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 Dr. Hiu Yung Lam. The GMDP Academy is grateful to Dr. Hiu Yung Lam for his excellent contribution.

Dr. Hiu Yung Lam has been the MSL Lead for Pfizer Hong Kong since 2012. Prior to this role, he has been the Medical Lead for various therapeutic areas in Pfizer Hong Kong including Oncology, Rare Disease, Internal Medicine and Vaccine. He is an experienced Medical Affairs professional with expertise in people management, TA portfolio management, product lifecycle management, and scientific communication. He is passionate about driving advancements in healthcare as well as bringing the most value to HCPs. Dr. Lam received his PhD degree in Chemistry in 2014 with about 20 research publications in international scientific journals.

Dr. Hiu Yung Lam

Traditionally, as stated by Pol Vandenbroucke, the speaker of Module 1, Lesson 2, the role of Medical Affairs has been a supporting function that focuses on medical support for the commercialization of the company’s drugs.1 As the pharmaceutical industry has evolving in recent years, the roles of Medical Affairs have also evolved. According to the White Paper by Kinapse, “Medical Affairs stands to be one of the most strategically important and valued functions in a pharmaceutical company, as the nexus of cutting-edge medical, scientific and patient-centered insights that drive strategy and innovation throughout the entire product life cycle.”2 Professional identity and sense of purpose are two critical aspects that help Medical Affairs professionals succeed in their role as they help guide Medical Affairs professionals in what they do and why they do it. 

There are different definitions of “professional identity” as defined by various experts, however, professional identity can be commonly defined as “the identification with a profession, exhibited by an aligning of roles, responsibilities, values, and ethical standards as accepted by the profession”3,4. In the context of Medical Affairs in Medicines Development, this role requires high regulatory, ethical, and educational standards as what we do ultimately impacts the patient’s (quality of) life. As well stated by Richard Gajdoš, “We must understand the fundamentals. We must think as Medical Affairs professionals. Most importantly, we must act as Medical Affairs professionals to determine our Professional Identity.”5 From what we have gone through in the 6 modules of the GMDP academy course, Medical Affairs indeed are involved in almost every stage of medicines development – from very early in the design of the drug development program to the commercialization and ultimately the post-marketing stage.6 As such a vital role in pharma, Medical Affairs professionals must identify themselves as the bridge to connect scientific and commercial aspects of medicine with ensuring the highest standard of integrity while balancing business needs. Having such a professional identity can ensure effective communication with both internal and external stakeholders, planning and execution of medical strategy through the product life cycle while upholding the highest scientific and ethical standards in what we do.

Equally important, having a sense of purpose is also vital for Medical Affairs professionals in Medicines Development. Unlike professional identity, there seems to be no definite definition of “sense of purpose”. I personally perceive “sense of purpose” to be “knowing why you do”. I am from Pfizer and our purpose at Pfizer is “Breakthroughs That Change Patients’ Lives”.7 I believe this should be the sense of purpose for every Medical Affairs professional, regardless of where you are employed. The ultimate goal of what we as Medical Affairs professionals do in Medicines Development is to advance scientific knowledge and improve the patient’s (quality of) life. While professional identity helps us identify what we do and the competency required (the “hardware”), having such a sense of purpose would be what motivates us (the “engine”) to plan and execute our medical strategy e.g. scientific communications, drive reimbursement, and fill the evidence gap.

When it all comes together, a well-equipped medical affairs professional should have a well-defined professional identity and a strong sense of purpose. They provide the necessary competency and the motivation and persistence needed in the complex field of Medicines Development. The role of Medical Affairs in Medicines Development requires strong leadership and effective collaborations with multiple stakeholders internally and externally. A clear professional identity is crucial as it guides us towards the right things. A strong sense of purpose provides powerful motivation and satisfaction as we know what we do may ultimately help improve the patient’s life.

Recently, a hot off-the-press Marvel drama “Loki 2” has come to its season finale. The main character Loki eventually finds his “professional identity” and “sense of purpose” in the final episode and herein I want to quote one of his lines, “I know what kind of god I need to be. For you. For all of us”8. As Medical Affairs professionals, we should know what kind of professional we need to be and know that we do it for all of our patients.

References

  1. GMDP Academy Module 1 Lesson 2
  2. Croft, N., & McLoughlin, M. (n.d.). Medical Affairs 2025: The Future of Medical Affairs. Kinapse. Retrieved from https://info.kinapse.com/Medical-Affairs-2025.html
  3. Goltz, H. H., & Smith, M. L. (2014). Forming and Developing Your Professional Identity Easy as PI. Health Promotion Practice, 15(6), 785-789
  4. Slay, H. S., & Smith, D. A. (2011). Professional identity construction: Using narrative to understand the negotiation of professional and stigmatized cultural identities. Human Relations, 64(1), 85-107.
  5. Gajdoš, R. (2022, May 15). The need for a Professional Identity in Medicines Development. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-professional-identity-medicines-development-richard-gajdo%C5%A1/
  6. GMDP Academy Modules 1-6
  7. Pfizer’s Purpose, Core Values, and Purpose Blurprint. Retrieved from https://www.pfizer.com/about/purpose
  8. Loki (Season 2) episode 6

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