Meet the 2019 Interns
The Foundation is pleased to once again team up with Allergan Plc, Genentech, Inc., and Pfizer, Inc., to offer summer internships to some of the country's brightest student pharmacists.
- The Foundation/Allergan Specialized Summer Internship Program in Health Outcomes allows two student pharmacists to explore career options in health outcomes and pharmacoeconomics.
- The Foundation/Genentech Evidence for Access Summer Internship Program allows two student pharmacists to contribute to meaningful projects and interact with industry experts within the Evidence for Access Team US Medical Affairs at Genentech.
- The Foundation/Pfizer Managed Care Pharmacy Summer Internship Program aims to develop future leaders in managed health care through activities that expose interns to population health and the application of managed care pharmacy principles.
AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship
Name: Amy Hu
School of Pharmacy: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (Rutgers University)
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2021
Internship Site: Independent Health, Buffalo, NY
What is your favorite color? Sky blue or lavender
What’s your hidden talent? I still remember the digits of pi I memorized for a sixth-grade pi contest.
At what job would you be terrible? Any job that is too repetitive. I like to challenge myself and learn new things. Maybe an accountant? I don’t mean to bash on accountants or anything. Everyone has an important contribution to make, and it’s worthwhile to understand all the components to figure out what you can do better.
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Diligent, curious, caring.
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I originally chose to go to pharmacy school because I wanted to be involved with direct patient care without being a doctor. Since entering pharmacy school, however, I’ve become interested in so many more areas, including managed care!
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? I really enjoy my infectious diseases pharmacotherapy class. I think it’s more interesting than other disease states because there’s an interaction between host, bug, and drug, so as a pharmacist you must consider all three factors when determining an appropriate treatment.
Name: Devin DeNofio
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: Kaiser Permanente Washington, Madison Washington
What is your favorite color? Jet Black
What’s your hidden talent? I played Division 1 water polo and coached for 2 years after graduating!
At what job would you be terrible? Professional singing or acting
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Adventurous, honest, and thoughtful.
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I knew I wanted a career in which I could uniquely combine my background in science and business. The multitude of career options within pharmacy made it the ideal place for me to become a clinical expert while pursuing a non-traditional path.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? Pharmaceutics
Name: Aisha Fowler
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: Navitus Health Solutions, Madison, WI
What is your favorite color? Purple
What’s your hidden talent? Balancing two cute - yet stubborn - French Bulldogs while succeeding in pharmacy school as a single dog mom.
At what job would you be terrible? I do not envision myself in a career that I was not passionate about or could not exercise innovative thinking. I would be terrible at a job that was self-serving and did not benefit others.
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Fluid, resilient, generous.
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I am a non-traditional student. I considered myself an entrepreneur and have worked with startup businesses before pharmacy school. Two of the most significant experiences I had that influenced my decision to pursue pharmacy were my involvement in service and research experience. I have always been interested in what motivates people. I joined a neuropsychopharmacology lab and investigated the effect of early life maternal stress on methamphetamine and cocaine use. Understanding the effects on behavior triggered my initial fascination with pharmacy. Many of my extracurricular experiences have been service-based. Whether working with inner city youth, planning international medical mission trips, or starting a personal assistance company, my focus has been to understand the needs of others and provide quality service and leadership. My unconventional trajectory and passion for understanding pharmacotherapy solidified that pharmacy was the correct pathway for me.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? I thoroughly enjoy pharmacotherapeutics. It is a class that comes naturally to me. I enjoy learning about the disease states and diving deep in the caveats of regimens. Currently, I am most interested in infectious disease and my goal is to gain a better understanding of cardiovascular drugs.
Name: Rachael Lai
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2021
Internship Site: SelectHealth, Salt Lake City, UT
What is your favorite color? Teal
What’s your hidden talent? I can play the ukulele
At what job would you be terrible? Professional sports
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Driven, creative, warm
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I love taking care of people and learning about how drugs work in the body.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? Nonprescription Pharmacotherapy and Self-Care
Name: Taryn Sohal
School of Pharmacy: University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN
What is your favorite color? Black
What’s your hidden talent? I can remember everything a person tells me about themselves, except their name.
