My name is ____________, seeking admission to the PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. This educational pursuit is a culmination of my academic journey in pharmacy, and a great opportunity to help advance research and development in the field particularly in my home country, ___________, where R&D is still an underdeveloped area.
My motivation to undertake pharmaceutical sciences as a career path is grounded on a personal story of disease in my family. In a therapeutic course I was taking for my undergraduate studies in pharmacy, my professor discussed all about tuberculosis. He said this disease has been ignored for many years because people in developed countries rarely suffer from it. Thus, they have not invested in research to find the cure for TB. By the end of that year, we learned that my grandfather had TB and later on succumbed to the disease. It was unfortunate that at that time we did not have the medicines to save his life. Saudi Arabia has healthcare facilities and fairly excellent healthcare system comparable to those in developed countries. However, when it comes to research and development of new drugs and innovative technologies that will promote the health and well-being of its people, we are lagging behind.
My observation that the need for _____________ to enhance its R&D was cemented when I trained at ____________, known as the best hospital for training aspiring pharmacists. The competition was steep in gaining admission to the training program, so I was one of the lucky few to be given the opportunity. During my training, I witnessed the excellent service provided to patients, but the quality of care was not as outstanding even though it was under the supervision of the government. They also lacked R&D efforts and relied on information and resources from developed countries. Thus, I began to recognize the need not just for our country but the entire region to focus our efforts on financing and implementing research and development. It should start with making a good database for all aspects of healthcare, categorizing it, prioritizing it, and allocating appropriate funding after making sufficient economic studies to ensure the optimal benefits to society. It is for this goal that I have decided to thread the pharmaceutical route and attain the highest level of competency in the field in order to help advance R&D initiatives in __________________.
I am applying to VCU’s PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences backed by a solid background in the sciences that began to develop at an early age. In high school, I helped establish a life science section in my school that used to only teach social sciences. This initiative enabled me and many more students to enroll in different science majors and pursue our dreams in higher education in medicine and pharmacy. In college, I majored in Pharmacy at _______________ and helped establish the pharmacy student club and became its first president. I got the opportunity to put my education into practice through several internships, including at the _______________________. Moreover, I secured employment at the largest pharmaceutical company, _________________, where I was part of the first cohort of women to be employed. It was here where my eyes were opened to the importance of investing in an R&D program, which is critical for the future of the company and society. In my current job as a teaching assistant at ___________________, professors talked about the importance of research and improving the number of and quality of data in our healthcare system.
Consequently, I have aspired to gain advanced training in the pharmaceutical sciences to prepare for a career path in the academia. I pursued my Master’s in Pharmacy Administration at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, PA. I am keen to obtain my PhD at VCU. I would like to train with VCU’s renowned faculty who would support me in investigating and publishing scientific studies while utilizing state-of-the-art methods and equipment. I would also like to take advantage of the strong alumni network of VCU, which can forward my future growth and success in the field. Through these benefits I am confident that I can help my country and fellowmen guarantee a strong, quality, and sustainable healthcare system.