PharmD student receives Volunteer Award from Life Sciences Ontario

Simonne Rauch is recognized for her contributions to ambassador and mentorship programs

Simonne Rauch, a first-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) student at U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, has been named a recipient of the Volunteer Award from Life Sciences Ontario (LSO), an industry association for Ontario’s biotechnology sector. Rauch is being recognized for her involvement with LSO’s student ambassador and mentorship programs and will receive the award at a ceremony in May.

“I am passionate about mentorship and the opportunities I’ve had to support undergraduates in the life sciences. I hope this recognition inspires others to support what they are passionate about, to give back and help uplift people in their fields,” says Rauch.

“Mentorship is definitely a two-way street. I’ve learned so much from every single mentor and mentee experience that I've had, and expand my skill set and learning how to interact with different people in different situations.”

Rauch has been a mentor with LSO since the summer of 2024, but she first became involved with the organization in 2022, when she received a scholarship to support her fourth year in the life sciences program at Queen’s University in Kingston. Through the scholarship program, she not only received financial support but also opportunities to connect with mentors in field who provided new perspectives and ideas of career paths to explore.

After she completed her undergraduate program, Rauch began working in a sales and marketing role at a pharmaceutical company, where she learned more about the industry and drug development. She also had the opportunity to meet with PharmD graduates and learn about the many opportunities within the pharmacy profession.

“Some of my mentors had PharmD degrees and held different roles within the industry, so my eyes were opened as to what pharmacists can do beyond the ‘traditional’ direct patient care roles,” says Rauch. “These mentors helped me see that I could take on a similar role. Combining that with my curiosity for a deeper, more scientific understanding of pharmaceuticals and patient health led me to the PharmD degree.”

Rauch began the PharmD program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in September of 2024. She quickly became active in student groups, such as the PharmaSEE Mentorship Program and Students for Optimizing and Advocating Pharmacy Endeavours (SOAPE). She is also in the early stages of working with faculty members, including Christine Allen, on an initiative to bring LSO programming to U of T.

Rauch has mentored in community and professional settings

As a student, Rauch has taken on a variety of mentee and mentor roles, in both community and professional settings. During her undergraduate degree, she volunteered as a mentor with Queen’s Kaleidoscope, which paired students with at-risk youth in the community, and with Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto.

She is also a volunteer with LSO’s mentorship program, serving as a mentor for the new cohort of LSO scholarship recipients. Rauch says that even though she is still new to the life sciences field, she can still help students by connecting them with experts that she was exposed to through the scholarship.

“I don’t have the years of professional experience that many mentors have, but because of the network that I was able to build, I’m able to connect my mentees with other people who work in their area of interest,” she says. “I’m able to be a liaison, as well as provide guidance, share my experience and talk about the value of mentorship and networking to the incoming cohort of students.”

Rauch says that mentorship has been key to her finding her educational path in pharmacy and enjoys the opportunity to give back to younger cohorts of students.

"Across all industries, mentorship is essential to success, but especially so in life sciences, which requires so much resilience and perseverance."

“Across all industries, mentorship is essential to success, but especially so in life sciences, which requires so much resilience and perseverance. Mentors who have experienced the same challenges can validate those experiences and provide insight and guidance on overcoming those challenges, which was very valuable to me,” says Rauch.

“It's very fulfilling to watch mentees grow and succeed personally and professionally. Knowing that you played a role in someone’s growth and success, both personal and professional, is so rewarding.”