Continuing our series on Professional Identity and Medicines Development, we are thrilled to showcase an exceptional essay from Kripa Madnani, a member of our 2023 cohort. Kripa’s essay delves deeply into the significance of Professional Identity within the field of medicines development, emphasizing its vital role in shaping ethical practices, promoting lifelong learning, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. Her work also thoughtfully examines the challenges and opportunities that arise from technological advancements and shifting expectations within healthcare communities. The Academy is grateful to Kripa for her thoughtful and impactful contribution to our ongoing discussions on this important topic.
Over the last 10 years, Kripa Madnani has been involved in various aspects of medical and biological research, including laboratory research in an academic environment and medical communications in consultant (agency service providers) and pharmaceutical company (client) environments. During her PhD, Kripa worked on malaria infection and cell biology in an international academic setting. Currently, as part of the medical and scientific content creation and communications team at Pfizer (and previously at other companies), Kripa collaborates with global stakeholders in various therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, oncology, neurobiology, and immunology, among others. She has had the opportunity to work with medical affairs professionals from different specialties and has experienced changes in dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and industry expectations. Her past experience includes contributing to research papers, conducting gap analyses of data for post-launch molecules, developing global value dossiers for formulary submission, and creating patient-facing content. Kripa is currently leading a team of eight medical communications professionals.
Discuss Professional Identity and the Sense of Purpose in Medicines Development and Their Relevance for Professionals Involved in the Field
At a personal level, a sense of purpose is often associated with high levels of motivation and better life choices. When applied to large organizations and teams, research has shown that this impact is amplified. A sense of purpose fuels teams that are more integrated and productive and develops organizations with the ability to innovate and transform faster1.
In today’s age of rapidly changing technology and ways of working, a clear purpose can also ensure that regardless of the type of work being done by each team, there is an alignment across the organization in terms of meaningful, value-based outcomes, and not just in generating bottom-line profits for shareholders. Recently, a purpose power index study (2022 iteration), which measured the value of several brands in terms of consumer and employee perception of their societal role was conducted2. Given the timing of the survey and the COVID-19 pandemic, three pharmaceutical companies featured in the 20 highest ranking brands, perceived to have a positive impact on the community3. For pharmaceutical and healthcare companies often involved at the frontline during humanitarian crises, a clear purpose also enables the achievement of fast-changing goals.
Outside of individual organizations, and as a growing community of medicines development professionals, clarity of over-arching purpose ties in closely with core values and professional identity development, turning thought (purpose and values) into action and impact (professional identity and practice). Given the current pace of transformation in the healthcare industry, there may be value in embracing an evolving professional identity rather than a pre-determined, unchanging ideal for medicines development professionals, to enable the agility required during times of rapid change4. This flexibility, when applied in the context of high regulatory and ethical standards and deep knowledge, can ensure that medicines development professionals are able to contribute together to the singular purpose of improvement in human health. Continuous educational initiatives and training also go hand-in-hand with the development and evolution of professional identity.
Professional identity formation is defined in several ways. To simplify, it is a transformative process that involves the “integration of the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors of a profession with one’s preexisting identity and values”.5 In the medicines development profession, knowledge, skills, and behaviors need to be cultivated across domains, with an awareness of clinical development, regulatory guidelines, medical ethics, health economics, access to medicine, and ongoing research and development. Generally considered the “bridge” between research and development and commercial teams, medicines development professionals need to be adept communicators, have the ability to work well in teams and manage multiple stakeholders, while ensuring that all ethical standards are followed and that the “patient” is at the center of the business. Key values for medicines development professionals include integrity and commitment to excellence.
In terms of demonstrable professional behaviors, this includes being a good negotiator, great listener, with the ability to think about issues strategically and combine perspectives and insights in a meaningful way. While standard undergraduate- and graduate-level courses may address the technical aspects of work as a medicines development professional, several other determinants of success such as teamwork, communication, strategic thinking, stakeholder management and others may be inculcated via the process of self-awareness and professional identity formation.
References
- https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/purpose-driven-leadership
- https://www.purposepowerindex.com/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9445508/
- https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/power-of-purpose-list-impact-driven-companies.html
- https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2022/11001/a_critical_review_of_professional_identity.17.aspx
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
