analytics. I performed tasks such as bi-weekly journal club presentations, creation of presentations, participation in cross-functional meetings, and literature searches about various interesting therapeutic areas. AbbVie also organized weekly informational meetings with Directors and Vice Presidents within the HEOR department for interns to attend.
Both organizations provided indispensable opportunities for me to expand my abilities as a HEOR researcher. I enjoyed informational interviews with stakeholders across different functional areas such as medical affairs, regulatory affairs, market access, and clinical development. This allowed me to observe how HEOR collaborates and interacts with other roles within a cross-functional space and gave me insight into the parts that other functions play. To top it off, this year at AMCP Nexus 2022, I have been allowed to present my capstone project— a systematic literature review exploring the association between postoperative atrial fibrillation and renal failure. My time here has cemented my decision to become a HEOR researcher, and I believe these organizations have given me unique and invaluable experiences. I will never forget how fortunate I am to have had this opportunity; I know it will benefit me for the rest of my career.
Thank you to AMCP Foundation and AbbVie for this opportunity. Thank you to David Holdford, Erica Crouse, and Amy Wu for their encouragement throughout the application process. Thank you to Ebony Clay, Mei Huang, and Kenneth Garcia for all your support and care toward all the other interns and me. I also want to thank Ali Alobaidi, Darshini Shah, Jae Lee, Jamie Ta, and Jasmine Inman for their insight and investment in my professional development. Lastly, a special thank you to my preceptor Tae Jin Park for your endless support, your stalwart mentorship, and for being an integral part of my journey.
This experience was remarkable, and I am eternally grateful for this opportunity that will be my foundation for industry and managed care.