Medical director jobs in pharmaceutical companies

Interested in a job in pharma? There are many medical director, VP of medical affairs, and to some extent even chief medical officer jobs out there that you can find. You can find these jobs listings by searching here. You'll find jobs posted by small to big pharma and biotech companies.

Find a variety of non-clinical jobs on our Job Board.

Synergy Pharmaceuticals Appoints Gail M. Comer, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

NEW YORK, May 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGYP) (Nasdaq:SGYPU) (Nasdaq:SGYPW), a developer of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, announced today the appointment of Gail M. Comer, M. D. as Chief Medical Officer, effective May 14, 2012. In this newly created position, Dr. Comer will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer, Gary S. Jacob, Ph.D., and will be responsible for guiding Synergy's clinical programs, including the ongoing Phase II/III study of plecanatide, the Company's leading drug candidate.

Dr. Gail Comer, a board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist, has more than 14 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having spent 7 years at Abbott Laboratories as a Medical Director, six years in clinical development at Wyeth Research as Senior Medical Director, and most recently as Senior Director of the BioTherapeutics Research Unit at Pfizer. While at Wyeth, Dr. Comer was Medical Research Leader in Gastroenterology, and more recently, while at Pfizer, was Clinical Lead for multiple biologic compounds in early development in inflammatory bowel disease.

Physician Career Transitions Into Pharmaceutical Medicine

I hope you'll join me as I present a webinar with the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) about "Physician Career Transitions Into Pharmaceutical Medicine: Are You Ready for the Transition?"

Date: Feb. 8, 2011
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Eastern Time

This presentation will explore success stories and failures of practicing physicians who have made career transitions into pharmaceutical medicine. We will also examine results from several physician surveys, exploring myths and misconceptions that are highly prevalent as medical doctors prepare for a career transition. Finally, we will also explore effective strategies that will assist physicians in making smooth and successful transitions into the pharmaceutical industry.

Utilizing a combination of several case studies, survey results, interactive feedback, and a didactic format, this presentation will illustrate physician attitudes and career trends that reflect the transition process as medical doctors consider careers in pharmaceutical medicine and/or clinical research. Participation is encouraged, as attendee feedback will reveal how pharmaceutical professionals view the transitional process, taking into consideration where a physician is in his or her career as they contemplate the paths their careers could take.

R&D opportunities with AstraZeneca

Every day, AstraZeneca takes on scientific challenges that can seem insurmountable. But working together, our 62,000 people constitute one of the most formidable research and development communities ever created. And with that kind of team behind you, just think what's possible.

The following specialists are needed to enhance our team. Bringing both fresh thinking and deep experience, you'll help us work towards a shared future of better public health.

Senior Medical Director -- Anti-infectives Patient Safety
Wilmington, DE; Requisition #: 602372
You'll ensure that all safety surveillance activities are conducted to the highest ethical and safety standards, in compliance with GCP and regulatory requirements. You'll help set the strategic direction for patient safety surveillance and make vital decisions on product safety profiles.

Director/Assistant Director -- Health Economics & Outcomes
Wilmington, DE; Requisition #:601574
Focused on maximizing the commercial success of products throughout their lifecycle, you will design and implement innovative research activities and produce scientific evidence to optimize price and value propositions. In-depth, specialist knowledge of health economics and outcomes research and its application to pharmaceutical development is essential.

"Physician Careers in the Biopharma Industry"

I'll be speaking at BioConference Live 2011. My session is titled, "Physician careers in the biopharma industry" and it will occur on WED June 15, 2011 from 2 to 3 pm EDT.

Abstract: As the health care industry undergoes significant changes over the next several years, we can anticipate that more physicians will be eager to leave clinical medicine and pursue careers in the biopharma industry. As a result, it becomes critical for biopharma professionals to recruit the best talent and to prepare new physicians for an industry career in pharmaceutical medicine.

This presentation will reveal physician attitudes and career trends that reflect the transition process as physicians consider careers in the biopharma industry. We will also examine results from recent physician surveys and polls to explore myths and misconceptions that are highly prevalent as physicians prepare for a career transition. Finally, we will explore effective strategies that will help physicians will make a smooth and successful transition into the pharmaceutical industry.

Medical Affairs Executive Forum

Medical Affairs Executive Forum
April 14-15
Basking Ridge, NJ

High-Level Strategies for Managing and Executing Practice Issues and Challenges

Featured Presentations Addressing:

• Medical Affairs in Today’s Environment
• Demonstrating Medical Affairs Value
• REMS Programs
• Aligning Medical Affairs and Marketing
• The Current and Future Role of Registries
• Effectively Communicating Safety Risk Information
• Future Role of MSD/MSLs
• Publication Planning Update for Medical Affairs
• Medical Device Issues and Challenges

Non-clinical jobs in cardiovascular medicine #ACC11

I'm currently in New Orleans attending the ACC.11 & i2 Summit 2011 and my registation bag contained a "CardioCareer & CME Guide." Is fee for service dead? What is the future of private practice cardiology? Is it time to transition into industry?

