“I think that moment served as an important reminder that I’m on the right path,” she said. “My passions and how involved I am in my community really does mean something. Even if I don’t see it as a big deal, other people do.”

With hard work, a focus on paying it forward and the support of mentors along the way, Asabere’s path has set her up for a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, beginning this summer as a postdoctoral fellow at pharmaceutical company Incyte.

As president of UC’s Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) chapter, vice president of the Pharmacy Leadership Society chapter and director of community engagement for the Industry Pharmacists Organization Chapter (IPhO), she helped organize community outreach programs, including holiday partnerships with St. Vincent de Paul, fundraisers and education initiatives. Asabere’s efforts resulted in being selected by her peers as the student organization Member of the Year for IPhO in 2023 and for SNPhA in 2024.

She also volunteered with Project Dzidor, a nonprofit focused on improving health care outcomes and providing medical resources to rural areas of Ghana. Carrying over from her time as a Bearcat Buddy, Asabere has continued to informally mentor younger students looking to find their path.

“Being able to pay it forward has been the most important part of me being a student,” she said. “I hope to continue that when I graduate as well.”

Wigle said she has appreciated Asabere not just asking for advice, but taking the next steps and following up on that advice. 

“Daisy always has a smile on her face and makes you feel like she has all the time in the world to talk to you even if her plate is overflowing,” said Wigle, professor in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences at the College of Pharmacy. “She has shared food, vacation pictures and other stories during our time as mentee-mentor. I have interacted with her often, and that let me write her letter of reference without needing to see her CV.”

Like many pharmacy students, Asabere has worked as a pharmacy intern at CVS and the Cincinnati VA Medical Center over the past four years. But with her long-term career goals in mind, she additionally sought opportunities on the industry side.

“When she was deciding to pursue industry as a career path, I connected her with several alumni,” Wigle said. “She followed up with all of these alumni with professionalism and the utmost respect. One of those alumni was so impressed with her that he created a summer internship for her. I think this says a lot about her and about the great alumni we have.” 

Through her connection with College alumnus Sanje Goonasekera, Asabere’s first industry internship focused on regulatory affairs, the aspect of the industry that works with the Food and Drug Administration to get drugs approved and ensure compliance of all regulations.

At a Procter & Gamble internship last summer, she was part of a multidisciplinary team that developed a database of 86 clinical trials testing alpha lipoic acid and vitamin B-12 for peripheral neuropathy. Asabere’s role was to make sure the information was accessible and understandable for teams without pharmaceutical training.

“I had to digest all the big terms and data, and making sure that it was understood by various audiences was key,” she said. “It was a big learning curve, but it was also a great experience. I had never done anything like it before.”

Coffey recalled Asabere reaching out to her when she was looking to secure an additional industry rotation and wanted to broaden her potential options. Asabere tapped into her network of contacts and secured an internship at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a leader in drug development.

“This instigated the addition of J&J to the College of Pharmacy’s approved and contracted companies list,” Coffey said. “Daisy was resourceful and tenacious. Her efforts not only benefited her, but also benefit future pharmacy students interested in exploring a rotation at J&J. I love Daisy’s pioneering spirit!”

At J&J, Asabere was part of a team tasked with creating a new role within the company, and she is gearing up for an additional internship with drug manufacturer Eli Lilly this month. While each internship’s specific tasks are different, she said they all taught her the value and expertise she brings to the table.

“A lot of pharmaceutical companies work on cross-functional teams, so when you do get a seat at the table, you are the expert,” she said. “There were concepts I learned in pharmacy school that I was able to teach people. I didn’t think I would be able to teach people in these internships. Internships definitely gave a much-needed confidence booster.”

The pharmaceutical industry hiring process is notoriously competitive, with most companies having at least three rounds of interviews and requiring hours-long presentations from candidates. Asabere said she applied with 23 different companies and received three job offers after the grueling process.

This summer, she will begin her next chapter as a U.S. medical affairs and medical information postdoctoral fellow at Incyte. In the role, she will work to make information from clinical trials digestible to different audiences, including health care providers, patients and insurers.

“Medical affairs is where a lot of health care providers end up working because you communicate to stakeholders on different teams about the clinical information,” she said. “They’re the liaison between the drug and the patient, in the sense that you're going to be answering questions, educating different health care providers and going to conferences to present data.”

Her mentors believe Asabere will continue to excel as she enters her professional career.

“Daisy has vision and maps out a plan to bring the vision to fruition,” Coffey said. “I have been very impressed by how comprehensive she has been in building her plan and her ability to successfully execute it.”

“She has proven herself as a proactive leader with exceptional communication and time management skills,” Wigle added. “During pharmacy school, her confidence has grown so much. All of these qualities will make her successful in the future.”

Featured photo at top of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy. Photo/University of Cincinnati.