July 11, 2024

By: Markie Heideman, Content Marketing Manager

 

Think of your favorite family recipe – a dish that is a staple at holidays and get-togethers. It’s not any one ingredient that makes that dish unforgettable, it’s the perfect combination of each component. That’s the approach the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy takes when preparing students for life after graduation: a perfect mix of classroom learning from faculty who are leaders in their field and industry experts, and extracurricular leadership activities. 

 

Someone who knows that well is Sara Blodgett, PharmD ‘24. Blodgett walked across the commencement stage in May looking to the road ahead and the doors that are already opening for her thanks to a combination of her experiences during her time at the College of Pharmacy. 

 

 

Next Stop: New Jersey

 

Right now, that road is taking her to a fellowship at Daiichi-Sankyo, a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, with United States operations in New Jersey. As a Global Regulatory Affairs intern in oncology, Blodgett will gain a better understanding of the drug development process for cancer treatments. That knowledge will equip her to help serve as a liaison between Daiichi-Sankyo and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for newly developed drugs going through clinical trials.

 

“This company is less focused on imitating existing drugs, and more focused on developing new innovative drugs for oncology which is an area I’m very interested in,” explained Blodgett. 

 

Blodgett will also gain experience in clinical development, clinical safety, medical affairs, regulatory affairs labeling, pharmaceutical marketing and much more. She will be able to collaborate with colleagues in Japan and Europe representing diverse backgrounds, knowledge and expertise in a number of areas. 

 

The opportunity to have her hands in a number of industry pharmacy areas drew her to this fellowship. 

 

“When applying, I decided to take a leap and put all of my eggs in this basket hoping I was going to get it, and luckily I did.”

 

 

The Maize and Blue Difference

 

Blodgett says it’s the education and leadership experiences she gained at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy that prepared her for this next step. 

 

In the classroom, learning under world-class researchers and being introduced to all facets of pharmacy helped Blodgett understand the path she wanted to take with her PharmD – in the industry sector. 

 

“There are so many important and prestigious pharmacists that we get to learn from, and they set the bar high. It makes me want to achieve what they have achieved,” said Blodgett.

 

She says it’s the generosity and care for students, along with their accessibility due to the college’s small class sizes, that make the faculty stand out beyond their research. 

 

“They gave me the clinical knowledge I need and the opportunity to learn the skills for my career path, and they prepared me for my fellowship position.” 

 

Extracurricular Excellence    

 

Blodgett not only learned skills in the classroom but also by joining student organizations dedicated to professional development. With more than 18 student organizations offered through the College of Pharmacy at her fingertips, she was able to find her niche through organizations like Phi Delta Chi, a leadership fraternity for pharmacy students, helping her create connections within the college community. 

 

“My first year was a COVID year,” explained Blodgett. “It was all online. Phi Delta Chi allowed me to hang out with and shadow P4 students. They wanted to help us as much as possible because we were entering school during a lockdown. I knew I wanted to be a part of them since the first email they sent me.” 

 

After her first year, Blodgett wanted to give back to the organization by mentoring newer students. She went on to serve as the Recruitment Chair and Vice President for Phi Delta Chi. Upon graduation, she won the Phi Delta Chi Prescott Leadership Award, given to a student who made significant contributions to the fraternity and College of Pharmacy as a whole. 

 

“Being in Phi Delta Chi gave me the opportunities that I wanted to have as a leader. I learned how to have difficult conversations and navigate difficult issues. I learned different leadership styles and how to work with different people.” 

 

She refined those leadership skills through the College of Pharmacy’s Leadership Scholars Program, or LSP, a co-curricular educational program in which pharmacy students are selected based on student leadership activities and their academic record. 

 

“It’s your skills that they ask about in job interviews, and LSP helped me refine those skills and learn what’s transferable to different job opportunities,” said Blodgett.

 

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy understands that graduating the pharmaceutical leaders of tomorrow means providing a comprehensive array of opportunities, both within and beyond the classroom, fostering the development of our students. As Blodgett’s story proves, U-M graduates not only leave the PharmD program as the leaders of tomorrow, but also as the leaders of today, and that’s a clear recipe for success.