Life as an Executive Senior Scientific Business Director

What prompted you to pursue an opportunity in Medical Communications?

During the final year of completing my PhD, I grew increasingly uncertain about my future career. Most of my peers were committing to working in research, which wasn’t something I wanted to pursue. While I loved research and science, what excites me is talking about science with different audiences—I loved explaining my thesis in different ways depending on who I was addressing. After scouring the internet for career opportunities, I came across the beautiful world of Medical Communications, which seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Now, after over a decade in the industry, I’m happy to share that the work still excites me, and I love being able to use both my science and communicator brains! 

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

At Avalere Health, it’s so rewarding to have such talented people to collaborate with on a range of interesting projects and who ensure I keep up with the latest scientific innovations. Moreover, the work we deliver helps communicate scientific information to key stakeholders and genuinely helps the patient community. It’s incredible to be able to contribute to a wider cause in this role.

What does it take to succeed in your role?

Agility, empathy, and having a solution-oriented approach are key. It’s also helpful to continuously reflect on your work with an eye for improvement—there’s always room to grow!

Why work for Avalere Health?

Avalere Health truly fosters a people-first culture. You can be certain that your team will be full of skilled and driven individuals, each with their own areas of expertise. Everyone is appreciated as unique, and we recognize and celebrate the strengths each person brings to a team or project.

Do you have any advice for maintaining mental wellbeing whilst working from home?

I never had much of a balance outside of work until I joined Avalere Health. Before this job, I believed I always needed to be online and available, regularly checking emails even when I was on vacation. Now, both my line manager and team continue to encourage me to turn my notifications off, leave work at work, and enjoy the benefits of taking a proper break to unwind. This has allowed me to truly switch off during my time off and come back rested, refreshed, and raring to get back to work.

After a busy work week, how do you unwind?

While I’m a Medical Communications professional by day, my evenings are consumed by my second life as an Uber driver for my kids! When time allows, I love to read books way into the night and try new recipes in the kitchen. I’m also a music and dance aficionado and, most recently, I have taken up gardening!