Charlotte Martin is a third-year pharmacology student in the School of Biosciences. She recently completed a year in industry on a placement at Pfizer, one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical companies. Here she tells us about her experiences.
Between the second and third years of my pharmacology undergraduate degree, I completed a placement year in industry, working as a Pharmacovigilance Process Analyst at the global pharmaceutical company, Pfizer.
Pharmacovigilance is a branch of drug safety science that focuses on the continuous monitoring of adverse events after drugs are licensed for use in humans, such as allergic reactions or liver toxicity. It involves everything from first-in-human clinical trials right through to post-market safety monitoring. Pharmaceutical companies must continuously evaluate and balance the risks to patient safety with the overall benefits of their medicinal products.
Day-to-day
My role specialised in the processes, procedures and systems used to detect, monitor and evaluate safety signals. My day-to-day work involved a range of projects and tasks that all had real impacts on patient safety. Some of my favourite projects included introducing new data tools to visualise solid tumour progression in oncology clinical trials and working on pharmacovigilance automation projects. Alongside projects, I also got involved in routine pharmacovigilance activities such as helping prepare safety reports for submission to health authorities.
Opportunities
Pfizer offered a plethora of opportunities beyond the role through volunteering, colleague groups and charity initiatives. I got the chance to run the London Marathon for the charity Sense, became a STEM ambassador for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), and represented Pfizer by volunteering at events like London Pride and the Superhero Series. These activities shaped my placement year, grew my confidence and I really enjoyed giving back to causes I was passionate about.
I’d recommend a placement year to anyone who is thinking about it. It was great to see how pharmacology translates to real-world applications in the pharmaceutical industry, and I gained lots of valuable experience. Aside from gaining valuable professional experience and making meaningful industry connections, it was also fun! I regularly draw on the experiences and lessons from my placement, and it has already been helpful in my final year of studies. My advice to anyone applying to a placement is to be patient and make the most of all the amazing opportunities.