1. Career Advice in Pharmacoepidemiology Dan Strauss – Klein Hersh International Dr. Kourtney Davis - GlaxoSmithKline
2. Content Who hires epidemiologists? Desired skills/traits in entry-level candidates “What do we really do?” – Dr. Kourtney Davis Daily life, responsibilities, stakeholders, collaborators Marketing/Branding Yourself Resume building, social networking Interview Tips
3. Background Klein Hersh International Life Sciences Executive search since ‘98 #1 firm in network of 1100 worldwide 400 placements annually 60-70 per year specific to epidemiology backgrounds Epidemiology, Biostatistics, HEOR, Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management, etc.
4. Contributors John Acquavella (Executive Director, Epidemiology – Amgen) Terri Madison (VP, Epidemiology & Risk Management – Excenda) Syed Islam (Senior Director, Pharmacoepidemiology – Abbott) Dan Mines (VP, Safety Surveillance & Epidemiology – HealthCore) Gregory Daniel (VP, Gov’t& Academic Research – HealthCore) Crystal N Holick (Director, Safety & Epidemiology – HealthCore) William Blumentals (Head, Epidemiology for Virology – Roche) Andres Gomez (Executive Director, Epidemiology – BMS) Nancy Santanello (VP, Epidemiology – Merck) Robert Reynolds (VP, Epidemiology – Pfizer) Jamie Geier (Director, Epidemiology – Pfizer) Jesse Berlin (VP, Pharmacoepidemiology – J&J) Andre Araujo (VP, Epidemiology – NERI)
5. Companies with Epidemiologists Pharmaceuticals, Medical Device, Biotech (Industry) GSK, Pfizer, Amgen, J&J, Abbott, Roche, BMS Contract Research Organizations (CRO) Covance, Quintiles, PAREXEL Consulting and Vendor Companies Xcenda, Healthcore, SciMetrika Pharmaceutical Benefits Management (PBM) MedCo, Express Scripts Government, Regulatory, and Academia -State Government, CDC, FDA, NIH, NERI, Universities
6. Location of Industry Positions Major Pharma/Biotech Hubs NYC Metro, Philly, Boston, San Fran, Outside USA 12 of the top-20 earning pharma companies worldwide have offices within 100 miles of NYC. Boston/Cambridge increasing Philadelphia remains steady Chicago/Mid-West NC has Pharma and large CRO headquarters West Coast (San Fran, San Diego)
7. Industry Salary Information Will depend on location Geographic location AND location within company THERE IS MORE THAN JUST SALARY!!!!! Target Bonus %, Long-Term Incentives, Sign-on, etc Culture, Growth Opportunities Starting Salaries from $60k-85k for an MPH Starting Salaries from $70k-110k for a PhD Contract/Permanent If it is contract, what are the terms?
8. What Hiring Managers Want to See Study design / methodological skills Logical approach to refining research questions – LOGICAL THINKERS Matching designs and data sources to questions-- fit for purpose Statistical Analysis Familiarity with SAS and other languages (STATA, SPSS, R) Can you show how you used it? USE OF LARGE DATASETS Healthcare claims databases (private and public), disease cohorts, population-based surveys Ability to manage the data Have you done one of these studies? Independent, observational study Are you able to briefly describe the study aims, outcome, and impact?
9. What Hiring Managers Want to See Expertise/Knowledge of at least one Therapeutic Area Have you published independent or collaborative research? What studies have you led? Grant proposals written and/or funded? Any type of clinical knowledge Clinical Education (MD, RPh, RN, PharmD) Intro to Pharmacology for non-medical professionals Publications and scientific presentations Were you the first author of published paper? Did you publish your thesis/dissertation? Have you made oral or poster presentations at international conferences?
10. What Hiring Managers Want to See What EPIDEMIOLOGY activities did you do during your program? A study with your professor An R.A. focused on epidemiology research or course Volunteering – research, clinical, etc Teaching introductory classes Are you following the current trends? Comparative Effectiveness, Health Outcomes Safety Studies (Risk Management, REMS) Company info Mergers/Acquisitions, Success, TA, etc.
