Pharmaceutical Industry Alumni Hold Reception

Pharmaceutical Industry Alumni Hold Reception
January 6, 2020

St. John’s University alumni who enjoy successful careers in the pharmaceutical industry gathered at the Manhattan, NY, campus on November 21 for an exclusive reception to reconnect and network with former classmates and meet current students. 

Damon Young ’93CBA, a member of the University’s Board of Governors, initiated the formal program. “The reception provided a great networking opportunity for St. John’s alumni with careers in the pharmaceutical industry,” he said. “There were senior representatives in attendance from different cross-functional areas including sales, marketing, clinical, law, and finance who shared their experiences, met current promising students such as Namosha Mohite, and learned about recent St. John’s achievements and upcoming activities and events.” Alumni represented prominent pharmaceutical firms including Pfizer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Novartis, AstraZeneca, and others. 

The keynote speaker, Brian Donnelly ’79P, ’83GP, ’90Ph.D., Global Security Director at Pfizer Inc., provided a fascinating glimpse into the world of counterfeit products, including images of current global black market operations and a recording of an actual counterfeit transaction. “The pharma industry aims to bring innovative, cost-effective medicines to patients and Mr. Donnelly’s presentation highlighted some of the key challenges presented by the counterfeit product market,” said Mr. Young.
 
In addition,student Namosha Mohite inspired participants with the story of her journey from India, where she encountered patients in deteriorating health due to improper drug counseling, to St. John’s. Scholarships fund her education and support her dream to become an industrial pharmacist and one day help develop life-saving treatments and improve access to drug information.
 
Russell J. DiGate, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, updated the group on the College’s successes over the past year. He noted the instrumental role of alumni in exposing students to different career paths; their generosity is pivotal to enable students to participate in international learning opportunities.

Photos from the reception can be found on the alumni Flickr album page