The University of Washington Team

“The UW/Bayer Fellow Program showcases how we value cultivating strong, external collaborations to increase the professional development opportunities for our students.”

Sean D. Sullivan, BScPharm, PhD
Professor
The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute, Department of Pharmacy

“The UW/Bayer Fellow Program is an excellent example of how an academic/industry partnership can produce high-quality HEOR researchers.”

Anirban Basu, MS, PhD
Stergachis Family Endowed Professor and Director
The CHOICE Institute, Department of Pharmacy

“The UW/Bayer Fellow Program benefits not only the student who receives the highest-quality HEOR education and training, and Bayer, which is able to employ a well-trained staff member, but also our society, as more well-designed HEOR studies should lead to better healthcare resource allocation.”

Louis Garrison, PhD
Professor Emeritus
The CHOICE Institute, Department of Pharmacy

“The Bayer/UW Fellow Program is an excellent and rewarding opportunity to meet talented recent graduates and help them transition into health economics and outcomes research professionals.”

Ryan Hansen, PharmD, PhD
Associate Professor, Interim Chair, Department of Pharmacy
The CHOICE Institute, Bayer/UW Fellowship Director

“The UW/Bayer Fellowship offers an exciting opportunity for students to experience the best of both academia and the pharmaceutical industry and to launch their professional career with a full complement of HEOR skills.”

Beth Devine, PharmD, MBA, PhD
Professor Emeritus

The Bayer Team

“The Fellow Program is a fantastic opportunity for Bayer to attract and work with some of the top up-and-coming talent in the academic environment. Our two-year programs give the students a year at their school to settle in, conduct research, and begin to know their sponsor through a series of meetings regarding their ongoing work at the University but also about their interests in what they want to study when they arrive at Bayer for their second year. The second year, the fellows spend on-site at Bayer, giving them first-hand experience on the inner workings of a pharma company and also giving Bayer an extremely bright and highly motivated person to work with over the course of the year.”

Todd Williamson, MsC
Vice President, Data Generation & Observational Studies

“The University of Washington and Bayer Fellowship program offers an excellent opportunity for Bayer to cultivate the next generation of high-quality HEOR researchers and prepare them for a successful and promising career in the healthcare industry.”

Sheldon Kong, PhD
Head of Research Strategy in Data Generation and Observational Studies

“At Bayer, our work is guided by the LIFE (Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility, and Efficiency) values to support the company mission of health for all, hunger for none. The post-doctoral fellowship provides an opportunity to bring in the brightest and most unique individuals to the program and develop them into future leaders responsible for bringing life-changing therapies to improve patient lives.”

Rakesh Singh, PhD
Director, Research, US Health Economics and Outcomes Research

Jake Earl, PharmD
Bayer/University of Washington
First Year Fellow, 2023-2025

Jake received his PharmD from the University of Utah. He pursued his interest in HEOR by seeking out opportunities in research and experiences within the pharmaceutical industry. His research experience includes extra-curricular collaboration with faculty at the University of Utah’s Pharmacy Outcomes Research Center (PORC), where he contributed to publications performing cost-effectiveness and umbrella analyses. He obtained pharmaceutical industry experience through rotations at Xcenda and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Jake looks forward to gaining specialized instruction in modeling, data analysis, and evidence generation from HEOR-leading experts at the UW CHOICE Institute and plans to apply his education to make notable contributions to the field at Bayer.

Arvind Katta, PharmD, MS
Bayer/University of Washington
Second Year Fellow, 2022-2024

Arvind is a second-year UW/Bayer HEOR Postdoctoral Fellow. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He discovered the field of HEOR and the insights it could produce in terms of both clinical and economic value during his internship at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. After the internship, he knew that he eventually wanted to work in this dynamic field that collaborates cross-functionally across the entire drug development lifecycle. Two of Arvind’s main interests include real-world evidence and performance-based risk sharing contracts to aid in access to care.

Abstracts:

• Katta A, Hansen R. Apixaban-Associated Bleeding Among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Literature Review. UW Corporate Advisory Board Meeting , September 2022, Seattle, WA.
• Katta A, Hansen R. Cost-Effectiveness of Abiraterone, Enzalutamide, and Apalutamide in Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mCSPC): A Partitioned-Survival Model. ISPOR 2023, May 2023, Boston, MA.

Manuscripts:

• Katta A, Carlson J, Hansen R. Treatment Patterns of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Patients After Bleeding on Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs). (In Progress)

The Bayer Pharmaceuticals and University of Washington Health Economics and Outcomes Research Fellow Program is a two-year program that provides training and hands-on experience in a broad range of health economics and outcomes research topics. This program is structured to allow the fellow to gain proficiency in these areas of research as conducted in both the academic and pharmaceutical industry settings.

The Fellowship Program

Bayer Pharmaceuticals and the University of Washington are pleased to offer a two-year Health Economics and Outcomes Research Fellow position for the academic years 2024–2026.

The first year of the fellowship will be spent at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA).
The objective of the first year is to educate the fellow on principles and methods of health economics and outcomes research. In this first year, the fellow will take core courses to satisfy the Master’s Degree requirements. Courses include biostatistics, health economics, and epidemiology. The fellow will be awarded a Master’s Degree from the University upon completion of all course requirements and a thesis project.

