Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 4/30/2018 3:46:03 PM

Dedicated Member

Daria Stypinski, BSc(Pharm), PhD, Associate Director, Clinical Pharmacology, Oncology, Global Product Development, Pfizer, La Jolla, CA

Dr. Stypinski first attended an ASCPT Annual Meeting in 2011 to present two drug–drug interaction posters. The 2011 Meeting left a tremendous impression on her with respect to the scientific content, which perfectly matched her interests in drug development, and with respect to the welcoming attitude of the members, many of whom turned out to be former and current colleagues. Later that year, she became a member of ASCPT. She learned right away that the best way to benefit from ASCPT membership is to become actively involved in the organization. She began volunteering immediately as an abstract reviewer and as part of the Membership Action Team (MAT) in 2012 and then on the Scientfic Program Committee (SPC) in 2014.

Opportunities to volunteer are Dr. Stypinski's most valued aspect of ASCPT. She finds that it allows her to be more engaged at the Annual Meeting. Attendance at the Annual Meeting is also very important to her. She feels that being an active member of ASCPT has had a fundamental impact on her career. Professional networking through her volunteer efforts and educational growth opportunities from the Meeting, the journals, and the online webinars have been a great benefit to her.

Interest in clinical pharmacology started in childhood for Dr. Stypinski with herbal medicine compounding lessons from her grandmother. She completed her undergraduate and graduate pharmacy education at the University of Alberta in Canada. She then went on to focus on hypoxia imaging in oncology and nuclear cardiology for her doctoral work. She began her professional career at the early phase clinical research organization MDS Harris (later known as Celerion) as a pharmacokineticist, where she greatly benefitted from the mentorship of the late Dr. Wayne Colburn. Over the years, she has worked on numerous programs, primarily in the antiviral but also in the CNS, CV, and metabolic syndrome therapeutic areas. Recently, Dr. Stypinski returned to the field of oncology by joining the Pfizer Oncology group in San Diego, California. She hopes to see every type of cancer become fully treatable within her lifetime and has confidence that the work in which she is currently involved with checkpoint inhibitors will be an integral part of many of those cures.

ASCPT offers a unique platform where clinical pharmacologists and translational scientists from the industry, government, and academia can freely engage in scientific dialog. The theme of the upcoming 2018 Annual Meeting is “Breaking Down Barriers to Effective Patient Care.” In keeping with that theme, Dr. Stypinski sees the most important role of ASCPT to be acting as a forum for exchanging ideas among the branches of clinical pharmacology. This spirit of cooperation that ASCPT fosters is critical to the future of the field of clinical pharmacology and the future of drug development.

Dr. Stypinski also recognizes that ASCPT has recently been taking steps to encourage patient‐focused drug development, through initiatives such as inclusion of patient advocates as part of the scientific component of the Annual Meeting. Dr. Stypinski believes this initiative is critical to improving clinical trial designs. Clinical pharmacologists who design trials to answer specific hypotheses must not lose sight of the impact of disease on the patients and the challenges that patients and those who care for them face. This includes the burden from multiple returns and frequency of assessments. Clinical pharmacologists have to work to identify the best ways to incorporate patient‐centered outcomes into their assesments in recognition of the expertise that patients and their caregivers can offer regarding their disease.

Dr. Stypinski commends ASCPT for the Society's efforts to encourage early career scientists to present their work in both poster and oral sessions. Looking back at her career, Dr. Stypinski has gleaned the following advice to early career scientists: “Find a good mentor and become actively involved in a professional organization such as ASCPT.” The field of clinical pharmacology and translational medicine can be overwhelming. A mentor wil help identify what to do for initial success. Volunteering opportunities are a way to help grow one's career by building a network among other clinical pharmacologists who share interests. Participating on a committee or task force also helps expose volunteers to other opportunities within clinical pharmacology and drug development and helps them stay informed about the current issues affecting drug development and regulations.

Dr. Stypinski has been a member of ASCPT since 2011. She currently serves as an abstract reviewer. She has served on the Scientific Program Committee as well as the Membership Action Team.