A new scholarship at the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health, funded by Eli Lilly and Co., is training public health students to tackle the challenges of health outcomes research in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Eli Lilly Enhanced Epidemiological Fellowship will focus on examining population health in pharmaceutical drug development and commercialization while developing applied analytical skills. It has been awarded for the first time to two Master of Public Health students in the Fairbanks School, Fatimah Omotoso and Naw Pow.
“Stemming from my upbringing as a Nigerian immigrant, I have and continue to see the challenges caused by limited medical access and resources,” Omotoso said. “I want to expand my knowledge of how pharmaceutical innovation impacts the delivery of health care on the consumer level. I’m looking forward to gaining well-rounded insights into the research and manufacturing that allow medicines to reach patients. I am also looking forward to the leadership development aspects of this fellowship.”
The scholarship consists of full tuition and fee reimbursement, a $25,000 stipend for expenses, career coaching and business guidance in the pharmaceutical industry, and scientific mentorship related to research opportunities at Lilly.
“As someone who loves digging into complex information to find key insights, being immersed in pharmaceutical research and data science projects sounds like a dream,” Pow said. “With my passion for helping communities, I am looking forward to the opportunity to grow as an epidemiologist and make a difference in health care.”
Scholarship recipients will receive hands-on experience at Lilly through their internship and capstone experiences. Each student selected will be mentored by a Lilly employee as they progress through their academic career.
“We are genuinely excited about this scholarship because it will serve to maintain and enhance a scientific link between the pharmaceutical industry and future public health scientists,” said Tom Duszynski, assistant professor of epidemiology and Master of Public Health program director at the Fairbanks School. “Scholarship recipients will have the unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the drug industry and learn about the regulatory aspects of drug development, while developing their business acumen and communication skills.”
The scholarship will be awarded annually to two epidemiology students at the Fairbanks School. Students must be enrolled in the epidemiology concentration or intend to major in epidemiology in the Master of Public Health program. Students must also be physically located in Indianapolis to complete the internship and capstone at Lilly’s headquarters.