Josh Carlson, MPH, PhD
Professor, The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute
School of Pharmacy
University of Washington
Pfizer/UW Fellowship Director

Elizabeth Masters
Senior Director, Head of HTA Value and Evidence Oncology, Pfizer

Josh Roth, PhD, MHA
Director, HTA Value and Evidence Oncology at Pfizer
Affiliate Associate Professor, CHOICE Institute, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington

A full list of CHOICE Core Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, and Staff can be found here: https://sop.washington.edu/choice/who-we-are/faculty-staff/

A full list of CHOICE Affiliate Faculty can be found here: https://sop.washington.edu/choice/who-we-are/faculty-staff/affiliate-faculty/

Kathryn Perkins, PharmD
2024-2026

Kathryn recently graduated from the University of Southern California with her PharmD and a graduate certificate in Healthcare Analytics and Operations. Her passion for HEOR grew through her experiences in the AMCP P&T Competition, modeling and analytics coursework, and an internship in specialized health outcomes with AbbVie and the AMCP Foundation. Kathryn is motivated by the opportunity for her research to create a direct impact on healthcare decision making and improve patient health outcomes. She is thrilled to develop her skills in data analytics, evidence generation, and HEOR strategy with renowned industry leaders at UW CHOICE and Pfizer.

Jennifer Deem, PhD
2023-2025

Jennifer is now a second-year fellow at the CHOICE Institute. Her thesis project describes treatment patterns and patient outcomes in early non-small cell lung cancer. Jennifer joined CHOICE as prior junior faculty with a BS in Chemistry and Biochemistry and a PhD in Pharmacology, all earned at the University of Washington. Her interests include advanced biostatistics, epidemiology, and data extraction applications to generate real-world evidence. Jennifer is thrilled to bring her research experience to the CHOICE Institute, where she can work with Pfizer and the UW CHOICE faculty to build an advanced understanding of global HEOR.

For more details on previous graduates, including their current positions of employment, please visit https://sop.washington.edu/choice/graduate-education-training-programs/students-fellows/alumni/

Pfizer and the University of Washington Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics (CHOICE) Institute offers a 2-year health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) fellowship for post-PharmD students. Designed to help meet the growing need for expertise in HEOR and evaluation of pharmaceuticals and other health care technologies, the fellowship combines 1 year of academic study with 1 year of industry experience to provide both the theoretical tools and the practical experience to become a skilled researcher in this increasingly important field.
Fellows will receive a competitive stipend for each year of the fellowship, along with tuition, health benefits, and travel expenses for company meetings and attendance at 1 domestic professional meeting per year.

Fellowship Program Objectives

After completion of the 2-year program, fellows will have a clear understanding of:

• General principles of economics and how economics influences the use, cost, and availability of pharmaceuticals.
• The complex structure of drug policy and how it determines relationships among consumers, health care providers, payers, and government agencies.
• The breadth, scope and limitations of analytical methods needed for assessing cost-effectiveness and health-related quality-of-life as influenced by the use of pharmaceuticals.
• Research design and epidemiology methodology, including development of research protocols in pharmaceutical-related outcomes assessment.
• Formulary development, maintenance and evaluation in institutional, managed care, and state-level government programs.

Fellows shall also gain practical experience in:

• Designing an economic assessment protocol and conducting the research, as applied to either existing products or those in development.
• Applying the methods of epidemiology, statistics, and psychometrics as they relate to cost-effectiveness and health-related quality-of-life evaluations.
• Preparing proposals for funding research in an academic, government, or industry setting.
• Disseminating results of an economic assessment by preparation of a manuscript, seminar, or other scholarly vehicle as well as a US FDAMA 114/Section 3037 approved health care economic information communication.
• Application of HEOR methods to inform pharmaceutical research strategies.

Fellowship Program 1st 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 learn the foundations of health economics and outcomes research, including an overview of pharmaceutical economics, general health policy, economic assessment methodologies, health services research design, and statistical analysis through an individualized program of coursework provided through the University of Washington in consultation with the program director.

Fellows will meet regularly with their advisor to discuss their progress and review assigned current research articles. In addition to their classwork, fellows will participate in a research seminar designed to provide them with experience in critiquing, preparing, and presenting scholarly research during each quarter and will be expected to present a report on their independent research once during that year. The program is rigorous, requiring up to 45 hours a week in classwork and independent study.

Fellows will be required to develop, under the guidance of their advisors at the University of Washington and Pfizer, a research project leading to a thesis. The fellow will choose the topic, with input from the University of Washington and Pfizer and should be of mutual interest to all parties. If the selected topic involves a Pfizer compound, the research protocol will be submitted to Pfizer for prior approval. Additional funding to complete this project may be made available at the discretion of Pfizer. Research proposals 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 Pfizer product researcher(s).

Due to the proximity of Pfizer Bothell Office to the University of Washington, fellows can regularly interact with Pfizer staff while focusing attention on their coursework. This provides unique early exposure to the Pfizer team in advance of the second-year industry placement.

Fellowship Program 2nd Year

The second year provides fellows experience in applying the HEOR skills gained during their first year of the program to real-world development and commercialization of a product within the industry setting.

The fellow will work on site at Pfizer Bothell as a member of the HEOR team. Fellows gain hands-on experience in conducting research with an oncology focus, approved by both Pfizer and the University of Washington, to support the evidence generation plan of an existing or experimental product in a therapeutic area of interest to Pfizer.

Unique to the Pfizer Fellowship is its focus on oncology, and the opportunity to learn the real-world evidence and value strategy needed to support new oncology treatments. Fellows will learn how pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research are developed with consideration for value frameworks such as those produced by the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and the Institute for Comparative Effectiveness Research (ICER).

In addition to completing their individual research project(s), fellows will participate in ongoing pharmacoeconomic evaluations or other outcomes projects assigned by their Pfizer preceptor. They will have the opportunity to interact with Pfizer clinical research, commercial development, and regulatory affairs teams to learn how Pfizer uses diverse datasets and HEOR methodologies to generate evidence needed to identify unmet need and demonstrate Pfizer product value to payers, providers, and patients. Fellows will be expected to present the results of any individual research projects to the University of Washington faculty, graduate students, other post-doctoral fellows, and to cross-functional teams at Pfizer. After completion of the program, fellows will have a solid understanding of HEOR methodologies as well as firsthand experience in applying their learnings in an industry setting, laying the foundation for a successful career in HEOR.

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, 2025
• Application Opens:Sunday, September 1, 2024
• Application Deadline: Monday, October 21, 2024
• Interview Notification: Monday, October 28, 2024
• Interviews: Week of November 4, 2024 (via Zoom)
• Offer Notification: Rolling, after interviews
• Program Start Date: July 1, 2025

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 left hand 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 2025 (this is when the matriculation to the graduate program would begin).
6. For the section, “Additional Materials”, download and complete the following Fellowship Selection Form.
   1. Upload the completed copy to your application.
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.

A more detailed instruction guide can be found here.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact:

Marina Gano
Graduate Program & Operations Manager
The CHOICE Institute, Department of Pharmacy
uwsopchoice@uw.edu

Dr. Josh Roth
Pfizer Fellowship Director
joshua.roth@pfizer.com