Many researchers reach a point where they start considering career paths beyond academia. One option that is still relatively unfamiliar to many is Medical Affairs.

We spoke with Dr. Alex Palumbo, founder and CEO of MEDSCION, about his transition from academia to Medical Affairs, what motivated his move, what the field involves, and how researchers can prepare for this career path.

Could you tell us about your academic background and what ultimately motivated you to transition out of academia?

Starting from my bachelor and master studies, I was highly interested how human biology and health is affected by diseases. Especially, the brain attracted me the most due to its mysterious nature and complexity. While pursuing my doctoral degree in neurobiology at the University of Lübeck and Fraunhofer IMTE, I worked on a research project that gave me the opportunity to explore in depth the basic research aspect of academic science coupled with an entrepreneurial approach of applied research. Afterwards, I started a PostDoc position at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston. In my opinion, Boston is the place to be for everyone working on biological research. The atmosphere across the city is unparalleled and actually led to my decision to leave academia.

During my PostDoc, I was doing very similar technical work as in my doctoral studies. Although I enjoyed the lab work, I realized that something felt off. When I was participating in talks or talking with other scientists, I had the impression of a narrow viewpoint about “experimental design”, “statistical significance”, “grant writing”, “publishing and reviewing” etc. Although all these topics matter for the scientific community, they do not for the patients who I wanted to help more directly in the first place. Basic research represents the basis for discoveries that might help patients in the future. However, I was observing a growing challenge of translation into the clinics. Instead of improving a system from within, I decided to go to the industry to see how I can have an impact.

Today, you are the founder and CEO of MEDSCION. What exactly does your work involve, and what are your main areas of focus?

Being a founder and CEO feels like being a doctoral student again. I have many hats on and need to balance several plates. MEDSCION is a Medical Affairs-focused consulting company for Healthcare and MedTech organizations and individuals. MEDSCION offers consultancy services, Deep Dive Programs, mentoring, MSL work, and medical writing.

I meet with decision makers of Medical Affairs Business Units to discuss the medical strategy and field activities of their organization to elevate their impact and relationships with healthcare professionals (HCPs).

By offering Deep Dive Programs and mentoring, I also empower individuals to either enter the Medical Affairs space or, in case they already work in Medical Affairs, to maximize their value to all stakeholders with whom they interact. The goal is to improve the visibility of people within organizations to ascend the professional career ladder.

Medical Affairs is a career path many researchers may not be very familiar with. What does Medical Affairs actually encompass, and what kinds of roles are available for scientists in this field?

In my opinion, Medical Affairs is the area of an organization in which all other business units come together. From an historic point view, Medical Affairs has majorly played a role in supporting the commercial team by providing scientific information. Due to changes in the law and compliance, sales experienced restrictions in discussing scientific data when interacting with external stakeholders such as HCPs. Consequently, this allowed Medical Affairs to fill the “void” by manifesting itself not only as a supporting partner but as a strategic ally.

Medical Affairs does not only communicate scientific data with HCPs but it also facilitates the medical understanding of a specific disease area across the whole organization by integrating the gathered insights from the field to other business units. Such cross-functional approach has two advantages; other business units benefit from the knowledge of Medical Affairs, and consequently Medical Affairs is the crux and focal point of the organization. However, interactions with HCPs require Medical Affairs to comprehend all the science and reasoning behind data, disease area development, guidelines etc. Thus, Medical Affairs is not only the function that provides insights to other business units but also one that receives and congregates information from others.

Due to the stakeholder split in responsibility for the organization, Medical Affairs consists of an office and field team. Facing and directly communicating with HCPs and gathering insights for the organization is the task of Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs). MSLs are often highly qualified people with doctoral degrees (some organization do not require a PhD) who mainly represent the organization in the field. The set up of the office team might vary across the industry but it usually consists of people working on

•  strategy such as medical advisors,
• medical communication and compliance such as or medical writer and medical information specialist,
• operations and excellence such as medical excellence manger, and sometimes even on
• evidence generation such as Real-World Evidence (RWE) or Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) manager.

