Apexus Fellowship in Healthcare Solutions and Access

Embark on a Novel Career Path

Apexus offers a one-year fellowship, based in Irving, Texas, to provide focused learning opportunities related to 340B policy and compliance, the pharmaceutical supply chain, and marketplace analytics. Throughout the fellowship, the fellow will work closely with members of the Apexus teams to gain exposure to unique aspects of the ambulatory healthcare marketplace through support of healthcare providers, manufacturers, wholesalers, payers, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The fellow will be provided with the opportunity to learn from interactive discussions, development of educational materials, and hands on exposure including the completion of a capstone project that aligns with the fellow’s areas of interest. The fellow will build their understanding of marketplace influences impacting access to medications, including the role of safety net providers, associated public health policies, drug pricing policies and practices, varied methods for distributing medications to healthcare providers and patients, and both provider and payer contracting strategies. Throughout the year, the fellow will also be able to work directly with leaders within the organization to focus on professional development areas such as organizational leadership, project/time management strategies, conflict resolution and managing effective relationships, building effective teams, and the development of individual leadership style.

Application Requirements:

• PharmD or RPh strongly preferred; Bachelors degree required
• Applicants should have sufficient exposure to hospital pharmacy operations and retail pharmacy operations to be able to apply concepts learned throughout the fellowship
  • May be obtained through PGY1, PGY2, or 3 years of related experience
• Strong communication and project management skills
• Willingness to work from Irving, TX for the length of the fellowship (1 year)

Learning Experiences & Activities

The fellow will be exposed to each of the following core areas of focus. The depth of experience and exposure to each will depend on the specific interests of the fellow and will be coordinated towards the start of the fellowship.

• 340B Program compliance and public policy
• Pharmaceutical contracting and supply chain dynamics
• Marketplace analytics and data science
• Organizational leadership and business development
• Educational development, teaching, and research

Experience in each of the above areas will be obtained through both didactic exposure and hands-on application. Specific experiences will be based on areas of interest for each fellow, but may include:

• Review of critical literature and influential opinion pieces followed by a journal club discussion with members of the Apexus leadership team
• Completion of a capstone project
• Longitudinal responsibilities with the purpose of developing core area of expertise
• Experiential projects and responsibilities to develop broad knowledge of factors influencing patient care in the ambulatory space
• Formalized teaching and research opportunities
• Coordination of residents rotating through Apexus
• Potential for external projects or experiences based on area of focus (hospital, manufacturer, wholesaler, etc.)
• Travel to various stakeholders/conferences/events
• Completion of the Apexus Advanced 340B Operations Certificate Program

Feedback and Evaluation

The fellow will complete an individualized development plan (IDP) at the start of the fellowship. The fellow will meet with their program director quarterly to review progress on the plan and any potential changes based on continued growth throughout the year. Other feedback will be provided throughout the year from experiential preceptors, project mentors, and others within Apexus.

Fellow Responsibilities & Expected Progression

At the start of the fellowship, program mentors will meet with the new fellow to better understand their own professional goals and areas of interest. Together they will develop a guided plan for the year that will include enhanced learning experiences in the selected area of focus. This will include a capstone project as well as professional areas of responsibility within that area. While more focus will be placed on the fellow’s specific area of interest, they will continue to be exposed to all core areas of the fellowship to develop a broad understanding of the dynamics impacting the delivery of pharmaceutical care in the outpatient setting as well as the ability to develop critical skills for organizational leadership.

For each core area, the fellow will be expected to be self-directed in their learning experience, leveraging the resources provided by the coordinator for that area to build a baseline knowledge and identify additional areas for continued discussions or areas of exposure. The fellow will be expected to complete responsibilities and projects related to that area based on the fellow’s abilities, interests, timing, and organizational priorities.

By the end of the year, the fellow will have had a unique exposure to public policy and compliance, the pharmaceutical supply chain, and data analytics that will allow them to seek out roles in:

• Heath system leadership in the areas of 340B Program management, pharmacy and hospital supply chain, and policy and compliance
• Healthcare industry roles within manufacturer contracting/pricing teams, wholesaler operations and strategic leadership, payer contracting, group purchasing organizations, healthcare analytics companies, and consulting services
• Policy roles within the federal and state governments, advocacy organizations, organizations focused on Pharmacoeconomics and health outcomes and policy, and public health organizations