Mary Pat Higley: A Varied Pharmaceutical Career

Mary Pat Higley knows that the pharmaceutical industry offers varied opportunities as she has enjoyed an enduring and diverse career in the field. From clinical pharmacy work to positions in sales and marketing, she has achieved success in a number of facets of the industry. Combining scientific knowledge with business experience, this dedicated professional has built a successful career over the last three decades.

In what areas of the industry has she worked?

• Project management. With more than a decade of project management and coordination experience, this accomplished professional is a highly-skilled team leader. Over the years, she has used her pharmacological knowledge and her keen interpersonal skills to initiate, coordinate, monitor and complete numerous projects.

• Sales and marketing. This is another area greatly served by her ability to relate to and communicate with people. In previous positions, she has provided education to consumers, grown her employer’s customer base, and drawn on her clinical experience to assist sales colleagues with client concerns.

• Clinical research. As a certified clinical research associate, Mary Pat Higley has stayed involved in the monitoring of numerous research projects. Additionally, she has provided training for research personnel, completed regulatory paperwork, and managed contract negotiations.

• Clinical pharmacy. For much of her 30 year career, she provided clinical pharmacy services to patients. She has a strong desire to improve patient care. The best way to accomplish this is through efficient use of her knowledge in the clinical pharmacy arena.

What is her approach to the profession?

The medical and pharmaceutical fields are ones in which innovation and creativity are keys to success. As research drives the fields forward, new methods, techniques and products require professionals to maintain an awareness of recent developments. Without actively pursuing information on developing trends, medical and pharmaceutical professionals do themselves – and their customers – a great disservice.

Mary Pat Higley has built her career around a progressive vision. She has continually challenged herself by taking on new positions. Meanwhile, she has stayed on top of current trends by continuing her connection to clinical pharmacies.

In addition to challenging herself with new roles and arming herself with current knowledge, this pharmaceutical industry professional brings to her work a deep desire to foster communication with others. In positions like sales and project management, the ability to communicate well is absolutely essential. Without clear communication at all levels, sales would fall through and projects would go off course.

Mary Pat Higley is a highly skilled communicator who has honed her abilities through decades of professional interactions. Her varied career has put her in contact with researchers, physicians, patients, business professionals and people in a whole host of other positions. These myriad professional relationships have given her the opportunity to develop communication skills that serve her in any context.

What about her educational background?

Her education is as varied, ongoing and impressive as her professional career. Not only does she have the scientific background required for positions in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, she also has a business degree. Her undergraduate chemistry education and her PharmD give Mary Pat Higley the scientific and pharmacological knowledge necessary for communicating with researchers, physicians and pharmacists. Additionally, her MBA has provided a business acumen that continues to serve her well in sales, marketing, business development and management positions.

In addition to her degrees, this ambitious professional has pursued continuing education credits in order to remain abreast of developments in her field. Recently, she has expanded her knowledge base through the pursuit of continuing education units. She is a certified clinical research associate and is pursuing an additional license in a related field.

Mary Pat Higley: Decades of Industry Experience

Mary Pat Higley has spent 30 years working in a variety of capacities in pharmacies and medical and pharmaceutical organizations. Backed by an education that includes chemistry, pharmacology, and business studies, she has charted a work history that includes positions throughout her chosen fields. She has spent her career actively pursuing new challenges while maintaining an awareness of advances in her field.

This accomplished professional comes with an impressive educational history. From studying chemistry at UCLA to earning a PharmD at UCSF, her scientific knowledge is well established. Add to that a Pepperdine MBA focusing on marketing and finance, and the picture of this woman as a well-rounded professional in the pharmaceutical industry takes form.

This experienced professional has held positions in some of the most recognized pharmaceutical organizations in the United States. She has both sales and research experience with Glaxo SmithKline. Her recent clinical pharmacy work was with Kaiser Permanente. Her work with Hoffman-LaRoche spanned all major areas of her career experience: research, sales, clinical pharmacy, and project management. With each company, she brought her passion for patient care and the strength of her experience and education.

Whether she was processing prescriptions, developing a customer base, overseeing projects, or monitoring research, this consummate professional earned the trust of these well known companies. How did she do this? By utilizing her pharmacological knowledge, her business experience, and her interpersonal skills, she has achieved success in numerous roles in her long and varied career.

A truly progressive and innovative professional does not rely on her degrees and seek the comfort of a predictable position. Someone seeking to achieve true excellence in her field continues to pursue further knowledge and challenge herself with changing roles. She is the epitome of this type of professional. In addition to continually taking on new job challenges, she has pursued the following continuing education certifications:

• Clinical Research Associate

• Clinical Research Coordinator

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Mary Pat Higley has the ideal combination of education, experience, aptitude and engagement necessary to create a broad and lasting career in pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry. Her excellent educational qualifications are supplemented by her three decades of professional employment and her continued pursuit of new knowledge in her field. With a long history of clinical pharmacist, research, sales and project management positions behind her, Mary Pat Higley is well-suited to almost any role in her field of endeavor. Mary Pat Higley is a highly-qualified pharmaceutical professional.