Sarika Mujumdar, PharmD

Sarika Mujumdar, PharmD graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She completed a 0-6 year program in which received a B.S. in Pharmacy studies in her 5th year and her PharmD in her 6th year. Sarika joined the Fellowship in Industry Program with the University of the Pacific partnered with Gilead Sciences in the functional role of Clinical Operations. During her free time, Sarika enjoys exploring new food places, reading, staying active (badminton, hiking, running), and traveling.

We caught up with Sarika and asked her to provide insight on her role as a Clinical Operations fellow with Gilead Sciences. Additionally, we asked her to provide insight for prospective pharmacy students interested in pursuing the fellowship pathway to industry.

Can you briefly describe your functional area and what kind of roles/responsibilities are expected?

"Clinical Operations is the process of managing clinical trials. There are 3 main phases: start up (setting up a clinical trial), maintenance (monitoring a trial upon initiation), and close out (closing out a trial). Typical roles/responsibilities include preparing and reviewing study documents, leading study management team meetings, reviewing collected data and monitoring visit reports, vendor management and oversight, collating documents for IRB submission, facilitating contract negotiations and approving invoices. ClinOps sits at the center of the study team and engages in frequent cross-functional collaboration both internally and externally."

What are some strengths that you feel are needed for your functional area?

"Organizational skills- ClinOps has to often multi-task on numerous study-related activities with multiple key internal and external stakeholders, so it is important to keep emails, documents, and tasks properly sorted out to understand the status of each.

Strong teamwork skills- this is a very collaborative functional area, so it's important to know how to be a key player, when to lead, and when to take a backseat/follow others. Understanding how to communicate with different parties is therefore crucial as well."

What are some skill sets needed to work in your functional area?

"Microsoft applications (Word, PowerPoint, and especially basic Excel skills) and understanding of Electronic Data Capture/Data Reviewing systems. "

What can PharmD students do now to prepare for industry roles?

"Seek out or create your own industry experiences, participate in undergraduate or graduate level research, and improve network by attending industry hosted and sponsored events. "

What interview preparation, skills, advice do you recommend for fellowship interview process?

"Research the company and fellowship program because you will almost always get asked 'why this company or why this program'. Make it unique for each fellowship you're applying to. Learn to deliver concise responses and avoid fluff/blabbering (interviewers may get bored and lose interest). Strong eye contact when speaking with colleagues. Ask thoughtful questions at the end such as culture of the team, rotational flexibility, interviewer's experiences working with the program/company. This shows you did your research and are genuinely curious about the position."

For students that say, I don't have experience in industry, no internship, no APPE or etc., what advice can you recommend to current APPE students starting their rotations? And to non-APPE students (what can they do to make themselves competitive)?

"Seek out research experiences. Many skills in industry are transferrable (i.e. performing literature reviews, showing you are detail oriented, have medical writing abilities). Look to be a leader despite the setting (take on projects, presentations, mentor other students). Stay up-to-date with current industry events to show you are not living under a rock and know about the space you want to enter ."

What are your thoughts on the Univeristy of the Pacific? (Academic component of the fellowship, what do you do for UoP, thoughts on FIP events and professional development, etc...)

"Currently serving as a PI on a UoP-sponsored trial. The academic component is very flexible in terms of allocation and available projects as it is catered primarily towards the fellow's interests. A good array of professional development programs are offered such as teaching and mentoring current pharmacy students, participation in IPhO events, and outreach/opportunities to connect with other fellows in the Bay Area."