Where science meets business — crafting a career of impact
By: Kathryn Hamilton
Tags: Interview, Careers, Bioeconomy, Biotechnology, Graduate School

CAREERS

Where science meets business — crafting a career of impact

A doctoral degree has been the gold standard metric when it comes to predicting the potential for the impact an individual has in contributing to the bioeconomy.

Bioeconomy.XYZ writers have been leading dialogue around a particularly important topic — the importance of the Ph.D.

Alexander Titus’s article “PhD not required” has certainly made waves as he challenges the limitations of this gold standard as he presents the novel thought that impact within this space is not constrained to possessing a certain type of educational background. Joseph Buccina picks up the metaphorical baton as he answers the question “If a PhD is not required … then what is?” He gives tangible insights for how to grow within the bioeconomy without a doctorate. I would highly recommend reading these two articles.

Now as an individual breaking into the bioeconomy and looking to make an impact while not currently possessing a Ph.D., this discussion has been extremely appealing. Finding your path from undergrad to the workforce can be incredibly daunting. So how do we get there?

I recently wrote an article about unlocking the potential of networking especially in light of the uncertainty of the pandemic. All five recommendations were essential to forming meaningful connections with mavericks within the bioeconomy. One of the most impactful conversations that I have had to date was with Chris Hsu.

When searching LinkedIn looking for individuals to interview (point #1), Chris’s profile caught my attention first due to parallels in our academic backgrounds. We both have undergraduate degrees with a scientific discipline and both hold master's degrees in a business concentration; an MBA in Chris’s case. Beyond that, Chris leads innovation within the bioeconomy through his work at GSK, a multinational pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare company. Now that is a level of impact I would love to have. To point #3, Chris embodies the hungry and humble mentality which is evident not only in his work experience but also in that he was willing to speak with me about his journey. This conversation with Chris gave me unique confidence about the decisions I have made about my professional journey thus far and the ones I will have to make in the future. Others looking to break into the bioeconomy with a nontraditional background would greatly benefit from Chris’s wisdom which he gave me permission to share. I used many of the questions I shared from point #4 in framing our conversation so I hope Chris’s story will resonate with you just as much as it did for me.

Why did you decide to study science, specifically biology and public health in undergrad?

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

For me, my journey started in high school when I was really fascinated by the Human Genome Project. At that time in the 2000’s, we were really just starting to make breakthroughs with understanding how the human genetic sequence could help unlock the mysteries of how diseases impact the body, as well as the potential for how we could edit or manage some of these genes in order to find cures. I remember a ton of excitement around the idea of unlocking the codes that help trigger certain types of cancer and being able to edit those cleanly to help patients through gene-therapy find a path to recovery. That really intrigued me. There was a movie I watched back in 2000 called Gattaca, which was set in the future and where the career paths and futures of individuals were determined by eugenics. In that dystopia, only those individuals with the best and strongest hereditary traits were favored. It was an extreme example, but the implications of that movie also really sparked my interest in what we knew about DNA and the potential for curing diseases. I learned that down syndrome is called by an extra chromosome and how genes can determine your gender and eye color. Thanks, high school biology class! If you fast forward to today we now have gene-editing technology like CRISPR and we have this up and coming mRNA technology that companies like Moderna are using in which you can use a viral vector to insert revised mRNA back into the body to produce specific proteins. And they are using the platform to develop vaccines for RSV or COVID for example.

So it was really the wow factor- just being in awe of what the Human Genome Project could unlock, and just the idea that one day I would love to work at a company where we could cure diseases that have been plaguing human society for hundreds of years. The public health emphasis was really about understanding what can we do to promote community protection- protect society as a whole versus at the individual level.

As graduation approached — why did you decide to not go to the medical school or graduate school path?

When considering medical school, becoming a physician was never really an interest for me. I know typically for most science majors going to medical school, dental school or veterinarian school is where the vast majority of students go to (at least at my university). I chose to not go to graduate school immediately after because I saw a need to have work experience before I decided to develop a specialization through graduate school. When I graduated in 2007, it was absolutely one of the worst times to be a college graduate in the job market. Companies were only hiring experienced candidates, and all of us new grads had a tough time getting a foot in the door when companies were reducing their workforce. Most people of my peers tried to go back to graduate school immediately, but I tried to ride it out and get a job. I chose to pursue a career in the pharma/biotech industry because of my passion and inspiration that began in high school and knowing that the medicines I helped develop and produce could have a profound impact on a large patient community.

Why did you choose your first job?

