Ask An Alumnus - Dr. Vikas Gupta

Vikas Gupta, PharmD ’89

Director of Medical Affairs, BD Medication Management Solutions

Dr. Vikas Gupta is the director of medical affairs for Becton, Dickinson and Company Medication Management Solutions (BD) in San Diego. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the UIC College of Pharmacy in 1989 and completed a residency in general clinical pharmacy practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1990.

He joined BD and legacy companies in 1996 after working for several years as a clinical pharmacist and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy. Dr. Gupta has also served as a hospital clinical pharmacy manager, built pharmacy formularies, and developed and managed antimicrobial stewardship programs. He was the lead clinical pharmacist in development of the BD Antimicrobial Stewardship Surveillance solutions.

Dr. Gupta has published extensively in the antimicrobial resistance space and now leads the BD Insights Research and Analytics efforts to collaborate, study, and better understand population-based outcomes and metrics related to antimicrobial resistance, pathogen prevalence, and related outcomes.

Q - How did you decide to pursue a degree in pharmacy?

A - I originally wanted to go to medical school, but a dear family member suggested going to pharmacy school first. During my third year, I found my passion for clinical pharmacy and decided to pursue a career as a pharmacist.

Q - What opportunities did you have at UIC that helped you get where you are today?

A - The numerous opportunities I had as a student were foundational and transformative. The professors were incredible and passionate about pharmacy. An internship at the UIC Hospital opened my eyes to pharmacy administration and analytics. My first student project involved evaluating outcomes of anticoagulation therapy and taught me the impact of using data to help improve patient care. That experience was transformational as it exposed my passion for data and analytics.

Q - What was the most important thing you learned while in pharmacy school?

A - Reaching for broad experiences. I learned about conducting animal studies and developing basic study methodology in Drs. Bhargava and Galati’s lab. I also was inquisitive and got to know the professors. Experiences and opportunities shape your future in unexpected ways, and the UIC College of Pharmacy afforded me those opportunities. I feel a special connection to the college and still feel moved when I am in the neighborhood.

Q - What do you enjoy most about your current role?

A - Going on my 26th year at BD, including legacy companies, I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do. What I love about BD is the broad experiences I was able to get over time. I feel like I have worked in different companies through the different roles I have had. I absolutely enjoy working with big data to evaluate the real-world impact of antibiotics and infectious diseases through a lens that isn’t possible in a single hospital. I am fortunate that BD has afforded me that opportunity, as our team has produced more than 100 presentations at national and international conferences and 30 to 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Q - What are you working on right now, and what have you enjoyed about it?

A - One of our projects is creating new models and analytics that evaluate the impact and outcomes of antibiotic therapy and diagnostic stewardship in the real world. We are working to provide insights to clinicians on areas of opportunity across a range of infections. I am very excited about this work and the impact it can have on the health of people around the world.

Vikas Gupta, PharmD ’89

Q - You’ve had success in your career. How?

A - I have had success by taking chances, being flexible, gaining experience, and networking with colleagues. I had great mentors during my residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and during my stints as a clinician at UIC College of Pharmacy, Cardinal Health, CareFusion, and now at BD.

Q - What do you see for your field in the future?

A - Data and analytics is a burgeoning field that needs clinicians who can understand and integrate clinical aspects to the analytic tools that are expanding. Having clinical pharmacists who can understand the clinical and analytic aspects will be very important and create opportunities for future pharmacy leaders.

Q - Do you have advice for our current student pharmacists/pharmacists starting today?

A - What you envision for your career now can look very different five years, 10 years, or 30 years later. I remember sitting with Dr. Hutchinson (“Hutch”), the UIC College of Pharmacy dean at the time, discussing career opportunities. He asked me if I liked to write and publish, and I said no because I did not have any publications at the time. I look back at that discussion now, with 30 to 40 peer-reviewed publications and more to come. My advice is to be passionate, flexible, and willing to take risks and explore opportunities.