Hey, guys. Welcome to the podcast. Today, my guest is Namrata Sastry, and she is associate director of medical affairs oncology at Regeneron. And we talk about her transition and some of the differences between diagnostics, MSLs, and, pharma MSLs, and diagnostics companies versus pharma companies. Really interesting conversation. Little disclaimer, the opinion stated in this episode or those of Namrata's and not specifically of her companies.
So I just wanted to get that out of the way on her behalf. Don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn. Check us out on YouTube and MSL Talk Live, which is the first Tuesday of every month at 1:30 PM Eastern time and that's on LinkedIn live. Welcome to MSL talk with Tom Caravella, a podcast specifically designed for MSL's and all things field medical. Hey there, Annette Namratha. Welcome to the podcast. How you doing today? I'm doing great. How are you? Awesome. I'm doing great. I'm excited.
Looking forward to chatting with you today. I I appreciate you reaching out. So guys, Namrata and I met, and I don't know exactly remember when, but we kind of met along the way. And one day, she reached out and said, Tom, I have this really good idea for a podcast, and here we are. So we're making it happen. Yeah. Thank you much. Yeah. No. Thank you for having me on. It's a it's a pleasure to be here. Yeah. So why don't we start with an intro?
Why don't you tell everybody who you are and where you're from and all that good stuff? Yeah. Absolutely. So, my name is Namrata, and I am, I'm actually currently in Chicago. So I'm a PhD by training, and, I completed my PhD not too long ago. I'm a pretty new MSL. I finished, literally when the pandemic started in, like, March, April of 2020. And my PhD itself was in neuroscience. I went to Northwestern University.
And, in terms of the research that I did, I conducted some research in brain cancer. So my background is more of a combination of neuro and oncology, and I really enjoyed bench science. I really enjoyed doing research, but I did wanna see what else was out there. And somewhere during the, you know, phases of my grad school career, I learned about this role called, medical science liaison. So, I did a lot of work to try to figure out what it was. I networked with a lot of people.
I wanted to get advice from, a different a variety of different people just so I could learn if this was kind of the right, career for me. And then after I finished grad school, I decided to, kinda step into industry, kinda take it one step at a time. I I think many of the people who listen to this podcast know that the MSL role is not the easiest to break into. So, because of that, I spent about a year working as a science writer, and that really allowed me to, kind of see how industry works.
It gave me a chance to explore the different parts of, of a company. I worked at a biotech company called Tempus in Chicago. And then after that, because of the extensive networking that I had done, I did actually get an opportunity. 1 of my contacts reached out to me and said that she has, she's expanding her team. She's looking to, hire someone new. She remembered that we had a conversation a while ago, and she reached out and said, would you like to apply?
And that was at a diagnostic company called Biodesics. So that was kind of my first introduction into the MSL role. And, you know, as soon as I got into it, I loved it. It was a fantastic role to be in. I really, really enjoyed it. But the thing is that was a diagnostic company, and a lot of MSLs are much more familiar with how this role functions in pharma. And I very recently, just as of July, transitioned into Regeneron, which is a pharmaceutical company.
So kind of the way that this podcast came about is, you know, because I had kinda seen 2 different parts to it, it's not something that anyone had talked to me about, so I thought it would be something that, you know, people might be interested in. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this I love your story. I think it's awesome, but let's go back a little bit.
So before we get into the transitions, from your diagnostics background to, you know, to this more pharma focused world, so you said you started in industry working as a science writer. So you actually did you know you wanted to be an MSL, but you decided to jump into a different position to start? Yeah. Kind of. I did try applying to a few positions right after grad school, but like I said, I mean, a lot of positions, MSL positions, they do want to want you to have some experience.
Even if you, don't have MSL experience, even if you're an aspiring MSL, they wanna see that you at least are familiar with industry because it's kind of a lot to take in at once. So I I took this position as a science writer because it kinda gave me that intro.
