{"id":13467,"date":"2024-09-26T15:11:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T15:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/?page_id=13467"},"modified":"2025-01-13T10:02:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T10:02:35","slug":"medical-affairs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/info-resources\/exploration\/medical-affairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Career area: Medical affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3\"><div class=\"vf-grid__col--span-2\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A &#8216;sales, marketing, product support&#8217; career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Medical affairs is a department within pharmaceutical companies that deals with scientific and clinical support for medicines. Life scientists are often employed in this department, particularly in &#8216;Medical Science Liaison&#8217; (MSL) positions. MSLs are experts in the science related to a particular therapeutic area (e.g. oncology, cardiovascular etc) \u2013 and act as a bridge between the company and health care providers. MSLs also manage relationships with clinicians in their specific therapeutic areas and ensure that the value of the company\u2019s products is understood by healthcare providers, providing timely scientific updates and information. They also bring back information from healthcare providers that influences companies\u2019 R&amp;D strategy e.g. on unmet clinical needs. These roles are generally \u201cfield-based\u201d with very frequent travel within the (local) region for meetings with clinicians, and other work (calls etc) completed at home or sometimes from a regional office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-tabs\"><ul class=\"vf-tabs__list\" data-vf-js-tabs=\"true\"><li class=\"vf-tabs__item\"><a class=\"vf-tabs__link\" href=\"#vf-tabs__section-ad9d22e7-f2ff-4f69-8d17-6906474a25b3\" data-vf-js-location-nearest-activation-target=\"\">Roles and responsibilities<\/a><\/li><li class=\"vf-tabs__item\"><a class=\"vf-tabs__link\" href=\"#vf-tabs__section-0e516856-67d5-40f7-8a48-9fb56f3d4d9c\" data-vf-js-location-nearest-activation-target=\"\">Career entry and progression<\/a><\/li><li class=\"vf-tabs__item\"><a class=\"vf-tabs__link\" href=\"#vf-tabs__section-2b831503-f499-4f03-ae98-402b00c99e2e\" data-vf-js-location-nearest-activation-target=\"\">Knowledge and skills<\/a><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"vf-tabs-content\" data-vf-js-tabs-content=\"true\">\n<section class=\"vf-tabs__section\" id=\"vf-tabs__section-ad9d22e7-f2ff-4f69-8d17-6906474a25b3\"><h2>Roles and responsibilities<\/h2>\n<p>Possible tasks may include a subset of the following activities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>attending relevant medical conferences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>identifying and directly engaging with &#8216;key opinion leaders (KOLs, clinicians in the relevant field) in a specific geographic region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>exchanging information with clinicians, for example, on unmet clinical needs in their area, how different products are perceived by doctors and patients \u2013 and then reporting this information back to the company.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>working closely with clinical operations teams e.g. on presentations of clinical data that can already be communicated to clinicians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>sharing the latest clinical data with clinicians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>generating\/delivering training material for sales and marketing teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reviewing information on specific medicines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>staying up to date on the latest developments in the therapeutic area you are responsible for.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>organizing meetings and communications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"vf-tabs__section\" id=\"vf-tabs__section-0e516856-67d5-40f7-8a48-9fb56f3d4d9c\"><h2>Career entry and progression<\/h2>\n<p>MSLs are employed directly by big-pharma, as well as by contract research organizations (CROs) and other similar agencies (companies) that provide out-sourced support to pharma and biotech. A strong scientific background, preferably a PhD or pharmacy qualification, is required to become a MSL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some courses are available on Coursera or other by commercial providers and provide an overview of clinical trials and commercialization of new medicines, some also focus on understanding the MSL role in this process. Taking such courses are not required, but will likely improve your chances of obtaining a position directly from academia in an agency or pharma company. Alternatively, applying directly to MSL roles or graduate trainee programmes offered by pharma companies also offer an opportunity to break into the field. These multi-year programmes generally offer rotations in different business areas, and often include medical affairs among other non-research focused areas. Some trainee programmes also exist specifically focussed on medical affairs. Finally, it is also possible to enter from other types of role, including e.g sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step on the career ladder for MSLs can be a medical advisor\/manager role, responsible for the therapeutic area across an entire region. MSLs can also move laterally into other roles in pharma, including sales and marketing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"vf-tabs__section\" id=\"vf-tabs__section-2b831503-f499-4f03-ae98-402b00c99e2e\"><h2>Knowledge