Turning STEM degrees into pharma careers

Feature Stories | 19 May 2026 | Read time: 5 min | Written by: Matt Shepherd

In this photo: PHMI Class of 2025 students at the Pitch Competition and Health Innovation Symposium, where learners shared ideas connected to health innovation and system improvement.

PHMI offers STEM and advanced medical graduates a launchpad into Canada's pharmaceutical industry.

With its unique curriculum and internship program, Queen's Graduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Management and Innovation (PHMI) opens a pathway into Canada's pharmaceutical industry for students with advanced medical or STEM degrees. It does this over ten intensive months of work: one term of study, and a six-month paid internship in the field. In eight years, PHMI has placed 90 graduates across the industry.

"I came from a background of a PhD in gerontology," says Rachael Stone, now Associate Director, Vaccines at Merck. "I was working at Queen's while pursuing the PHMI, as an adjunct assistant professor in Health Sciences."

Stone's experience is common among program alumni. Now a successful professional in the field, she entered PHMI with an advanced medical degree, but without much pharmaceutical industry knowledge. "I knew nothing other than what the average layperson would know. Generally quite negative sentiments, despite the fact that the industry serves a very important global purpose," she explains. "Through PHMI, I learned the foundations of what the pharmaceutical industry provides, how a drug goes from research and development to actually accessible and impacting the lives of Canadians. It completely changed my perspective."

That kind of shift was exactly what Shurjeel Choudhri had in mind when the PHMI program was being developed. Currently the Senior Vice President and Head, Medical and Scientific Affairs at Bayer HealthCare, he was part of the team that initially built the program.

"It’s aims were to really expose people to the breadth of the industry and prepare them for the types of industry roles where we saw gaps, and to build a sense of entrepreneurship," he says.

The program delivers two courses, Healthcare Innovation and Development and Healthcare Management and Commercialization, over one term of study. They're designed for intense collaboration, ensuring students not only absorb information about the industry, but work closely together on projects and assignments.

At Bayer, Choudhri sees how that focus on teamwork and co-learning leads to success when PHMI interns enter the company.

"That very strong element of cross-functionality is built into the structure of the program," he says. "In the industry, we really don't have anyone who works alone — it's really about working with diverse, multidisciplinary teams. It takes teamwork, and really good communication skills as well. PHMI helps students develop these skills, and they really help interns when they join us."

Another PHMI industry partner and the Country Medical Director at Merck, Gretty Deutsch provides interns with meaningful, tangible work. As an example: "one set of interns contributed to the creation of a platform that supports medical science liaisons and medical advisors understand how biomarkers are used at oncology centres across Canada," she says. She has seen the company's culture adapt to the interns PHMI provides.

"We've been privileged to get such diverse talent," she says. "As PHMI interns come in, they have past PHMI interns mentoring them; a distinct ecosystem that integrates them into Merck."

There is a strong tradition of interns continuing to work for the company they're placed in. Amyn Sayani, Director of Medical Evidence at AstraZeneca, attributes it to both the readiness of the incoming students, and the impact of being a proactive intern during the transition to a hiring process.

"Queen's PHMI candidates come in with some exposure to the pharmaceutical industry, and also with the type of soft skills that are important — good presentation skills, strong listening and interpersonal skills, and the ability to connect with people," he says. "Our recent interns have landed good jobs within the company through the quality of their work, as well as the exposure they received as interns within AstraZeneca.

Guylaine Lessard, a Field Medical Affairs Lead at Pfizer, supervises interns through the program, attributing their success in part to how PHMI selects students in the first place.

"The screening required for admission into PHMI reflects a very high calibre of candidates," she says. "We know that PHMI interns have gone through multiple trainings including drug development, Health Canada training, IMC code and ethics training. They come in having already accomplished some foundational onboarding."

She also commends the program's director, Dr. Tomas Baldassarre, along with Chandra Tayade, Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, for being responsive to changes in the medical world: "if we feel there's a gap, we can communicate it and be sure they'll align their curriculum to advance with the evolution of the healthcare landscape."

Ahmed Elharram, the Associate Medical Director of GU Oncology at Johnson & Johnson, is also an alumnus from the program's first cohort. He's not only a graduate of PHMI, but a consistent champion of its unique approach.

"Students and young professionals reach out to me for advice, asking how they get into the industry," he says. "I tell them about PHMI. I really think it's worth it, especially for new PhDs. There's so much you don't know about the industry, there's no easy way to get in and from my perspective, you can get 1000 applications from excellent candidates, but knowing that somebody came through the PHMI program makes a big difference."

Stone, who started as an intern, now mentors and advises PHMI interns at Merck.

"There's something inherent to the type of student that the PHMI program is attracting," she says, "but it's also the level and standards of work that PHMI demands from their students while in the program that weeds out those who won't be successful in this field," she says. "I love seeing all the opportunities we can provide to PHMI students, and to see them move on to official roles in our company or elsewhere in the industry."

PHMI is hosting their annual Health Innovation Symposium on Wednesday, June 3rd, in the School of Medicine building, from 1-5pm. This free event is open to all members of the Queen's community interested in healthcare industry. Learn more about this event. 

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5 min

Written by

Matt Shepherd