University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Melanie B. Oates PhD, MBA, RN

Melanie B. Oates PhD, MBA, RN
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Program

Mailing Address:

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
600 S. 43rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: (215) 895-1182
Fax: (215) 596-8586
Email: m.oates@usp.edu

Relevant Business Experience:

• 15 years experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry, in a variety of positions including Sales Representative, Sales Trainer, Senior Marketing Research Analyst, Marketing Manager, and Vice President of Marketing and Regulatory Affairs.
• Experienced in pharmaceutical product licensing and acquisition, including due diligence analysis, preparation of business plans, long range forecasting, working with venture capitalists and negotiating with investment bankers.
• Coordinated logistics for national sales force launch meeting for an injectable antibiotic.
• Developed an algorithm for territory sales potential, and designed map of territory alignment for a new sales force, based on the algorithm.
• Designed computer-based sales force call reporting program, including procedures for tracking samples of controlled drugs.
• Wrote and successfully submitted an Orphan Drug NDA to the FDA.
• Created forecasting algorithms for oncology chemotherapy products, antibiotics, and cardiovascular products.
• Managed the successful re-launch of a newly acquired line of oral analgesic products.
• 5 years experience as a Registered Nurse working with psychiatric patients and cardiac ICU patients.  As a psychiatric nurse, conducted one-on-one therapy sessions and facilitated group psychotherapy. 

Relevant Research Experience:

Most of my research activity has investigated the psychology of decision making in health care purchasing.  Some of these projects were:

• An investigation of the importance of several factors that social workers consider when evaluating a nursing home.
• A study of patients with a fatal illness (congestive heart failure), to determine how patients trade-off length of life versus quality of life.

I am presently planning several new projects, some of which will give students an opportunity to participate in research activities.  These include:

• An evaluation of the impact of therapeutic horseback riding on the quality of life of disabled children.
• An evaluation of the impact of service learning (community action projects) on students in a marketing program.
• An evaluation of nutritional interventions for the prevention of Type II diabetes among inner-city children.
• A qualitative study of the role of cultural health myths in the health behavior of inner city residents.

Relevant Projects:

I like to involve my student in “real life” projects that compliment their course work.  New projects are launched each semester.  Some past projects that my students enjoyed include:

• Developing an advertising campaign for the “Art, Food and Jazz Festival,” the annual fundraiser for the Southwest Community Enrichment Center.  Students in my Advertising and Promotion class created a logo and invitations for the event, designed print advertisements, wrote copy for radio advertising, and selected the target consumers for direct mail advertising.
• Students in my US Health Systems class created educational workshops and materials aimed at helping inner city residents manage their health.  One group of students worked with a community environmental committee to reduce air pollution caused by emissions from a local gasoline refinery.  Another group of students developed a workshop for low-income parents to help the parents understand Pennsylvania’s state sponsored medical assistance program for children.  Educating senior citizens about the new Medicare prescription drug program was the project selected by several other student groups.
• Students in my Consumer Behavior class ran a Nutrition Fair for inner city children.  They held the fair at a Philadelphia community center, and attracted almost 70 children ranging from 6-16 years of age.  The students designed culturally sensitive, age appropriate games and activities to teach the children how to select tasty and nutritious foods.  This project was based on the recommendations of the previous Consumer Behavior class, who completed a marketing research analysis of nutritional behaviors among children in SW Philadelphia, and who wrote a social marketing plan to address problems with children’s eating habits.
• My students’ favorite project extended over three semesters and involved three different courses, including the MBA-level Marketing Research class, the undergraduate class in Product Management, and finally the undergraduate class in Advertising and Promotion.  Our three-semester task was to design and implement a marketing program for Special Equestrians, a not-for-profit group that provides therapeutic horseback riding to disabled children.  This project was especially relevant to Pharmaceutical Marketing students, because therapeutic riding is a physician-prescribed activity that requires patient compliance, just as drugs must also be prescribed by the physician and accepted by the patient.  During the three semesters, students had opportunities to visit the Special Equestrians barn, meet the horses and the staff, meet the children, and interview the parents.  The MBA class produced a massive market research report analyzing the need for therapeutic riding in the local area.  The Product Management class used this research to develop a marketing plan for Special Equestrians.  The Advertising and Promotion class then created and implemented a tactical plan to raise awareness of Special Equestrians among target physicians, parents, and potential volunteers.  Some of the tactical elements created by the students included: a “horse of the month” calendar to sell for fund raising and to give-away to physicians as a prescribing reminder, sales presentation aids for Special Equestrians volunteers to use when speaking to physicians and schools, a short documentary film (shot by the students) about Special Equestrians to attract volunteers, T-shirts and horse-related novelties to sell for fund raising, print advertisements for local newspapers and for the internet, and scripts for radio advertising.

Personal Teaching Philosophy:

I work with a “learner centered teaching” approach, and I believe that students learn best when they have hands-on experience with real projects that compliment the course content.  Since a successful business career requires skill in team building, most of my course assignments center on group work.  One of my personal goals is to instill a sense of ethical responsibility to the community among tomorrow’s Pharmaceutical Industry leaders.