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Rob Wittenberg, PharmD ’07 Director of Regulatory Affairs, Advertising, and Promotion for Medical Specialties, Astellas Pharma US After attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Robert Wittenberg actually started a career in radio production and sales. However, after getting a job as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens, he decided to pursue his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. He started pharmacy school at UIC in 2003 and took a particular interest in regulatory affairs (RA). During one of his P4 rotations at Lundbeck, he worked in RA labeling, advertising, and promotions, focusing on neurological rare diseases. He also completed a P4 rotation at Baxter where he worked in several therapeutic areas, including renal and surgical sealants, drugs, biologics, and devices. Dr. Wittenberg realized that he truly enjoyed working in RA and continued on that track after graduating from the UIC College of Pharmacy in 2007. After working in various RA roles at companies like Lundbeck and Baxter, he landed in his current position as the director of regulatory affairs, advertising, and promotion for medical specialties at Astellas, where he utilizes his strong knowledge of FDA guidance and promotion standards to lead new campaigns and launch strategies for therapies. “I help teams produce marketing materials, corporate communications, and sales training that are compliant with FDA rules and regulations and work to improve communication and understanding among our audiences: healthcare providers and patients and their families or caregivers,” says Dr. Wittenberg.
How did you decide to pursue a degree in
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
pharmacy? I started working at Walgreens in a corporate help center and then realized with one of my mentors
T H E P H A R M A C I ST
working with therapies we are hoping to get
that I would be better serving people face-to-face. I
approved and launched. We are also maintaining
then started “tech-ing” in Walgreens pharmacies all
products that are later in their lifecycle. I have a team
around Chicago (at least 25 different stores). I met so
of people reporting to me, and managing people and
many patients and pharmacists, and after getting that
“managing” upwards always keeps me busy. There
clinical science exposure and being impressed by the
is always something new and always something
people I was working with and the patients I got to help,
interesting going on. I work among so many interesting
I knew it was something that really interested me. It was
and smart people who are both listening to me and
working in retail and really enjoying it, and knowing it
helping guide our next steps.
was something I could be good at and be happy with.
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I enjoy being in the middle of everything. I am
P H A R M A C Y.U I C . E D U
