Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 9

ALumni

DebDevereaux
“Pharmacy is not a job. It’s who I am.”
From	hospital	pharmacist	to	national	expert	 on	drug	utilization	and	Medicare	and	Medicaid	 prescription	drug	programs,	Debra	Devereaux	 (maiden	name	Springer)	never	thought	she’d	be		 a	consultant. Growing	up	in	a	small	town	in	Western		 Colorado	in	the	1960s,	Deb	was	a	self-described	 “science	girl.”		 	“As	you	can	imagine,	there	weren’t	a	lot	of		 opportunities	for	women	in	science	in	those	 days,”	says	Deb.	But	she	had	two	distinct		 advantages.	First,	she	had	an	affinity	for	science.	 Secondly,	world–renowned	female	scientist	Theo	 Colborn,	PhD,	lived	in	her	hometown	and	was	 a	relief	pharmacist	for	the	local	pharmacy.	“In	a	 small	town	you	know	everyone,	and	Dr.	Colborn	 was	a	trusted	fixture	in	Paonia,”	says	Deb. Colborn,	best	known	for	her	studies	on	the	health	 effects	of	endocrine	disrupting	chemicals,	raved

about	how	pharmacy	was	the	perfect	occupation	 for	women	who	wanted	both	a	family	and	a	career	 in	science.	Deb	took	Colborn’s	advice	and	in	1971	 entered	CU	Boulder	on	a	Boettcher	Scholarship. After	graduating	from	the	School	of	Pharmacy	 in	1976,	she	started	working	for	the	University	 of	Colorado	Health	Sciences	Center,	moving	up	 through	the	ranks	and	becoming	assistant	director	of	pharmacy.	While	there	she	learned	research	 design,	benefit/risk	analysis,	cultivated	mentors	 and	served	on	P	and	T	committees	–	all	furthering	her	knowledge	base.	“Together	with	a	good	 clinical	foundation,	these	new	exposures	proved	 invaluable	for	my	future	career.”	 In	1989	she	was	offered	a	position	as	the	director	 of	pharmacy	for	a	small	psychiatric	hospital	in	 Fort	Collins.	This	seemed	the	perfect	opportunity,	 since	her	husband	was	commuting	to	the	area	for	 his	job	as	a	banker.	Unfortunately,	the	hospital	 never	opened	and	the	job	did	not	materialize.	 And,	what	some	might	consider	bad	luck	proved	 providential.	 “Around	that	time,	the	federal	government		 introduced	the	Omnibus	Reconciliation	Act	 (OBRA)	to	address	complaints,	confusion	and

	

abuses	in	the	Medicare	supplemental	insurance	 program	also	known	as	medigap,”	says	Deb.		 The	new	law	helped	establish	consumer	safeguards	while	creating	a	standardization	of	policies	 and	service	agreements	between	the	states	and		 the	federal	government.	As	a	consequence,		 positions	were	created	to	oversee	the	programs,	 and	one	opened	up	in	Wyoming	–	a	short	drive	 from	Deb’s	home	in	Fort	Collins.	For	the	next	16	 years,	Deb	oversaw	Wyoming’s	drug	utilization	 review	program,	becoming	an	expert	on		 government	programs.	
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DanWomer
Scientific matchmaker
For	years,	Dan	Womer	(PhD	’94)	was	convinced	 he	would	become	a	professor.	“I	just	assumed	I	 would	end	up	in	academia.”	But	after	his	post	 doctoral	training	at	Indiana	University,	he	had	the	 opportunity	to	work	as	a	post	doc	in	behavioral	 pharmacology	at	Eli	Lilly	and	the	“world		 exploded	for	me.” Before	Eli	Lilly,	“I	didn’t	know	much	about	the	 pharmaceutical	industry.”	The	consensus	during	 his	doctoral	years	was	“they	exist,	but	you	don’t	 want	to	go	there...”	 For	Dan,	“going	to	the	dark	side”	was		 enlightening.	He	spent	two	and	a	half	years	in	 drug	discovery	and	evaluation	and	loved	it.	He	 was	hooked	on	working	within	industry,	and	any	 aspirations	of	being	a	professor	were	definitely	 put	on	the	back	burner. Then	in	1997,	he	joined	Parke-Davis	as	a	medical	 science	liaison,	and	the	rest	is	history.	“Back	then,	 the	role	of	medical	liaison	was	very	different.	We	 provided	scientific	and	clinical	information	to	 physicians	in	order	to	convince	them	on	working	with	us	and	our	products,”	says	Dan.	During	 the	past	14	years,	the	job	has	evolved	into	more	 matchmaking	and	research	support.	“It’s	no	

longer	one-way	communication	–	out	to	the		 physician.	It’s	multi-pronged	communication,	 idea	generation	and	funding	development.”	 Medical	science	liaisons	act	as	conduits	of		 information	about	new	research	developments,	 clinical	trial	activities	and	therapeutic	approaches.	 “We	provide	information	to	researchers,	thoughtleaders	and	academicians	and	take	their	ideas	and	 information	back	to	the	industry.	Then,	if	it’s	a	 good	enough	idea,	funding	is	sought.” 	Acting	as	the	connection	between	the	healthcare	 industry	and	product	development,	medical		 liaisons	are	skilled	clinical	researchers	and		 “people	persons”	who	bring	the	latest	research	 and	knowledge	of	therapeutic	specialties	to	the	 people	who	develop	therapeutic	products.	As	Dan	 says,	“A	pharmaceutical	sales	person	is	a	sprinter.	 I’m	a	marathon	runner.	My	focus	is	long-term	 relationship	building	and	idea	generation.” Today,	Dan	is	a	senior	medical	science	liaison		 for	Covidien,	a	global	healthcare	products	leader.		 He	travels	frequently,	works	extensively	with	 people	at	every	step	of	the	therapeutic	product	development	process	and	translates	dense,	 academic	information	into	engaging,	persuasive	 discussions.	“I	have	the	best	job	in	the	world.		 I	get	to	talk	to	doctors	and	have	scientific		 conversations	and	help	those	with	the	ideas…	 doing	the	research…	get	it	done.”
Summer 2011

“A pharmaceutical sales person is a sprinter. I’m a marathon runner. My focus is long-term relationship building and idea generation.”

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Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011

Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 1
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 2
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 3
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 4
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 5
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 6
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 7
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 8
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 9
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 10
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 11
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2019graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2019winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2018summerfall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2018graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2018winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2017summerfall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2017winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2017graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2016graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2016winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2015summerfall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2015graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2015winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2014summerfall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2014graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2014winterspring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2013summerfall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2013graduation
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2012winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2011fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2011grad
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2010fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2010grad
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ucdenver/pharmperspectives_2010spring
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