At what job would you be terrible? Sports Coach (for any and all sports)
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Personable, kind, and witty
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I have always been interested in medicine and how something at the molecular level could have the greatest impact on our quality of life. By combining this philosophy and expanding my comprehension of population health, I found an opportunity that suited my interests to further improve health outcomes.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? Pharmacology 3
AMCP Foundation Managed Care Research & Nonprofit Leadership Summer Internship
Name: Shyra G. Bias
College of Pharmacy: Howard University, College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: AMCP Foundation Headquarters, Alexandria, VA
What is your favorite color? Lavender
What’s your hidden talent? Dancing
At what job would you be terrible? Tattooing (can’t draw and I faint at the sight of blood).
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Proactive, witty, genuine
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? Growing up, I watched my grandmother struggle to manage her improperly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes. At a very young age I vowed to make sure that I would be knowledgeable in this field to ensure that no one else around me would suffer like she did.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? It’s a very close tie between Biostatistics and Integrated Therapeutic
AMCP Foundation/Allergan Plc Specialized Summer Internship in Health Outcomes
Name: Ryan Thaliffdeen
School of Pharmacy: University of California – San Francisco, School of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2021
Internship Site: Allergan
What is your favorite color? My favorite color is probably “olive” green.
What’s your hidden talent? I think my hidden talent would be martial arts. I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in my free time and have past experiences in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, and Karate.
At what job would you be terrible? I would be terrible as a chef. I am not a good cook at all.
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Enthusiastic, receptive, sincere.
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? My interest in pharmacy school stemmed from the fact that my mom and grandparents were pharmacists in their home country of Peru. I wasn’t sure if it was for me, until I began working as a technician in a retail setting during Undergrad. Being in a fast-paced environment where I felt like I was making a difference in patient’s lives was what really drew me to pharmacy school.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? My favorite pharmacy school class is pharmacokinetics. I had always enjoyed math/physics in undergrad and so applying that quantitative love to medications was an enjoyable transition.
Name: Wilson Haong
College of Pharmacy: Western New England University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2020
Internship Site: Allergan
What is your favorite color? Blue
What’s your hidden talent? My hidden talent is seeing the silver lining in challenging situations.
At what job would you be terrible? I would be terrible at any job that is monotonous.
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Optimistic, creative, genuine
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? I chose to go to pharmacy school to interact with and improve the lives of other people.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? Pharmaceutical Industry in a Global Context
AMCP Foundation/Genentech Evidence for Access Summer Internship
Name: Gilbert Ko
School of Pharmacy: University of Washington, School of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: June 2020
Internship Site: Genentech, Medical Affairs Division
What is your favorite color? Blue
What’s your hidden talent? My hidden talent not many know about is that I picked up DJing about a year ago. I’m still learning and improving all the time, but it is one of my favorite hobbies.
At what job would you be terrible? I’m terrible at singing and try to avoid karaoke when I can, so really any job involving singing I would not last long at.
If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Adventure-seeking, music-loving, and easygoing.
Why did you choose to go to pharmacy school? My younger sister almost passed away from an E. coli infection when I was younger. Seeing how the healthcare team saved her life pushed me towards pursuing a future in healthcare. I chose to go to pharmacy school as I thought it would best leverage my interest in biochemistry and my passion for not only improving patients’ healthcare but connecting with them.
What’s your favorite pharmacy school class? “Economic Evaluation in Health and Medicine” was my favorite class in pharmacy school for several reasons. First, this class greatly improved my knowledge of the field of health economics and exposed me to the tool’s health economists use. Second, students had to conduct their own independent cost-effectiveness research project in this course. In completing my project, “Gene Therapy in Hemophilia A: A Value-Based Pricing”, I had to learn how to construct my own Markov models, analyze the results, and write a publication-standard research paper with my analysis. While this was a challenging endeavor, completing the project was extremely satisfying and furthered my passion for pharmacoeconomics.