Pharmaceutical Industry

In this episode, Fady and Kristen interview Travis Macek, PharmD, BCPS. Dr. Macek is a Senior Medical Science Liaison for AbbVie. Travis graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2016 before pursuing two years of residency training. He completed his PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina to complete a PGY-2 in Critical Care Medicine at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Upon completion of his PGY-2, Travis took a job as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) at AbbVie, focusing on the research and development of medications in the gastrointestinal space. Recently, Travis has taken a position as a Senior MSL in the hematologic malignancy space at AbbVie, which will grant him more exposure to pipeline medication development and launch support. In this episode, Travis talks to us about the pillars of being a medical science liaison, what a typical work week looks like, the difference between being an MSL and a drug rep, and much more! 

Presenter biographies:

Travis graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2016 before pursuing two years of residency training. He completed his PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina to complete a PGY-2 in Critical Care Medicine at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Upon completion of his PGY-2, Travis took a job as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) at AbbVie, focusing on the research and development of medications in the gastrointestinal space. Recently, Travis has taken a position as a Senior MSL in the hematologic malignancy space at AbbVie, which will grant him more exposure to pipeline medication development and launch support.

Fady Abdlrasul graduated with a doctorate of pharmacy degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2014. He began his career as a pharmacist at Rite Aid pharmacy from 2014 to 2016. He then went on to be a pharmacy manager at an independent pharmacy in the Canton area from 2016-2017. He became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at NEOMED in 2017 and soon after became the Director of Pipeline Programs in the Office of Student Success.

Kristen Longstreth graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and completed PGY1 residency training at West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown, West Virginia. She is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (2002 to present). She previously served as an Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (2000 to 2020) and the PGY1 Residency Director (2004 to 2020) at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio. From 2007 to 2013, she was a shared faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at NEOMED. She currently serves as the Director of Workforce Development for the College of Pharmacy. In addition, she is the Program Director for the College of Pharmacy’s Teaching and Learning Curriculum Program for pharmacy residents in Northeast Ohio.