The second year will be spent at Bayer (Whippany, NJ).
The objective of the second year is to provide the fellow with hands-on training and exposure to the process of generating and utilizing strategically focused health economics and outcomes research to support the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. This will be accomplished by working closely with colleagues in the US Health Economics and Outcomes Research group.

Compensation includes a competitive stipend, basic medical insurance, relocation fees, holiday and vacation time, and other benefits associated with the University of Washington.

Fellowship Structure – First Year

The first year of the fellowship is conducted at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle. The objective of the first year is to provide the fellow with the intellectual tools necessary for pharmacoeconomic research. They will receive an overview of pharmaceutical economics and general health policy and learn methods of economic assessment, health services research design, and statistical analyses.

Fellows will be expected to begin the program in the first week of July and complete didactic requirements by June of the following year. Formal course work will be provided primarily by the Departments of Pharmacy, Health Systems & Population Health, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics but will draw upon the multidisciplinary resources of the University of Washington.

During the first few months of the program, fellows will work with the program directors at the University of Washington and Bayer HEOR to design an individualized program to meet established research goals. They will meet with their advisor on a regular basis to review progress, discuss their work, and review and assign current research articles or for other scholarly endeavors. In addition to their other classwork, fellows will participate in a research seminar designed to provide them with experience in evaluation, critiquing, preparing, and presenting scholarly research during each quarter of the first year and will be expected to present a report on their independent research once during the first year. The program is rigorous, requiring up to 45 hours a week in classwork and independent study.

Fellows will be required to participate in at least one ongoing research project with a member of the faculty and are encouraged to develop at least one research proposal under the supervision of the faculty mentor and Bayer US HEOR team. Research projects shall be implemented while fellows are at the University of Washington but may continue into the second year of the program. Research will be managed by fellows under the supervision of University of Washington faculty and Bayer researchers.

Fellowship Structure – Second Year

During the second year of training, the fellow will be part of Bayer’s US HEOR team and will conduct an approved pharmacoeconomic study. This part of the program is designed to allow fellows to learn about the role of pharmacoeconomic research in the drug development and evaluation process within the industry setting.

The research may be on an existing or experimental product, a therapeutic class of drugs, or a disease state of interest to Bayer (oncology, cardiology, women’s healthcare therapeutic areas, or others with Bayer approval).

In addition to completing their individual research project(s), fellows will participate in ongoing pharmacoeconomic evaluations or other projects assigned by their Bayer preceptor. They will have the opportunity to interact with departments involved in clinical research, commercial development, and regulatory affairs at Bayer to learn how economic analyses are used by the pharmaceutical industry and will also learn how Bayer uses clinical, epidemiologic, and pharmacoeconomic data to support the utilization of its products. Fellows will be expected to present the results of any individual research projects to the University of Washington faculty, graduate students, and other post-doctoral fellows as well as to their colleagues at Bayer.

Application Requirements

• You must hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status to apply, we are unable to sponsor non-immigrant visas for this program.
• Degree in pharmacy or health-related discipline.
• Previous research experience (preference will be given to those with a high academic standing).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, ethics, professionalism, leadership and an interest in the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Curriculum vitae, cover letter, three letters of recommendation.

Selection of fellows will be made by a committee composed of University of Washington faculty members and representatives from the respective company.

Application Process Timeline:

• Eligibility: Degree in Pharmacy by July 1, 2024 
• Application Opens: Friday, September 1, 2023
• Application Deadline: Monday, October 23, 2023
• Interview Notification: Monday, October 30, 2023
• Interviews: Week of November 6, 2023 (via Zoom)
• Offer Notification: Rolling, after interviews
• Decision Deadline: December 13, 2023
• Program Start Date: July 1, 2024

How to Apply:

1. Login to the Graduate School application: https://apply.grad.uw.edu/portal/gr_app
2. Select “Start Graduate Application”
3. Complete all sections of the application along the lefthand panel, starting with the Profile Information section.
4. Under Program Selection, choose the following:
   1. Application type: Graduate
   2. Program: Pharmacy – Health Economics & Outcomes Research (MS)
5. Review the Program Requirements and indicate the term and year you intend to enroll in the program
   1. Select Autumn 2024 (this is when the matriculation to the graduate program would begin).
6. For the section, “Application Questions”, select which MS fellowship program(s) to which you would like to apply. You may choose a min. of 1 and a max. of 4. The selections are not ranked.
   1. Select all that apply: AbbVie Fellowship Program, Bayer Fellowship Program, Genentech Fellowship Program, Seagen Fellowship Program
   2. To add another program, select “Add a fellowship program”. You may choose up to 4.
7. Continue with completing all other sections of the application, including Application Materials and Recommenders.
8. Review your application and check for any missing required fields or errors. When ready, click Submit Application. Your application is not submitted until you have paid the application fee.
   1. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify. Review eligibility requirements and the process for fee waiver requests here: https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/application-fee-waivers/

A more detailed instruction guide can be found here.

Contact Information

For more information, contact:

University of Washington

Marina Gano, M.Ed.
Graduate Program & Operations Manager
The CHOICE Institute, Department of Pharmacy
206-616-1383
uwsopchoice@uw.edu

or

Bayer

Gilbert Ko, PharmD, MBA, MS
gilbert.ko.ext@bayer.com