environment, relocation to a new place and com-

muting long distances.

Overall

Most of the students reported an over-

all positive experience from an internship. The

commonly cited benefits included acquisition of

additional research skills as well as preparation

for a career in a setting similar to that of the in-

ternship.

Below are some tidbits of advice that

summer 2010 interns would give to students

considering an internship in 2011:

In their own words

“Avoid trading in future gains for current satis-faction. Internships vary not only in their fields, but also in their compensation. But the depth of work and the quality of the internship is not de-termined by how much you are getting paid. The position that may further your career, help you network and teach you more may not be the best paid one or the one in a prime location”.

“Spending three months working may result in a career altering experience. An open mind is abso-lutely necessary when choosing the right intern-ship.”

“An applicant should understand the job respon-sibilities and assess if they are matching his/her own research interests.”

“Make sure you find a company that conducts research in your area of interest. You want the time you put into the internship to be as benefi-cial to you as to the company.”

In September 2010, a thirteen-item

internship experience questionnaire created by

the Student Network Newsletter Committee was

sent out to ISPOR student members through

their chapter presidents in September 2010.

Thirty chapter presidents were urged to identify

members who had recently participated in an

internships. Thirteen students from nine chap-

ters completed the questionnaire. Eight were

either in the third or fourth year of a doctoral

program at the time of their internship. Seven

respondents reported having interned at a phar-

maceutical company, while some interned at

consulting firms, federal agencies (i.e.

FDA/CDER) and research institutes (i.e.

Schepens Eye Research Institute). Seven respon-

dents spent three months at their respective

internship sites.

Pharma

Members reported interning at phar-

maceutical companies such as Abbott, Amgen,

Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Takeda.

Students learned of the internship opportunities

through faculty referrals, the ISPOR website, and

postings on LinkedIn. During these internships

students were involved in projects in the areas

such as: economic evaluations (common exam-

ples included cost effectiveness, cost utility, and

budget impact analyses), pricing and reim-

bursement, extensive literature reviews and

large database analyses.

Challenges

Among most challenging aspects of

their summer internships students reported the

following: impetus for time management, adjust-

ment to an industrial (versus academic) work

ISPOR STUDENTS’ SUMMER 2010 INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES AND ADVICE TO STUDENTS CONSIDERING INTERNSHIP IN

SUMMER 2011 By: Natasha Shcherbakova, Newsletter Committee 2010-11

Special Points of Interest

T-shirt Competition

Travel Grant Application

ISPOR Student Chapter

Grant

Research Competition

Ice Breaker Reception

Student Network Exhibit

ISPOR Student Forum

ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK

Inside this Issue

Summer Internships 1

Univ. of Arizona 1

Univ. of Huston 2

West Virginia University 3

Purdue University 3

St. John’s University 4

Events at Baltimore 5

The Newsletter Quiz 6

ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER, MARCH ISSUE, 2011 Page 1

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA -

ISPOR STUDENT CHAPTER By: Alex Mutebi, Chapter President

UA-ISPOR members participated in Tucson

Memory Walk not only to raise awareness about

Alzheimer’s disease but to also raise funds to-

wards Alzheimer’s research. UA-ISPOR mem-

bers usually take part in this event.

UH-ISPOR organized its first ever Halloween party

on October 29, 2011. The gracious presence of all faculty and

staff members along with students dressed up in Halloween

Costumes made it a great success. The students also took the

opportunity to recognize their professors for their contribu-

tion in every aspect of the graduate program in Pharmacy

Administration. On November 5, 2011, the students also got

together for a potluck dinner to celebrate Diwali, an Indian

festival popularly known as the festival of lights.

On December 9, 2010, UH-ISPOR hosted a guest

presentation by Dr. Vijay N. Joish, Deputy Director at Bayer

HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Joish’s topic of presentation

was “Understanding Outcomes Research: Industry’s Perspec-

tive”, where he talked about the career opportunities for

pharmacy graduates in pharmaceutical industry, particularly

in the field of Health Economics and Outcomes Research

(HEOR). Food was also served in the seminar, and this was

sponsored by the ISPOR Student Activity Grant.