I was still working in medical affairs, so it was nice I interacted with a lot of, of other MSLs, but it gave me a chance to kind of, like, you know, get my feet wet and just kinda learn a little bit about how, medical affairs works, how it interacts with other teams. And it also kinda gave me a nice backing when I actually, you know, decided to transition into, into the MSL role. Got you. Okay. So then you because a lot of people always ask, like, you know, what's the best way to break in?
And, obviously, it's you know, sometimes it makes sense to take a little bit of a side step until you you know, as you're trying to make that step forward. So you you get this position as a sign. Right? And then you used kind of what I would say is old school networking to get your role. Right? So it was just you asking around, networking with folks to get your role at Tempus, which was a diagnostics MSO role.
So no. At Tempus, I was a diagnostic it's a diagnostic company, but I was a science writer there. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Got it. So, basically, yeah, it was just networking like, you know, everyone tells you how important networking is, and I certainly learned the importance of that through through this position.
So while I was both in grad school and while I was working as a science writer, I would reach out to people that I found on LinkedIn, just people who I saw happen to go to the same university I did or had some connection with. And I would reach out to them if I saw that they were in medical affairs, and I would say, hey. Can I have, you know, 15, 20 minutes of your time? I just wanna learn about your experience.
But the nice thing about that is you get a lot of information, from these people and you get some, like, you know, really fantastic advice, but then you also do get to build your network because, like, you know, they get to talk to you, they get to interact with you. And if you kind of click, you know, some people, you talk to them once and, you know, they might give you some useful advice, but you may not necessarily speak to that person again.
But other people, you just have a connection with and you kinda stay in touch. So I got to meet some really wonderful people that way. And one of them just happened to remember that she spoke with me, and she reached out when she had a position available. So my jaw kinda dropped when I first got that, the message saying, hey. Would you like to apply? But, yeah, it just shows you that, it's a very, very powerful tool. Yeah. For sure. So, I mean, that's exactly what we try to tell people to do.
So I think you you're a great example of how important it is and how effective it is to constantly be networking and talking to folks. So then you trend you make this transition. So why did you go from that, you know, diagnostics company into pharma? What what led you there? Yeah. There were a couple different things, that kinda, you know, that led me to switch from, from, diagnostics, which was, a company called BioDessics, into pharma.
And one of the main reasons that I ended up switching is that, so my background, like I said, I'm a PhD by training, and I'm, you know, essentially a molecular biologist by training. And I really love kind of being in the weeds of the science. I learn about I love learning about, like, mechanisms of action. And a lot of what I did, within of action. And a lot of what I did, within diagnostics actually focused on commercial support.
So I certainly, like, you know, the MSL role is always going to be this non biased, you know, non promotional role. But in a diagnostic company, we had a lot more interaction with commercial colleagues. You know, I would be involved in, sales trainings. I would be, sometimes even involved in their field rights and things like that. And I wanted to do something where I was much more, you know, kind of in the weeds of the science. I really just wanted to focus a little more on clinical trials.
I wanted to, have more engagement with KOLs, and I wanted that to be, like, the vast majority of the, of the work that I did. So that's why, I wanted to see what else was out there. So, that's when I started, you know, kinda learning about what it is to be a pharma MSL, and it just seemed like it was a better fit for me. That said, I certainly understand why people love being in diagnostics. Like, you know, it's a very exciting place.
The company that I was at looked at biomarkers and, you know, you can very easily get passionate about that. But it just so happened that this was, you know, the right choice for me, I think. Yeah. Well, and it sounds like you weren't running from it. You just, Yeah. You know, you were in that role, and you had the the experience and just wound up making that transition.
So let's talk about that a little bit because I think a lot of people don't realize what is available for them and what the differences might be. So what would you say are the differences and similarities of a diagnostics company versus a a pharma company? Sure. So I think, with respect to the MSL role at least, I can kinda first talk about the similarities. Mhmm. And I kind of already alluded to this.
So no matter what, a medical science liaison, and medical affairs as a whole is always going to be, you know, a group of scientists who are, who are non unbiased and non promotional. You're always trying to, you know, kinda convey the good, the bad, and the ugly.
