Pharma Fellow Finds Her Place and Purpose in Health Outcomes Research

India Gwynn, PharmD, is gaining industry and academic expertise in health economics and outcomes research, which puts patients at the center of pharmaceutical decisions.

India Gwynn moved to Boston in 2024 to do more than advance her career—she also wanted to build community, explore new places, and find balance in a demanding professional life.

A self-described believer in the idea of a “third space”—spaces outside of home or work where people gather and connect—Gwynn explores coffee shops, boutiques, Pilates studios, and popular restaurants across the city.

“I like to try new things and engage with new activities to add variety to my routine,” she said. “It actually helps me stay balanced and manage competing priorities.”

And she’s juggling plenty. Her busy routine includes working as a Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) fellow at Agios Pharmaceuticals through the Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) while pursuing a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy.

Working and studying is a balancing act, Gwynn said, but she’s got her eyes on bigger things.

“I remind myself that the work I’m doing now is an investment in my future,” she said.

Finding Her Place in Pharmacy

A Pennsylvania native, Gwynn set herself up for a healthcare career with an undergraduate degree in natural sciences from the University of Pittsburgh before earning her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

“I chose pharmacy because of the direct access to patients without the barrier of an appointment,” she said. “The ability to help patients at the pharmacy counter from answering medication-relation questions and pointing them to the right resources interested me.”

During pharmacy school, she particularly enjoyed learning about how medications are approved and priced, why certain drugs are prescribed first, and why some cost more than others.

“I knew I wanted to be a part of conducting that research and creating the value evidence that supports drug pricing and place in therapy.”

Putting Patients First

After earning her PharmD, Gwynn made the move to Boston and started working at Agios. Over the last two years, she has touched nearly every aspect of health economics and outcomes research, including literature reviews, real-world evidence studies, payer landscape assessments, and qualitative research, including conducting patient interviews.

“Conducting research that highlights patients’ experiences has been one of the most impactful parts of my work,” she said. “It’s important to understand and elevate the patient voice not just to achieve regulatory approval or demonstrate value to payers, but to better serve our patient populations.”

But Gwynn wanted to take her work a step further. She chose to bolster her experience in the fellowship by enrolling in a master’s program focused on pharmaceutical economics and policy.

“The program is helping me build technical knowledge and skills,” she said. “So far, I’ve taken courses ranging from research methods to statistical programming, which is exactly what I was looking for in a degree program.”

One core course, Comparative Pharmaceutical Healthcare Systems, helped Gwynn understand how medications are approved and reimbursed on a global scale. “In the course, we compared healthcare systems in the U.S. and other countries, which provided important context for understanding how each system impacts the drug regulatory approval and reimbursement process.”

Life After Fellowship

Gwynn will complete her fellowship this summer. She’ll continue her master’s on a part-time basis, and although not required of pharmaceutical industry workers, she plans to become a licensed pharmacist to broaden her career prospects.

She hopes to land somewhere in the health economics and outcomes research realm, keeping the patients at the center of her pharmacy career.

“The experiences I’ve had so far affirm my desire to continue pursuing this path,” she said. “The fellowship and master’s program have further fueled my interest in generating the data and evidence designed to inform patient and health care decision-making.”