Carol Pross '90, MD

Carol Pross '90 is the medical director at Oxford PharmaGenesis, Inc., a strategic marketing and medical communications agency. After completing her degree at Clarkson, she received her M.D. from the Drexel University School of Medecine in Philadelphia, Pa. and completed her residency at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Q: Describe the key work that you do.
A:  My responsibilities include all levels of the development and implementation of scientific communication
     plans for the pharmaceutical industry with a focus on key messages for strategic positioning and branding
     of products. I work on both drug and disease focused plans extending over various time periods. I am
     also responsible for overseeing the scientific content for accuracy, relevance and key message
     incorporation.

Q: What is the most interesting aspect of your career?
A:  There are a lot of very interesting aspects, including the actual planning and implementation of 
     communication plans. Currently my favorite project is a global awareness campaign for hypertension 
     that is influencing the actual policy and treatment of hypertension in the U.S. and the world. It involves
     multiple reports recommending support and policy change on political levels, reimbursement levels, and
     physician and patient levels. These reports make clear recommendations to policy makers regarding the
     changes needed to reverse the growing epidemic of high blood pressure and have been endorsed by roughly
     20 different hypertension societies throughout the world, as well as by politicians and key opinion leaders
     within the medical community.

Q: Think back a bit: Why did you choose Clarkson in the first place?
A:  Actually, I started as a student in The Clarkson School and loved it so much that I decided to stay for
     my entire undergraduate career!

Q: How did a Clarkson education help you launch your career?
A:  I benefited from the diversity of the classes. Leaving Clarkson, I had a strong background in
     communication classes, high level science and engineering classes, and philosophy and art classes. One
     of my strengths in my current position is my diverse background that allows me to adapt to new situations
     and challenges quickly and productively.