You wanna share everything, all of the data, and not try to, like, cherry pick in any way, and make sure that whenever you're speaking to a KOL, you are giving them the most accurate information that you can so that they can make the best decision for their treat, for their patients. That's gonna be the same no matter where you go. But in terms of the nuances, there are some differences.
So one of the main differences that, I learned about was in terms of the regulatory bodies that that really govern these different types of companies. So with, diagnostics, those are primarily regulated by, CLIA and CAP, which people may have kind of heard those terms because of the, you know, because of the COVID pandemic and just the fact that, you know, many of the COVID tests that we used, and are continuing to use, went through laboratories that have, CLIA and cap accreditation.
So, basically, what that means is that these are certifications that diagnostic companies can get, and having either a, CLIA certification or a CAP accreditation, that means that these are laboratories that either meet or they exceed kind of industry standards for testing. So it just, makes sure that, you know, everything's kind of up to par, that they're doing, everything that they're supposed to in terms of how a lab should run.
But in terms of what pharma does, that is, I think, what more more people are familiar with. That's actually regulated by the FDA. So the FDA can have some influence within, diagnostics companies, but it's primarily within pharma. So a drug that's been FDA approved, it's been tested usually in clinical trials, and it is, safe and effective to use in, the general public. So those are kind of the differences.
I will note I'm not an expert on regulatory bodies, but, just kind of at a high level, those are some of the differences that I've seen. And as a result, the kind of direction that comes down from those regulatory bodies influences how, you know, MSLs do their jobs. So that's why when I was in, diagnostics, I tended to work quite a bit with the commercial team. Whereas in pharma, there's much more of a firewall there.
There's much more of a barrier with, you know, how much interaction I can have, what I can talk to them about, what I can share. So those are some of the differences that I've seen. Mhmm. Well, what about so it sounds to me, just hearing you, the training has to be different. Right? Because you have to be prepared to, you know, to deal with those those nuances in a diagnosis company versus how you might get trained for pharma. So let's talk about that a little bit.
What are the differences on a training side? Yeah. Absolutely. So that, particular question, it's a little confounded by the fact that, I moved from diagnostics to pharma, but I also moved from a very small company to a very large company. So BioDessics has maybe about 200 employees, whereas Regeneron has, I think close to, like, 10,000 employees. So that also, you know, kind of plays a role into that.
But because of the way that our team was structured, we were just such a small team at BioDessics. I did have some training. I had, you know, some of the senior MSLs who would go through the content, the, you know, disease state, all of that with me. But in terms of a lot of what I did, it was kind of learning on the go. It was a lot of, you kinda figure out at once you're in the field, how you interact with people.
I certainly there there were things that I learned that, you know, no one had formally taught me. And I think that, like I said, that's partially to do with the fact that it's diagnostics, but it's also just the fact that it's a much smaller company. Smaller company. There's not a lot of infrastructure to support. Exactly. Right. Exactly. Right. So I can't really speak to all diagnostics companies. This is just kinda my, experience. But in pharma, I had a much more formalized training.
I had I think it was like a 6, 7 week training course that I went through. And most of that was focused primarily on, you know, the the content and the subject matter and making sure that I understood the science behind the clinical trials. But we certainly did also talk a little bit about you know, I've had, like, formal documents that have been shared with me about, interacting with commercial teams and, you know, when it is appropriate for you both to somehow interact with the KOL.
And there are really very few instances for, for a situation like that. So there are definitely a lot more guidelines, where I am right now than where I was previously. But, yeah, in terms of the general, the the infrastructure, there's there was a very big difference between the two different companies.
Well, it sounds like it it one of the the differences that's kinda standing out to me other than that, you know, that regulatory pieces, the interactions or the relationship with commercial and marketing on the diagnostic side sounds very different from that in pharma. Is that am I hearing that right?
Yeah. Absolutely. So when I was within, the the diagnostic company, it was almost, like, expected that I worked quite a bit with, with the commercial team, because it it just being, first of all, a small company and just the way that it was structured, we did have quite a bit of interaction with, with with commercial. So I would kinda be their main point of contact for any sort of medical inquiry that they got in the field. I would help to conduct their training.
