By Sholnn Z. Freeman
Howard University has announced a collaboration with Sanofi for 10 new post-graduate fellowships in the College of Pharmacy for students earning PharmD degrees. Upon successful completion of the program, Sanofi’s goal is to hire fellows into permanent full-time positions at the company, marking the first time an industry partner with the college has committed to post-fellowship employment.
Earl B. Ettienne, MBA, LP.D., RPh., the College of Pharmacy’s director of graduate programs and industry partnerships, said the partnership reflects the college’s continued commitment to addressing real-world challenges with innovative solutions. “We pride ourselves in developing excellent men and women that are ready to contribute on day one and applaud Sanofi for joining us with a bold effort to create the next generation of leaders and researchers in the biopharmaceutical space,” he said.
The two-year fellowship Sanofi program is part of the pharmaceutical company’s ongoing efforts to address disparities in underrepresented communities. Set to begin in the second half of 2022, the Sanofi program will allow the 10 PharmD graduates an opportunity to participate in practical learning experiences across multiple research and development fields, including oncology, rare diseases, neurology, immunology, regulatory, pharmacovigilance and clinical operations, as well as U.S. medical, public policy and patient advocacy.
Sanofi said its employees represent the variety of its patients, customers and partners, which helps to build a better understanding of needs and forges stronger connections. For example, by facilitating the increased participation of diverse populations in clinical trials, Sanofi is striving to aid in the improvement of social equity and human health.
“At Sanofi, we recognize that work-force diversity correlates strongly with creativity, successful problem solving and visionary innovation,” said John Reed, MD, Ph.D, global head of research and development at Sanofi. “This collaboration with Howard University will allow us the opportunity to foster the next generation of scientists from historically underrepresented communities. We look forward to working with the fellows as they begin their training and become Sanofi team members who will undoubtedly help contribute to frontier innovations as we bring the next generation of life-saving medicines to patients worldwide.”
With these beliefs and ambitions, the company said it was honored to begin this collaboration with the College of Pharmacy. The company said the fellows’ contributions would help to bolster Sanofi’s mission, its diverse top-tier talent pipeline and empower Black scholars to pursue STEM research in the future.
“We look forward to the partnership with Sanofi, a global leader in health care innovation, and the launch of this unique fellowship program. Howard University is among the nation’s largest producers of African-American students who complete doctorates in science, technology, engineering and physical sciences,” said Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph. “The Sanofi fellowship will allow promising graduates to gain real-world experience while contributing to a field that has historically overlooked and undervalued people of color.”
Sanofi’s fellowship program with the College Pharmacy is part of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy, which set new objectives in June 2021 to be achieved by 2025. The strategy is built around three key pillars: building representative leadership, creating a work environment where employees can bring their whole selves and engaging with the company’s diverse communities. Earlier this year, Sanofi took additional steps forward in its DE&I strategy by introducing a DE&I board, joining the Novartis Beacon of Hope program, and fostering the creation of a global employee resource groups framework.