The CardioCareer Guide has a job listing near the front where a major pharmaceutical company is advertising for a "medical affairs director" in the cardiovascular therapeutic area. The requirement states:

This position will oversee the strategic and tactical implementation of the commercial Medial Research team in the Cardiovascular area. Qualified candidates must have an MD; advanced training in internal medicine/cardiology is highly desired. 

There's no doubt that we will continue to see job openings in the cardiovascular drug industry. After all, heart disease continues to be a leading cause of death in this country and there is tremendous morbidity associated with a host of cardiovascular conditions.

It's important to remember that you don't need to be a cardiologist to work in the cardiovascular area. You'll have a competitive advantage if you area a cardiologist, but many of these positions are not exclusively for cardiologists. After all, we have to recognize that certain industry positions won't compensate at the same level that a cardiologist may make, so they may fill these positions with non-cardiologists.

Residency, board certification, or medical license not required for these non-clinical jobs

The other night during our NonClinicalJobs conference call with Dr. Steven Peskin, someone asked whether board certification was a requirement for non-clinical jobs within the pharmaceutical industry. Depending on the type of job, board certification, residency, or medical licenses are not required.

In general, an active medical license will not be required for most jobs where you are directly employed by a pharmaceutical company.  Some physicians who work for a pharma company may choose to moonlight once/month, so you'll need a medical license if you plan to do that.

Residency and/or board certification (active or previous) may be required for certain positions that require you to oversee certain areas of specialization. Keep in mind that some cardiovascular clinical studies may get managed by an internist who works within a pharmaceutical company. Or, a clinical study involving orthopedic surgery may be managed by a pharmaceutical VP of Medical Affairs who is a general pediatrician. Therefore, if you're a generalist, you may have the opportunity to expand into specialty areas. If you're already a specialist, then you may not have an easy time expanding into other specialty areas that don't specifically overlap with your specialty (eg, if you're a psychiatrist, you probably won't oversee oncology studies).

Take a look at some of these jobs:

• Medical Officer
• Drug Safety
• Medical Science Liaison  
• Clinical Research

Remember that many of these pharmaceutical jobs are filled by professionals who have a PharmD or PhD. Therefore, residency training is often not a requirement for many positions in the pharmaceutical industry.

5 ways to learn about careers in the pharmaceutical industry

Last night, we spoke with Dr. Steven Peskin about physician careers in the pharmaceutical industry. On March 13, we're going to continue that conversation, so I hope you'll join us (more details here).

If you don't currently work in the pharmaceutical industry, how do you get more familiar with the business issues that surround the pharma industry? Here are a few basic things you can do to get started:

1. Get familiar with the PhRMA Code.

2. Read business articles that are about the pharmaceutical industry. I would recommend the following trade journals and magazines:

• http://www.pharmalive.com/
• http://pharmexec.findpharma.com/
• http://www.pharmavoice.com/
• http://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/

3. Subscribe to pharmaceutical newsletters and stay current on the issues that surround drug development, clinical research, marketing, CROs, drug safety, managed markets, reimbursement, patient education, etc. This way, you'll be familiar with the key issues that are impacting the pharma industry.

Physician Careers in the BioPharma Industry (MD/MBA 8th AMMP Conference)

Are you interested in pursuing a career in the biopharma industry?

Here's a video of a presentation given by Dr. Wing Delatorre at the Annual AMMP meeting earlier this year. I blogged about her presentation (here) back in April when I was in Boston attending the Association of MD/MBA Programs (AMMP) 8th Annual Conference. Now, you can view a video of her presentation here (you'll need Microsoft Silverlight to play the video).

Here's a brief description:

Wing Delatorre, MD, MBA
Head of Business Operations bi3
Director, New Ventures
Biogen Idec

Wing Delatorre is currently the Head of Business Operations at the Biogen Idec Innovation Incubator (bi3) which supports start-up companies with financing and state of the art laboratory space at Biogen Idec. She is also a Director of New Ventures at Biogen Idec, where she sources and evaluates venture investment opportunities with a focus in cardiovascular disease and immunology/inflammation. Wing worked in the Biogen Idec Business Development group for one and a half years before joining the New Ventures Group. Prior to joining Biogen Idec, Wing was an Engagement Manager at L.E.K. Consulting, a global strategic consulting firm, working with leading biopharma and biotech companies on their corporate strategy. Wing trained in General Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and completed a Research Fellowship at the Laboratory of Tissue Engineering at Harvard Medical School with Dr. Joseph Vacanti. Wing received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School/M.I.T. Health Science and Technology Program, B.S. in Biology from the California Institute of Technology, and M.B.A. from Duke Fuqua School of Business and Administration.