You previously worked as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Manager acting at regional, national, and global levels. What does the day-to-day work of an MSL look like, and what are the core responsibilities of the role?

In my view, you are the second most important person for the patient as an MSL. The primary task of an MSL is to ensure that HCPs comprehend the data your organization develops and publishes to ensure HCPs are well informed when making treatment decisions. Furthermore, an MSL needs to understand how the comprehension affects HCPs and report it back to the organization. Depending on the organization, an MSL is supposed to do various things such as

• work together with other business units such as sales or market access,
• have specific medical-focused projects in the field,
• review material,
• answer medical inquiries from HCPs,
• visit congresses,
• plan events,
• educate internal and external stakeholders,
• clinical study support,
• competitive intelligence (the order does not imply any priority).

Looking back on your own transition, which new skills did you have to develop for a career in Medical Affairs? And which competencies from academia turned out to be particularly valuable?

To better understand a career in Medical Affairs I communicated a lot with colleagues and supervisors. This allowed me to gain a holistic understanding of the pharma industry and environment. Once I understood the big picture, everything else felt easy. Because of that I developed the Deep Dive Programs at MEDSCION to facilitate that process for many career professionals.

The skillset from academia that is particularly valuable is to be rigorous, precise and strict in your communication. In industry, there is a tendency of unprecise language and generic expression. While it might make things easier, especially when working together with other business units who do not have the same scientific background, it can fall on your feet during interactions with HCPs or discussions within the Medical Affairs team.

What practical advice would you give to postdocs or researchers who are interested in pursuing a career in Medical Affairs?

Forget the mentality of “industry is the dark side”. Industry plays a major societal role as academia does, but it is just a different one. While academia enjoys the freedom due to its funding structure, the industry has commercial incentives that need to be met to survive. Once you enter the Healthcare or MedTech industry, be aware that you work for a commercial enterprise. As in Medical Affairs you collaborate with HCPs on a regular basis, I recommend you to feel comfortable representing the values and interests of the organization. This mentality is something HR/P&C and hiring managers like to see in applicants.

A further practical advice is to connect with people outside of academia by using social media networks. This represents a cheap, flexible, and highly reliable option compared to visiting congresses to meet people working in the industry. Connecting with people is not primarily about getting a job but more about understanding the role better. Many people reach out to me to ask me questions about being an MSL or working in medical affairs. It just takes you three sentences and in the best case you have someone who calls you to have a chat.

When researchers apply for positions in Medical Affairs for the first time, what are the most common mistakes you see in applications or interviews?

I often see that applicants try to convince with their technical skills. Their CVs or interview content is mainly filled with that. It is not the “what” but the “how” and “why”. There are hiring managers that care about the “what” but that depends highly on the needs of the organization. In general, I consider it more important that an applicant has a holistic understanding and knows how to do it. However, understanding of what the hiring manager is specifically looking for can be quite a challenge. The mentoring program at MEDSCION will address this topic in depth.

As I also support aspiring MSLs, I also often observe either generic communication or an impression of uncertainty. Being well prepared and confident is key. It is not about knowing all the information about the role or organization someone is applying for but make sure that people might not question your persona by making an insecure impression. You should know what you did according to your CV and also speak about it freely and fluently.

For scientists who do not yet have industry experience, what are some practical ways to gain relevant exposure or strengthen their profile before applying for Medical Affairs roles?

As a first step I recommend you to reach out to people and talk, especially on social media such as LinkedIn. Do not be hesitant to hire a consultant to support you along the way and save you a lot of frustration and time. CV checks, job search strategy, interview preparation, all these things can be done extremely efficient. Small investments can go a long way, especially considering networking ripple effects. Furthermore, I also recommend you to conduct projects that go beyond the “bench”. Medical Affairs is based on science but not only focused on science if done properly.