By Janaina Cruz Pereira
On March 31st, the iJOBS program hosted an event focused on the Scientist Mentoring & Diversity Program for Biotechnology (SMDP) Biotech program. SMDP is a year-long mentoring program designed to connect ethnically diverse students, including undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students and early-career researchers, with biotech industry mentors.
The event began with Dustielyn Savage, Programs Director of the International Center for Professional Development (ICPD), discussing two sectors of SMDP: SMDP Biotech and SMDP MedTech. The SMDP biotech program pairs students and post-docs with mentors from biotechnology and consumer healthcare companies, while the SMDP MedTech program connects students and post-docs with mentors from the medical technology and consumer healthcare industry.
SMDP is sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Eli Lilly, J&J, Pfizer, and more, as well as smaller companies and startups such as Fluid AI and Cohesys. The program targets ethnically diverse students and early career researchers—including Hispanic Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, and Native Americans—who are underrepresented in the medical technology, biotechnology, and consumer healthcare workforce. The participants should be eligible to work permanently in the United States without a visa or sponsorship. Unfortunately, those with an F1 visa are not eligible to participate in the SMDP program.
Image source: SMDP
Program Structure and Benefits
The SMDP program is a one-year mentorship program. The first week serves as an in-person training session, where students and postdocs learn about career opportunities and professional development. This year, the SMDP Biotech training session will be held in Boston, MA, and the SMDP MedTech will take place in San Diego, CA. All expenses for the training session are covered by ICPD, including but not limited to accommodations, travel tickets, and meals.
The remaining part of the training process is held virtually through monthly meetings via phone, email, and the SMDP Mentoring Portal, a web-based tool to support mentor-mentee collaboration and communication. The mentorship program includes:
- Career coaching and a personalized mentoring plan.
- Industry insights on markets, products, and R&D trends in the biotechnology and/or consumer healthcare industry.
- Resume development, networking strategies, and mock industry interviews.
- Guidance on how to utilize social media as a tool for professional growth.
- Exposure to career opportunities in the industry.
In return, participants are required to send a monthly update report to ICPD, which includes the description of the ongoing mentorship. Approximately 85% of SMDP alumni successfully transitioned into industry roles. Hence, this program is an excellent opportunity for those planning to transition from academia to industry.
Alumni Success Stories
Kathy, a 5th year PhD candidate in the toxicology program at Rutgers, attended SMPD Biotech in 2024. Her mentor at J&J connected her with the toxicology department, which helped expand her network and ultimately led to her current position as a post-doc at Kenvue (a J&J subsidiary).
Dr. Stephania Gusman Dias participated in the 2021 SMDP and discussed how SMDP biotech helped her secure a position as Clinical Development Trial Specialist at Eli Lilly after being connected with a recruiting manager through the program. She considers SMPD the “best decision of my graduate career.”
Dr. Rulaiha Taylor, SMPD Biotech 2022, described the program as a “rewarding experience” and mentioned that she still keeps in touch with scholars from the 2022 SMPD program. She also mentioned that the program helped her land a role as a Toxicologist-Global Product Safety Specialist at Colgate-Palmolive.
Dr. Zakiyah Henry, although now working as a postdoctoral fellow at the NIEHS in the federal government, confirmed that SMDP is highly valuable for those considering a career in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Samuel Adeleye emphasized that the program was critical in securing his role as an Advisor (Biotherapeutics) at Eli Lilly and significantly expanded his professional network.
Chelsea Cary, a current Ph.D. candidate, leveraged SMPD network to secure an internship at J&J while finishing her degree.
Luisa F. Gomez-Alatorre, an 8th-year PhD candidate at Rutgers, stated “you learn how the industry works, and the mentors are collaborative and nurturing.”
How to Apply
If you’re interested in applying, here are the key dates:
Application Deadline: April 4, 2025
Conference Dates:
- SMDP Biotech: June 14-19, 2025 (Boston, MA)
- SMDP MedTech: October 4-9, 2025 (San Diego, CA)
Final Remarks
Both SMDP Biotech and SMDP MedTech provide an excellent opportunity to build industry connections and transition from academia to the biotech or medtech industries. I wish the best of luck to everyone planning to apply!
Edited by junior editor Beyza Guven and senior editor Antonia Kaz.