Medical Toxicology in Industry Fellows Rotation Program

Quick Info

Next Application Deadline: 
May 5, 2025 (for October Rotation)
November 24, 2025 (for February Rotation)

Number of Awards:
8-10 (4-5 for each rotation)

Nature of Rotation:
4-week virtual rotation

Upcoming Rotation Periods:
Rotation 8: Oct. 2025
Rotation 9: Feb. 2026

Past Rotations:
Rotation 1: Jan. 2022
Rotation 2: Oct. 2022
Rotation 3: Feb. 2023
Rotation 4: Oct. 2023
Rotation 5: Feb. 2024
Rotation 6: Oct. 2024
Rotation 7: Feb. 2025

Webinar Series

Sponsored by Bayer and MTF, ACMT offers free quarterly webinars on unique and engaging topics.

Check out upcoming and previous webinars below!

Program Overview

The focus of this program is to create opportunities for fellows to experience another facet of medical toxicology during their fellowship and introduce them to the possibility of a career in industry. The goal is to teach the principles of product development from the R&D pipeline, through the regulatory process, to launch and post-market stewardship. The rotation will address the gap in understanding the role of industry and the regulatory oversight of bringing important technology from the academic arena to the public sphere.

Bayer will be responsible for developing objectives and a curriculum that provides fellows with experiential learning opportunities across the spectrum of medical toxicology within their organization.

Rotations will be four weeks long with dates varying based on the site. Currently, opportunities are virtual only.  Post-rotation evaluations will be required.

For more information about the program (objectives, curriculum, terms, etc.), please view the RFA guidelines.

Program Eligibility and Schedule

For 2025-2026, the Medical Toxicology in Industry Fellow Rotation program will have Bayer hosting eight (8) to ten (10) fellows for a one-month virtual rotation. These fellows will be selected in two cohorts. 

The first cohort of four (4) to five (5) fellows will be selected in the spring of 2025. These fellows will then participate in the October 2025 rotation. 

The second cohort of four (4) to five (5) fellows will be selected in the fall of 2025. They will participate in the February 2026 rotation.

Application Procedures

The applicant is required to provide the following information:

  1. Letter of Interest stating why you are interested in the Medical Toxicology in Industry Fellows Rotation program, the value to your future career path, and what you hope to get from the rotation.  Letters must contain the available rotation periods ranked by preference.  Letters should be limited to one (1) page.
  2. Letter of Support from your Fellowship Director
  3. Current resume/CV

Selection Timeline

Timeline for the Fall 2025 Rotation:

  • Applications are due by May 5, 2025
  • Notifications will be made by July 22, 2025
  • Rotation: October 2025, exact dates TBD

Questions

For questions regarding the program and application process, please contact Mimi Bajagich, at mimi.bajagich@acmt.net

Participant Feedback

"We felt truly supported during our time and know we will feel the same say after the rotation comes to a close.”

"I couldn't have asked for a better, and more well-rounded experience to gain a perspective into what it's like to work as a medical toxicologist in the industry"

"This was an excellent experience and I would highly recommend it to any medical toxicology fellow.”

“Learning from the top scientists leading their respective fields was very eye opening and seeing how much impact their products have on our world was inspiring.”

Medical Toxicology in Industry Program Fellows

Manpreet Bassi, MD
University of California, San Francisco

Manpreet Bassi, MD, was born in India and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. She completed her undergraduate studies at California State University, Stanislaus, followed by her medical degree at the University of California, Davis. During her Emergency Medicine residency at UCSF Fresno, a busy trauma center, she developed a strong interest in toxicology and the management of complex poisonings. Now a Medical Toxicology Fellow at UCSF, she is passionate about drug development and safety, international medical toxicology, and forensic toxicology. Outside of medicine, she enjoys tackling small renovation projects at home and spending quality time with her husband and their two dogs.

Amar Chakraborty, MD
Regions HealthPartners, St. Paul, Minnesota

Amar Chakraborty was born in Calcutta, India but moved to Australia at 2 months old, where he spent many years chasing and playing with animals (likely all venomous), before moving to Toronto, Canada. He grew up in Toronto with a penchant for asking questions, which eventually lead him to medicine. Amar started in internal medicine but sought more acute care and diverse patient populations, so he transferred into Emergency medicine, which he completed at Queens University (Canada) and where he is currently faculty. He also completed a fellowship in Medical Simulation at Harvard University before starting Medical Toxicology in Minnesota. Amar is very interested in the big questions (like space), as well as the small ones (like poisons) and broadly, how Toxicology interfaces with spheres outside of medicine – from education (patients, public, medical professionals), industry, and forensics. Outside of Toxicology, Amar loves venturing into the nature of Minnesota and the jungle of its wonderful food scene, being active, and just generally pondering.

Kathleen Chen, MD
University of Texas Southwestern

Dr. Kathleen Chen was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. Following medical school at Boston University, she completed emergency medicine residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. She is currently a first-year medical toxicology fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas.

Robert Ray Jr., DO
University of California, Davis

Robert Ray Jr. Born in Lansing, MI and completed his Bachelor of Science in Human Biology at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. He continued his education at Michigan State University and completed his medical degree at Michigan State
University College of Osteopathic Medicine. After medical school he completed Emergency Medicine residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA. He is currently finishing his final year of Medical Toxicology Fellowship at the University of
California Davis. His interests outside of medicine and toxicology include Basketball, video games and music (especially Beyonce).

Sammy Taha, MD
George Washington University

Dr. Sammy Taha is a New Jersey native with a BS in Biology from Yale and an MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He serves on active duty in the US Army and completed his emergency medicine residency at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Cavazos, TX. He is now a medical toxicology fellow at George Washington University and the National Capital Poison Center. His toxicology interests include the development of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats.

Daniel Tirado, MD
Oregon Health & Science University

My name is Danny Tirado and I am a current first-year medical toxicology fellow at OHSU in Portland, Oregon. I was born and raised in a small southern California border town called Calexico. After earning my bachelors degree at Northern Arizona University and masters degree in biomedical sciences at Midwestern University in Illinois, I attended medical school and completed residency in emergency medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York where I also served as chief resident.

Kara Zweerink, MD
Toxikon Consortium, Chicago, IL

Kara Zweerink is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. She completed medical school and residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After residency, she moved to Chicago. She is currently a toxicology fellow at Toxikon Consortium and works as an emergency medicine attending at UIC and Community First Medical Center.