Duquesne University PY4 Courtney Young recently completed an APPE rotation with the FDA's Office of Therapeutic Biologics and Biosimilars—a non-traditional pharmacy path that opened her eyes to new possibilities.
As I conclude my second Duquesne University School of Pharmacy APPE at the Federal Drug Administration in the Office of Therapeutic Biologics and Biosimilars, I am filled with gratitude for my preceptor, Dr. Keith Olin.
Dr. Olin gave me all the tools to immerse myself from day one of this experiential opportunity. While this rotation was in a specific office within the FDA, he made it a priority to put me in a position to meet with individuals from different disciplines within many different centers in the FDA. Through this, I was able to interact one-on-one with nurse practitioners, physician-assistants, scientific reviewers, pharmacists, attorneys, etc.
My interprofessional outlook grew immensely during this rotation. His outlook on this APPE was to teach me as if I was an employee on his team rather than a student merely shadowing. Through this ideology, he taught me how to interact with colleagues in the regulatory space, seek opportunities in my desired areas of interest, and the importance of skills for preparing discussions and presentations in meetings. It was so evident that Dr. Olin and his team are passionate about their role in the OTBB, and it was motivating to be a student on the other end of that.
I feel empowered as a student and inspired to want to work within the regulatory space in some capacity in my future career. This experience has well exceeded any expectations I had prior and enriched my idea of the role of pharmacists within non-traditional roles. As I conclude this experience, my goal is to someday impact the safety and quality of pharmaceuticals in the same way that these healthcare professionals do each day. Thank you, Dr. Olin, for lighting the torch within students like me to want to contribute to this career.
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