An amazing journey: from Biomedical Sciences PhD graduate to Global Medical Affairs Manager at GlaxoSmithKline

Bright Futures Alumni Series

Max’s first contact with The University of Newcastle came as an undergraduate.?He became aware of a new scientific exchange program that had been established between his current University in Regensburg (Germany) and Newcastle.?The competitive program provided a full scholarship to travel on exchange to study for six months abroad.?Undaunted by the 32,000km round trip, Max applied and to his delight was offered a full scholarship.?After six months of science (and some backpacking), he returned home to complete his undergraduate degree. Fortunately, another opportunity soon presented itself to return to The University of Newcastle to undertake a PhD. The opportunity was targeted at exceptional international applicants.?Again, Max was successful and came to undertake his PhD with the internationally renowned Professor of Respiratory Immunology, Paul Foster. Max said “At the time of my application, I already realised that Paul was running one of the finest and most recognised science programs in Respiratory Medicine. Paul had a large team working on advancing therapeutic approaches for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma. There were also many other highly esteemed researchers and clinicians working in collaboration. For a young scientist, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to do some cutting-edge research”.?

Max had completed his doctoral degree under Paul’s supervision. “It was a great experience. I developed a comprehensive understanding of respiratory immunology and acquired a broad set of transferable skills. I also had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing scientists and clinicians”, said Max. “After continuing as a Post-Doctoral researcher in Paul’s group, I saw an opportunity to further develop my skills and applied for a three month research fellowship administered through the European Respiratory Society.?I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Fellowship and travelled to London to work with collaborators at Imperial College. At this time, I spent a lot of time thinking about my career and career progression. While I loved science and research, the timescales for translating knowledge into impact to patients are quite long”, said Max.

“Thus, I started looking for interesting opportunities outside of academia and through a friend became aware of Medical Science Liaison roles within the pharmaceutical industry. These usually require a science background with PhD and focus on specific disease areas and associated treatments. Soon enough, I saw an opening for a Respiratory Medical Science Liaison advertised at GlaxoSmithKline Australia. This seemed a perfect fit for me. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how competitive the process was. GSK required a high level of scientific knowledge and broad skillset in the applicant, as they had to act as the external scientific representative liaising with clinicians. I was fortunate to be offered the position.?The role involved me working with clinicians and scientists across the country, supporting their clinical and research activities, disseminating, and acquiring new clinical knowledge at conferences and facilitating clinical trial activities. There was a huge focus on quality use of medicines to support clinicians and best patient outcomes. I found that I loved the job straight-away and was making a tangible difference to patients.?There have been many occasions where we have been able to support clinicians to achieve incredible outcomes for patients.???

Three months after taking the Medical Science Liaison position at GSK I was excited to hear that a major NHMRC project that I had submitted while at the University of Newcastle had been funded, with Paul and myself as the chief investigators on the project. Even though I had dreamed of getting my first major competitive grant as a Scientist, I knew that GSK was the place that I wanted to be. Paul and I found a way for me to contribute intellectually to the project and it was great to keep my hand in.?

Since being at GSK one thing that I reflected a lot on was that there wasn’t a clear pathway from being a research academic at a university to working with or in Industry. That is why I was happy to take a lead role for GSK in supporting the ‘GSK Graduate Researcher Program’. This is a government-funded, industry-hosted initiative developed to help bridge the gap between industry and research. The program involves a 12-month work placement program and is available to PhD graduates or post doc researchers. I really think this program provides an excellent way for Academic Researchers to understand industry and potentially transfer into industry if there was an opportunity”.

Most recently, Max’s rise has continued being promoted to Global Medical Manager for one of GSKs respiratory medicines.?Being part of a Global team, Max said “It’s funny because now I am starting to have a more active role in research again. This time it’s more about identifying where evidence gaps are and conceptualising clinical trials to address these gaps. It’s great to again be involved in this type of work”.?In a couple of weeks, he is set to leave Australia to take up a posting in Germany for a couple of years to further build his career”.

Max finished off with “my time within the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy was amazing.?Without the robust PhD that I undertook with Paul and developing a deep understanding of respiratory disease, I would not be where I am today. I don’t have any regrets but if I knew how fulfilling working at GSK was going to be I would have transitioned sooner”.