I remembered that upon graduation I had three job offers on the table. Two were through federal agencies with the NIH and the FDA, and the third was a private sector company. I ended up selecting my first job because it was for cancer research and I had the chance to work with the National Cancer Institute. It was actually the lowest paying job out of the three offers that I received. But experience at the time was more important to me than pay. I always believed that getting the right experience now would translate into better compensation down the road. It ended up being a great opportunity for me to learn more about regulatory affairs, which plays a multi-functional role in developing the clinical and filing strategy to bring a drug to market.

Photo by Science in HD on Unsplash

When you decided to pivot from your associate positions to consulting — how did you know it was time to make a change and how did you evaluate the offer?

By the time I had switched over to consulting, I had already had three different jobs in industry. I had almost switched jobs year-to-year in the first three years of my post-undergraduate experience. I often get asked “Chris, I see that you moved around a lot in your career early on — why is that?” And for me, I would say — pharma is such a large industry with a lot of different career paths. I figured the best time to learn, make mistakes, and figure out what I was interested in was as a young professional, so it made sense to pick up experience in different functional areas. It ended up being a great decision because it gave me a lot of early exposure to different aspects of the industry to develop a better understanding of drug development. I eventually transitioned into life science consulting because I wanted the ability to work with a variety of companies and across diverse projects. Consulting really was the best opportunity to get into a whole different pace of work as well. In consulting you work on projects for three months, six months or a year at a time- switching clients on a regular basis. This really accelerates your learning curve instead of you being in the same job for two to three years as you would be normally in an industry role. In that same time span in consulting I worked with at least 2–3 different companies and maybe on 4–5 different projects spanning various functional areas. Consulting was an opportunity for me to really accelerate my learning and my development.

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

Why did you decide to move to GSK?

This reason is more personal. Prior to coming to GSK, I had relocated San Francisco to support a leading pharmaceutical company client. My wife and I were engaged but we were basically doing long distance, planning a wedding while we were on opposite sides of the country. The long-distance and constant travel difficult to manage so I agreed to move back to the east coast.

Coincidentally, GSK was at the time opening its third R&D vaccine center in Rockville. It was a really great time to come in because the site was just starting up and I was able to start my career in Vaccines as one of the first 75 employees on the site. Today we are over 400.

How did your academic background prepare you to first be a Senior Program Manager for Global Meningitis Vaccines, Strategy, Portfolio, and Operations and now a Commercial Launch Excellence Lead?

It really was a combination of academic and work experience that has helped prepare me for my current role as the Senior Program Manager. One of the reasons that I got the job was because of my work versatility, where I had prior work experience in multiple functional areas and as a result be able to better support my team and my stakeholders. I remember receiving feedback from the interviews that they really liked my consulting experience combined with the experience in clinical, manufacturing, regulatory affairs. Having that broad experience and exposure to these areas is really important in my current role where I help manage the overall portfolio of our key initiatives and execution of our strategic objectives.

In terms of academic background, having prior knowledge of immunology or biological systems is critically important in understanding the scientific and technical development of medicines, and how the body is able to benefit from it. If I came from a non-science background, it would certainly be harder for me to understand disease progression and the science behind the vaccine itself in terms of the antigens, how it drives the immunological response and how antibodies are produced. The scientific knowledge is something you can develop over time if you have a non-science background. Pursuing my MBA was one of the best decisions I made in my career. Paired with a scientific degree, the MBA helped prepare me to develop and execute strategy, how to perform complex financial analyses, and understand the fundamentals of marketing. One of the more memorable quotes a colleague shared with me was “you can’t develop a medicine you can’t sell, and if you can sell it, why should people choose your product?” Simple but true. R&D and Commercial are very complimentary and having both a scientific and business background bring that relationship to life.

What is the most gratifying part of your role?

The most gratifying part of my role hands down is knowing that we have an impact on patients. Going back to why I wanted to get into the industry in the first place, it’s the idea that we could do something at large that could make an impact on the broader population. My dad is a doctor and has likely seen thousands of patients over his lifetime, and it’s extremely admirable seeing the time and dedication he gives to his patients. With vaccinations, you have the potential to change an entire generation globally. What is super rewarding about my role is knowing that millions of infants, children, or adolescents are receiving the vaccine that we developed and knowing we are potentially providing them a measure of protection against a severe disease.

Why do you think that pairing a STEM undergraduate degree with a Business degree is an advantage in the bioeconomy space?

