Pharmaceutical Industry Networking Events

Shirley Chung ’20Pharm.D.  
Manager, Clinical Development
AbbVie

Shirley Chung ’20Pharm.D. is a clinical scientist working on the Allergan Aesthetics clinical development team. She graduated with her Pharm.D. from St. John’s University in 2020 and completed a one-year clinical development fellowship program in the General Medicine Therapeutic area with St. John’s/Allergan Fellowship in 2021. 

Kim Do ’18Pharm.D.
Senior Manager, Commercial Regulatory Affairs
Myovant Sciences

Kim Do ’18Pharm.D. is a Regulatory Affairs Specialist in Commercial Regulatory Affairs at Myovant Sciences. She graduated from St. John’s University with her Pharm.D. and completed her fellowship in Regulatory Affairs, Advertising and Promotion, at AbbVie.

Kanak Parmar ’19Pharm.D.
Global Platform Marketing Manager
BB Pyxis I BD Medication Management Solutions

Kanak Parmar ’19Pharm.D. currently works at a medical technology company, Becton Dickinson, for the Medication Management Solutions business. She is the global platform marketing manager for pharmacy repackaging automation solutions.

During her time at St. John’s, she was an active member of the Industry Pharmacists Organization and served in leadership roles both at the campus and national level. She encourages all students to make the most of every opportunity available, traditional or nontraditional. “Do your research, give it your best, and the rest will fall in place,” she said.

Sheeba Paul, M.B.A. ’17Pharm.D.
Pharmacovigilance Alliance Manager
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

After graduating from St. John’s, Sheeba Paul, M.B.A. ’17Pharm.D. began working at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation as a contractor in their Patient Safety Department. After gaining experience for a little over a year and performing due diligence with health-care professionals in reviewing serious and life-threatening adverse events received for the entire Novartis/Sandoz product portfolio, she became a full-time employee at Novartis.

Dr. Paul has been involved in various projects and on subteams throughout the department, currently working as a Pharmacovigilance Alliance Manager. Her primary role is to develop and maintain alliances with key internal and external stakeholders on behalf of the Patient Safety Department to execute pharmacovigilance related contracts.

In order to expand her business knowledge working in pharma, she enrolled in Rutgers Business School, where she earned her M.B.A. in August. She plans to continue her career in the pharmaceutical industry and utilize her clinical and business foundation.

Erika Culotta ’16Pharm.D.
Senior Clinical Scientist 
Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr. Culotta graduated from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2016. After graduation, she pursued a two-year postdoctoral fellowship specializing in clinical development with St. John’s University and Allergan. 

After her fellowship, Dr. Culotta continued at Allergan as a clinical scientist working on psychiatry clinical trials. After three-and-a-half years at Allergan, she joined Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2020 as a clinical scientist within the immunology group focusing on pediatric clinical trials. 

She recently joined Bristol Myers Squibb as a senior clinical scientist within the rheumatology division. Dr. Culotta credits her education and postdoctoral fellowship for the opportunities and experiences she has been given. Outside of work, she enjoys barre classes, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Ana Marija Djordjevic ’16Pharm.D.
Medical Science Liaison, Hematology/Oncology
Bristol-Myers Squibb

Dr. Djordjevic is currently a Myeloma/Lymphoma Medical Science Liaison at Bristol Myers Squibb. After graduating from St. John’s University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2016, she completed a one-year fellowship at Haymarket Medical Education in medical affairs. She then joined AstraZeneca as a Senior Medical Information Manager in Oncology in 2017. 

After gaining extensive product launch experience and learning different aspects of medical affairs, Dr. Djordjevic moved to her current role as a Medical Science Liaison to gain field medical experience. During her spare time, she enjoys mentoring St. John’s Pharmacy students who are interested in joining the pharmaceutical industry, and has assisted many in securing a fellowship or landing a full-time position postgrad. 

Diana Joung ’18Pharm.D.
Global Medical Information Scientist, Oncology 
Merck & Co., Inc.

Dr. Joung is a registered pharmacist who graduated from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2018. Upon graduation, she excelled at medical writing for different pharmaceutical clients at a medical communications agency. After, she joined the largest biotech company in the Pacific Northwest as an associate manager of medical information supporting solid tumors and blood-related cancers. 

She currently works as a Global Medical Information Scientist at Merck & Co., Inc., with a focus on women’s cancers. In her current role, Dr. Joung is responsible for developing standard response letters, handling escalated Medical Information inquiries, and reviewing US and global promotional materials.   

Matthew Kahn ’19Pharm.D.
Medical Science Liaison
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Kahn is currently a Medical Science Liaison at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. He works within the US Medical Affairs team with a focus in hereditary angioedema. His major responsibilities include developing and maintaining relationships with leaders in the field, providing disease state education, gathering insights, planning advisory board meetings, and responding to unsolicited medical information requests.

Prior to this, Dr. Kahn completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Pfizer Inc. in US Medical Affairs –Oncology, supporting the prostate cancer portfolio.

He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University. Prior to graduation, he held a Graduate Assistant position as a tutor in the Academic Success Center. He continues to be actively involved as an alumnus through the College’s mentoring program.

Dr. Kahn has worked as a pharmacy intern at NewYork-Presbyterian. He also has past experience in externships at Bayer within Regulatory Affairs Oncology, Novartis in Medical Information, and the US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs.

