Over the years, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy’s Innovative Clinical and Outcomes Research (iCOR) lab has successfully cultivated students and propelled them into rewarding careers in the pharmaceutical industry. Alumni have advanced into impactful positions at high-profile pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie, Biogen, Genentech, Novartis and Pfizer.
What started as a passion project for one student has grown into a track for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students looking for alternative careers in the industry field. Through iCOR, students have the opportunity to collaborate with Pacific faculty members and fellows, as well as industry scientists.
From the beginning, iCOR students prioritized innovation when designing studies by raising questions on new methodologies and technologies in health care. The results of completed research studies influence and inspire current projects. Whether investigating a new concept or digging into a previous one, the individuals within iCOR work together to continue to produce groundbreaking data and analysis in clinical research.
Early on, iCOR made its mark leading a randomized controlled trial that assessed the cardiovascular safety of the consumption of high‐volume multi-ingredient energy drinks compared to caffeine alone. iCOR teams have explored avocados and heart health. Students investigated a dietary supplement mix for treating hangover symptoms. They also delved into the medical devices sphere by designing a series of clinical trials testing the accuracy of the readings on continuous glucose monitors.
“iCOR gave me a glimpse of the life of a clinical scientist and helped me understand the role they play in drug development.”
— Sheel Patel ’19, PharmD
Recently, iCOR completed a clinical trial which showed a statistically significant reduction in both “bad” cholesterol and body weight when volunteers ate meals from a plant-based meal kit compared to a non-plant-based meal kit. Currently iCOR is conducting research on enhanced external counterpulsation, a non-invasive Food and Drug Administration approved treatment to improve circulation. The researchers are studying multiple cardiovascular endpoints to better understand the scope of benefits patients might experience with this treatment.
Alumni take the valuable skills gained from hands-on clinical research into their careers.
“iCOR gave me a glimpse of the life of a clinical scientist and helped me understand the role they play in drug development,” said Sheel Patel ’19, PharmD, clinical research and drug development fellow at PPD, a global contract research organization. “My most memorable experience was when my team members and I were tasked to design and execute our own, and my first, clinical trial.”
Strong partnerships allow this unique program to continue its tradition of training highly motivated and hardworking students at Pacific, helping them achieve their goals as future leaders in the pharmaceutical industry. This year, Katherine Hsu ’21, Elizabeth Lindemann ’21, Anh Nguyen ’21, Simran Randhawa ’21, Brandon Tran ’21 and Brittany Tran ’21 accepted fellowships with Sanofi Genzyme, Regeneron, PPD, Pfizer, Genentech and Daiichi Sanky, respectively.
“This year is a significant milestone, 100 percent of our students in the industry track were offered a fellowship,” said Sachin A. Shah, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, professor of pharmacy practice, regional coordinator and director of pharmacy research and education at Travis Air Force Base. “It would not have been possible without the students’ hard work, the efforts of the iCOR faculty and the support we received from many Pacific leaders and iCOR alumni.”
iCOR Alumni

Andrew Abe ’11, PharmD
Lead Clinical Evidence Specialist at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Jeremy Lim ’12, PharmD
Senior Clinical Scientist, Early Clinical Development at Genentech

Amy (Kurian) John ’13, PharmD
Clinical Trial Manager at Gilead Sciences

Daniel Da Costa ’14, PharmD
Associate Scientific Director at AbbVie

Gregory Koyama ’14, PharmD
Interim Division Manager-Hematology at Genentech



Christopher Pham ’15, PharmD
Senior Medical Writer at ApotheCom
Saranpreet “Sunny” Nagra ’16, PharmD
Senior Product Manager at Abbott
April Nguyen ’16, PharmD, RAC
Regulatory Affairs Manager at Biogen

Andrew Occiano ’16, PharmD
Medical Writing Manager at Ascendis Pharma

Frank Son ’16, PharmD
Medical Scientist at VeganMed

Connie A. Lin ’17, PharmD
U.S. Regulatory Lead at Amgen

Kimberly Maiton ’17, PharmD
Global Medical Affairs, Oncology at Rakuten

Kunal Shah ’17, PharmD
Global Clinical Project Lead at Alexion

Dorothy Fan ’18, PharmD
Inflammation & Immunology (I&I) Senior Manager at Pfizer

Raechel Farewell ’18, PharmD
Clinical Scientist Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR)

Michael McClain ’18, PharmD
Clinical Trials Management Associate at Gilead Sciences

Kathy Quach ’18, PharmD
Ambulatory Care Pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente

Andy Szeto ’18, PharmD
Clinical Science Senior Manager at BeiGene

Brandon Le ’19, PharmD
PGY-2 Population Health Management & Data Analytics Resident

Xiaohan “Essie” Liu ’19, PharmD
Oncology Early Clinical Development Clinical Science Fellow at Genentech

Sheel Patel ’16, ’19, PharmD
Drug Development and Clinical Research Fellow at PPD

Der Yu “Megan” Wang ’19, PharmD
Clinical Science Senior Manager at BeiGene

Winny Chan ’20, PharmD
Clinical Biosamples Coordinator at Astex Pharmaceuticals

Hannah Huh ’20, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacology Fellow at AbbVie/Allergan

Michelle Hsueh ’20, PharmD
PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident at Stanford Health Care

Lucy Manzanero ’20, PharmD
Clinical Science & Study Management Oncology Fellow at Merck

Soma Mathur ’20, PharmD
Medical Affairs Specialist at Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Eric Shih ’20, PharmD
Pharmacist Intern at PharMedQuest

Erica Su ’20, PharmD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience Development at AbbVie

Katherine Hsu ’21, PharmD
US Marketing & Global Commercial Strategy, Rare Diseases at Sanofi Genzyme

Elizabeth Lindemann ’21, PharmD
Biologics Associate at Regeneron

Anh Nguyen ’21, PharmD
Clinical Research and Drug Development Fellow at UNC

Simran Randhawa ’21, PharmD
Global Medical Affairs: Inflammation & Immunology Fellow at Pfizer

Brandon Tran ’21, PharmD
Global Clinical Operations Oncology Fellow at Genentech

Brittany Tran ’21, PharmD
Quantitative Clinical Pharmacology Fellow at Daiichi Sankyo

Kimmy Dovan ’22, PharmD
Regulatory Affairs: Advertising and Promotion Fellow at Merck

Jason Hong ’22, PharmD
Clinical Science Fellow at Genentech

Jessica Kaye ’22, PharmD
Oncology Drug Safety Fellow at Seagen

Huy Pham ’22
PharmD/ PhD Candidate at University of the Pacific

Ricky Philipossian ’22, PharmD
Clinical Development Fellow at Pfizer

Reina Marie Sanz ’22
Regulatory Affairs Fellow at Novartis

Lena Tieu ’22
Global Medical Information Fellow at Gilead