Dr. Cargiulo, Medical Science Liaison at Indivior Inc.
Published 13 Apr 2020
Tags: medical science, pharmacy, scienceWhy did you choose to pursue this career? What made you certain this was the right path?
While I am officially working in the pharmaceutical industry, I am really in the substance use disorders and addictions fields (SUDA). I started working in the SUDA field 30 years ago because I saw that there were many people needlessly suffering. Our treatment system for SUDA is dysfunctional because the science and research has not been incorporated into the treatment system. Things are much better than they were 30 years ago, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
What events, prior employment, or educational experiences led you to your current job?
The culmination of my past work experiences led me to my current job. The biggest being the professional relationships that I developed throughout the years.
What schooling, education, and/or certifications did you complete to prepare you for this career?
Having a BA degree in psychology helped me, but I would not be employed if I didn’t have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
How did you make the best use of your time in both your education and career?
The best use of my time was done by volunteering.
What advice would you give to a high school or college student interested in pursuing this field of work?
I think networking is the best way to get your foot in the door with any career. The first step I recommend is getting a LinkedIn account. I also recommend a book by Steve Dalton called “The 2 Hour Job Search: Using Technology to Get The Right Job Faster.”
What opportunities would you suggest high school students participate in?
I think high school students should paint a broad brush with the activities they participate in. This will help them to have a better understanding of the type of opportunities that they like and dislike.
What opportunities did you take as a student that helped advance your career (research, internships, etc.)
The volunteer activities were the best things that I did as a student. This enabled me to network with professionals and led to my first job out of college.
What do you wish you had done differently with regards to your career/education?
I wish I would have went to pharmacy school right after I finished my undergraduate degree.
What does a typical day at your job look like?
On a typical day, I am answering medical questions about SUDA by physicians. This is either done face to face or by phone. The projects I work on revolve around the development of education materials externally for physicians and internally for our sales force.
What was a surprising aspect of your job?
I was surprised, and pleased, that being on the medical side of a pharmaceutical company we are not allowed to be promotional. This makes discussions with medical professionals much like the education I did when I was a professor.
What qualities are necessary to be successful in your field of work, and why?
Besides needing to have a terminal degree (MD, PharmD, PhD), a person needs to have excellent written and oral communications skills.
Do you have any additional advice?
Making money is great, but doing work that you find meaningful is much more important in the long run. If you are unable to find employment that is meaningful to you, then I recommend that you volunteer with something that you find to be important.