Canterbury Grad Shares Experiences as a Pharma Consultant

Richard Ritacco ’06 stood before Canterbury’s AP Chemistry and AP Biology students as living proof of the wide range of intriguing and difference-making science careers. The Head of Growth and Innovation for IDEA Pharma, Rick leads a global consultancy team that helps pharmaceutical and biotech companies maximize the potential of their products and, even more importantly, improve the lives of patients.

“There is a broad spectrum of roles in this field,” he told the students during a late-semester return to his alma mater. “You will find many areas to apply your interest and creativity, including the pharma health care space.” 

After graduating from Canterbury, Rick earned a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Business from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where a tremendous opportunity came his way thanks to making connections…and a bit of serendipity. “I met a gentleman who was running a lab at the Institute of Chemical Defense,” he shared. “He was at the military base outside of Baltimore studying warfare agents in a neuroscience lab, and asked me to come work with him. I have always believed in taking the time to meet and talk with interesting people. If you ever have a chance to speak with someone like that, take it and learn from them. You never know where those roads will lead.” 

For Rick, it led to a challenging lab environment and, ultimately, to his current position. “I wanted to stay close to the science but not be in such a temperature and environmentally controlled space every day—and that drew me to IDEA Pharma,” he explained. “We work with companies that have molecules in early development, help them explore the possibilities, and determine how best to bring a product to market. Our team of commercial, clinical regulatory specialists knows how to think broadly about what a drug could be. Where can it potentially bring value to patients and help change their lives for the better?”

Rick’s presentation included a review of IDEA Pharma’s process for working with molecules—pre-discovery, discovery and preclinical studies, clinical trials, and review and approval—as well as the myriad career options in the biotech industry, from services to R&D to operations. Afterward, he stayed to speak with some of the students individually.

Science Teacher Manna Ohmoto-Whitfield received nothing but positive feedback from her students about Rick’s visit. “His style resonated with them, and they were glad he spent so much time answering their questions,” Manna shared. “The students also appreciated how Rick presented a science-related career path that went beyond the usual ‘doctor/nurse/engineer’ side and even included the business aspect of it.” 

It was clear from his enthusiasm that Rick’s work is deeply meaningful to him. “All of this pharma innovation, pushing the envelope, getting new drugs out there, and changing the way we treat patients is spectacular,” he said. “That helps everyone.”

Thank you, Rick, for giving our students a unique look inside the complex, ever-fascinating world of science.