Pharmacy school MS and PhD programs forging future innovators

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences launched master’s and doctoral programs in pharmaceutical sciences in Fall 2022, and those programs are off to a strong start. Professor Yetrib Hathout, graduate director for the school, says the success of the programs has been wonderful to see.

“We’ve already graduated eight master’s students this year — three of them have secured jobs in the pharmaceutical industry and have sent me emails saying how happy they are,” he says. “They were more competitive thanks to the courses and the curriculum we offer. It’s a unique program compared to other schools; we have more hands-on classes where students learn new techniques and develop the skills for pharmaceutical industry research.”

Hathout says graduates of the MS program will be particularly well-suited for the life-sciences sector and technology services organizations. Caleb Manheim, MS ’23, says the training he received at the school has set him up for success at his new job.

“In this major, there is a large emphasis on presenting scientific topics, lab work and research,” he says. “The presentations that I completed in class helped me explain complex problems to my coworkers. The lab techniques I practiced helped me in my training and learning in a faster-paced environment. The research section of the major is great for resume building and making a first impression with the companies you are applying for.”

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Manheim is just one of several success stories to come out of the school recently. According to Hathout, since the MS program started in 2022, they’ve had almost a 100% placement rate. Eight students enrolled in the MS program when it first started and all of them successfully graduated. three have jobs in the pharmaceutical industry,

three transitioned into the PhD program at the school, and one is currently working in the school’s department as a research technician. Hathout credits this success to the individualized attention afforded by the low faculty-student ratio.

“We have extremely talented faculty in different fields of research, and because of the small class size, we have a lot of one-on-one time between faculty and students,” he says. “Students feel comfortable coming to us anytime they have questions because they know we can help navigate them through the program and be successful.”

When it comes to the PhD program, Hathout says graduates will be prepared for academic, government and industrial research positions.

Michael Ogundele, PhD ’22, is a scientist 1 at Tectonic Therapeutics in Watertown, Mass. His responsibilities include discovering proteomics on lysates from different cell lines to ID proteins of interest and method development and optimization for small molecule applications.

“My doctoral degree was awarded in the Department of Biomedical Engineering,” he says. “However, the research for my thesis was done primarily in the Department of Pharmaceutical Science. My focus was on the use of blood-accessible biomarkers in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). I chose this field of study because it focuses on a rare disease, and also for the opportunity to work with a mass spectrometry and biomarker world-recognized expert, in the person of Yetrib Hathout.”

Like Manheim, Ogundele says Binghamton gave him the knowledge and skills to successfully launch his career.

“The skills that I gathered in the area of protein analytics were a huge leverage in securing my first job in the pharmaceutical industry,” Ogundele explains. “My hiring manager was particularly impressed with my past work and how much I’ve learned over time at Binghamton.”