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An
Interesting Career in Psychology:
A
Neuropsychologist Prospers in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Peter
J. Snyder, Pfizer Global Research &
Development
 As
a young child I decided that, if I was unable to pursue a career
as a helicopter-jumping wilderness firefighter, then I would I
model after my father and obtain a PhD in psychology and neuroscience.
Over time I decided against a career as a firefighter, and I have
pursued one in psychology. In my junior year at the University
of Michigan, while completing an honors thesis on a topic in behavioral
neuroendocrinology, I took an ‘Introduction to Human Neuropsychology’
course offered by the professor who had supervised my father’s
PhD dissertation about 20 years beforehand, Dr. Charles Butters.
Charlie’s course convinced me that it was
possible to conduct elegant and innovative human cognitive neuroscience
research, and so I set my sights on the field of human neuropsychology.
For the next three years, I spent almost all academic holidays
and summer vacation time in Connecticut as a student under the
supervision of Dr. Robert A. Novelly (Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
at Yale and the West-Haven VAMC). I remember the day that I first
watched Bob conduct an Intracarotid Sodium Amobarbital Test (‘Wada
Test’) on a patient being considered for surgical resection
of a focal epileptogenic lesion – it was at that moment
that I knew I had to become both a clinical neuropsychologist
and a researcher.
I completed my PhD at Michigan State University
under the primary supervision of Professor Lauren Julius Harris.
Lauren taught me how to be careful and conscientious as a scientist,
how to teach others, and how to write with some skill. He was
a wonderful mentor, to whom I thank for ensuring that I remained
fully committed to the ‘Boulder Model’. I received
my PhD in 1992, after completing the Clinical Neuropsychology
Internship at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center (Albert Einstein
College of Medicine), and I remained there, as a postdoctoral
fellow, to pursue studies of speech and language disorders in
epilepsy using quantitative MRI morphometric techniques.
In 1994 I moved to the Department of Neurology
at MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine (Pittsburgh campus), to become
the principal neuropsychologist for the Comprehensive Epilepsy
Center at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. I was
appointed the Director of the Division of Behavioral Neurology,
and in 1998 I became Associate Professor of Neurology. I had the
unique experience of being the only PhD in my department at a
large university medical center, as well as being the only clinical
PhD in a private practice group with five neurologists. This was
a fantastic arrangement, and I enjoyed great opportunities for
professional growth and development as a professor and researcher,
as a clinician with a strong background in neurology, and as a
manager.
My career took an abrupt turn when, a little more
than four years ago, my fiancée matched to an OB-Gyn residency
program in Connecticut. Within six months of receiving a long-dreamt-of
academic promotion I moved to Connecticut to accept a clinical
research position at the largest R&D campus for the pharmaceutical
company, Pfizer, Inc. To the best of my knowledge, I am the sole
neuropsychologist employed within Pfizer’s R&D Division,
on any of its research campuses. My principal roles at Pfizer
are: 1) to evaluate and/or discover new brain imaging and non-imaging
neurophysiologic methods for detecting and tracking early CNS
disease progression; and 2) to serve as an internal consultant
on the appropriate, ethical, and rational use of neuropsychological
instrumentation. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology
at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), where I supervise
doctoral students and teach the graduate core course in cognitive
neuroscience.
The
transition from clinical practice and an academic medical research
career to a career in the pharmaceutical industry was challenging.
There are aspects of clinical practice that I miss, but the opportunities
at Pfizer for innovative research are enormous. I am fortunate
to work in a setting that allows substantial creative freedom
and the ability to expand my own research group using a largely
academic model. A company like Pfizer possesses the resources
that are required to tackle the complex problem of developing
novel (sensitive and specific) biomarkers of CNS disease progression
and/or treatment response. Most of my research, in some way, contributes
to the short- or medium-range goals for the company to develop
effective and safe pharmacologic treatments for a variety of neurologic
illnesses. At Pfizer, I am privileged to work closely with extremely
bright and talented individuals who span numerous scientific and
medical disciplines. Just as important, my students are benefiting
tremendously from access to the vast array of research and educational
opportunities at Pfizer.
I suspect that all pharmaceutical companies support
their scientists’ efforts to remain as active contributors
to their respective fields. I am encouraged to continue my pre-existing
collaborative research relationships, to build new ones, and to
maintain an active role in my own field.
Not
long ago it was assumed that leaving academia for industry was
akin to committing “professional suicide.” In my experience,
this old view is entirely inaccurate. It is possible to enjoy
an exciting research career in a pharmaceutical R&D setting,
and to mix quality research with business opportunities that may
greatly enhance management and leadership skills. Since joining
a pharmaceutical company I have had more opportunities to continue
to teach, to supervise graduate students and postdoctoral fellows,
and to edit, write and publish than I can possibly keep up with.
I have stopped trying to accurately predict what twists and turns
my career path will take. I tell my students that if they enjoy
their work and strive for excellence, then unexpected opportunities
will emerge that may radically alter the career trajectory they
had anticipated. •
(Originally
published in the Winter 2002
issue of Psychological
Science Agenda,
the newsletter of the APA Science Directorate.)
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