Anthony Arceci graduated from UNC in 2019 with a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics. He was interviewed by Taylor Enrico on July 10, 2020 when he was in the Biopharmaceutical Leadership Development Program at the Pharmacovigilance division of Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
What does your current job entail?
What I’m doing day-to-day is pharmacovigilance. I am playing the role of the safety risk management scientist in that group. The company is submitting two NDAs [new drug applications] for our two lead products in two different indications. As part of that, we develop a safety risk management plan. What that entails, is describing and categorizing safety concerns at a very high level, and also areas where there might be missing safety information that we need to gather. For ongoing clinical trials, part of our job is to make sure that the regulatory authorities get all the safety information and patient narratives.
You rotated through multiple positions at Reata. What was that experience like?
My last rotation was in product strategy, which entailed two things. First, was looking at current clinical data. I was there when we wrapped up a couple of phase III clinical trials, so we examined that trial data and what it may mean moving forward. The second part was looking for newer indications that might be a good fit for products in our pipeline that are earlier in development, or products later in development that can be applied to a different indication. That was a pretty cool experience, because I happened to rotate through that group as we’re transitioning from being a mostly clinical pharma company to having products on the market. I got to see everything that was going on at a high level, and now, through my role in pharmacovigilance, I get to see the development at that end too. For my next rotation, I’m going to corporate strategy. It’s been a good transition, because I went from hardcore bench science, to science-related, to operational.
How did you find your current position?
I heard about Reata at the Friday Center Career Fair. I learned about the program, and the rotational aspects of it, and I did a bit of research about the company. I thought, this is really cool. Also, the products focus on the ubiquitin proteasome system, and obviously I know a thing or two about that.
Interviewer’s note: Anthony studied the ubiquitin proteasome system as part of his PhD research.
What excites you the most about your work?
I think what excited me the most is that we are at a unique time here, and I get to make a pretty big impact for someone in a more junior position. There’s a lot of push to get things done, so you need to get involved and you get to contribute to important initiatives. I would say the other exciting thing is the ability to be flexible within the company. I’ve gotten to see different sides of the company, and how they think about things.
How did GBCC help you launch your career?
For me in particular, if there were events or speakers that I thought would be interesting, I always went to those. Also, networking with everyone in GBCC was huge. We were case partners and colleagues going through the grind together, so developing those relationships was super helpful. As our careers go in different ways, this will come back. It’s really important to have a club like this and to stay in touch over time.
What is one piece of advice you would offer to current GBCC members?
My advice is keep doing what you’re doing with extracurriculars. For my position, another cool thing is that we got to participate in the recruiting cycle for the next class. When you’re looking at resumes, everyone has a PhD. So, if that’s what you have and some papers, you end up not standing out. But if you’ve done really serious work in extracurriculars, like, if you were involved in consulting, or you did a 3-month summer fellowship at a company, or you have patent experience, we consider those things when looking at your resume.
Things like being involved with GBCC and organizing events are getting you real experience that puts you ahead of the pack, more so than the impact factor on your paper. It makes interviewers think “Wow, they did all this while getting a PhD? They have papers out, presented at conferences, and they were able to do this? This is a real go-getter and someone who might add a lot of value to the company moving forward.”
Thanks to Anthony for spending time with us to learn more about his experiences! If you’re interested in following his footsteps, you can visit the website of the GBCC. You could also reach out to them over his LinkedIn.