And like I said, I sometimes even, like, accompanied them on field rides, and I would help them, kind of be able to digest this information because a lot of them don't necessarily have, like, a a a science background. So they would, need someone to kinda coach them through understanding the details of what it is, that these products were. Whereas in, in pharma, my like I said, there's much more of a firewall there.
Occasionally, I'll have, like, a, a sales rep introduce me to, a KOL or vice versa. And I do respond to medical inquiries, but it's a much more formalized process, and that's really kind of the the limit of my interaction with them. And I do know that I've heard that from other pharma companies, MSLs and sales reps. Like, they might not even know each other's names. Like, you know, you have a very, very strict limit in as to what kind of interaction you can have. Yeah. Well, that is true.
I mean, obviously, there is that I would say just listening to you, there's that seems to be one of the things that stands out most is, you know, how strict it is on the pharma side. Because obviously, no one wants to get hit with the CIA. They want everybody to be, you know, fully educated in, and and aware of the ramifications of what could happen if if you're not fully compliant. But what about KOL interactions?
What are the differences between the two when you look at interactions KOL interactions on the diagnostic side versus that of, you know, your pharma MSLs? Yes. So in terms of KOL interactions, I've noticed a few things that are different there as well. So when I was at biodesics, things were, a lot more I was allowed to be much more proactive. I was allowed to share some information with them.
So if we presented something at, a conference recently, it was kind of as long as it was kinda publicly presented, I would be able to share with them and say, you know, these are some of the new data that we have for the Sloan clinical trial, or somehow share with them that, we have some new information from the company. So that was kinda like, it was a little it was certainly not promotional in any way, but I was allowed to share some information like that.
But at Regeneron, there's a lot more scrutiny to what can be shared externally, and much more of the focus is on being reactive. So any information that's kind of on label, I can share. But in terms of, the majority of my work, I really primarily focus on, pipeline data and clinical trial results, and a lot of that has to be reactive. So it's only if someone asks me, like, hey. Are you working on this? Then I can respond to that, but I can't come out and say anything myself. Got you.
Interesting. So, like, just think hearing you talk, it sounds like you enjoyed both experiences. Right? So you were you you've got some very positives things to say about being the diagnostics MSL versus being a pharma MSL. Is would you say that you have a I don't put you on the spot by asking you this, but is do you have a preference? So like I said, I can certainly see, like, the pros and cons of each of them.
I think that they both have, differences that might fit certain personality types more than others. I think I prefer pharma just because, in my experience so far first of all, I just happen to be on a wonderful team. I really like my manager. I just have a great experience. I've had had a great experience so far. But also just the fact that I get to be so deep within the science, and, I get to really support our pipeline, which is really extensive.
So, I think many MSLs are just lifelong learners, and we get excited when we get to learn something new. So, the fact that I've gotten to learn about so many different disease states and so many different mechanisms, that is something that I've really enjoyed. So just personally, I can say that I think I, you know, fit better within pharma. But even when I was at BioDeskics, I really did love, you know, learning about the trials that we had about the diagnostic tests.
It was kind of a new realm for me. A lot of that was dealing with artificial intelligence, machine learning, so I still got to learn a lot of new things. But just so far with my experience, I think I'm, you know, a better fit for pharma. Okay. Interesting. And you also went from a small company to a larger company. So how was that transition, and and is there a preference on that side?
Yeah. That one was it was definitely kind of a culture shock to go from a place where, like, you know, I knew just about the whole company, it felt like. Like, I remember there was a conference that I had gone to. I think it was, like, ASCO or something, and our, like, CSO came up and gave me a hug just because we had a good relationship. So it was some it was a place where I kinda knew everybody.
And now I feel a little more like a small fish in a big pond just because now, you know, with 10,000 people, I definitely don't know everybody. So I think because of that, it's a little bit of a shift. And I did kinda like having that kind of intimate environment where I was able to really get to know all of my colleagues really well, really be able to work across teams very easily. And, you know, if I needed something from, say, like, the director of marketing, I knew exactly who he was.
