Mark Stramaglia, RPh ‘81, MBA ‘86

Director Process Services and Business Development
Bioproduction
Gibco Products & Services
Thermo Fisher Scientific

I'm a Class of 1981 graduate of UB’s prestigious pharmacy program.

Some years ago I was where you are now, wondering what pharmacy school was really going to be like. There is a lot to look forward to and, based on my personal experience, there are three distinctive aspects of UB’s program that have allowed me to be happy at UB and successful as an alumnus:

1. Get involved
   This is both on an academic and personal level. I had opportunities to participate as a class officer, member of professional and social groups in addition to my academic time. UB provided more opportunities for exposure to different pharmacy practice settings than I could even experience. Take advantage of the opportunity to expose yourself to more than one practice setting.
2. Engage with alumni
   SPPS offers a mentor program that can pair you with a Dean’s Alumni Ambassador. Although this program was not available to me when I was at the school, I took advantage of relationships available through internship and practice setting rotations with alumni that made a difference in my seeing the paths I could take for my career upon graduation. More recently, as a mentor, I have found the opportunity to share of my experiences beneficial to the students I meet and I learn from the interactions too.
3. Form study groups
   Everyone is going to be going through the same classes, so forming study groups can really help you to better understand the material from class. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and studying together can definitely help. Don’t treat this as a competition with each other. UB is a recognized leader in the field, so help each other maintain that status while gaining the social support necessary at times to thrive in a challenging program.