Career Spotlight: Breaking Into Medical Affairs In The Pharmaceutical Industry
Renee Cosme | May 2, 2022
On April 7, 2022, the S2BN Guelph Chapter hosted an engaging panel to to discuss a career in medical affairs within the pharmaceutical industry. The panel consisted of 3 distinguished professionals in the field:
Johnathan Yau, PhD, Associate Director, Worldwide Medical Cardiovascular (Bristol Myers Squibb)
Patrick Turnbull, PhD, Medical Science Liaison (GSK Oncology)
Nicolle Petrik, PhD, Medical Science Liaison (Sanofi Genzyme)
The panel was an opportunity for students and early career professionals to gain insight into pursuing a career in the medical affairs sphere. Attendees learned of key strategies (and best practices) to help launch their career in the pharmaceutical industry from medical affairs professionals!
When Is The Best Time To Apply For Jobs In Medical Affairs?
Dr. Turnbull was asked by an attendee, "When is the best time to apply for roles related to medical affairs?" Each speaker offered their own advice:
Patrick: There's no hard and fast rule. He applied to various roles after his project defense.
Nicolle: The interview process can take a long time, sometimes for months. It's not uncommon to encounter multiple interviews (around 4 to 7!) but it's worth it in the end.
Jonathan: Applied online and even through his network contacts, but many of his applications were unsuccessful. However, it's a process that requires luck and time. One of his interviews even involved a full presentation!
Do You Need Experience In A Particular Therapeutic Area? If Not, What is Required For The Job?
An interesting question was posed to the panel about having prior experience in a particular area before applying for jobs related to medical affairs. Was it required? If not, what should students do to land an interview?
Nicolle: When transitioning into medical information, there is potential to learn pretty much anything! Don't be afraid of exploring therapeutic areas. Though research, pharmaceutical, and medical science liaison are an asset, draw whatever information you have and build from that—build a story.
Patrick: "It's how you sell yourself. If it’s your strength, ween yourself into it. If not, find what you need! Most with a general science background, you’d be surprised what backgrounds you can touch into. Academia can be a narrow-focused endeavour—cast a wider net with your experience." You can draw some lines!
Jonathan: Don’t limit yourself to a specific area, and broaden your horizons. "Going back to how does it apply to that specific field—how do you leverage what you know? You know your research topic extremely well, better than everyone, making you an expert in that area—but what is that area a part of? Cardiovascular? Oncology? Another area? Be well aware of what your expertise is—use that as your strength." You have the science background and you can communicate it!
What Are Some Networking Tips For STEM Students?
The speakers were asked to share some vital networking tips for students interested in pursuing a medical affairs career. The speakers gave their thought-provoking responses:
Nicolle: it's important to create "a solid LinkedIn profile, in order to put yourself out there. Many PhD students are introverted, so it's important to force yourself to go out there and get of the lab."
Jonathan: "If medical affairs is the ultimate goal, it doesn't always have to be through being an Medical Affairs Liaison. You can go through commercial, sales ventures, communications, and other avenues."
What Advice Would You Give For Students Pursuing Medical Affairs?
Toward the end of the panel, speakers were asked to provide their own "nugget of advice" to students interested in a medical affairs career. Each speaker offered their own valuable insight.
Patrick: "What we did is not going to be what you do. Otherwise it can be challenging." Identify what you want to work towards and where your interests lie.
Nicolle: You need to put in some leg work to figure out an action plan. Nicolle advises to "Start networking early and talk to as many people as you can. Do your research. Figure out what your strengths are. Think about what sets you apart (from other PhDs) and plan." Don't settle for what's easy, and learn from your failures. Don't go for a job you don’t really want!
Jonathan: Don't give up! "Keep trying, take what you have and what you know. Know your strengths—no one is going to know or value or worth that you have, unless you show it off. You’re used to defending your research—how is that any different to defending who you are in terms of your strength?"
We hope this career spotlight provided great insight into the exciting world of medical affairs! With that said, for updates and news on exciting career talks, be sure to subscribe to S2BN's mailing list or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
