Juliane Bauer

Bauer was speechless when managers arrived in person to tell her the good news. In addition to receiving a statue, she attended a corporate banquet for awardees where her award was one of five mentioned by Pfizer’s Global Research and Development president. This year, less than one percent of Pfizer researchers worldwide received the award.

“I’ve gotten other awards, but this is the huge unexpected honor you dream about,” she said. The statue will join two individual performance awards she also received this year. One of her teams was also nominated for a team work award.

At Pfizer, Bauer uses her education to help design how a pharmacist will prepare a drug before it is administered during clinical trials. She determines if the drug will be a tablet, capsule, solution or suspension dosage form.

She was recognized for implementing a process that gives clinical researchers more flexibility on dosing during this critical test phases. “This platform allows us to enter clinical trial faster, with less resource and expense. It allows the clinicians the opportunity to modify the next dose based on incoming results,” she explained. “This allows them to dose any level in the overall range on the fly. In the past, the process could have taken days for the information to come back and the dosing to be modified.”

Bauer worked closely with other groups at Pfizer to introduce the change. Her award states: “In successfully bringing forward this technology, Julie has Aligned Across Pfizer by collaborating and communicating with a myriad of Pfizer colleagues. Her achievements are guided by setting high standards for her work, as well as the work of others, thus Sustaining Focus on Performance.”
 
At Oakland, Bauer did significant undergraduate research on enzyme activity during her junior and senior years with Professor of Chemistry Kathleen Moore.

“The biochemistry program at OU is very interactive with the students. You weren’t just a number. They were willing to mentor and assist me as I stumbled through the things I didn’t understand, until I did,” she said. “Research with Dr. Moore was priceless, as she taught me the scientific thinking process which allowed me to move into a successful scientific research career.”

Bauer was hired by The Upjohn Company when she graduated from Oakland. She has remained with the company during a series of mergers which resulted in Pfizer owning the company. Bauer is currently working in Groton, Connecticut.
 
“Julie has long credited her experience at Oakland with making her competitive for a direct hire by Upjohn in Kalamazoo,” said Moore. “She has flourished in the R&D environment.”
 
When she was based in Michigan, Bauer returned frequently to campus, giving a seminar in chemistry and participating in multiple career-related events. Moore said, “We are fortunate to have her as a representative of and an advocate for the university.”