Continuing our series on Professional Identity and Medicines Development, we are pleased to feature one of the best essays from our 2023 cohort of students, written by Arlen Dewayne Brumlow. In this essay, Dewayne explores the significance of a patient-centric approach in medicines development. The Academy extends its gratitude to Dewayne for his valuable contributions to our learning community.
Arlen Dewayne Brumlow is a seasoned professional with over 30-years experience at Pfizer in roles of increasing responsibility in both commercial sales, marketing and global medical affairs.
He recently began an exciting new chapter as the Senior Director, EveryGrant External Accounts with Conquer Cancer; The ASCO Foundation. He will work with the brightest minds in cancer research to accelerate breakthroughs in lifesaving research and empower people everywhere to conquer cancer.
The Necessity of Professional Identity and Purpose for Medical Affairs Professionals: An Internal and External Perspective
The interconnectivity of our world via social media and a seemingly insatiable desire for public scrutiny creates a high-stakes environment relative to properly delivering or betraying public trust. A miss here (in trustworthiness) could almost certainly be fatal to a cause, a candidacy, a cure, a company, or its mission.
One need not look too far to see that public confidence in science is approaching all-time lows. Sadly, confidence in scientific discoveries relative to public health is polarizing at best and suspect at worst. The irony is stunning in that novel advancements in vaccines, oncology, maternal health, and other diseases are remarkably faster now and have never been more compelling or demographically diverse in their construct (Corey).
These turbulent, environmental factors are why having a well-aligned identity and purpose is of paramount importance for Medical Affairs Professionals. These challenges also mark our greatest opportunity to shine.
How can we as Medical Affairs Professionals collectively ensure that we succeed? The good news is that there is a somewhat simple and reliable pathway forward.
The way Medical Affairs Professionals can continue to blaze a progressive and maximally impactful trail is to always focus on doing what is right for the patient…always. This simple mantra begins and ends with us. This is our identity (patient-centricity) and our purpose (building trust).
Building trust and making a positive impact on patient’s lives and in society as a whole is the foundational core of all that we do as Medical Professionals. Simply stated, it is our reason for being…our purpose.
Dedication, Empathy, Credibility, Kindness, and Integrity are among the most common terms people use when describing trustworthy traits in the workplace (www.indeed.com). These descriptors cannot be watchwords in spirit only; therefore, Medical Affairs Professionals have to augment all that we do for patients with them in mind.
“Quality is Job-1” was an effective advertising slogan from The Ford Motor Company for approximately seventeen years (www.corporate.ford.com). This approach anchored consumer confidence and makes perfect sense today. Our industry should be no exception, and I would argue that our collective charge should be to lead the way for quality and trust internally and externally.
Embedding quality as a process starts at the top. Executive leaders, mission statements and values of our organizations must demand quality. As a Pfizer Medical Affairs Professional, I am proud that our Purpose Blueprint is a North Star and emblazons every internal and external communication piece and purposefully engrains this mentality into our very culture.
Our Purpose #1 clearly states, TRUST IS EVERYTHING (www.pfizer.com). Every decision, process and all interactions are founded in a principle of quality and trust.
Recently Pfizer leadership changed its scientific purpose from a compound-driven focus to a more patient-centric target. Historically, Pfizer Medical was focused on “delivering new compounds to the global marketplace.”
Internal feedback and external insights dictated a meaningful change…and…to the credit of Pfizer’s ELT…a much-improved approach was launched March 2023. Ambitiously, we have committed to “Change a billion lives a year” by 2027.
There are many reasons why this change is appropriate. All are aligned with the Necessity of Professional Identity and Purpose for Medical Affairs Professionals. A patient-centric focus in all that we do as Medical Affairs Professionals will help build trust and propel our profession forward with meaningful advances in quality of life…elevating us all, patients and professionals alike.
References
- Indeed Editorial Team, 15-Trustworthy Traits in the Workplace, 15 Trustworthy Traits in the Workplace | Indeed.com
- Lawrence Corey, Behind the Scenes Heroes: The COVID-19 Vaccine Data and Safety Monitoring Board, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 224, Issue 12, 15 December 2021, Pages 1993–1994, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab267
- Panait, M. (May 16, 2023). Ford CEO Acknowledges that Quality is Job 1. Ford CEO Acknowledges That Quality Is Job 1 – autoevolution
- Relentless Pursuit of Breakthroughs that Change Patients Lives. (October 18, 2023). Pfizer’s Purpose, Core Values, and Purpose Blueprint | Pfizer
Disclaimers
- The material in these reviews is from various public open access sources, meant for educational and informational purposes only
- Any personal opinions expressed are those of only the author(s) and are not intended to represent the position of any organization(s)
- No official support by any organization(s) has been provided or should be inferred
