Pfizer Hosts SPH Practicum Students for Second Summer
After the success of last summer’s practicum program for SPH students, Pfizer is renewing its relationship with the school by offering additional opportunities for 10-week paid internships at the multinational pharmaceutical company.
The 2024 cohort, the first of its kind to be hosted by the Medical and Scientific Affairs Team at Pfizer, joined the industry giant for 10 weeks, during which each student worked under the supervision of a senior member of leadership on projects ranging from the quantitative analysis of phase 4 clinical trial data to the summary of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“What makes this exciting is this program was designed exclusively for our students,” says Ryan Wisniewski, assistant director of SPH’s practicum program. James Stark, the global medical and scientific affairs lead for the tick-borne disease vaccines at Pfizer and a member of Dean’s Advisory Board, initiated and coordinates the practicum partnership.
Pfizer offers undergraduate internships through its Pfizer Futures (formerly Summer Growth Experience) program, but opportunities for graduate students of public health at the company are more limited, says Stark. Through the practicum program, SPH students can join other early talent for trainings and various networking events, including meeting with the CEO, that are designed to build the skills and relationships needed to secure a career in the industry.
“The feedback I received from the various mentors was that [the 2024 cohort] was a very committed group, a very knowledgeable group. They were really motivated, and they had sort of the requisite background to complete the projects and tasks that they were given,” says Stark. “I think that speaks well to the training that you get at BUSPH, because it demonstrates that the training that the students receive at the SPH is in the type of skills and knowledge that you need to succeed in the workplace.”
Read more about this impactful program here.