and skills<\/h2>\n<p>In our<a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/blog\/2022\/03\/skills-for-a-scientific-career\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> careers and skills survey<\/a>, &nbsp;7 medical affairs professionals told us the competencies they use most in their daily work. The most frequently selected competencies were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>effective communication (selected by 100% of respondents)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>teamwork (selected by 71%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>deep knowledge of the scientific field (selected by 57%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>networking (selected by 57%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>clarity of thought (selected by 57%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>providing broader impact (selected by 57%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Language requirements<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;For MSL roles in countries where English is not the main language, strong communication skills (B2 or above) in the local language are often required, as clinicians may prefer to communicate in this language rather than English.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<figure class=\"vf-figure wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"vf-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/TREC-Naples-4-2024-176-m.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/TREC-Naples-4-2024-176-m.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/TREC-Naples-4-2024-176-m-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/TREC-Naples-4-2024-176-m-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<article class=\"vf-card vf-card--brand vf-card--bordered vf-u-margin__bottom--800\" default>\n  \n  <div class=\"vf-card__content | vf-stack vf-stack--400\">\n          <h3 class=\"vf-card__heading\">\n        \n        What do people value about this career?\n              <\/h3>\n    \n    \n          <p class=\"vf-card__text\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nIn our<a class=\"vf-card_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/blog\/2022\/03\/skills-for-a-scientific-career\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> careers and skills survey<\/a>, scientists working in medical affairs told us that they appreciate that their work:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>is financially rewarding<\/li>\r\n \t<li>is intellectually stimulating<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-1\"><\/div>\n\n\n<style>\n    <\/style>\n\n<section id=\"wp-block-1\">\n  <div class=\"vf-card-container  | vf-u-fullbleed  \n  | vf-u-background-color-ui--grey--light \">\n          <div class=\"vf-section-header | vf-u-margin__bottom--600 | vf-u-sr-only\">\n        <h2 class=\"vf-section-header__heading\" >\n        header    <\/h2>\n              <\/div>\n      \n\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3\"><div class=\"vf-grid__col--span-2\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to learn more about this career area?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<details  class=\"vf-details\" id=\"\"  >\n<summary class=\"vf-details--summary\">\nOverview articles<\/summary>\n<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"vf-links vf-links--tight vf-links__list--s vf-links__list--very-easy\">\n    <ul class=\"vf-links__list vf-list vf-links__list--secondary\">\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themsls.org\/what-is-an-msl\/\">\n        What is a Medical Science Liaison?      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalaffairs.org\/\">\n        Medical Affairs Professional Society       <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iqvia.com\/-\/media\/library\/white-papers\/medical-science-liaisons.pdf\">\n        QuintilesIMS White Paper \u2013 Medical Science Liaisons: A key to driving patient access to new therapies      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/xpeerience.podigee.io\/19-new-episode#t=15\">\n        (German-language) podcast episode: XPEERIENCE \u2013 with Daniela Prinz, Medical Science Liason at GSK      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2tkZlyP\">\n        InterSECT Job Sim simulation library \u2013 MSL: Providing Scientific Information to Healthcare Professionals      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucl.ac.uk\/careers\/sites\/careers\/files\/researcher_healthcare_case_study.pdf\">\n        UCL Careers Case Study &#8211; Shimon Atunde, Medical Science Liaison      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details  class=\"vf-details\" id=\"\"  >\n<summary class=\"vf-details--summary\">\nVideos<\/summary>\n<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"vf-links vf-links--tight vf-links__list--s vf-links__list--very-easy\">\n    <ul class=\"vf-links__list vf-list vf-links__list--secondary\">\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cByMBwaNdzY&#038;list=PLJsh75lh6m5zR7beGczJxaPoZoj5bDnuh&#038;index=3\">\n        Genetics Society of America YouTube Channel:  Exploring a career as a Medical Science Liaison      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AbwHX5xor6U\">\n        Day in the Life of a Medical Science Liaison \u2013 AbbVie Australia      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nIOfyKOf0gU\">\n        Beyond the lab: Molly Seale from Vanderbilt University      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n    <li class=\"vf-list__item\">\n          <a