Iktider Khan ’20Pharm.D.
Medical Science Liaison
Exact Science

Dr. Khan earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University. He is currently the oncology Medical Science Liaison (MSL) at Exact Sciences Corporation, covering the New York City, Connecticut, and Rhode Island territories. 

Prior to his MSL role, Dr. Khan completed his postdoctoral fellowship program at Rutgers University in Sanofi Endocrinology. He was a member of the US marketing team throughout his entire fellowship, and assisted the field medical team for a portion of his fellowship, supporting the diabetes portfolio. He was also an adjunct professor at Rutgers and taught pharmacy students.

Prior to his fellowship, Dr. Khan worked at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, and gained additional experience through externships at Bristol Myers Squibb and the US Food and Drug Administration. In his free time, he likes to stay active, and enjoys going to the gym, hiking, as well as playing basketball and flag football.

Veronica Nguyen ’20Pharm.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, US Medical Affairs
GSK

Dr. Nguyen is a current second-year industry fellow at GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is originally from Queens, NY, and graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University in 2020.  

Dr. Nguyen supported investigator-initiated clinical trials at UNC’s Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics during the first year of her fellowship, and is now with the US Medical Affairs team, Specialty and Pipeline, at GSK. She is also a member of Industry Pharmacists Organization’s National Fellows Council, serving as the lead of their social media and marketing team. In addition to the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Nguyen is passionate about mentorship, development, and inclusion and diversity.

Medical Affairs Senior Manager 
American Regent, Inc.

Dr. Kaluza is a Medical Affairs Senior Manager at American Regent, Inc. As a pharmaceutical industry professional, she leads strategic initiatives inclusive of scientific publications, investigator-initiated studies, and key stakeholder relationships. She also serves as the American Regent Fellowship Director, where she strives to equip fellows with the mentorship and experiences needed to launch successful careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Kaluza earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Adelphi University and Doctor of Pharmacy at Long Island University. During her academic career, she interned at Purple Squirrel Economics and CVS Pharmacy. She also completed Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations at American Regent, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. 

Joohyun interned at Merck & Co., Inc. over the summer in the Global Labeling Department on the Global Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Safety team. As a summer intern, she supported the global labeling leads in Most of World (MOW )submissions and worked on maintaining internal databases on the most current labeling documents in the US and at their headquarters. 

She gained insight into the lifecycle management of labeling, and worked with local labeling leads around the world to update and maintain proper labeling. Now serving as a Global Labeling Associate, Joohyun continues to support MOW submissions across multiple therapeutic areas, amongst other projects.

Joohyun is currently a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate on track for graduation in 2022 at St. John’s University. She is an Ozanam Scholar, a program dedicated to Vincentian leadership and service. She also volunteers at her local church and serves on the executive board of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, Lambda Kappa Sigma, and the Student Society of Pediatric Pharmacy. Joohyun intends to work in managed care postgraduation.

Nishanth, a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate at St. John’s University preparing to graduate in 2022, served as a Trial Manager intern at Merck & Co., Inc. from May to August in 2020. He focused on the operational aspects of clinical trial management, and gained insight into end-to-end clinical study management, the execution of timely deliverables throughout the lifecycle of clinical trials, and the startup and development of clinical studies. He also engaged with multiple members of a clinical trial team. During this experience, he gained deeper insight into the strategic development of clinical studies and how clinical trials play a crucial role in the access of viable pharmacotherapy in diseases that are refractory to conventionally available therapies. 

This summer Nishanth worked as a Medical Education Intern at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. There he worked with a cross-functional and dynamic team that manages and sources advanced educational opportunities for clinical practitioners worldwide. He learned more about the strategic, non-promotional education of novel data and therapies, and the value of emerging clinical data for both patients and practitioners in the paradigm of advanced diseases and conditions that are refractory to other therapies. He also supported the company’s hematology portfolio, which spans across major disease areas such as multiple myeloma, lymphomas, leukemia, and other hematological malignancies.

Regional Medical Director
Medical Affairs, Rheumatology
Horizon Therapeutics

Dr. Angelopoulos was born in New York City and moved to Greece when he was three years old. His return back to the US when he was 11 was difficult; he quickly learned the English language by watching cartoons and acquired a strong liking for big band music.

Dr. Angelopoulos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from St. John’s University, while working as a paramedic for Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, Queens, under New York City’s 911 system. During his time at St. John’s, he was an active member of Phi Delta Chi. He earned a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1998 and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Arkansas in 2004.

He has more than 30 years of clinical experience; his jobs have included working in retail and hospital pharmacies and home infusion, as a geriatric consultant, and in the pain management field. Dr. Angelopoulos also worked for 24 years at pharmaceutical companies in pharmaceutical sales, and as a medical science liaison and medical director.

Dr. Angelopoulos currently works at Horizon Therapeutics as the Regional Medical Director in rheumatology. Prior to that, he served for more than seven years as a Senior Medical Science Liaison in immunology at Abbott (now AbbVie Inc.).

He married Jennifer Theodorakakos-Angelopoulos ’90P, whom he met while attending St. John’s University. They currently reside in Long Island, NY, and have two children, Nick and Christina-Rose. Dr. Angelopoulos enjoys spending time with his family, traveling to new places, and relaxing on the beach.