Advancing patient care through clinical research and medical affairs
Ngoc Phuong Mai Le, PharmD, is a postdoctoral research associate – medical affairs fellow at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, sponsored by United Therapeutics Corporation. She is chair of the 2024–2025 APhA–APPM Pharmacy Residency & Fellowship Standing Committee, Education & Training Subcommittee.
The pharmacy profession offers a plethora of career pathways across different specialties. Instead of the traditional trajectories of community and hospital pharmacy, I decided to pursue a research-focused academia and pharmaceutical industry postgraduate training fellowship. With growing interests among student pharmacists, pharmacists, and professionals looking for a career transition, I want to share my experiences to provide insights that can lead to a rewarding career pathway.
My fellowship journey
I’ve always wanted to pursue a career that can drive innovative changes through meaningful impact on patient care, therapeutic drug development, and health care practice. When I was pursuing my PharmD degree at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences–Boston, I had the opportunity to network with many industry fellows and professionals through organizations and social events. Outside the classroom, I pursued business certificates with Harvard Business School, a precision medicine certificate with Harvard Medical School, and a clinical research certificate with Boston College to enhance my knowledge of the pharmaceutical development process and industry landscape.
My research experiences in oncology, infectious diseases, and cardiology, along with my APPE rotation at Biogen in the Global Medical Affairs team, have shaped my interest in pursuing a career within the pharmaceutical industry. I decided to apply for industry fellowships and eventually landed a medical affairs fellowship at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, sponsored by United Therapeutics Corporation.
Clinical research experiences
As part of my fellowship, I’m involved in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored* clinical study called Precision Antiplatelet Therapy after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (Precision PCI), which focuses on precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, and cardiovascular health to advance patient care and clinical practice through antiplatelet medication optimization.1 This clinical registry includes CVD patients who experienced an acute or chronic coronary syndrome and underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure. The most recent guideline from the American Heart Association recommends dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) post-PCI for these patients, with the use of aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor (either clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor).2 However, approximately 30% of the U.S. population carries a CYP2C19 loss-of-function allele, placing them at high risk of adverse cardiovascular events due to reduced clinical effectiveness with clopidogrel.3 Therefore, an alternative therapy, including prasugrel or ticagrelor, is recommended for these patients.
At our institution, clinicians can utilize CYP2C19 genotyping results to more precisely guide antiplatelet therapy to optimize clinical outcomes and reduce cardiovascular events for patients. With the use of real-world data, this registry aims to investigate the impact of different clinical factors on the use of CYP2C19 genotype-guided DAPT, the safety and effectiveness of switching antiplatelet therapy based on genotype results after PCI, and additional genetic factors affecting clopidogrel’s effectiveness.1 Our longitudinal research findings aim to inform clinicians who prescribe antiplatelet therapy post-PCI for patients with cardiovascular diseases through precision medicine.
In my current role, I conduct clinical and scientific data generation and analysis, recruit and interview patients, collect and manage clinical research data across multiple platforms, and build clinical datasets. I also collaborate with health care providers and research members at UNC and other research sites to gain real-world medical insights to answer research questions with the goal of improving patient outcomes. Additionally, I facilitate teaching activities, mentor student pharmacists, create fellowship brochures, and recruit fellowship candidates for the upcoming cohort.
Through my fellowship, I’ve been fortunate to meet many passionate and hardworking professionals, and I am excited to continue my research journey and see its impact on patient care and public health.
Leveraging medical affairs
Through my fellowship, I also network and travel to national scientific meetings with the Medical Affairs team at United Therapeutics to learn about existing and innovative treatment therapies for pulmonary hypertension and other cardiopulmonary diseases. I attended the 2024 American College of Chest Physicians Annual Meeting in Boston and the 16th Annual North Carolina Research Triangle Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium sponsored by Duke University and UNC Schools of Medicine. These conferences provided me with valuable medical insights from key opinion leaders through workshops, roundtable discussions, and industry-sponsored talks.
I am grateful for these opportunities to continue leveraging my skills and knowledge in medical affairs, understanding scientific data from clinical trials and drug development, and enhancing patient care with innovative pharmaceutical treatment therapies.
Industry resources
To stay up to date with the pharmaceutical industry, I use the Industry Pharmacists Organization website for career resources and job postings, as well as Fierce Pharma subscription for industry news. If you’re applying for fellowships, check out the APhA postgraduate training resource, as well as this article that I co-authored with my subcommittee, for more information.
With my leadership appointment as the 2025–2026 APhA Industry/Medical Affairs Community member-at-large, I will continue to develop resources and provide education related to the pharmaceutical industry and drug development to support the role of pharmacy and pharmacy-related professionals in optimizing medication use and improving patient health outcomes.
References
1. Cavallari LH, Lee CR, Franchi F, et al. Precision Antiplatelet Therapy after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (Precision PCI) Registry - Informing optimal antiplatelet strategies. Clin Transl Sci. 2024;17(8):e70004. doi:10.1111/cts.70004.
2. Rao SV, O’Donoghue ML, Ruel M, et al. 2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI Guideline for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. Published online February 27, 2025. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001309.
3. Lee CR, Luzum JA, Sangkuhl K, et al. Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium Guideline for CYP2C19 Genotype and Clopidogrel Therapy: 2022 Update. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2022;112(5):959–967. doi:10.1002/cpt.2526.
*This clinical registry is supported by NIH grant R01 HL149752.