PharmaSEE mentor shares breadth of opportunities in pharmacy profession

Photo by Lina Yacoub

Seann Seto, a 2015 graduate of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, has a career that has included direct patient care and pharmaceutical industry roles. He shares this breadth of experience as a mentor through the Faculty’s PharmaSEE Mentorship Program and helps guide students to consider the many opportunities available in the pharmacy profession.

“The PharmD degree gives you the skills to work in a variety of settings, and we see a lot of alumni doing very innovative things. The profession is constantly evolving,” says Seto, who is currently a medical science liaison in oncology for the pharmaceutical company AbbVie. “There's always something new to learn, and a need to keep on top of things to be able to ultimately care for your patients.”

“The PharmD degree gives you the skills to work in a variety of settings, and we see a lot of alumni doing very innovative things. The profession is constantly evolving.”

Seto began his pharmacy career in direct patient care after graduating in 2015 and completing a hospital residency at University Health Network (UHN). For the next few years, he held clinical pharmacist roles in surgery, internal medicine, and cardiology departments at UHN and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Then, he decided to look into pharmaceutical industry careers.

When he started his career, Seto hadn’t considered working within the pharmaceutical industry. He took time to reach out to his network and seek out mentors to learn about the industry and different roles before making the leap in 2019.

He says that, while the function of the pharmacist’s role may be different in industry, the transferable skills from the PharmD program – such as building interprofessional relationships, tailoring information for different audiences, and learning quickly – are assets in many different roles.

“The PharmD program provides students with many transferable skills, which make pharmacists well-equipped to push boundaries and try new things,” says Seto. “Whenever you’re making a change to a new role, you can highlight those transferable skills and how your previous experience has set you up for success.”

PharmaSEE Mentorship Program pairs students with mentors in variety of roles

Seto says that the advice and encouragement he received from mentors during his career – as a student and when making a career change – inspired him to give back to the next generation of pharmacists.

“I have had really good preceptor and mentor experiences that have been extremely valuable,” says Seto. “I wanted to be able to give back and hopefully offer that same value to students who are exploring different career options.”

He became a mentor with the Faculty’s mentorship program, now known as the PharmaSEE Mentorship Program, in 2016. The PharmaSEE Mentorship Program is jointly run by PharmD students and staff from the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations. It pairs PharmD students with alumni mentors who have vast professional experience and can guide and provide students with insights as they prepare for the transition from student to professional life.

Seto has mentored students each year since graduating, some of whom have become close friends and colleagues. He tailors each mentorship relationship to the individual student and what they want to focus on, offering new perspectives and suggestions from his breadth of experience to help the student in their own career journey. And the benefits of mentorship go both ways.

“I learn so much from these students. Each incoming cohort is very enthusiastic and passionate, and they are interested in learning about different career opportunities very early on. That inspires me to keep improving my professional career and continuing to give back.”

“I learn so much from these students. Each incoming cohort is very enthusiastic and passionate, and they are interested in learning about different career opportunities very early on,” he says. “That inspires me to keep improving my professional career and continuing to give back.”

With the Faculty’s extensive alumni network, Seto says that the PharmaSEE Mentorship Program offers students unique opportunities to learn about a variety of pharmacy professions. He encourages students to reach out and connect with professionals in the areas they are interested in, now and throughout their careers.

“Mentorship is important throughout your entire professional career. This program teaches you to foster and build your own style of being a mentee or mentor. Knowing how to have a mutually beneficial mentorship relationship is a very useful skill,” he says. “Whether you are a mentee or a mentor, mentorship will apply throughout your professional life.”