Kevin Johns
What are your main responsibilities or activities in your current position?
My role includes engaging in balanced, objective scientific exchanges with health care professionals in an effort to facilitate scientific discovery and informed treatment decisions.
How does your current work relate to your graduate degree?
Clinical trial design and execution, liaising with pharmaceutical company, recruiting patients, networking my doctors, understanding of biostatiscs and epidemiology
What do you like and what do you find challenging about your current position?
Likes: Stay current (even ahead of physicians) on therapeutic area related scientific data, based at home allowing for flexible days, domestic and international travel that keeps weeks, months and years varied and exciting.
Challenges: Time management, booking appointments with very busy physicians, competition in a crowded therapeutic market place
Is your current career path as you originally intended?
It is close to what I had intended. I had wanted to stay in healthcare and research and this opportunity afforded me both and without actually having to conduct the research myself!
What motivated you to pursue graduate work at UBC?
UBC is one of the top research universities in Canada.
What did you enjoy the most about your time as a graduate student at UBC?
The challenge and expectations of learning from world reknowned clinical researchers and having their knowledge serve as a backbone for my learning.
What key things did you do, or what attitudes or approaches did you have, that contributed to your success?
Graduate school is like eating an elephant. Eat it one bite at a time.
What is your best piece of advice for current graduate students preparing for their future careers?
Be flexible with what you want to do. Consider all options. Don't burn any bridges. Network.
How did you find out about/obtain your current position?
I found out about the Medical Science Liaison role through the clinical research projects I conducted in graduate school. I worked with MSLs from various sponsoring companies to ensure results were delivered in a timely fashion.
What challenges did you face in your graduate degree, or in launching your career?
Given my clinical bent, my primary challenges were focusing on a project and tying my research together. In addition, I worked as a clinical scientist with minimal time so I had to develop time management and self-motivation skills.
How are jobs normally posted and filled in your organization or industry?
Jobs are posted internally as well as externally (AstraZeneca Website, LinkedIn, Indeed) and recruiters are often used to fill positions.