In the spring 2011, the chapter had two seminars.

The first seminar was a presentation on “Nonresponse and

Nonrespondents in Survey Research” by Dr. Christiane Spitz-

mueller, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, Univer-

sity of Houston. For second seminar on Feb 3, 2011, the

chapter hosted Charles Douglas, a PhD candidate from the

University of Florida, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes

and Policy. Charles presented his dissertation titled ‘Towards

an operational definition of Pharmacy Clinical Competency”,

validating a national clinical performance instrument for assessing

students’ clinical performance.

In the midst of academic activities, UH-ISPOR is gearing up

for its upcoming socials in the middle of the spring semester, which

will once again bring all the students, faculty and staff together for a

gala time ahead.

Page 2 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER—MARCH 2011

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ISPOR STUDENT CHAPTER (UH-ISPOR) By: Abhishek Chitins, Chapter President,

Satabdi Chatterjee and Hemal Mehta, Chapter Members

Pictured from left to right: Mo Yang, Abhishek Chitnis, Satabdi Chatterjee,

I-Hsuan Wu, Dr. Hua Chen, Sandhya Mehta, Hemal Mehta , Sneha Sura.

Ten ISPOR Student Travel Grants will be provided on a competitive

basis to student attendees for the 16th Annual International Meet-

ing. Each grantee is awarded COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION

AND SHORT COURSES. The grant will also fund round trip coach

class travel, hotel, meals, and conveyance up to $1300 USD for at-

tendance to the Annual Meeting. The applicant is required to pay

for these items upfront and the grant funds will be reimbursed

after the event per the ISPOR Travel and Reimbursement Policy.

Pre-established criteria will be used to review all the applications.

To review the grading criteria and/or submit your application for

the upcoming 16th Annual International Meeting, please visit

http://www.ispor.org/student/Travel/grantApp.asp before:

March 25, 2011

STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATIONS

March 25, 2011—Travel Grant Application Dead-

line

April 5, 2011—Early Registration Deadline for

meeting and Short Courses

May 22, 2011—6.30 pm—7.30 pm : Research

Competition

May 22, 2011—7.30 pm— 8.30 pm: Ice breaker

event

May 23, 2011—ISPOR Student Forum

May 23—25, 2011—Student Network Exhibits

SAVE THE DATE…!!!

Page 3 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER—MARCH 2011

PURDUE UNIVERSITY ISPOR CHAPTER

By: Xiaoqin Yang, Chapter President, & Lori Ward, Chapter member

Purdue University-ISPOR student chapter has continued with the

chapter’s journal club which meets every other Monday afternoon. This year’s

journal club is attended by eight graduate students focusing on factor analysis.

This year’s goal is to reinforce participant understanding in psychometric the-

ory and enhance empirical research experience in factor analysis.

Reading materials and application guides for the series are

“Psychometric Theory” by Jum C. Nunnally and “A Step-by-Step Approach to

Using the SAS System for Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling” by

Larry Hatcher. With individual preparation based on assigned reading prior to

the journal club meeting, participants come together to have a stimulating dis-

cussion led by a different participant each time. The club has received a lot of

positive feedback, examples include; ‘…We are basically teaching ourselves and

others in the group. It is useful to get insight from my colleagues' various ex-

periences and knowledge…..’from Marwa Noureldin. ‘It is a very enriching

experience, as it involves students working together to understand scientific

literature.’ from Jigar Rajpura. “The journal club has provided a relaxing and

interactive environment to discuss factor analysis at our own pace….” from

Lori Ward.

Special thanks to the chapter advisor, Dr. Matthew Murawski for his guidance!

