These meetings help to track very basic work through to the development stage. I joined Lilly rather than staying in academe because I was so impressed by the scientists I met, the level of excitement, and the diversity and breadth of skills available at the company. Management changes over time, and so does the company's organizational structure. Because of my level in the company, I try to spend time coaching some of the younger Ph.D. scientists, particularly women, on career strategies, publishing, laboratory management, etc. A working lunch provides a good opportunity for mentoring.
Action groups are teams involved in work on particular organs.
We talk specifically about drug targets, current results, and problems. It's important to note that scientists in pharmaceutical research experience both good years, when everything seems to go right, and bad years, when experiments don't work as you expect or business decisions affect projects in ways that you don't like. After all, nobody loves your compound like you do. I read through safety reports, answer e-mails, catch up with the literature, and perhaps carry out an online search or two. I might also prepare for one of the occasional lectures I give to medical students at nearby Indiana University Medical School.