Switching Lanes Halfway Through the Race

When the president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announces he is joining a big Pharmaceutical, the entire scientific community stops and takes a look. Most people that switch from academia make the transition early, right after college, perhaps after graduate school, but most frequently after an academic postdoctoral position. Clinicians, after a few years of clinical practice, sometimes decide to move to industry, but what is not seen as frequently is people making the switch after establishing successful academic careers. 

In recent years, however, we have seen a number of well-known academics take the plunge. What is it about the Biopharma Industry that motivates someone at the top of the Academic game make the switch? What qualifies him/her to join industry? Is it too late? Where do you go to make that switch?

Having joined industry right after a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship, I did not feel qualified to answer these questions, so I asked colleagues who had more experience. I consulted a few individuals with a proven track record in academia who made the switch. There were PhDs, MDs and MD/PhDs. These professionals had had their own labs with graduate students and postdocs, grants approved and clinical trials under their belts. Some had joined industry a few years back, some just a few months ago. 

After many conversations, I found that, while each person had his or her own reasons, a few common themes could be found. Of course, there were different levels of frustration with research funding and the associated processes (grants), and with the politics of academics. There was the potential for bigger salaries in industry and geographical constrains to be considered. More frequently, I heard a desire for a new challenge, a new adventure, and a closer collaboration with other scientists. 

But without a doubt every single one of my sources had a yearning for making a difference at a larger scale. Drug development, in this case, provides a sense of accomplishment that the papers published or the numbers of patients in a hospital could not match. Being involved in the drug development process meant, to these high level scientists and clinicians, a vehicle to achieve a greater good for mankind.

My next question was then what skill sets and experience were necessary to make senior academicians and clinicians marketable in industry. Here, there was a clear winner: diversity of experiences. While frequently individuals are recruited based on a very particular level of expertise, it is the diversity of their experiences that makes them better suited to the industrial setting. 

I spoke to one clinician who ran a Phase I unit before moving on to run a Translational Medicine unit to support Phase 1 studies, functioning as a “lab for small companies.” Another was a basic scientist who had in-depth knowledge of lung disease both in terms of the basic science as well as the clinical spectrum. Experience with drug development in some capacity was extremely valuable to some as was previous interaction with industry, either in research collaborations, consulting capacity or in direct interaction by running clinical trials. 

Interestingly, all of my colleagues could identify gaps in their training, expertise and/or skill sets, be it understanding of the regulatory environment, clinical trial expertise, manufacturing or a lack of political savvy.  However, all were willing to try something new and come to industry with a desire to learn more and broaden their experience.

Finally, a key to success in the transition was a sense of adventure, a “Let’s give it a try” attitude. Regardless of their years of experience and track record, they all have had to learn “Corporatese” and have had to maneuver through the complexities of industry with its matrix teams and hierarchies. Senior academicians have had to step back, sometimes even take a step down, and learn the basics of their function from an industry perspective. Some have come to establish new groups, others have come as part of a team. They have accepted that they are no longer their own bosses, but that now they report into a hierarchy system and work as a group to make decisions.   In the process, they have become part of a greater community, working for the common goal of helping patients and having a global impact.