Dr. Gene Felber is a Bull three times over.

He received his bachelor’s from the university in 1991, his MSPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from USF’s College of Public Health (COPH) in 1993 and his PhD in epidemiology five years later.

“I was the first in my family—immediate or extended—to get a bachelor’s degree, let alone a master’s or doctorate,” said Felber, who grew up near Chicago but moved to Florida after high school. “A very good friend persuaded me to take master-level classes at the COPH while pursuing my bachelor’s. I did so and was immediately intrigued and engaged.”

Felber said what has most impressed him about his COPH education is the breadth and comprehensiveness of the courses he took.

“This is often reinforced when engaging colleagues who graduated from other highly reputable programs, such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard,” he said. “COPH graduates can rest assured that they will be fully prepared to enter the workplace and engage professionally and academically.”

Being newly married, working full time and pursuing a doctorate made life challenging, but Felber came through with flying colors.

He was inducted into the prestigious Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health and landed jobs at some of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda and Shire Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he received an award for his work on a novel agent and approach measuring outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma. He has more than 15 years of experience as an epidemiologist, consultant and outcomes researcher and more than 17 years in the pharmaceutical field, working as a field medical scientist, outcome researcher, health economist and field leader.

Today, Felber is senior director and U.S. national lead for academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks and national oncology organizations, U.S. medical affairs at Gilead Sciences. His primary responsibility is identifying potential scientific research collaboration opportunities with partner sites, including participation in clinical trials and real-world research opportunities.  He says his proudest professional achievements have been building novel best-in-class medical and scientific functions in an industry that didn’t previously exist.

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

An astronaut.

Where would we find you on the weekend?

Under a car or on top of a mountain.

What is the last book you read?

“Outlive,” by Peter Attia.

What superpower would you like to have?

According to my spouse, the ability to read minds!

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

“Blade Runner” (the original, non-director’s cut).

To view the awards ceremony, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health