11. What Hiring Managers Want to See Communication Skills Written and Oral Diverse audiences (e.g. to non-epidemiologists) Influencing and negotiation Leadership Qualities Managing programmers and contract research support staff External issues – CRO, Consulting, Regulations, etc. Personality Demonstrated teamwork and success in matrix environment Keeping the “client” happy Internal or external Resilience
12. “What do we really do?” Dr. Kourtney Davis, PhD Senior Director, Worldwide Epidemiology - GSK
13. Who is WWEpi @GSK? Part of Quantitative Sciences (QSci) in Medicines Discovery and Development (MDD), GSK Research & Development Offices in US (RTP and Philadelphia) and UK (Stockley Park) Combined staff of ~60 epidemiologists, programmers/analysts, administrative staff WWEPI Mission Provide population-based evidence on disease and treatment to influence decision making—from discovery through drug development to medical practice. 13
44. Range of studies: Example asset Join team Ph III (ideally this is earlier)– Model inclusion/exclusion criteria and background event rates for RCT using several healthcare databases in US, UK Develop BRMP with Safety, Clinical and Regulatory Pregnancy registry design Anticipated REMS Prepare for FDA and EU submission of IND Prepare slides for FDA Ad Com Develop surveys with HO colleagues for endpoint relevant to payer in appropriate populations by region Post approval Design post-marketing safety studies via collaborations with healthcare organizations (Steering Committees, etc) Contribute to sNDA for additional indication Consult on design of effectiveness study using EMR
45. Any given week: Wearing lots of hats Meetings with… Epidemiology Dept on resourcing strategy, priority, training, PRF Asset project matrix team Clinical, safety, health outcomes, regulatory, statistics, commercial, legal, communications Epidemiology study project team External expert investigators (e.g. methods or clinical advice) External healthcare organization partner representative Internal or external analysts depending upon data source Regulatory agency with project team (consultative support role) or about the epi study results (research leader role) Public-private partnership like EU’s IMI
47. Branding Yourself Networking – online, in-person, etc. LinkedIn and other Social Media Why is this even important? Studies show < 3% of jobs get to the job boards An average of 300 applicants within first week Similar studies show 75% of jobs are filled through networking Create a buzz Easily “found” online – recruiters, etc. Networking partners already know more about you Build your profile – BE SPECIFIC! Complete Education Contact Information (don’t use a private profile) Full description of functions/responsibilities in any roles REAL DESCRIPTIONS – NO FLUFF!!
49. Finding a Job Websites Monster, CareerBuilder, ISPE Careers, Indeed Creating “Agents” Recruiters Align with one that fits your personal and professional needs Ask questions Trends, New Companies, etc.
50. Applying for a Job DO DON’T CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME FOR THE ROLE Research the company/position beforehand Outline in a cover letter why you are a good fit Blitz your resume Apply if you’re unqualified Badger the hiring manager or recruiter
51. Building a Resume Basics No typographical errors Proper grammar Nicely formatted Readability (spacing, bullets, etc) Standard paper – no watermarks, no designs, no colors Chronological Contact Info at the top (include any URLs – Linkedin, Blog, etc) The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average person has had almost 11 job changes by age 44.
52. Building a Resume cont’d DO DON’T Tell the reader what you can DELIVER Include measurable results Specify Accomplishments STAR method situation/task, action, result REMOVE NON-APPLICABLE JOBS Specify if you were a contractor or full-time Tell the reader what you WANT – “Objective” Include a picture Use a non-professional email Put your education on the top List GPA if you didn’t make dean’s list List personal hobbies, race or gender Basic Computer Software List any salary info
53. First Interview (HR) Research the Company What do they do? Recent Press Releases Who is their marketplace Answer Questions Directly Don’t “twist” anything to change the topic Don’t “dumb down” any answers MONEY – just don’t ask If it’s a relocation situation, you can check to ensure its worth your time Ask Questions Who is involved in process? What are next steps? Can you provide any additional information?
54. First Interview (Hiring Manager) Klein Hersh’s “5-Step Prep” Chemistry Qualifying Questions Pre-Close Energy & Enthusiasm
55. Face to Face Interviews LOOK THE PART!!! Bring several copies of your resume Arrive no more than 15-minutes early Do your homework Who are you speaking to? Visual Cues - Chemistry CLOSE FOR THE JOB & Thank You Note
56. SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO Matthew Levy|President Mobile| 267.337.1622 mlevy@cornerofficecoach.com www.CornerOfficeCoach.com www.blog.cornerofficecoach.com
57. Questions/Comments Please feel free to contact me at: dstrauss@kleinhersh.com 215-830-9211 x 120 www.kleinhersh.com/epidemiology
