UC San Diego & Pfizer Post-doctoral Research Fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology - Oncology

The UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in conjunction with the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center is pleased to announce its two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology-Oncology beginning July 1.

The fellows will engage in pharmaceutical sciences research in quantitative pharmacology, drug discovery, drug development and clinical oncology at UC San Diego and at Pfizer Global Research and Development Oncology Business Unit, La Jolla.

Candidates Requirements

Applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications: Pharm.D. or Pharm.D./Ph.D. degree or equivalent (awarded or in process) and be licensed or eligible for California licensure as a pharmacist. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident at the time of application. Prior pharmacy residency and/or equivalent clinical pharmacy experience is preferred.

Fellowship Aims

The program is designed to develop individuals with skills in clinical pharmacology and oncology research who would ultimately pursue a career in academia or the pharmaceutical industry. Training and career interests may extend from drug discovery through clinical trials and treatment outcomes.

The fellows will collaborate with members of the clinical pharmacology and oncology research community at UC San Diego and Pfizer. This range of activities reflects the interests of our existing research and clinical care programs.

Fellows will develop basic clinical and pharmaceutical sciences research skills from an academic and industrial perspective. Fellows will attend seminars in pharmacology, oncology, biostatistics and trial design, serve as volunteer faculty at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, review and write research proposals, develop data collection strategies and perform advanced data analyses including intensive and population based pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and disease modeling. Fellows will also acquire laboratory skills in related areas which may include quantitative pharmacology measures, biomarkers and drug target assessment. Fellows will review and prepare research proposals and compose manuscripts for publication, engage in interdisciplinary seminars and develop teaching skills in Pharmaceutics with pharmacy students. The interaction between the basic and clinical scientists and fellows creates an environment that nurtures state-of-the-art basic, applied and clinical research at UC San Diego and Pfizer, Inc.

The fellows will learn valuable prognostic tools for fulfilling model-based drug development, mathematical and statistical approaches that construct, validate, and utilize disease models, and drug exposure-response models to facilitate drug development. The fellow will integrate theory and practice and apply principles and concepts of quantitative pharmacology

This program will be tailored based to the education and training background of the fellow. Fellows will have the opportunity to pursue didactic coursework toward a master's degree in clinical research through UC San Diego Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) program.

Fellowship Program Objectives:

1. Oncology Coursework and Training:

  • Development of a comprehensive understanding of cancer biology, biomarkers and common targets for cancer therapy
  • Understanding current and developing translational tools that may be used to assess effective inhibition or activation of targets in cancer therapy
  • Understanding of the ethnic differences in polymorphisms of therapeutic targets
  • Application of pharmacokinetic principles to pharmacology with a focus on anticancer drugs
  • Identify correlations of drug exposure with toxicity and therapeutic endpoints
  • Prediction of long term patient tolerability and resistance to cancer therapy efficacy

2. Clinical Oncology

  • Understanding of clinical oncology principles with a focus on selection of treatment options
  • Engaging in discussions of study design for chemotherapeutic agents based on tumor type, drug targets and statistical requirements
    • Design for phase 1 studies
    • Design and analysis of clinical exposure – response and efficacy trials
  • Implementing medication-related guidelines/protocols for the care of individuals with cancer including management of drug-related adverse effects
  • Optimizing the outcomes of the care of individuals with cancer by providing evidence based, patient-centered medication therapy as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team
  • Monitoring progress of drug regimens while detecting medication therapy problems and toxicities in patients with malignancies
  • Participate in rigorous institutional review of oncology-related study protocols for scientific merit, regulatory requirements and subject safety

3. Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics:

  • Develop pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models to describe clinical and pre- clinical data using non-compartmental and, population methods
  • Utilize models of disease progression in oncology
  • Incorporate pharmacogenomic considerations including, analysis of SNP's, INDEL's, linkage disequilibrium, haplotype, hap-maps and the current and future application of these concepts to assessing drug efficacy and toxicity
  • Use pharmacometrics and mechanistic based models in the development of biologic therapeutic agents
  • Understand and identifying pharmacodynamic-biomarker-outcomes linked models
  • Learn and confirm key characteristics of new molecular entities in a quantitative manner and use modeling with simulation to provide predictive evidence for optimizing drug development plans and enabling critical decision-making
  • Use quantitative pharmacology in the applications in populations interpreting the data for new drug development and evaluation
  • Gain understanding of clinical pharmacology/oncology laboratory activities as related to drug target, biomarker or drug concentration measurements

Duration

Two-years

Salary and Benefits

Compensation is commensurate with NIH post-doctoral training positions. Benefits are provided including medical, dental and vision insurance.

Application Dates

Applications will be reviewed beginning November 1, 2023 and select candidates will be invited for an interview. Review of applications will continue until the fellowship position is filled.

Application

To apply for this position please send the following three documents in one PDF File:

  • A letter describing your background, career interests and how this fellowship would fit into your plans.
  • Graduate Transcripts (may be unofficial)
  • Curriculum Vitae including list of publications:
  • Three letters of recommendation - Please ask that your letters be emailed directly to:

Inquiries

For any additional program information or questions, please email:

Jeremiah Momper, PharmD, PhD
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of California, San Diego
jmomper@health.ucsd.edu

Mina Nikanjam, MD, PhD
Medical Oncologist
Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor
Division of Hematology-Oncology
University of California San Diego
mnikanjam@health.ucsd.edu