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Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University Partners with Sanofi Pasteur to Offer Industry Pharmacy Fellowship Program in Pharmacovigilance

Wilkes-Barre, PA (07/10/2018) — The Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University is partnering with Sanofi Pasteur, the world's largest company devoted entirely to human vaccines, to offer a two-year industry pharmacy fellowship program for doctor of pharmacy graduates. The Sanofi Pasteur /Wilkes University Industry Pharmacy Fellowship program is a comprehensive experience that will allow doctor of pharmacy graduates to gain exposure in pharmacovigilance for vaccines.

A primary goal of the new fellowship is to provide recipients with training and experiences in global pharmacovigilance that will prepare them for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry monitors, assesses and communicates safety information throughout a product's lifecycle, with the aim of enhancing patient care and safety. These activities are referred to as pharmacovigilance. At Sanofi Pasteur, the Global Pharmacovigilance Department is responsible for these activities.

Students in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy will benefit from interaction with the fellow, who will serve as an adjunct faculty member in the school. In addition to teaching, the fellow will precept pharmacy students and direct presentations and projects. The fellow will be a primary resource to the student chapter of Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO). The program was conceptualized and developed by Phil Loscombe, Pharm.D. pharmacovigilance science manager and fellowship director at Sanofi Pasteur and Edward Foote, Pharm.D., professor and former chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wilkes University. Judith Kristeller will serve as the new fellowship director at Wilkes University.

Joshua Pillay, Pharm.D., was recruited as the first fellow in the summer of 2017. Pillay is a 2017 doctor of pharmacy graduate of Temple University. Natalya Romanyak, Pharm.D., is the second fellow starting in the summer of 2018. She is a 2018 graduate of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

"As my alma mater, I can attest to the quality and caliber of the pharmacy doctorate program at Wilkes University," Loscombe said. "It is an honor to partner with them and we hope to build a strong network and long-standing legacy through this fellowship program. From the safety surveillance of early clinical stages through post-marketing, this fellowship offers a unique opportunity for a recent graduate to gain exposure to the entire lifecycle of a vaccine. My hope is the fellow's experience gained through this program will be the catalyst for a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry."

"We are thrilled to partner with Sanofi Pasteur in delivering this fellowship program. The importance of medication safety in overall health outcomes and health economics cannot be overstated," said Scott Stolte, dean of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy. "In addition, we feel the expertise of the fellow will directly benefit our students in the classroom and in their practice of pharmacy. We look forward to providing this exciting opportunity for years to come."

The two-year, paid fellowship, based at Sanofi Pasteur's Swiftwater, Pa., site, includes an on-boarding period to ease the transition of the fellow into a pharmaceutical company with global reach. After the on-boarding period, the fellow will have the opportunity to experience all facets of industry ranging from research and development to regulatory affairs. Throughout the program, the fellow is mentored by a team that includes representatives from Sanofi Pasteur who serve as directors, preceptors and mentors for the fellowship, and a member of the faculty in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes.

The fellow will acquire a comprehensive foundation of the major concepts of pharmacovigilance, including global regulations and guidelines applicable to adverse event reporting, signal detection, and risk management. The fellow will be able apply their newly acquired knowledge to make visible and meaningful contributions to professional project teams. The fellow also will have opportunities to work on multi-disciplinary teams, strengthening communication and technical skills while networking with Sanofi colleagues in Bridgewater, N.J., and Genzyme colleagues in Cambridge, MA.

More information about the Fellowship can be found at www.wilkes.edu on the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy page.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the great small universities, offering all of the programs, activities, and opportunities of a large, research university in the intimate, caring, and mentoring environment of a small, liberal arts college, at a cost that is increasingly competitive with public universities. In addition to 47 undergraduate majors, Wilkes offers the doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education and doctor of pharmacy degrees and more than a dozen master's degree programs, including the master of business administration and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi has core strengths in diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris ((EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1 billion doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur produces a portfolio of high quality vaccines that matches its areas of expertise and meets public-health demand. The company's heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us

Media Attachments

Natalya Romanyak, Pharm.D., is the 2018 industry pharmacy fellow in pharmacovigilance for vaccines in a program jointly sponsored by Sanofi Pasteur and Wilkes University's Nesbitt School of Pharmacy.

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