April 15, 2024
AUBURN, Alabama – Lucy Tocco and Sydney Helms, both members of the Harrison College of Pharmacy Class of 2026, were recently selected by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to participate in the summer 2024 sales internship program.
Tocco, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Helms, a native of Dothan, Alabama, entered HCOP in 2022 and have used their time as students to increase their clinical and first-hand patient experience.
Eli Lilly, founded in 1876 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, has over 100,000 employees and has conducted clinical research in more than 55 countries worldwide. The organization focuses on medicines that aid in treating Alzheimer’s, pain, cancer, immunology, diabetes and obesity.
Tocco was attracted to the Eli Lilly program due to her strong ties to breast cancer therapeutics.
“My grandfather died from a glioblastoma multiforme, and my mother fought and won a battle with breast cancer,” said Tocco. “The impact and lack of impact from the medications they were on drove me to want to help patients in a similar situation, I felt if I could make an impact and prevent this from happening, I wanted to be a part of it.”
She will be based in the oncology business unit in the Charlotte, North Carolina region and will be working alongside a mentor based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Helms, pursuing the dual Pharm.D. and master of business administraton offered by HCOP and the Harbert College of Business at Auburn, will be working with the endocrinology specialty team in the Mobile region.
“The Eli Lilly internship program is a great opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the world of industry pharmacy,” said Helms. “This opportunity will allow me to strengthen many areas in my personal development by collaborating with other healthcare providers, expanding my knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, and will provide me with the fundamental knowledge needed to flourish in this industry post-graduation.”
Tocco and Helms will be working from the beginning of June to the end of August before returning to Auburn for their P3 year.
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Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top 25 percent of all pharmacy programs in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.) while also offering a master’s in pharmaceutical sciences. The College's commitment to world-class scholarship and interdisciplinary research speaks to Auburn's overarching Carnegie R1 designation that places Auburn among the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation. For more information about the College, please call 334.844.8348 or visit http://pharmacy.auburn.edu.