ISPE Briefs: ISPE Foundation Update - Diversity Internship Program
The ISPE Foundation Diversity Internship Program has received strong response from applicants and has launched a new partnership.
The ISPE Foundation and Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation have announced a partnership on the ISPE Foundation Diversity Internship Program’s newest cycle to provide world-class opportunities to groups that are typically underrepresented in the pharmaceutical industry.
Established in December 2020, the pilot ISPE Foundation Diversity Internship Program received a strong response from applicants. The series with Nephron will be a 12-week experience that offers graduate and undergraduate students in their junior or senior year the opportunity to spend the summer working on priority projects for one of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies in the country.
Nephron Internships
Nephron, based in West Columbia, South Carolina, develops and produces safe, affordable generic inhalation solutions and suspension products. The company also operates an industry-leading 503B Outsourcing Facility division, which produces prefilled sterile syringes and IV bags for hospitals across America in an effort to alleviate their drug shortage needs.
“We pride ourselves on two things: first, we do everything we can to make sure that everyone has a chance to achieve their dreams, and second, we utilize interns and apprentices in everything we do—they are playing key roles in our expansion and growth,” said Lou Kennedy, CEO, Nephron. “This is why I am so excited to partner with the ISPE Foundation to rollout these new internship opportunities. They represent a win-win—for participants and for our company. We are proud to invest in talented young people, and we are excited they want to invest in us. We cannot wait to get started.”
Multiple internship opportunities through the ISPE Foundation-Nephron partnership will include the following departments: Analytical Services and Formulation, Molecular Biology, and Engineering. The individuals participating in these internships will play key roles in Nephron’s ongoing projects. They will work directly with the entire Nephron team and they will make a difference for patients across America.
Gilead Internships Update
Two interns have been selected from a pool of highly qualified applicants for the ISPE Foundation Diversity Internship Program with Gilead Sciences. The program with Gilead was the first to be established in the Diversity Internship Program. Abbey Kim, a senior at San Jose State University, graduated in May with a bachelors degree in chemical engineering. Wendy Wong is a senior at the University of Southern California, and graduated with a masters degree in mechanical engineering in May.
The inaugural cycle is a 12-week summer program focused on high-priority, impactful engineering and facilities projects and workstreams in Gilead’s Corporate Operations organization. The two interns will engage in a wide range of activities, such as creating standard equipment or discipline specifications with input from subject matter experts, developing standard installation details in AutoCAD as part of GEP, supporting various PI projects, e.g., checking on data integrity (non-GMP related work).
Visit ISPE Foundation to learn more information
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New Good Practice Guide on Knowledge Management Debuts
The new ISPE Good Practice Guide: Knowledge Management in the Pharmaceutical Industry discusses the benefits of knowledge management (KM) in the pharmaceutical industry and how KM can enable a more effective pharmaceutical quality system (PQS).
“Knowledge management focuses on how organizations create, manage, and use knowledge throughout the lifecycle of a product. Along with quality risk management (QRM), KM is one of the two enablers of an effective pharmaceutical quality system as defined by ICH Q10,” said Paige Kane, Guide Team Co-Lead, Director Knowledge Management, Merck & Co., Inc., in Rahway, New Jersey. “Employing KM methods and tools enables organizations to better manage their knowledge as a key asset, which then improves the effectiveness of the pharmaceutical quality system, providing operational benefits and more.”
While the pharmaceutical industry has made significant progress in adopting QRM into systems and processes, it has been slow in implementing KM, thus missing the quality, operational, and employee engagement advantages KM practices have to offer.
”There are currently few resources, and no industry guidance available, to address the role of KM specifically for the pharmaceutical industry. This guide works to demystify KM and provides practical guidance, templates, case studies, and references to related ISPE industry guidance to help organizations better understand what KM is, the benefits of effective KM, and how to deploy KM,” said Melanie Byrne, Guide Team Co-Lead, Knowledge Management Lead, Pfizer.
Meet the ISPE Staff: Brandon Pastore
In each issue of Pharmaceutical Engineering®, we introduce a member of the ISPE staff who provides ISPE members with key information and services. Meet Kirsten Miller, Continuing Education Program Manager, Program Development, in the Continuing Education department.
Tell us about your role at ISPE: what do you do each day?
At ISPE, my focus is on our members by continuously searching for new content and opportunities to share the knowledge and experience necessary to be successful in the world of pharma. I work closely with Tina Li, Training Coordinator, in my role, which includes the operations of our professional development programs as well as future endeavors in partnerships and content expansion.
What do you love about your job?
I love working with the people at ISPE. My colleagues are a true team. There is a spirit of partnership at ISPE that is refreshing, and I enjoy being a part of that every day. That partnership is also alive and well in our volunteers. Both hold one common goal: improving the knowledge and expertise of our pharmaceutical community around the globe. The value that being a part of this team brings me is unlike any other that I have experienced.
What do you like to do when you are not at work?
I am a family man and I love to spend time with my wife, Marlo, and two kids, Natalie and Lorenzo. We love to look for adventurous opportunities together as we explore our new state of Florida.
