The University of Maryland, Baltimore - AAPS Student Chapter Welcomes You!

MISSION: To advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health

VISION: Advancing the pharmaceutical sciences to drive prevention and cures

FIVE CORE VALUES: Learning, Innovation, Service, Inclusiveness, and Integrity

Home: Welcome

Who We Are

UMB-AAPS includes members from the School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Graduate School, and Nursing School. Members come from a wide range of research interests from the basic and applied sciences. The Chapter provides an avenue for students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members to develop and enhance their respective career paths.

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is a professional, scientific organization of members who are employed in academia, industry, government, and other research institutes worldwide. Members are dedicated to the discovery, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical products.

University of Maryland, Baltimore’s AAPS Student Chapter (UMB-AAPS) includes students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty members at UMB who are devoted to advancing their career paths and developing professional skills. UMB-AAPS's goal is to promote the AAPS mission, vision, and values locally at UMB and the surrounding community.

Get to know more about us from 2019 AAPS Student Chapter Award video! https://youtu.be/BQsB3_GPr6c

What Do We Do?

Monthly Spotlight

Dr. Bowen Jiang, a former UMB PSC graduate student from the Hoag lab, has great advice for recent graduates and those on their way towards getting their PhD. Dr. Jiang shares his experiences and struggles, as well as resources he found useful as a graduate student and now as a Formulation Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Activities

Professional development
Industry and government site visits
Community outreach
Social and fun activities
And so much more!

Membership

UMB-AAPS MEMBER: FREE!

Access to all AAPS-UMB chapter events and activities

AAPS MEMBER (Join at www.aaps.org/join-renew) (40 dollars for students!)
Access to all UMB-AAPS chapter events and activities

PLUS

Subscription to AAPS Newsmagazine
Reduced registration fees to the world’s largest gathering of pharmaceutical scientists, AAPS PharmSci 360
Access to AAPS’ four leading peer-reviewed scientific journals
Access to webinars, online forums, and communities
Discounts to workshops and e-courses

What differences do you find, from being a PhD student to an employee as

a Formulation Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals?

Being a PhD student, we really need to think outside of the box to tackle the difficult scientific questions, while working as a formulation scientist, the goal is to have a formulation that’s safe and stable for patients. It takes time for industry to adopt the newest excipients or analytical techniques since safety is our highest priory.

What resources and associations impacted your career development the most?

For me, the association that impacted my career development the most has to be AAPS. There was a mentor program within the AAPS Biotech Section, in which each young scientist or pharmaceutical student get matched together with a mentor based on their background and interest. I participated in the program for one year and really learned a lot from my mentor about what to expect for working in industry and how to prepare for that. I still keep a good relationship with my industry mentor.

What are some of the challenges you faced while looking

for a position after getting your PhD?

It’s the timing that matters for job hunting. While there might be a lot of positions available for biologics formulation development, finding the right team you would like to join and work with everyday is not always easy. Sometimes your dream company or dream department might not have a position available when you graduate. As fresh graduates, we usually do not have too many choices. I am really grateful that my committee provided flexibility for my gradation date to purse my dream position.

What advice would you give to any graduate students who are looking for

a position at Regeneron or elsewhere?

The best advice I could offer is to getting more familiar with the pharmaceutical industry you are planning to join after gradation. You might learn that by taking an internship or co-op, or joining an industry mentorship program, or in some cases, your supervisor already
has many years of industry experience or a strong connection that could help.