Interview with Dr. Kerri Best-Sule
In this interview, Dr. Kerri Best-Sule shares her tactics for making the switch from full-time pediatrician to drug safety professional in the Pharma Industry.
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Dr. Kerri Best-Sule is a certified pediatrician who shifted to the safety sector of the pharmaceutical industry at a relatively early stage in her professional life. She received her pediatric residency training from the University of Maryland and practiced outpatient pediatrics for three years before transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry in the fall of 2022. She is presently employed as a Safety Physician concentrating on vaccines.
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Her Journey
Dr. Kerri Best-Sule was seeking a career change to prioritize her family. She wanted to find a position that would leverage her medical degree and clinical experience. She joined the Physician Nonclinical Career Hunters Facebook group and read about people’s experiences transitioning to different careers, including insurance and pharmaceuticals.
Kerri also listened to career-related podcasts. She found the safety field in the pharmaceutical industry to be the most appealing. It would allow her to use her clinical skills while working on developing new vaccinations.
She applied for a contract role and staffed a small project after hours while still working as a pediatrician. Eventually, she learned of a full-time position on the vaccine team and applied for it, highlighting her work as a pediatrician to help her land the role.
Transitioning from Clinical Practice to the Drug Safety Professional
Kerri provided suggestions for making the shift from full-time clinician to pharma safety:
- Take your time and explore all the options before making a decision to leave clinical practice.
- Consider taking a contract role first to see if it’s really what you want to do. If possible, continue working as a clinician until you’re certain about moving full-time into nonclinical work.
- Prepare your resumé specifically for the pharma industry.
- Be prepared for a different hiring process than what you may be used to when pursuing clinical jobs. Apply for a lot of positions and be ready for rejection.
- Keep networking and making connections as it may lead to opportunities in the future.
Dr.Kerri Best-Sule’s Advice
What works for you may not work for someone else.
Summary
Dr. Kerri Best-Sule, a former pediatrician, transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry without prior research experience. She started with a part-time contract role and eventually secured a full-time position in Pharma Safety, working with vaccines. Part-time contract positions available in some companies can provide valuable experience for physicians looking to transition to the pharma industry.
NOTE: Look below for a transcript of today’s episode.
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Links for Today’s Episode:
- Dr. Kerri Best-Sule’s LinkedIn Page
- Highlight These 5 Experiences to Land Your First Pharma Job – 242
- How Does a Physician Land a Pharma Clinical Development Job? – 214
- Use These Simple Tactics to Land a Fantastic First Pharma Job – 209
- How to Find a Job in Pharma That You Love – 184
- NewScr!pt
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