Newsletter – January 2015

Profile: Jeff Kuper, PharmD, BCPS, CMPP
By Deborah Tolmach Sugerman

You might say being a pharmacist runs in Jeff Kuper’s family. He counts both parents, a brother, and a sister-in-law among relatives who practice the profession. He sympathetically notes, “Pity my poor wife at holiday meals.”

Jeff currently serves as one of two medical directors for PharmaWrite. The medical communication company is based in Princeton, New Jersey, but Jeff telecommutes from his home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—hence his membership in AMWA’s North Central chapter.

“My focus is in infectious diseases and endocrinology, but I work in other therapeutic areas as the need arises,” Jeff says. “I am primarily responsible for the oversight of a group of full-time and freelance writers and write extensively myself, both at PharmaWrite and our sister company, MedVal Scientific Information Services. I assist our project managers in overall publication planning for specific drug products.”

Jeff received his BS in pharmacy at South Dakota State University and PharmD at The Ohio State University, completing a post-doctoral residency in infectious diseases in Buffalo. He holds certifications as a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) and Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP).

From 1996 to 2007, Jeff taught in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. “As clinical faculty, I of course published some articles related to pharmacy,” recalls Jeff. “I also maintained a clinical practice at a hospital in infectious diseases and did extensive writing in that setting. At the time I left that position, I felt like I’d gone about as far as I could at Rutgers and was looking for something new.

“One of my former students and colleagues at Rutgers was president of PharmaWrite,” he continues. “I had done some consulting for them, but he had been trying to get me to come over to full-time work for a while, and the time seemed ripe! I have always had the meticulous (some would say “anal”) nature needed for a good writer and was complimented on my writing throughout my education and career.”

Jeff notes that his background as both a pharmacist and a clinician complements the company’s other writers, who have PhDs in various life sciences. For example, he served for years on a hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and can offer that unique perspective to clients.

 From Midwest to East and back again

Jeff grew up in South Dakota, lived in New Jersey for about 15 years, and then moved back to Sioux Falls to be close to family. There, he says, “I met the love of my life and got married in 2013. I am active in my church, love to sing, and am a diehard Yankees and Vikings fan. In addition to sports, I regularly attend concerts and the theater and enjoy reading.”

As a telecommuter, Jeff has learned not to let work be the central focus of his life. He tries to keep to regular business hours and hold overtime to a minimum. He appreciates the flexibility of being able to adjust his hours around appointments as needed.

Jeff has been a member of AMWA for about 5 years and enjoyed the couple of national AMWA conferences he attended. “It’s nice to be able to reach out to others who may have encountered the same challenges that I have. The downside to my current telecommute is the relative isolation compared to when I was in New Jersey,” he says.

Jeff explains that he has chosen not to pursue AMWA certification, as all managers in his company are required to be CMPP-accredited, and the majority of his educational opportunities come through the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals. He has, however, taken an active role in the AMWA North Central chapter, serving as the South Dakota representative to the chapter executive board.

“I would love to see more activities outside the Twin Cities–Rochester corridor, but I realize that there are so few members in the Dakotas and northern Wisconsin and that we are spread so far apart that this is extremely challenging,” concludes Jeff. “However, I think the chapter webinars that are soon to begin are a step in the right direction.” He believes initiatives to inform South Dakota State University students about medical writing and editing, as well as AMWA, would prove fruitful.