From Residency to the Pharmaceutical Industry

The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) offers some great resources that can help you transition from a clinical career to a non-clinical career.

Here's a "Career Stories" presentation featuring Michael Sokol, MD, MS titled, "From Residency to the Pharmaceutical Industry." His current title is Medical Director, Health Management Innovations at GlaxoSmithKline.  He talks about the first job that he had as an Associate Medical Director at Merck-Medco. He got that job straight out of a general preventive medicine residency. He stayed there for 8 years and moved his way up the corporate ladder.

So, how do you find a non-clinical job right out of residency? He was fortunate to have a mentor who was able to guide him through some of those steps. He also emphasizes the importance of building a social network so that you can get your foot into the door. One of his slides says:  "Great opportunities and jobs come from building and utilizing effective networking."

He ends his presentation by providing some tips to prospective physician executives who wish to enter the pharmaceutical industry. Click here to view this 16 minute presentation on the ACPE website.

Featured physician executive; Vijai Kumar, M.D.

This week's featured physician executive is Vijai Kumar, M.D., President and CMO, Excel Life Sciences, Inc.

Dr. Vijai Kumar is the President and Chief Medical Officer of Excel Life Sciences, Inc., a leading US based company providing trial management services in India and pharmaceutical consulting services to global biopharmaceutical and device industries. Excel Life Sciences also provides strategic inputs for clinical development of drugs and devices in India and other emerging markets.

Dr. Kumar’s experience includes clinical research, business strategy, clinical trial logistics and supply chain management, regulatory affairs and senior executive positions at Sandoz and the Upjohn Company for 16 years.

Dr. Vijai Kumar has an M.B.B.S. Degree from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India and M.D. (Board Certification) in Internal Medicine from University of Delhi, India.

Pharmaceutical Executive August 2010

I enjoy reading Pharmaceutical Executive magazine. If you're interested in learning about the business of pharmaceutical medicine, you can get a taste by reading this magazine on a regular basis.

Here are a few examples of articles and stories you'll read:

• Emerging Pharma Leaders 2010
• 2010 Pharm Exec 50
• Successful Women in Pharma
• Pharma Country Reports

You can read the August 2010 issue here.

Key Roles for Physician Executives in the Pharmaceutical Industry

If you're interested in a pharmaceutical career, then I'd encourage you to read the Physician Executive Journal. Published for more than 20 years by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), The Physician Executive Journal (PEJ) is the premier source of information and insight about the business of medicine.

There's an article in the July/August 2010 PEJ titled, "Key Roles for Physician Executives in the Pharmaceutical Industry." The author is Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA, CPE, FACPE, senior director of global clinical development for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, Delaware.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Many physicians find that working in the pharmaceutical industry is a rewarding alternative to practicing medicine, possibly because there are diverse roles in industry for physicians and they have extensive opportunities to apply their medical knowledge in the service of patient care.

He outlines physician roles in the following areas:

• Clinical research and development
• Drug safety
• Medical liaison
• Medical marketing
• Medical affairs
• Health economics and outcomes research
• Other roles

To read this article, you'll need to join the American College of Physician Executives and click on the link that takes you to the Physician Executive Journal. View the archived issues and go to the July/August 2010 issue of the PEJ.

Visit the American College of Physician Executives: http://www.acpe.org

Featured physician executive: Roger Perlmutter, MD, PhD

Each week, we feature a physician executive on NonClinicalJobs.com. This week, our physician executive is Roger Perlmutter, MD, PhD. Here's a description from the Amgen website:

Dr. Perlmutter is Executive Vice President for Research and Development at Amgen. A graduate of Reed College (Portland, Oregon), Dr. Perlmutter received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Washington University (St. Louis) in 1979. Thereafter he pursued clinical training in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and at the University of California at San Francisco. From 1981 to 1984 he was a Lecturer in the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. He joined the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Washington (Seattle) in 1984, and in 1989 became Professor and founding Chairman of the Department of Immunology there. During this period, Dr. Perlmutter focused his scientific efforts on the elucidation of signaling pathways governing lymphocyte development and activation. In 1997 he left the University of Washington to join Merck and Co., ultimately rising to the rank of Executive Vice President, Worldwide Basic and Preclinical Research. He left Merck in 2001 to join Amgen in California. Dr. Perlmutter is also a director of Stem Cells, Inc., a Trustee of Reed College, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Systems Biology, a not-for-profit research institute based in Seattle, Washington. He was previously President of the American Association of Immunologists, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Register for the Medical Fusion Conference (Las Vegas)

Don't forget to register for the Medical Fusion Conference this November in Las Vegas. This year, the conference emphasized how to leave clinical medicine to pursue non-clinical career opportunities. While they'll still be discussing that issue this year, there will be greater emphasis on ways to generate supplemental income and improve career satisfaction.

