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For Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows navigating their future career paths, Dr. Christa Heyward's journey so far is an inspiring reminder of how unconventional experiences can make someone a phenomenal pharmaceutical industry candidate.

She graciously let me interview her for this blog over an extended phone call. Our conversation meandered quite a bit, though I did start off posing the following questions:

  • What attracted you to industry and how did you decide to pursue a career in industry?
  • What are your current responsibilities as an Investigator at GSK?
  • Are there key similarities and differences between working in industry and in academia?
  • Has anything surprised you about working in industry?
  • What were the experiences in your background that have been useful as you tackled your first job in industry?
  • How can PhD students or postdocs prepare themselves for a position in industry?
  • Any application or interview tips for PhDs who are interested in pursuing an industry career?

Read on to see how we tackled these questions and many more. 

Dr. Christa Heyward, Immunologist, Investigator in Discovery Science. Photo courtesy of Christa Heyward
...continue reading "Getting Your First Pharmaceutical Industry Job: Advice for Ph.D. Scientists from Dr. Christa Heyward"

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Wondering how to make more money at your job? You might want to consider starting or joining a money club. Money clubs are groups of people who get together to discuss personal finance and financial goals. In this blog post, I'll explain how money clubs work and provide tips for starting your own club. Most importantly, learn how to leverage a money club to earn the salary you deserve.

Four friends in a money club sitting on a park bench talking about how women can earn more money
A money club can help you earn more money at your job. Photo by Chris Murray
...continue reading "How to Earn More Money with a Money Club"

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You're a busy woman. You have work, family, friends, and hobbies all vying for your attention. How do you find the time for all of them without being overwhelmed? Perhaps, you know someone who constantly says yes to extra projects at work, overcommits socially, or takes on too many extracurricular activities for her kids. How do you know when it's time to say no? I want to share a handy tool that I’ve created to help you decide whether extra activities are worth your time.

How do you determine whether to take on more activities? Photo by Kelly Sikkema
...continue reading "How to Determine Whether Extra Activities Are Worth Your Time"

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There are many ways for physicians to supplement their income and have an impact on patient health. One way is through consulting work with pharmaceutical companies. Physicians can help them develop innovative drug therapies that could improve the health of patients around the world. This post will share insights on how you can leverage your credibility and experience as an MD with industry. In particular, you'll learn about different types of physician consultant activities and find resources to get started.

Female physician consultant in orange jacket walking in front of high-rise pharmaceutical industry buildings
Leverage your expertise and credibility as a physician consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. Photo by A#esh U#esh
...continue reading "How to become a physician consultant with the pharmaceutical industry"

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Women often have higher-pitched voices. Due to unconscious or implicit biases, we might think that higher-pitched voices make women sound less threatening. However, women with higher-pitched voices can also sound less credible. They may be criticized that they don't project confidence. As a result, such perceptions can have a significant impact on women in the pharmaceutical workplace.

Advice directed at women often includes voice coaching to deepen their voices. By contrast, rather than changing the pitch of their voices, we suggest that women can project confidence in other important ways. All women's voices, no matter their pitch, should be heard and normalized so that society no longer considers anything inherently negative or wrong with a higher-pitched voice.

Woman gesturing with hands while speaking
A higher-pitched voice might make you sound less confident. There are ways to combat that perception. Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions
...continue reading "10 Ways to Project Confidence Without a Deeper Voice"