Simran Mangat

Medicinal mastermind: Simran Mangat

School/College: School of Pharmacy
Degree/Year: PharmD, 2024
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Current Job Title: Senior medical manager
Current Employer: Biogen

Growing up with a mother who had multiple sclerosis left an indelible mark on Simran Mangat, PHR ’24. Diagnosed when she was just 21, Simran watched as the symptoms of the autoimmune disease made it difficult for his mother to go about daily life and parenting. But when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Boston-based pharmaceutical company Biogen, Simran supported medical strategy, scientific communication and evidence generation for the companies’ MS treatments.

During a rotation at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Washington, D.C., Simran realized he could use a pharmacy degree to help people outside healthcare settings. Working for the FDA’s MedWatch program, Simran fielded calls from patients across the United States experiencing adverse effects from medications. Another rotation with biopharma company Radius Health further showed Simran how he could use his expertise to impact countless patient lives through medical affairs.

A mother’s love. Throughout his undergraduate studies and pharmacy school, Simran and his mother worked side by side as patient advocates with healthcare company Rare Patient Voice, traveling the Northeast U.S. to connect patients and caregivers with opportunities to share their opinions, ultimately bridging the gap between patients and researchers to strengthen the patient voice in healthcare. Now it’s a dream come true for Simran to continue making a large-scale impact on patients’ lives through his work with Biogen. He has since transitioned out of the fellowship and remained at Biogen where he is now supporting the company’s nephrology pipeline.

Mind for medicine. Simran knew from early on he wanted to help people through a career in healthcare. The affordability of a pharmacy degree from Temple was the primary factor for him in choosing the university over other options.

At the School of Pharmacy, Simran benefited from the mentorship of numerous faculty members. Clinical Professor Nicole Sifontis provided support as both an instructor and colleague during Simran’s rotation at Temple University Hospital, while Director of Student Services Haley Ashby served as a sounding board and helped him navigate the program. Meanwhile, clinical professors Michael Cawley and Charles Ruchalski provided real-world education on patient treatment and bedside manner during rotations in Temple’s lung and stroke clinics.

“I fell in love with the idea of making a broader impact. As a pharmacist, at CVS or a hospital for example, your impact is on a single patient at a time. But working in biotech, your work spans the country and even the globe; you cover so much more ground.”

—Simran Mangat
Senior medical manager