class=\"vf-list__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=omX2gejG_kY\">\n        The career as a Medical Scientific Liaison at Bayer      <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:12px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-box vf-box--normal vf-box-theme--quinary | vf-u-margin__bottom--400\">\n                            <p class=\"vf-box__text\">We highly recommend learning more about the careers using the resources above, then conducting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/info-resources\/making-connections\/#vf-tabs__section-c9d226ee-2bad-45ed-bf4a-7d49cd01ad03\">informational interviews<\/a> to gain further insights directly from former PhDs working in career areas that interest you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<article class=\"vf-card vf-card--brand vf-card--bordered vf-u-margin__bottom--800\" default>\n  \n  <div class=\"vf-card__content | vf-stack vf-stack--400\">\n          <h3 class=\"vf-card__heading\">\n                  <a class=\"vf-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/internal-information\/eicat\/embl-fellows-career-service\/career-exploration\/\" target=\"\">\n        \n        For EMBL fellows\n                  <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"vf-card__heading__icon | vf-icon vf-icon-arrow--inline-end\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n            <path d=\"M0 12c0 6.627 5.373 12 12 12s12-5.373 12-12S18.627 0 12 0C5.376.008.008 5.376 0 12zm13.707-5.209l4.5 4.5a1 1 0 010 1.414l-4.5 4.5a1 1 0 01-1.414-1.414l2.366-2.367a.25.25 0 00-.177-.424H6a1 1 0 010-2h8.482a.25.25 0 00.177-.427l-2.366-2.368a1 1 0 011.414-1.414z\" fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"><\/path>\n          <\/svg>\n        <\/a>\n              <\/h3>\n    \n    \n          <p class=\"vf-card__text\">Further internal resources (e.g. library of recorded career talks) can be found on our intranet pages.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<hr class=\"vf-divider\">\n\n\n\n\n        <div class=\"vf-section-header\">\n        <h2 class=\"vf-section-header__heading\">\n            <a class=\"vf-section-header__heading vf-section-header__heading--is-link\"\n               target=\"\"\n               href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/blog\/category\/career-profiles\/profiles_products\/medical-affairs\/\">\n                Read relevant posts from our blog                <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"vf-section-header__icon | vf-icon vf-icon-arrow--inline-end\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                    <path d=\"M0 12c0 6.627 5.373 12 12 12s12-5.373 12-12S18.627 0 12 0C5.376.008.008 5.376 0 12zm13.707-5.209l4.5 4.5a1 1 0 010 1.414l-4.5 4.5a1 1 0 01-1.414-1.414l2.366-2.367a.25.25 0 00-.177-.424H6a1 1 0 010-2h8.482a.25.25 0 00.177-.427l-2.366-2.368a1 1 0 011.414-1.414z\" fill=\"\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/h2>\n            <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"vf-grid vf-grid__col-3 | vf-content\">\n\n    \n            \n<article class=\"vf-summary vf-summary--news\" style=\"display: block; display: unset;\">\n  \n  <span class=\"vf-summary__date\" title=\"2024-03-18T13:46:23+00:00\"\n    datetime=\"2024-03-18T13:46:23+00:00\">18 March 2024  <\/span>\n    \n  <h3 class=\"vf-summary__title\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/blog\/2024\/03\/career-profile-simon-schultze-medical-director-gsk-austria\/\" class=\"vf-summary__link\">Career profile: Simon Schultze, Medical Director, GSK Austria<\/a>\n  <\/h3>\n    <p class=\"vf-summary__text\">\n    In this blog post Simon Schultze, Medical Director at GSK Austria shares how he made the transition from a PhD and postdoc in the life sciences to a career in medical affairs.  <\/p>\n    <\/span>\n      \n<\/article>\n\n<!--\/vf-summary-->\n    \n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"vf-divider\">\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3\"><div class=\"vf-grid__col--span-3\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<div class=\"vf-section-header | vf-u-margin__bottom--400\">\n  <h2 class=\"vf-section-header__heading\" \n      >\n      \n          <a class=\"vf-section-header__heading vf-section-header__heading--is-link\"\n                  target=\"_blank\"\n         href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/info-resources\/exploration\/\">\n        Return to our Career information and exploration page        <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"vf-section-header__icon | vf-icon vf-icon-arrow--inline-end\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n          <path d=\"M0 12c0 6.627 5.373 12 12 12s12-5.373 12-12S18.627 0 12 0C5.376.008.008 5.376 0 12zm13.707-5.209l4.5 4.5a1 1 0 010 1.414l-4.5 4.5a1 1 0 01-1.414-1.414l2.366-2.367a.25.25 0 00-.177-.424H6a1 1 0 010-2h8.482a.25.25 0 00.177-.427l-2.366-2.368a1 1 0 011.414-1.414z\" fill=\"\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"><\/path>\n        <\/svg>\n      <\/a>\n      <\/h2>\n\n  \n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":8552,"menu_order":20,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-title-left-aligned.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-13467","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13467"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22371,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13467\/revisions\/22371"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"embl_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/embl-fellows-career-service\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/embl_taxonomy?post=13467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}