Since 2017, Pacific’s Fellowship in Industry Program has been providing exceptional clinical research and pharmaceutical industry training for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) graduates. The latest venture is a partnership with the United States Air Force and Travis Air Force Base. Kevin Pham ’20, PharmD has been selected as the inaugural fellow for the 2-year clinic research and strategy fellowship. 

Through this one-of-a-kind fellowship program, fellows will gain end-to-end clinical research experience, from idea generation to publication. Fellows will have the unique opportunity to conduct clinical research augmenting the Defense Health Agency mission of having a medically ready force for peace and war times. Under the leadership of Patrick Kennedy, Lt Col, USAF, BSC at the Clinical Investigations Facility, they will collaborate with multiple internal and external stakeholders such as the Graduate Medical Education Department, Defense Health Agency, Space Force, NASA and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to foster mission readiness. The opportunity to collaborate with these partners drew Dr. Pham to this unique fellowship. 

Stepping into the role of inaugural fellow presents both challenges and opportunities. 

“What will be challenging about this fellowship is choosing from a vast pool of opportunities and paving my own path,” said Dr. Pham. “I hope to make the most out of the opportunities I have access to and live up to the high standard expected from the fellow.”

His goal is to hone his ability to excel in diverse interdisciplinary teams and conduct meta-analyses and retrospective database studies. 

“Pacific’s PharmD program has given me the clinical tools and judgement I can bring to the table in discussions,” he said. “The research teams I will be collaborating with will have diverse backgrounds. As a PharmD, I can help ensure that the research is clinically sound and feasible.”
 

As a PharmD student at Pacific, he was involved in Pacific’s innovative Clinical and Outcomes Research (iCOR) lab directed by Sachin A. Shah, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, professor of pharmacy practice. Dr. Pham was the principle investigator for “Glucose Differences in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Brands and Application Sites: A Pilot,” a pilot conducted in Pacific’s iCOR lab.

“I had the opportunity to design and execute a project on continuous glucose monitors to guide future iCOR endeavors,” he said. “It really challenged my critical thinking, problem solving and clinical capacity. I can confidently say that it has prepared me well in my transition into this fellowship.”

Dr. Pham’s career goals are focused on identifying and addressing unmet medical needs.

“To innovate, one must first understand the current standard of care, which my PharmD has prepared me well for,” he said. 

Dr. Pham is passionate about finding creative ways to use his knowledge and perspective as a pharmacist to contribute to advances in health care. Through this fellowship he will cultivate his clinical skills at the United States Air Force’s flagship medical treatment facility.