I could pick up the phone and call him if I wanted. But now if I wanted to do something like that, I would probably have to ask my supervisor who that is, and they would connect me with someone within marketing, and they would, like, route me to the right person. It's much more of a roundabout way. And that's just, you know, kind of it it's intrinsic to being in a large company.
So, I did like that intimate environment, but, I'm also I think that you can kinda learn to love wherever you are because even though I'm at a large company, the actual people that I interact with, it is a much smaller team. It is kind of the oncology MSL team. So it does feel a little more intimate. It does feel a little more like a little, kind of family setting instead of such a large, broad company. Yeah. Well, it's great to have that, you know, varied experience.
Being able to have a well rounded background where you have experience in diagnostics, you have experience in pharma, experience in small company, experience in a large company. I think it's a it creates a very nice, well rounded career. So that's said, let's just say there's somebody listening right now that is interested in taking applying for positions and taking the path of becoming a diagnostics MSL.
What advice, specific advice would you give to that person in how they might approach that search in diagnostics versus a search in pharma? To be honest, I don't know that there's necessarily a whole lot of difference in terms of how you would actually search for a position like that.
Mhmm. I do know that a lot of people when I was first, looking to to break into this role and I was, you know, an aspiring MSL, a lot of people just kinda said, you know, take whatever you can get at the beginning because it's really hard to break into, and then you can figure out where you wanna go from there. And I think that kinda does apply just because once you have a little bit of experience as an MSL, it does make it much easier to get to that next position.
But if someone does have, like, a specific interest in going into diagnostics, I think in terms of the, you know, the the actual products that the company is focused on, that that's the main difference. Right? So in diagnostics, you're primarily looking at diagnostic tests. So when I was at Biodesics, we had blood tests that we, that that was the main product that we looked at.
So knowing some of the details about how those tests are conducted, knowing what it is, you know, a lot of these were mass spec based assays. So making sure that you understand a little bit of the methodology that goes into it. And, you know, once you get a patient sample, what happens to it? How is it that you determine, one result versus another? So those are the questions that you have to consider in diagnostics.
Whereas in pharma, it's much more focused on, like, you know, phase 1, 2, 3 clinical trials, in order to be able to approve a drug. So you have to understand the nuances of, you know, the drug discovery and development, kind of pipeline, and understand why it is that, you know, this particular drug is, what the differences between those phases are and why this drug might be in one specific spot in that pipeline versus another.
And it's much more focused on, you know, the mechanism of action, and it's much more focused on, the safety profile and just how efficacious it is compared to what else is on the market. So the specific questions that these companies are looking at are very different. So that's what you need to focus on if you wanna apply to one versus another. So it really kinda has to be tailored.
But in terms of, like, you know, general preparation, you know, networking applies to everybody regardless of whether or not you wanna be an MSL or not. And, you know, just kind of being, prepared for interviews. Those kinds of things are always gonna be universal. Well, you bring up a good point. Like, I always tell people to be prepared to ask really good questions when you're in interviews. Would there be a difference?
Like, would you say that there might be a difference in how you might pose those questions on a pharma interview versus a a diagnostics interview? Yeah. So, because when I, came into biodestics, some of the questions that I had were much more generic just because I'd never been in this role before. So I wanted to know a little bit about, you know, how you interact with other teams, how, you know, you may, work with r and d versus marketing, something like that.
And I think that kind of applies no matter where you go. But when I moved into, pharma, one of the things that I wanted to know was, some of the the nuances that we discussed earlier. So, like, what exactly does your relationship with commercial look like, and how does that differ from, you know, like, what I've seen in the past essentially? And, what is it about KOL relationships that, I should know about?
Like, you know, do you, what is the process to maybe, like, you know, have a a presentation and, like, a slide deck and get approved? Things like that. So there are some subtle nuances there, and I think the questions that you ask can be tailored to that. So for instance, if you're in diagnostic, you might wanna know a little bit about their AI platform, if that's something that they're working on. You might wanna understand, why they use this kind of mass spec versus another.
