My professional journey.
Ever since I looked at blood cells through a microscope in a high school biology lab, I’ve been fascinated with science and clinical research.
As a result, my passion for clinical research has played a major role in my professional life, a journey that began as a scientific researcher in academic and industrial laboratories, earning my PhD along the way.
I traded my lab coat for a business suit because I wanted to help turn research discoveries into clinical therapies in a more direct way.
In my first venture outside the lab, an investment analyst and business development manager for a small equity firm, my scientific expertise did the heavy lifting to evaluate the commercial potential of intellectual property. I also acquired strategic and communication skills that are necessary to position the clinical value of an early-stage technology for winning potential investors and business partners.
With an eye on fully understanding strategic marketing, I transitioned to pharmaceutical communications as both a Copywriter and Medical Director in agencies specializing in promotional medical education and advertising. For over 10 years, I delivered content and provided strategic support for communications targeting physician, payer, and patient audiences.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some of the most established pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Amgen, Genentech, Bayer, AbbVie, and Pfizer, as well as numerous biotechnology companies. From planning and executing launches to life-cycle management, partnering with client brand teams to help them meet their goals was incredibly rewarding.
Pharmaceutical marketing not only solidified my strategic and communication skills, it also reawakened my creative skills. Until that point in my career, there was little need to tap into my creative side. Creativity was, for the most part, only called upon for building power point presentations for my research talks. The fact that to this day I still love building presentations in power point is a testament to how much I value a creative outlet in my work life.
Looking back, it makes sense. In college, every sociology requirement for my coursework was met with an art class. And as a professional, I’ve always paid attention to content and presentation. So for me, healthcare marketing taps into my interest in science, strategy, and creativity—a combination that makes me look forward to every project.
My experience helping brand teams launch and promote their products made me a better marketer.
That’s why I’m focused on using my skills to promote innovative products and technologies, no matter where they are in development. Of course, I want to continue to help brand teams with fully-developed clinical programs, but I also know how limited resources are in the early stages of development. And although a formal marketing budget may be short in supply, you still deserve a good marketer.
My Journey: Highlights of what brought me from the lab to the laptop
