Next Step: PG1 Fellowship, Novartis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Reese Weissenfluh always knew he wanted to do something in the medical field to help patients.
Reese, who graduated with his PharmD degree and a minor in business administration and accounting from Ohio Northern University, found his career path in pharmacy.
He will pursue a post-doctoral fellowship with Novartis and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in a prestigious, highly selective program offering in-depth, specialized training within the biopharmaceutical industry.
With that fellowship, he will be a pharmacist member of a team working on clinical trials.
Weissenfluh’s focus in pharmacy is on regulatory affairs—working with developers to test drugs in clinical trials needed to earn approval from the FDA and other health authorities.
Among his key interests are cell and gene therapy, a field that focuses on treating diseases by manipulating cells or genes.
“They’re still incredibly new and in a critical phase right now,” Reese said, so one challenge is to try to understand the long-term implications of these drugs. “That’s part of my enthusiasm—figuring out how these therapies can play a role in patient care and how we can continue to build on the groundwork that’s been laid.” He has a special interest in rare diseases and pediatric drugs.
Being part of the Kappa Psi fraternity and other student organizations giving back to the Ada community are among his favorite 91ֱmemories, he said.
Reese, who grew up in central Ohio, is proud to be an 91ֱalumnus. “One of the things that made 91ֱspecial for me was the alumni connections. I’m excited to be part of that network now, and to be able to give back to current students.”