So you can kinda get a little more deeply scientific into those questions, and really make sure that whatever you're asking is gonna be specific to that company and to the products that they support. Great advice. That's really, really good advice. Yeah. I think it's so important you have to do your preparation, your homework, and, you know, you have to be prepared to ask those really good questions.
What about, like, now that you you've developed this this experience and career for yourself, and you could take a step back and look at what it took to get you there. What advice would you have for someone who's looking to like an aspiring MSL looking to break into industry? Would you say that there's an easier path as far as companies and types of companies that they should be pursuing? So I think that no matter what, there are gonna be, unique challenges that you'll face.
Mhmm. So I I, you know, told you from from my journey, I ended up coming into, the kind of science communication, science writing, a career, and then I transitioned from there. So that can be, like, a good avenue for a lot of people.
But in terms of, you know, the type of company you wanna look at for for breaking in, there are so in my experience, I remember when I was still applying, I had some people tell me, oh, diagnostics is much easier to break into, and other people told me pharma is much easier to break into, and other people told me a large versus a small company is easier to break into.
And just in my own experience, I do know that, because of some of the differences just between how the MSL team, functions between diagnostics and pharma, I actually one of my supervisors in, biodessics, she actually preferred hiring brand new MSLs who'd never had any experience before because, you know, I'm kind of part of the cliche, but it's it's like a clean slate. Right? So So you can kind of teach that person how you interact in this one company.
And, if you switch from diagnostics to pharma, you're so used to being within this realm of, you know, I I have to have a very strict firewall with commercial that a lot of the MSLs who make that transition, they're almost paralyzed when they get to, to diagnostics because it's almost second nature for them to not interact with commercial, if you know what I mean.
So because of that, she actually preferred people who, she could kind of coach and she could, teach them what it was to be in this one particular type of company, and not someone who'd already had experience in a different type of company, if that makes sense. No. Totally makes sense. Yeah. And, you know, it's, you know, I think that there's there's nuances to, to to the to that job search and to, you know, trying trying to get an angle. Right?
Mhmm. And, you know, I think it all comes back to, you gotta just put in the effort, put in the networking, get yourself out there. But what about experienced MSLs? Would you as far as your advice, would you say that someone that is an experienced MSL, let's just say on the pharma side, would you recommend that they consider making that transition to the diagnostic side? I mean, you went from the diagnostic side to pharma. Would you say that, hey.
I think it's a great way to build your background and gain a different level of experience if they went in reverse. Oh, absolutely. I think that there's you know, no matter where you go, there's always something to learn. Mhmm. And wherever you are, whichever company you're at, you're seeing one piece of the puzzle. Right? Yeah. So the more experience you have, the better it's going to be. So I can kind of give you an example.
It just so happens that the company that I, the diagnostic company that I was at, as well as the pharma company that I was at, it just so happens that I'm kind of in the thing the same, therapeutic space. I mostly work on lung cancer, specifically non small cell lung cancer.
And within non small cell lung cancer, generally, when a patient gets diagnosed, they will go through and have a series of different biomarker tests that are done to see if, you know, you might be able to find a treatment that is specific to a a mutation they have. And if not, then there are other options like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, things like that. So right now, most of what my focus is on immunotherapy from the pharma side.
But there is I think there's a lot of value in knowing what those, biomarker tests are, what those diagnostic tests are that a patient will often go through before they get to immunotherapy. So it certainly kinda helps you fit a lot of those pieces together to be able to see all of that. So I'm I would certainly encourage anyone who wants to kinda expand their breadth of knowledge to be able to see all of that, to be able to say, you know, I understand how this testing is done.
And as a result of this test, I think that this is, this is how this physician would determine the best course of treatment for this patient. So, I think that just as, as a scientist and as, like, you know, someone who's involved in this, like, medical profession, it's always nice to have, like, that breadth of knowledge and be able to say that, you know, I I've kind of seen both parts of this.
And I can even say that, while I was at Biodesics, I I was, our team was kinda building out, and I did a lot of interviews then. And one of the things that I wanted to know from people, it wasn't so much necessarily that did they have experience or not in the MSL role, but it was, how they were able to kinda learn about this kind of stuff.
