Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 9
ALumni
DebDevereaux
“Pharmacy is not a job. It’s who I am.”
From hospital pharmacist to national expert on drug utilization and Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug programs, Debra Devereaux (maiden name Springer) never thought she’d be a consultant. Growing up in a small town in Western Colorado in the 1960s, Deb was a self-described “science girl.” “As you can imagine, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for women in science in those days,” says Deb. But she had two distinct advantages. First, she had an affinity for science. Secondly, world–renowned female scientist Theo Colborn, PhD, lived in her hometown and was a relief pharmacist for the local pharmacy. “In a small town you know everyone, and Dr. Colborn was a trusted fixture in Paonia,” says Deb. Colborn, best known for her studies on the health effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals, raved
about how pharmacy was the perfect occupation for women who wanted both a family and a career in science. Deb took Colborn’s advice and in 1971 entered CU Boulder on a Boettcher Scholarship. After graduating from the School of Pharmacy in 1976, she started working for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, moving up through the ranks and becoming assistant director of pharmacy. While there she learned research design, benefit/risk analysis, cultivated mentors and served on P and T committees – all furthering her knowledge base. “Together with a good clinical foundation, these new exposures proved invaluable for my future career.” In 1989 she was offered a position as the director of pharmacy for a small psychiatric hospital in Fort Collins. This seemed the perfect opportunity, since her husband was commuting to the area for his job as a banker. Unfortunately, the hospital never opened and the job did not materialize. And, what some might consider bad luck proved providential. “Around that time, the federal government introduced the Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA) to address complaints, confusion and
abuses in the Medicare supplemental insurance program also known as medigap,” says Deb. The new law helped establish consumer safeguards while creating a standardization of policies and service agreements between the states and the federal government. As a consequence, positions were created to oversee the programs, and one opened up in Wyoming – a short drive from Deb’s home in Fort Collins. For the next 16 years, Deb oversaw Wyoming’s drug utilization review program, becoming an expert on government programs.
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DanWomer
Scientific matchmaker
For years, Dan Womer (PhD ’94) was convinced he would become a professor. “I just assumed I would end up in academia.” But after his post doctoral training at Indiana University, he had the opportunity to work as a post doc in behavioral pharmacology at Eli Lilly and the “world exploded for me.” Before Eli Lilly, “I didn’t know much about the pharmaceutical industry.” The consensus during his doctoral years was “they exist, but you don’t want to go there...” For Dan, “going to the dark side” was enlightening. He spent two and a half years in drug discovery and evaluation and loved it. He was hooked on working within industry, and any aspirations of being a professor were definitely put on the back burner. Then in 1997, he joined Parke-Davis as a medical science liaison, and the rest is history. “Back then, the role of medical liaison was very different. We provided scientific and clinical information to physicians in order to convince them on working with us and our products,” says Dan. During the past 14 years, the job has evolved into more matchmaking and research support. “It’s no
longer one-way communication – out to the physician. It’s multi-pronged communication, idea generation and funding development.” Medical science liaisons act as conduits of information about new research developments, clinical trial activities and therapeutic approaches. “We provide information to researchers, thoughtleaders and academicians and take their ideas and information back to the industry. Then, if it’s a good enough idea, funding is sought.” Acting as the connection between the healthcare industry and product development, medical liaisons are skilled clinical researchers and “people persons” who bring the latest research and knowledge of therapeutic specialties to the people who develop therapeutic products. As Dan says, “A pharmaceutical sales person is a sprinter. I’m a marathon runner. My focus is long-term relationship building and idea generation.” Today, Dan is a senior medical science liaison for Covidien, a global healthcare products leader. He travels frequently, works extensively with people at every step of the therapeutic product development process and translates dense, academic information into engaging, persuasive discussions. “I have the best job in the world. I get to talk to doctors and have scientific conversations and help those with the ideas… doing the research… get it done.”
Summer 2011
“A pharmaceutical sales person is a sprinter. I’m a marathon runner. My focus is long-term relationship building and idea generation.”
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Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 1
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 2
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 3
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 4
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 5
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2012fall
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