They have some great speakers lined up this year and I think this conference will be a phenomenal event. Here's a list of the topics that will be covered this year:

• Non-clinical Jobs
• Entrepreneurship
• Medical Device Development
• Physicians in Pharmaceuticals
• Internet Marketing
• Medical Journalism
• Intellectual Property Laws
• Physicians in Law
• Filmmaking
• Writing and Publishing
• Medical Tourism
• Telemedicine

Wynn Las Vegas
November 5-7, 2010

To learn more about the Medical Fusion Conference and to register, visit: http://medfusionconf.com

"Career opportunities for female and male physicians in the pharmaceutical industry"

Here's an interesting article that you may want to read (if you can read German): "Career opportunities for female and male physicians in the pharmaceutical industry"

At least the abstract in available in English:

INTRODUCTION: Pharmaceutical medicine is not only a mainstay in clinical drug development and marketing of drugs in pharmaceutical industry but also a challenging alternative to the clinic and outpatient practice for physicians. Since most of them have only a vague notion of what a career in this sector of industry involves, this paper attempts to display the scope of opportunities and responsibilities for physicians and to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. JOB PROFILES: Areas for physicians are preclinical research, clinical research, drug safety, biometry, scientific relations, marketing and sales departments, working as company physician, training of sales representatives, health policy and project management. Earnings, continued and postgraduate training, job changing as well as possibilities of information on a career in the pharmaceutical industry are described. CONCLUSION: Despite the wide range of job profiles, a physician is still a physician in the pharmaceutical industry: his or her aim is to help patients and relieve their suffering through ethical and innovative therapeutic research. This aim is achieved through committed involvement in the development and marketing of new, effective and safe drugs.

Weihrauch TR. [Career opportunities for female and male physicians in the pharmaceutical industry] Med Klin (Munich). 2000 Jun 15;95(6):322-6. Review. German.
PMID: 10935416

Featured Physician Executive: Freda C. Lewis-Hall, M.D., FAPA

Each Friday, we feature a physician executive. This week's featured physician executive is Freda C. Lewis-Hall, M.D., FAPA.

Here's some information about Dr.  Lewis-Hall from the Pfizer website:

Freda C. Lewis-Hall, M.D., FAPA
Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer

Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D. is Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer for Pfizer Inc, the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical company. As the most senior physician at Pfizer, Dr. Lewis-Hall leads medical, patient safety, regulatory affairs and quality assurance efforts throughout the company, as well as outreach to doctors and other medical professionals.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Lewis-Hall was at Vertex Pharmaceuticals where she was responsible for clinical and nonclinical development and both medical and regulatory affairs. Dr. Lewis-Hall managed a number of key functions, including regulatory affairs, clinical and nonclinical development, medical affairs and commercial development.

Dr. Lewis-Hall has diverse experience across multiple areas of the pharmaceutical industry. She has served as the Senior Vice President, U.S. Pharmaceuticals, Medical Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to her position at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Lewis-Hall held leadership positions at Pharmacia Corporation, Eli Lilly and Company, the National Institute of Mental Health and at the Howard University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Lewis-Hall received a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Natural Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University and her Medical Doctorate from Howard University Hospital and College of Medicine.

Featured Physician Executive: Michael Rosenblatt, M.D.

Each Friday, we feature a physician executive. This week's featured physician executive is Michael Rosenblatt, M.D.

Here's some information about Dr. Rosenblatt from the Merck website:

Michael Rosenblatt, M.D.
Executive vice president and chief medical officer

• Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Merck & Co., Inc., 2009
• Dean, Tufts University School of Medicine, 2003-2009
• George R. Minot Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School 1998-2003; Chief of the Division of Bone and Mineral Metabolism Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2001-2003; President, 1999-2001
• Harvard Faculty Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Programs at CareGroup and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1996-2000
• Director, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 1992-1998
• Merck Senior Vice President for Research, 1989-1992; Vice President, Biological Research and Molecular Biology, 1984-1989

Featured physician executive: Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong

Each Friday, we feature a physician executive or a physician entrepreneur. This week, Dr. Soon-Shiong is our featured physician. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abraxis Health..

Abraxis BioScience is a fully integrated biotechnology company dedicated to delivering progressive therapeutics and core technologies that offer patients and medical professionals safer and more effective treatments for cancer and other critical illnesses. The Abraxis portfolio includes the world's first and only protein-based nanoparticle chemotherapeutic compound (ABRAXANE) which is based on its proprietary tumor targeting system known as the nab™ Technology platform.

He was recently appointed Executive Director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute, and is Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Professor of Bioengineering at UCLA.