Grads to Watch: Tiera-Marie Colonna to pursue career in pharmaceutical industry

Tiera-Marie Colonna, a new PharmD graduate from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto, credits practical experiences and networking with helping start her career on a promising note.

“The Faculty provides students with opportunities and events like industry residency nights — those are there for you to take advantage of,” says Colonna. “They give you the chance to create a network, and you’re encouraged to take advantage of that and get the most out of your experience and time at the Faculty.”

Colonna grew up in Vaughan, Ontario, and first studied biomedical sciences at York University before starting her PharmD in 2017. While she enjoyed many aspects of the PharmD program, she particularly valued learning from professors with a wealth of practical pharmacy experience and insight that they shared in the classroom.

“The professors bring information that isn’t in a textbook but drawn from their own personal experiences,” she says. “They are generous in sharing their insight with us.”

Colonna enjoyed the exposure to different types of pharmacy practice, including a rotation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Odette Cancer Centre with Carlo de Angelis, but she had a growing interest in a career in industry. Opportunities to grow her professional network became more important, and she used the confidence gained in the program to push herself to reach out and make new connections.

One of her final advanced rotations was in the medical affairs department at Bayer.

“The placements were where I got the connections and experience that made me feel ready to graduate and move onto being a pharmacist, and they set me up with the opportunities that I have now,” she says.

After her successful rotation at Bayer, Colonna recently started an industrial residency position on the Bayer oncology team within the medical affairs department. She plans to continue in a career in industry, while still practising part-time in community pharmacy to maintain her direct connection to patient care. The combination of classroom learning and practical experience has given her the confidence to enter her new career.

“The Faculty gives you valuable practical experiences throughout the year that prepare you to graduate and feel confident working as a pharmacist in whatever setting you choose,” she says.

By: Eileen Hoftyzer