Biopharma Research

Maida
Taylor

Breast Cancer: The Empress of All Maladies

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I felt totally immersed in a paper storm, an overload of information on the topic.  Making my immersion even deeper, while preparing two breast cancer talks, I was also in the thrall of  an amazing book,  “The Emperor of All Maladies: &...


Maida
Taylor

Just what do you do: medical affairs job description

One of my last postings was called “keeping Ken and Barbie out of jail,” an attempt to define some of the tasks involved working in medical affairs at a pharmaceutical company.  One reader pointed out that I really did not define the job very well, and I promised to describe just what the job e...


Maida
Taylor

Mentoring: The art of engaging students early and often in their careers

Does mentoring do anything?  What inspires students?  How do we engage and encourage young colleagues?  I have been asking these questions while organizing an obstetrics and gynecology “career” dinner for medical students at the University of California San Francisco. 


Maida
Taylor

I miss my old job...

Two weeks ago, I was flying from San Francisco to Newark to do an in-house training with a drug company sales force.  I was comfortably settled into my seat in first class (all those frequent flyer miles = upgrades), about to start eating the [not-too-bad] chicken dinner, when the call came out...


Thomas Patrick
Chuna

Objectionable Objective Statements Can Cause Objections To Your Candidacy!

This time around, we are going to discuss objective statements on your CV. Depending on who you listen to, you either need them, or you don’t need them, and everyone has a differing opinion with facts and figures to validate their opinions. I happen to like objective statements, and I se...


Stephanie
Yeung

How To Evaluate A Job Offer

The current economic downturn and high unemployment rate have, no doubt, created the common mind-set of “If you have a job offer, don’t be picky. Just take it.” These are the words of a friend of mine when she got an offer at a well-known biotech company recently. She felt that she was not in ...


Maida
Taylor

Keeping Ken and Barbie Out of Jail

I have worked in medical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry for over 10 years now and I often get asked at a dinner or cocktail party, “Just what is it you do?”  That question was a lot easier to answer when I was a practicing obstetrician.  Everyone understands delivering babies a...


Andrea
H.

Great program!

We increasingly see job postings that call for well-rounded candidates.  I think this trend is here to stay, especially with the growth of interdisciplinary or cross-functional positions both in academia and industry.  I actually think this is a good thing, since this trend facilitates mor...


Andrea
H.

My Time Away From the Bench

“Are you sure you’re ok with going from helping injured soldiers walk again to helping people look better?”  I’m willing to bet that very few people have heard this as an interview question.  But it was a valid (albeit surprising) question in my case.  The vice president inter...


Andrea
H.

Overspecialization of PhDs?

This article prompted my post: https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110420/full/472261a.html There has been an ongoing (and very heated) debate in many of our trade journals about whether PhDs are overspecialized.  Yes, I think overspecialization in our particular fields of study may be an issue, in...