A schedule of events for the Grad Gathering is provided below for the convenience of attendees.

The Grad Gathering is scheduled for Friday, October 13, 2023, and will be held at Pharmacy Hall at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, Md. It is open to all alumni and current students from the PSC, PHSR, and Regulatory Science graduate programs. 

Time Activity
9:00-9:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast (PH Atrium/Gallery)
Conference Wi-Fi available
9:30-9:45 a.m.

Welcome Remarks (PH N103)
Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD
Interim Dean and Professor
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Chanel F. Whittaker, PharmD, BCPS, FASCP
Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Associate Professor of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
9:45-10:15 a.m.

Keynote Speaker (PH N103)
Marishka Brown, PhD '09
“From Graduate Education to Coordinating the National Sleep Research Agenda”
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
National Institutes of Health

Moderator: Paul Shapiro, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Research and Advanced Graduate Studies
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30-11:30 a.m.

Discussion Panel: Careers in Industry (PH N103)

  • Keisha Hines-Harris, MS '18, The Emmes Company
  • Angela Nguyen, PhD '16, Merieux NutriSciences
  • Juan David Rueda, PhD '19, AstraZeneca

Moderator: Eberechukwu Onukwugha, MS, PhD, Professor of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research and Executive Director of Pharmaceutical Research Computing, President of ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Discussion Panel: Careers in Government (PH N103)

  • Heather Boyce, PhD '17, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Mathilda Fienkeng, MS '18, FDA
  • Dinci Pennap, PhD '18, AstraZeneca (recently with the FDA)

Moderator: Jace Jones, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
12:30-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch and Poster Session (PH Atrium/Gallery)
1:30-2:30 p.m.

Discussion Panel: Nontraditional Careers (PH N103)

  • Bansri Desai, PharmD '15, PhD '21, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service
  • Andrew Do, MS '15, Covington & Burling LLP
  • Shamia Faison, PhD '15, Certara
  • Alexandria Reinhart, PhD '16, NMS Labs

Moderator: Ester Villalonga Olives, PhD, MSc, Associate Professor of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research
2:30-3:30 p.m.

Discussion Panel: Careers in Academia (PH N103)

  • Amy Defnet, PhD '21, Elizabethtown College
  • F. Ellen Loh, PhD '16, Touro Graduate School of Business
  • Rana Rais, PhD '10, Johns Hopkins University

Moderator: Daniel Deredge, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

or (concurrent session)

Session on Challenges in Clinical Research (PH N111)

  • Jessica Rowe, MS '16, Yale Cancer Center

Moderator: James Polli, PhD, Shangraw/Noxell Chair in Industrial Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics and Director of the MS in Regulatory Sciences Program
3:30-3:45 p.m. Break
3:45-4:15 p.m.

Keynote Speaker (PH N103)
Alexander Gaffney, MS '20, RAC
“Regulatory Convergence and Regulatory Frameworks: Factors, Progress, Impact, and the Future”
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Intelligence
POLITICO, AgencyIQ

Moderator: James Polli, PhD, Shangraw/Noxell Chair in Industrial Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics and Director of the MS in Regulatory Sciences Program
4:15-4:30 p.m. Closing Remarks (PH N103)
Andrew Coop, PhD
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
5:00 p.m.

Student, Alumni, Faculty, Staff Happy Hour
La Cuchara
3600 Clipper Mill Road
Baltimore, MD 21211