The Break Room
A look at the social side of medicine
BACK of the BOOK
In this edition , Allen Yang , MD , PhD , recalls his transition from academic medicine to the pharmaceutical industry . Dr . Wang is vice president and therapeutic area head of hematology / oncology at Jazz Pharmaceuticals in Palo Alto , California .
FROM THE IVORY TOWER TO CORPORATE AMERICA
By Allen Yang , MD , PhD hen I started in the MD / PhD program at a prestigious university in southern California , I was a 22-yearold straight out of college with few commitments . I was a single guy , and everything I owned fit in the backseat of my car . Graduating from medical school , running my own lab , and becoming a “ real doctor ” felt like an eternity away .
But graduation and real life snuck up quickly . While I was in medical school , I got married ; when I was an intern , our first child was born . Life changed , and so did my expectations and priorities .
In academic medicine , those priorities didn ’ t always align with the pressures of trying to be a “ triple threat ,” or someone who sees patients , runs a research laboratory , and teaches students , residents , and fellows – and excels in each area . That is a demanding and time-consuming endeavor ; excelling at all three is nearly impossible .
I began my career in academic medicine in 2004 , when I returned from fellowship to join the division of hematology at my medical alma mater . As an assistant professor , I was chasing that goal , and my activities included teaching , caring for patients with leukemia , and doing laboratory-based translational research . While externally it may have appeared that I was achieving one of my dreams from training ( running my own lab and conducting research to help patients with cancer ), I was so busy with patient care , grant-writing , and academic duties that I spent little time in the lab . About five years into my career in academic medicine , I started seriously thinking about other options that would give me more work-life balance and still allow me to do what I loved : the science .
The Five-Year Itch As a clinician-researcher , I collaborated with pharmaceutical companies and , witnessing the abundant resources and exciting scientific advances happening on the other side , transitioning to industry seemed like an attractive option . Still , I was hesitant to take the leap . After investing so much time and effort into my academic career , I wondered , “ How can I give it all up ?”
A few factors helped convince me to give it a try . First , I was “ recruited ” by someone I knew from my MD / PhD program who was working at a large biotech company in southern California . When I started seriously thinking about making the switch , he proved to be a great resource for answering all my questions . Coming from the foreign land of academic medicine , my first question was , “ What do you do all day ?” He pulled up his calendar and walked me through the meetings and tasks that made up his work day , and it seemed enticing .
Second , the position didn ’ t require relocating my family , which was a major concern , since we had two young children ( a 9- and 5-year-old ) at the time . As a result , my career switch was practically invisible to my family , except for a much-improved work schedule .
Third , I did my own research comparing the sizes and operating budgets of my academic institution and the pharmaceutical company I was thinking of joining . Though the institutions were roughly the same size in terms of number of employees , a side-by-side comparison revealed that the operating budget for the pharmaceutical company was about 16-fold higher . As a data-driven person , putting these numbers in perspective set me at ease .
And , as a naturally curious person , I wanted to know where that money was going .
A Shock to the System Academia was all I knew for 14 years , so when I came to industry , I spent my first year acclimating to the new environment . My priority was learning the ropes of industrysponsored research , which is subject to greater regulatory and external stakeholder constraints .
At first , I missed the intellectual freedom academic medicine offered . As a lab director , I was responsible for the research we produced ; as a medical director in industry , I exert some influence , but ultimately , our research focus is dictated by the company ’ s objectives . The tradeoff , though , is in the resources that are directed toward that research . As one of my mentors in industry told me , “ If we like an idea and think it could change how medicine is done , we can put a thousand people on that problem tomorrow . If we think an idea has failed , we can take those people off the project the next day .”
Learning industry protocols was an adjustment , but I was also surprised at how similar the two settings are . My focus is still on delivering what is best for patients . As one example , even now , my day is basically the same : I do everything I did as an academic physician , except patient care and applying for research funding . That time is now devoted to thinking about clinical trials , collaborating with colleagues on new investigative questions , reading medical literature , and digging deeper into scientific ideas that could eventually translate to improved treatment options .
Dr . Yang ( coach of the Ice Station Stars ) and his son celebrate a recent win .
Climbing Down From the Ivory Tower When I left academia , I expected that people would treat me a bit differently . We all know the negative perception people have of industry . Academic physicians are believed to hold the moral high ground , working with the pure motivation of helping patients , while industry physicians are thought to be driven by revenue and beholden to their company and shareholders .
To me , that doesn ’ t mean that we don ’ t also care about patients . In my experience , the revenue of a company and patient benefit are well aligned ; if we deliver products that benefit patients , the products will deliver revenue for the company . At my employer , it is important to put patients first . If I ’ m involved in developing a product , my starting question is , “ How would I use this product to benefit patients ?”
Without my experiences in the clinic , I ’ m not sure I would be able to answer that question fully . Having spent five years in academic medicine and 10 years in industry , I look back with no regrets . I have the utmost respect and admiration for the sacrifices that “ triple threats ” make and I loved caring for patients , but I also love how much time I can now spend with my family .
I ’ m fortunate to have struck a balance in my career that allows me to help patients indirectly and – perhaps most importantly – devote time to my priorities outside of medicine . If someone asked me about the most important thing I did in my first year out of academia , I ’ d have to answer honestly : “ I finally had enough time to coach my son ’ s hockey team .” ●
ASHClinicalNews . org ASH Clinical News
61