Zokha Butt
Intercept Medical Affairs Fellowship/Rutgers University
“Medical affairs is an umbrella term,” explains Zokha Butt, who chose a fellowship over a postgraduate residency because she wanted a non-traditional role that involved some research. “Medical Affairs is being part of the entire lifecycle of a product – from conception through design of the clinical trial to the launch into the market. That’s when we put on our Medical Affairs hat and bring all of the research out and forward.”
A Queens native, Butt obtained a B.S. in Biology at SUNY Albany and moved back home to attend TCOP. She knew she wanted a career in the medical field; her family suffered from chronic diseases. But she wasn’t sure about pharmacy until she landed a job at a Rite Aid in Albany, where she shadowed a pharmacist.
Butt is joining Intercept Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey, a mid-size biopharmaceutical company focused on rare and serious liver diseases. She will do clinical research, make presentations and build relationships with hospitals, managed care providers and decision-makers.
“I’ll be taking clinical and scientific information…and translating it to all different health care professionals in support of the specific drug I’m talking about and educating them about the disease and how safe and effective and appropriate it is,” she said.
Butt credits Touro’s rotation-heavy curriculum with preparing her well for the job. She completed a rotation at the managed care company VNS Health; at the healthcare communications agency Mosaic; and took a course that introduced her to every functional area in the industry.