Left to right: Lori Ward , Xiaoqin Yang, Jigar Ra-jpura, Engels Obi, Aleda Chen, Jyothi Menon, Neeraj Iyer and Marwa Noureldin

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY (WVU) ISPOR STUDENT CHAPTER By: Tricia Lee Wilkins, Chapter President

Bartlett House Christmas Drive

In December 2010, WVU-ISPOR donated much needed items to the

Bartlett House Christmas Drive. The Bartlett House addresses the needs of the homeless community by providing them with emergency shelter, food, and medical referrals for various treatments. They also provide one-to-one com-prehensive case management to break the cycle of homelessness. Together, WVU-ISPOR donated $300 in goods and necessities for those in need. WVU-ISPOR looks forward to continuing the support of humanitarian efforts in our community.

Sundale Nursing Home Secret Valentines

On February 14, 2011, WVU-ISPOR participated in a Secret Valentines Project for Nursing Home Residents at the Sundale Nursing home. Students purchased valentines cards and gifts for assigned residents and visited with them on Valentine’s Day. The gifts were very heartily accepted by the elderly residents some of whom said that our act made them feel really special and even asked to come visit them whenever we have time. WVU-ISPOR plans to continue doing this type of warm gestures.

Journal Club Goes on Tour

Our monthly journal club series provides a casual environment to learn share and discuss emerging topics in health outcomes research. Febru-ary’s meeting was held at Saffron, a locally owned Indian restaurant instead of the usual location, Panera Bread. We plan to continue taking our Journal club on tour as we experience different cuisines from around Morgantown. While at Saffron, Rini Vohra presented on a Cost-Effectiveness study that evaluated indi-vidualized Alzheimer’s treatments in the UK. Yun Wang presented a global update on cervical cancer vaccination treatment strategies.

Pictured from Left to right: Row1: Tricia Lee Wilkins(President), Elvonna Atkins (Treasurer), Ami Vyas (Vice President), Sandipan Bhattacharjee, Row 2: Traci LeMas-ters (Secretary), Dr.Lucy Pan (Faculty Advisor), Mayank Ajmera, Row 3: Rini Vohra and Yun Wang

Page 4 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER—MARCH 2011

ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY ISPOR STUDENT CHAPTER

By: Unnati Majethia, Chapter President

REACHING OUT TO THE NEEDY! Friday’s at the

Soup kitchen, (With Bread and Life)

On February 25, 2011, six members at STJ ISPOR chap-

ter volunteered for ‘Bread and Life’, a service to bring

and serve food to the needy. In addition to providing

meals throughout the week, ‘Bread and Life’ also helps

the needy with getting proper documents for legal iden-

tification like birth certificates, social security cards and

other forms of ID cards. The student members specifi-

cally participated in the “Friday’s at the Soup Kitchen”

program.

At the facility, in Brooklyn, New York, the students were

divided into two groups. Group one helped make sand-

wiches, serve soup and cookies to people who came in

for a meal. The other group was in the pantry packing

groceries for individuals and families. Overall, STJ ISPOR

members reported the experience as rewarding; “it feels great to be able to help people who actually need it,” by

Manav Kapoor. And Swapnil Tiwari added that “sparing a couple of hours to help feed someone is probably the easiest thing one can do that still fills the heart with sat-isfaction.”

STJ ISPOR Research Competition Prep.

STJ ISPOR chapter realized that performing well in the

ISPOR student research competition is not only helpful

in gaining additional knowledge, but can also earn mem-

bers and their universities international recognition. As a

preparatory move, the chapter started a bi-monthly re-

search competition. The final round will determine

which students will represent STJ ISPOR in the 2011

ISPOR competition. Thus far, the signs are good as one

first year student, Smeet Gala commented; “I still haven’t even taken the course on Pharmacoeconomics, but I already know so much about it.” Spe-

cial thanks to the faculty advisor Dr. Wenchen Wu and the Dean of the

College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Dr. Robert Mangione

for their support.

