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Improving Patient Care

Touro Pharmacy Alum Paul Isikwe on the Dynamic, Engaging World of Pharmaceuticals

July 20, 2022
Dr. Paul Isikwe
Dr. Paul Isikwe

With do-or-die determination, Paul J. Isikwe left his hometown of Houston and headed for New York City, where he had been accepted at Touro College of Pharmacy. “It was either medicine or pharmacy for me,” says Isikwe, now 34. “I did not like even the sight of blood, so pharmacy it was.”

After graduating from Touro, Isikwe completed a two-year Post-doctorate Fellowship. Then he joined Teva Pharmaceuticals, where today Isikwe is part of the Value, Evidence, and Outcomes team within the U.S. Medical Affairs Division. “It’s so rewarding to be in the role I’m in,” says Isikwe, who lives with his wife and infant daughter in Providence, Rhode Island. “It involves analyzing clinical trial data, healthcare economics and outcomes research solutions that improve patient care. For me, it’s very dynamic. Every single day is different.”

Isikwe’s journey to Teva started at Touro College of Pharmacy in Fall 2012, the very same year the school graduated its first ever incoming class. “I loved the newness, the possibilities,” he says. “There was no red tape, no bureaucracy. The faculty and dean were open to our ideas and energy.” While a student, Isikwe was instrumental in bringing two student chapter pharmacy organizations to the school. Now Isikwe, who graduated in 2016, is back on campus, this time as an adjunct professor. He created and teaches a course called Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Isikwe always knew he didn’t want to be what he calls a “counter pharmacist,” which is the prime reason he chose Touro, which focuses on all aspects of opportunities open to those with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. “I get bored easily,” explains Isikwe. “My professors understood who I was and where I wanted to be and helped me get there with advice, experience and support, which put me in the place where I am now.”