4 Ph.D. Students Selected for Summer Internships in Pharmaceutical, Consulting Industries

Four students in UH College of Pharmacy's doctoral degree programs are undertaking internships within the pharmaceutical and consulting industries this summer.

Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy (PHOP) Ph.D. student Farid Chekani, who works under Professor Rajender R. Aparasu, Ph.D., FAPhA, is working in the Life Sciences division of IHS in Washington, D.C.

According to the company's website, "IHS is the leading source of insight, analytics and expertise in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 140 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence."

Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the publicly traded company has been in business since 1959 and employs nearly 9,000 people in 33 countries around the world.

Fellow PHOP Ph.D. student Ruta Sawant, M.S. ('14), a student of Associate Professor Sujit S. Sansgiry, Ph.D., is working in the Health Economic and Outcomes Research division at Biogen in Cambridge, Mass.

According to the Biogen website, "Through cutting-edge science and medicine, Biogen discovers, develops and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological, autoimmune and rare diseases. Founded in 1978, Biogen is one of the world’s oldest independent biotechnology companies, and patients worldwide benefit from its leading multiple sclerosis and innovative hemophilia therapies."

Pharmaceutics Ph.D. student Guncha Taneja, who works under Associate Professor Romi Ghose, Ph.D., is working in the Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics section at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, Mass.

According to the company's website, "Vertex is a global biotechnology company that aims to discover, develop and commercialize innovative medicines so people with serious diseases can lead better lives. In addition to our clinical development programs focused on cystic fibrosis, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs aimed at other serious and life-threatening diseases. Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex today has research and development sites and commercial offices in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia."

PHOP Ph.D. student Nanveet Upadhyay, M.S. ('14), who works under Associate Professor Hua Chen, Ph.D., M.D., is working for the Global Commercial Operations unit of Amgen in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

According to the Amgen website, "Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

"Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential."