Interview with Almasa Bass, PharmD: pharmaceutical industry professional, Bosnia and Herzegovina Futures Foundation advocate, and long-time friend
Almasa and I met in the pre-pharmacy program at The University of Toledo (Toledo, OH), where we earned our BS Pharmacy Degrees.\xa0 She earned her PharmD from The Ohio State University and completed a Clinical Research and Drug Development Fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill.\xa0 Over the years, she has worked for numerous drug companies, including King, Pfizer, Shionogi, and UCB.\xa0 Almasa enjoys the development side of R&D. Although Almasa is not employed in traditional clinical pharmacy practice, she keeps an active pharmacist license.
Mentioned in this episode\xa0
Almasa\u2019s LinkedIn Profile
Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation bhfuturesfoundation.org
The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy (Toledo, OH)
The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
UNC Chapel Hill Clinical Research and Drug Development Fellowship (Chapel Hill, NC)
King Pharmaceuticals (now part of Pfizer)
The Chicken Whisperer Podcast - What to do with all that chicken poop episode (Apple Podcasts Link)
Almasa became successful in the pharmaceutical industry thanks to her pharmacy degrees, fellowship, on-the-job training, managers, mentors, and teams.\xa0 A Pharmacy Degree is a good foundation for a role in the pharmaceutical industry.\xa0 There are so many roles!\xa0 R&D, Clinical Development, Safety, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, and more.\xa0 Almasa has worked on pharmaceuticals in many drug classes. \xa0
There\u2019s more than one way to get a job in the pharmaceutical industry.\xa0 Apply first.\xa0 Once you\u2019re in, you can apply internally for a position or get recruited to fill a role.\xa0 Networking helps facilitate moving around.\xa0 There\u2019s more than one approach.
Almasa is an advocate for the Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation.\xa0 As a refugee from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990\u2019s, she was displaced to Croatia, then immigrated to the US with her Mom, Dad, and younger sister.\xa0 As an adult, Almasa wanted to give back and help youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.\xa0 Bosnia is more than just four large cities: Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, and Banja Luka.\xa0 It\u2019s also made up of little cities, like her home town of Donji Vakuf.\xa0 Almasa mentored a young woman from the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) Futures Foundation.\xa0 Then, she advocated for a Makerspace in Donji Vakuf. \xa0
Sometimes, kids need a little push and good role models.\xa0 BH Futures Foundation empowers youth through education, technology, and leadership development.\xa0 The Donji Vakuf Makerspace is a place for young people to learn, develop, and try to solve problems.\xa0 BH Futures Foundation gives them the tools they need.\xa0 Building relationships with community leaders and getting their buy-in was an important part of founding the Makerspace in Donji Vakuf.\xa0 When it opened in August 2021, it was well-received by the community. \xa0
Almasa cares about kids in small towns having opportunities - not just kids in the big cities.\xa0 She wanted to give others a chance to make it as far as they can.
What does Almasa do for fun?\xa0 Almasa has backyard chickens!\xa0 During the pandemic (summer 2020), she hired a carpenter to build a beautiful chicken coop in her backyard.\xa0 It looks like a red barn.\xa0 She has 4 lady birds (all 4 are different breeds).\xa0 They lay 3-4 eggs/day.\xa0 When she lets the roam, they like to walk around her yard.\xa0 She has learned a lot from the Chicken Whisperer Podcast, including how to compost chicken poop.\xa0 In the future, Almasa would like to try raised-bed gardening and use her compost to grow her favorite vegetables.
Listen to the podcast for more about how Almasa avoids burnout and some of her favorite board games!
Thank you for listening to The Pharmacist\u2019s Voice \xae Podcast Episode 115!
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