Samosa Fundraiser

On February 16, 2011, the STJ ISPOR chapter organized a fund-

raiser to help generate additional monies for the chapter’s activi-

ties. The culture of the members and the graduate program was

the inspiration behind the decision to have a “Samosa Sale.”A

Samosa is a spicy, fried South Asian snack stuffed with potatoes

and peas. Needless to say, the event was a success with no inven-

tory left by the end of the day.

Pictured from left to Right: Unnati Majethia , Smeet Gala, Anshul Shah, Dr. Wenchen Wu (Faculty Advisor), Manav Kapoor, Swapnil Tiwari, Dharam Ajmera, Abhishek Sahu, Pranav Gokhle, Birju Shah, Tarun Bhagnani, Pooja Jain and Chetan Kulkarni

ISPOR Student Chapter Activity grants are available to

all student chapters. Please do take advantage of this

opportunity to organize an educational or service

event and promote ISPOR at your university. Request

amounts may vary between $100 and $400. Please pro-

vide a description of the planned activity in the appli-

cation form. Applications may be emailed to Jennifer

Casillas at jcasillas@ispor.org. If you have not received

an application, please contact Student Network Chair

Urvi Desai at desaiu@vcu.edu

ISPOR STUDENT CHAPTER GRANTS

Page 5 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER—MARCH 2011

EVENTS AT BALTIMORE

STUDENT NETWORK EXHIBIT

While you are visiting the Exhibit Hall, please stop by the stu-dent table to interact with others in the Student Network! At the table you can also pick up information to start your own student chapter in case your school does not have one al-ready. Representatives of the Student Network will be at the exhibit to give you more information on the exciting and re-warding aspects of having a student chapter at your school. We shall also be available to receive suggestions and answer questions about the Network and/or its activities as well as the student events at the meeting! When: May 23, 2011 8:00am – 8:00pm May 24, 2011 8:00am – 7:30pm May 25, 2011 8:00am – 3:00pm Where: Please refer to Conference Brochure for meeting room details

ISPOR STUDENT FORUM

In 2010, the United States government passed legisla-

tion to implement the largest reform in the history of its

healthcare system, through the Patient Protection and

Affordable Care Act of 2010, while facing the worst eco-

nomic times since the Great Depression of 1930. What

impact would this situation have on a graduate’s career

development? Which area has the potential for the

greatest increase in job opportunities? What additional

skills might employers be looking for? All this, and more

will be discussed by a panel of experts from the acade-

mia, industry and consulting at the ISPOR Student Fo-

rum!

Theme: Career options in the wake of health-care reform and recession

Speakers: Dr. Chris L Pashos PhD, Vice President, United Bio-

Source Corporation, Lexington, MA, Former ISPOR President

Dr. C. Daniel Mullins PhD, Professor, Pharma-coeconomics and Associate Director of Center on Drugs and Public Policy, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Co-Editor-in-Chief: Value In Health

Dr. Jens Grueger PhD, Vice President and Head of Global Market Access, Primary Care Business Unit, Pfizer, NYC, Former ISPOR Director

When: Monday, May 23, 2011- 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Where: Please refer to Conference Brochure for meeting

room details

RESEARCH COMPETITION

The research competition is the most exciting student event of the meeting! This friendly competition gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned to date. Three cash prizes are awarded at the competition: first prize receives $750, second place $500, and the third team gets $250. The prize money can be used by the student chapters for educational or travel events in the coming year! Please participate in the competition as a team of 3 to 4 members and prepare for the quiz from the ISPOR Book of Terms (if your chapter does not have the book, please contact Urvi Desai at desaiu@mymail.vcu.edu to request one). The official invitations and rules and instructions for participating in the Research Competition will be sent out before March 15, 2011. When: Sunday, May 22, 2011- 6:00pm – 7:30pm Where: Please refer to Conference Brochure for meeting room details

