Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 4/1/2019 12:01:00 AM
Jesmin Lohy Das, PhD, Scientist, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Raritan, New Jersey
When Dr. Lohy Das was a graduate student in Malaysia and then Sweden, she heard about ASCPT through its publications. Because she was outside of the United States she did not originally join ASCPT, but when she began working in the United States she took the advice of her mentors at Uppsala University, Drs. Martin Bergstrand and Mats Karlsson, and joined the Society. Since she has joined, she has made the most of her membership by taking advantage of the educational offerings.
The Annual Meeting and webinars offered by ASCPT are Dr. Lohy Das's favorite aspects of her ASCPT membership. She appreciates the ability of the Annual Meeting to bring scientists together from different backgrounds to discuss and enhance the field. She especially values the mentoring and career development sessions that she has participated in. These sessions have “brought me introduction as well as additional connection from different industries. In fact, some have become my mentors.” She also enjoys the meeting as a way to reconnect with other members with whom she does not usually get to interact because of work commitments. She values the webinars for teaching her new things, again, especially the early career development sessions.
“ASCPT promotes high quality science for sure” says Dr. Lohy Das. For Dr. Lohy Das, ASCPT is a platform for science‐related developments to be communicated and disseminated through the Annual Meeting, the Journal Family, and the Networks and Communities. She feels that this helps patch the gaps that exist among drug development, patient care, and others.
Dr. Lohy Das is passionate about pharmacometrics and drug development. She has worked extensively in the therapeutic area of malaria where modeling and simulations have been used effectively in antimalarial dose‐optimization, particularly in vulnerable populations at risk of treatment failure and resistance development. The collaboration effort with Dr. Joel Tarning at the Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand, opened Dr. Lohy Das's eyes to how much work still needs to be done in this area. Her own on‐site experience at the Thailand‐Myanmar border exposed her to environments that have helped her understand the true needs of patient care. Those invaluable first‐hand experiences have made her a better scientist. They have helped her see the whole world of scientific research from a different perspective, particularly from the eyes of a patient.
Currently, Dr. Lohy Das's role is that of a hybrid scientist. Her role blends clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. This mixed role provides her with the opportunity to work on neuroscience and cardiovascular metabolism projects. Her area of focus in those key subjects is related to the early phase drug development.
Dr. Lohy Das believes that the younger generation needs to keep themselves updated with the latest development and changes in the field. She believes that getting involved in platforms like ASCPT allows them to interact with all the subject matter experts related to their particular research or occupation. She advises them that networking is also key for their future career development and growth: “rubbing shoulders with leaders from the industry will definitely widen their horizons on what the future of this industry upholds.”
Dr. Lohy Das joined ASCPT in 2017.