And, you know, were they able to, understand were they kind of open to learning the differences, between, you know, whatever their current role was and how they were able to transition? So I wanted to learn a little bit about, you know, did they have experience doing, things like publications? Did they have experience with, you know, working in large teams? Did they have experience working, maybe with their marketing team?
So, you know, having that skill set is always going to be beneficial, I think, for anybody. And being able to show that you've, had different types of experiences is always gonna be important for a company. So I would definitely encourage anyone, if you are interested in learning, kind of the other side of science, then absolutely go for it. Yeah. Well and, you know, I tell you, there's you know, just looking at your background, I think, again, it's very well rounded.
And I think that sometimes depending on what your your career preferences are and personal preferences are, it's always good to build up your resume. And people always ask me, well, if I go from let's just say and I'm not saying this is a specific question, but I get questions like this. If I go from an MSO role in a pharma company to a diagnostics company, how hard is it gonna be for me in the future if I need to switch back or whatever?
And the thing is, when you have a good background, you're a good performer, you have good career experience, trajectory, stability in your career. You have a lot of the things that companies look for. They're not gonna penalize you from going from pharma to diagnostics or diagnostics for pharma. Like, I don't think anybody's gonna look at you and say, oh, no. Oh, no. Well, they just that's a black eye on there. You know what I mean? Yeah. I know.
I I mean, I think it's what's what's most interesting or of interest to companies is, what did you do? Are you, like if you're looking for somebody who is has an oncology MSL background, well, they're looking for somebody with that experience. So if you have that, you could check those boxes.
So, I just wanna throw that in there because I always I always like to bring everything back to the recruiting and the and the hiring and the career development side, obviously, because that's where it come from. So I'll let you I totally agree with you. I'll let you close this out. Any final advice as we start to enter into 2023? So it's December right now. We're going into a new year. What's your advice for folks for MSLs going into next year?
So, I mean, I think I might be a little biased in saying this, but I think that it's a it's a wonderful time to be in medical affairs and to be an MSL. And like I said, I have absolutely loved my new, position that I've been in, and I've just learned so much.
So I think no matter what, as we're kind of hopefully, you know, getting COVID in the in the rearview mirror and hopefully being able to move out, I think it's very, it's a great time to to be in this role because you are finally able to go and have, you know, in person meetings with KOLs, and you're finally able to really engage with people on and and kinda connect on, like, a deeper level compared to just, you know, you know, having virtual meetings all the time.
So because of that, you know, I think 2023 is gonna be a a great year, hopefully. And for anyone who's looking to, break into this role, I know that at the beginning, it's it's it's difficult. Like, you do face quite a bit of rejection, and it can kinda be disheartening. But, I would just say keep at it because, it took me a little while to break in, but I'm so happy that I finally made it, into this position. It's like, I I still can't believe that I get paid to do this job.
Like, it's a wonderful position. And, I I think that MSLs bring, like, a unique passion to their job. Like, they're very excited about the work. They're very excited about the science. And they're very excited about the opportunity to actually be able to influence, influence a patient's life and and know that you're making a positive difference. So, especially in the field that I'm in, it's just a field that is advancing and evolving so quickly.
We have so many, like, new FDA approvals that have come out in just the past couple years. So it's an exciting place to be, and, I encourage anyone who wants to break in or is considering switching to a new role that it it's a wonderful time to do it. And you're you're such a great advocate for the for the role and for the profession. I mean, I can hear the energy and passion in your voice. So it's, I'm really glad that you came on and did this. You were awesome. And Thank you.
That was really exciting to be here. Yeah. I'll do this again sometime. So thank you for coming on, guys. Thank you for listening. I don't know when exactly this is coming out, but we are in the holiday season. So happy holidays to everyone, and be safe. Be well. All the best for 2023. Namrata, thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you so much. And, happy holidays, everyone. And if this comes out after the new year, then happy new year. Yeah. That too. Alright, guys. Take care now.
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