Pharma Fellows: Drugmaker AstraZeneca Chooses its First-Ever DNP Fellows
Like many nurses caring for critically ill patients, DNP student and UVA Health hematology-oncology nurse Linsey Young (BSN ’16) never imagined a future at a big drug company—until she began a new fellowship at AstraZeneca.
“I never saw the pharmaceutical industry as a path for a DNP-prepared nurse, but this opportunity has changed that perspective,” said Young, in her first year of UVA’s DNP program. “It’s allowed me to deepen my clinical expertise while gaining a broader understanding of the science and innovation that drive patient care forward.”
Young and peer Margie Guillory (MSN ’21) are the first DNP students ever selected by the international drug maker for its mentored workforce initiative, a nine-week opportunity designed to attract top talent to its ranks. Across three specialized “rotations” in the company’s oncology drug development division, Young and Guillory are learning from AstraZeneca staff about the many facets of the drug-making process—from literature reviews, protocol establishment, data interpretation, understanding treatment landscapes, and supporting institutional clinical trials—and exploring how advanced practice nurses are well positioned to contribute to the evolving landscape of oncology therapeutics, using their scientific know-how to, as Guillory explained, “translate complex data into actional insights.”
It’s a natural space for DNPs, said associate professor Beth Quatrara (MSN ’97, DNP ’10), and a reminder of the “big, wide world of opportunity for which advanced practice nurses are prepared.”
Guillory, a veteran hematology-oncology clinical nurse specialist deeply familiar with cancer drugs, said the AstraZeneca fellowship complements both her clinical work and the focus of her final DNP scholarly project, which focused on establishing clinical guidelines to transition new cancer drugs into the ambulatory setting while managing side effects, creating infusion nurses’ workflows to ensure patients’ safety and comfort, and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations.
“Much of what is covered in the AstraZeneca fellowship aligns with my job in clinical practice,” Guillory explained, “which involves analyzing clinical trial data, assessing toxicity profiles, and consulting with pharmacy colleagues to determine best strategies for managing adverse effects. As advanced practice nurses, we play a critical role in translating this information into actionable insights that guide patient care.”
In addition to a stipend, the fellowship gives Young fresh perspective on her own patients, their drug regimens, and will help her develop and refine ideas for her own final scholarly project—new learning that’s like a good, long stretch.
“We often get really comfortable in the areas where we feel confident,” Young said, “but this fellowship has pushed me to step outside that comfort zone. It’s eye-opening to understand just how long it takes to bring a drug to market and how much scientific collaboration is involved. I’ve got a new appreciation for the role pharmaceutical science plays in patient care, and how nurses, especially those with DNP training, can contribute.”
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