Gilead Partnership Provides Opportunities for Underrepresented Minority Students

Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) have partnered with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to help provide students with a career path to the pharmaceutical industry.

The innovative collaboration provides hands-on, learn-by-doing opportunities for students starting with a two-semester virtual class taught by Gilead employees. At CPP, the class is called Special Topics for Upper Division Students, BIO-4990.

“Using concepts taught in class, students work in small groups to solve the types of pharmaceutical development problems they might encounter on the job,” said Richard Polniaszek, VP of Process Development at Gilead. The Gilead team meets on a weekly basis to improve instruction and make it relatable to students.

This partnership shows the commitment Gilead has to developing a diverse workforce. Gilead staff, with already busy schedules, devote their time to providing instruction in process chemistry, formulation, biologics, analytical chemistry, manufacturing, quality, material science, and supply chain. A total of 18 Gilead employees are now involved in teaching the courses.

As a former professor at Duke University, Polniaszek drew on his experience to help with curriculum development. The courses are overseen by Jason Ear, biological sciences at CPP, and Joseph Graves, biology at N.C. A&T. 

Ear’s research is involved in generating disease models to better understand the underlying mechanisms of disease.  He touts the many benefits of the class. “They’re seeing a lot of things they wouldn’t get in a normal class, such as how industry scales up to meet demand and how global supply chain issues can affect distribution. These are not normally covered in our bio classes. They get real-world scenarios,” Ear said.

Larrishia Stanley, who is Gilead’s Director, Early Talent & University Relations said the program was one of the reasons she chose to come work for the company. “In the past, talent acquisition might focus on employees with 5-7 years’ experience. We want to bring them in earlier,” Stanley said.

Gilead selected N.C. A&T because it is a historically Black college and university (HBCU) and CPP because it’s a Hispanic serving institution (HSI). The majority of CPP students are biology majors, about 30% are chemistry majors.

A $1,000 scholarship is available for students who successfully complete the first semester and are enrolled in the second. There are paid summer internships that run from May to August. This allows students who are pursuing graduate degrees to return to their studies. There’s also a one-year rotational program that culminates in a permanent full-time job. Students choose one of four sites and learn on the job by rotating between two departments.

Chemistry major Will Cruz, who plans to earn a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, says the class gave him confidence that there are careers in the pharmaceutical industry for someone like him who is interested in discovering new things.

Kimchou Lao, who is the College of Science’s McPhee Scholar and Valedictorian said, “I love the interaction with different instructors who share their experiences. They’ve provided a lot of good advice and guidance on my career path. As a first-generation college student, being able to learn from them is very important.”

Tiffany Yarian said, “I’ve always been interested in the pharmaceutical industry.” Yarian is the Treasurer of the Pre-Pharma Society at CPP. “This class allowed me to ensure that this is the path I want to take. My favorite part is the simulations. I’m very happy I signed up for this course!”