Photo by Jaron Nix on Unsplash

I think it is such a powerful combination because you have the scientific background to understand how medicines work, how diseases progress, but also the scientific challenges of creating drugs or vaccines. As I mentioned earlier, there will also be a fine balance between how much a company can commit to R&D investment and how much its Commercial can generate with sales. Ultimately, a business is only sustainable if you are able to generate consistent and sustainable revenue and then invest that money back into your R&D for new medicines. It is a very cyclical process but it’s pretty simple; current R&D investment drives future Revenue, and current Revenue drives future R&D investment.

A STEM undergraduate degree and business degree combination gives you a more powerful presence as a leader where you understand the nature of R&D and drug development but also understanding the needs of the business- who your customers are and how you can best benefit patients ultimately.

I want to contribute to this industry — what skills should I be developing now to set myself up to make a meaningful contribution?

I think that is important to be naturally curious. Be willing to discover, explore, research, and learn about different technologies and trends in what is happening in the industry.

I subscribe to the daily newsletters Fierce Pharma and Fierce Biotech. Every day I get a newsletter highlighting the newest drug approvals or clinical studies that didn’t go well. Getting that industry insight gives you a little more understanding of the different technologies that are out there, but also the different companies and players that are out there. There are mergers and acquisitions that are happening all the time (R&D by M&A), and it’s not uncommon that during the year a company releases positive data and by the end of the year you see some form of licensing or acquisition happening with another company.

Also, take some risks early on in your career. If your current job isn’t fulfilling or you feel like you have maxed out, don’t shy away from moving on and trying something different. Especially for young professionals, this is the time of your life where I think you should learn and try different roles. Broad experience is always going to make you more marketable to companies.

Be willing to network and connect. Reach out to different people across the industry. One suggestion is to have an informational interview to learn more about who they are, the job that they are doing and how did they get there (like you did Katy!) If you are already in a company, connect and network with your colleagues because one of them could become a mentor or a champion for you to develop within the company.

Finally, you don’t know what you don’t know. Be open and proactive to finding the answers to the questions you have.

Who are your mentors and how did you foster those relationships?

I have multiple mentors that have supported me and have helped influence me throughout my career. You will undoubtedly come across people in your career that you have good chemistry with, where you immediately feel there is a trust and confidence to confide in them; and these people genuinely, the keyword being genuine, want to see you succeed. I have developed what I’d call lifelong career mentors, despite having left the company where I worked with them. Part of what makes this mentor relationship so important is these people really care about you, want to see you grow and see your potential. Mentors wouldn’t be helpful if they didn’t see your talent and potential, otherwise, it’s their precious time that they are not using effectively. The way that I have fostered these relationships is to first be myself. I am clear about what my interests are and what I’d like to develop.

Also, keep these mentors in the loop about what is going on with you. You don’t need to talk to them on a weekly or monthly basis but keep the relationships warm. Keep them regularly updated on what’s happening in your life or professionally even if there isn’t a clear ask for them to do something for you. This helps your mentors be aware of what is happening so that if there is a time you need some advice or you need to come to them for help — they are up to speed. Don’t just come to them for help only when it comes time to finding your next position otherwise the relationship will feel one-sided. It’s on you to have regular check-ins and you can define regular together- it could be monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, — but if they genuinely care about you then they will want to keep in touch with you.

I also think that it is important to have multiple mentors. It is always good to have multiple perspectives. And there may be times when you are seeking advice and you want to get the counsel of different people with different experiences which can give you a more balanced perspective. And you will find that at times their messages are consistent and other times you may find that their messages can be conflicting. But I have always found it valuable to have at least several mentors that you can lean on and that can be fully honest with you.

Finally, your mentors should always be trying to challenge you as well.

Any advice for those looking to contribute to this space with a non-traditional academic path?

The good news is that I have met a lot of people who work in the field who don’t have scientific backgrounds. I have met Journalism majors and English majors who have done very well. There are definitely opportunities to work in a pharma company across different functions depending on what your interests are. For example, I work with someone who started out as a Journalism major who now works in a marketing role. That role typically requires an understanding of the scientific technology behind our vaccine, however, because they’ve been able to demonstrate the ability to learn agility, they’ve been successful There are also other career paths for contributing in other ways like in finance, accounting, legal, and supply chain, where you don’t need a scientific degree.

If you are passionate about the bioeconomy — Chris is proof that it is possible to craft your own path of impact with a nontraditional background. I hope his journey can encourage others to be bold in their own paths. If Chris’s journey resonates with you, reach out and start a conversation!

Want to talk about biotechnology or bioeconomy innovation? Working on some cool science you think is essential to the conversation? Let’s connect! But most importantly make sure you are following Bioeconomy.XYZ for accessible information about biotechnology and the bioeconomy.