ICE BREAKER RECEPTION In addition to an hour full of refreshments after a long day of short courses and other activities, the Ice– breaker reception (right after the research competition) provides an excellent opportunity to interact with other students and faculty on a personal level at the Meeting. Please join us directly after the Research Competition for food, games, and free t-shirt at the Reception! When: Sunday, May 22, 2011– 7.30 pm—8.30 pm Where: Please refer to Conference Brochure for meeting room details

Page 6 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER—MARCH 2011

THE NEWSLETTER QUIZ Find the words for the questions below. Find those words in this grid to complete the quiz. Please

send in the completed scanned quizzes to Unnati Majethia—(unnati.majethia09@stjohns.edu). The

first chapter to submit all correct answers will be recognized on the cover page of the next issue of

the ISPOR newsletter and also will be eligible for a $100.00 chapter activity grant.

O I R A D S A O P N C K E T O F

O I T A R S D D O M I N A N C E T H R E I F D A I S E C M P T Y

A Q N C U I C N K C B R E O W N

P M E U E J X R R O S S E R O F S O T V C N E O V R T H E L A Z

R B B O O T S T R A P P I N G Y

O W E K N C Q O I U L Q A G O D

N F N O C X U J R U M I P S O U Z A E L O E A O H I T R D E H V

Y D F O R G R A Q U N I C I K B

J X I O D I E O O N W G S O T R U M T P A U H H O V E P Q A L Y

R A Z G N C C I W F O X O R E D T L Y D T E C R O R J P B T L A

H E G O A Q K B N U M S E H Z Y

1. A violent, dangerous cyclone also used to

analyze the impact of uncertainty on an eco-

nomic analysis (7)

2. This three letter word is abbreviation for a

corporate entity that specializes in facilitat-

ing the conduct of clinical research on behalf

of, and on contractual basis with corporate

and governmental sponsors (3)

3. This Index is a two dimensional classifica-

tion system of health states. The first four

letters of this six letter word also make the

name of a famous character of the sitcom

“FRIENDS” (6)

4. Simple, Extended and Efficient frontier are

three types of this (9)

5. On December 9,2010, this chapter hosted a

guest presentation that was sponsored by

ISPOR Student Activity Grant. (2-5) (Answer

in one of the articles of the March Newslet-

ter)

6. This quadrilateral with all equal sides and

angles is also used to represent the decision

node of a decision tree (6)

7. A method to approximate accuracy of a

statistical estimate. In business this word

also means to start business without any

external help/capital (13)

8. Parents and teachers teach little kids to be

_______ to everyone. This four letter word is

also an abbreviation for a quasi governmen-

tal organization that attempts to provide

patients, health professionals and public in

England and Whales with authoritative, ro-

bust and reliable guidance on current medi-

cal best practice (4)

9. Repetition of sounds resulting from reflec-

tion of sound waves, also an economic model

used extensively for teaching medical profes-

sionals about designing and reviewing out-

comes research studies (4)

10. A measure of effect size describing the

strength of association or non independence

between two binary data values. It is used as

a descriptive statistic and plays an important

role in logistic regression (4-5)

11. If a patient is consistent, accurate and follows a recommended medical regimen, he/

she is said to be___________________ (10)

12. This eight letter word describes how well a measurement tool or economic evalua-

tion allows us to infer something about the true nature and value of the object or sys-

tem being considered (8)

13. A method of displaying cost effectiveness results. Monetary and health are its two

types (3-7)

14. This four letter abbreviation is often used in Cost Utility Analysis is a measure of

disease burden (4)

15. A technique in Time-to-event models to account for incomplete information in a

primary research study (9)

Unnati Majethia (St. John’s University), Alex Mutebi (University of

Arizona), Natasha Shcherbakova (Univ. of Texas at Austin), Alex

Tungol (University of Michigan), Tricia Lee Wilkins (West Virginia

University), Urvi Desai (Virginia Commonwealth University),

Zeba Khan, PhD (ISPOR Student Network Advisor)

Please contact Tricia Lee Wilkins at twikins@hsc.wvu.edu for

June 2011 ISPOR Student Network Newsletter

NEWSLETTER EDITORS