Election of FPM Vice-President 2024

This year I am celebrating 25 years in Pharmaceutical Medicine. When I first joined Pharma from the NHS, I was not quite sure what to expect, and I have been on a journey of discovery for the last quarter century. This speciality has the potential to touch so many patients’ lives, innovate and contribute to health policy, and there is always something new to learn, which is one of the things I find most enjoyable.

Learning and particularly ‘learning your craft’ is something I am passionate about. I started in Pharma when PMST (then HMT) was in its infancy and juggled sitting DPM exams and post-graduate training with family life. If we want to be seen as a credible medical specialty, then it is essential that our members are well-trained. Over the years I have been challenged by KOLs and my peers about joining Pharma and being able to say I have passed the DPM, hold a Certificate of Completion of Training and have a Licence to Practise, has always silenced the doubters.

I wear many hats in my life. As well as being a specialist Pharmaceutical Physician, I am also a mother, wife, carer (my son is severely disabled) and more recently, keeper of chickens! The life lessons I have learned, the project management skills I have developed through trying to maintain a positive work-life balance, have stood me in good stead as I have climbed the ladder of seniority in Pharma, and also meant I can empathise with and support colleagues dealing with family challenges, balancing career changes and demands and the demands of life. I have also learned what I am prepared to fight for and what I am prepared to forego.

Over the years I have taken on roles of increasing seniority, in both UK and global roles, most recently culminating in a role as SVP and Global Head of Medical Affairs for a UK-founded biotech. In that role I sat on the executive committee (the first woman to hold such a position) and also regularly presented to the Board of Directors. Throughout my career, I may have changed companies and changed roles but one constant has been the FPM. I moved from associate member to full member and became a Fellow in 2009. I have been an educational supervisor, have sat on the Board of Trustees and since the beginning, I have been an appraiser for revalidation. Recently I signed up to the mentorship programme to become a mentor. I have also been a member of the Policy and Communications Group and am very proud of establishing, with Marcia Philbin, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum at FPM so that EDI could take its rightful place as a priority subject for FPM.

EDI is a passion of mine and one of the things I have been lucky enough to do is act as a mentor to other women in Pharma, helping them ‘navigate the matrix’, particularly when it comes to the challenges of being a working mother. I was sad to see the recent blog by Marcia saying how few women put themselves forward for Fellowship recently. That is something that I would like to see change in the coming years, and something that I would champion across the specialty. I would like to set up discussion for a to be able to better understand what stops women from applying to become Fellows, and also learn from the men about why they apply. Is it an issue of time, confidence or not having enough faith in what being a Fellow means? Time for some learning from all of you.

In recent years FPM has had a very strong focus on health policy and developing strong links with the NHS and other bodies, which is excellent. Perhaps now is the time to also foster strong links with the rest of the Pharma industry. FPM has typically left that to the ABPI, yet we are important stakeholders in the future of industry and should have a voice of our own.

The FPM is only as strong as its membership. If we are to really build the specialty then we need to be attracting and retaining Pharmaceutical Physicians who are passionate about the speciality and who can advocate, not only for the company they work for, but also for the specialty. We need members who are trained and credible and engaged with the FPM, not only as the professional body, but also as the accrediting body for professional training, whether CPM, DPM or PMST. I would like to work with you, the members and Fellows, to build your voice within FPM to shape the future of the speciality as well as the future of FPM.

Last year marked my 20 year anniversary as a doctor. The first half of my career as a clinical doctor in the UK, I felt isolated, unsupported, underappreciated and unwell.

When I fortuitously embarked on a career in Pharmaceutical Medicine in 2013 I instantly felt a sense of belonging. Very quickly I entered PMST and my love of the Faculty grew. After experiencing the negativity of two other colleges I was blown away by welcoming nature of the FPM and the sense that we were a collection of unusually happy doctors supported by a professional body that cared about its members.

Due to this I felt an overwhelming sense of connection to the Faculty and as such became a member of the Policy and Communications group for 3 years, delivering on multiple workstreams including reorganising and streamlining the Expert Group network and the 2021 FPM symposium, followed by becoming the Chair of the Ethics & Practice Committee for which I am immensely proud in being one of the key players in having an FPM symposium dedicated to Ethics and Trust in 2022.

As we move into the next FPM presidential cycle I was extremely happy to hear of Sheuli’s priorities and would support all of those as Vice President. As Vice President my top priority would be around member wellbeing.

• It is no secret that I personally have had mental health challenges. In fact, the FPM embraced this fact in 2022 for World Mental Health Day with my Fireside Chat. For me, this was a game changer, with a professional body embracing discussion about mental health and wellbeing.
• Member wellbeing isn’t just about mental health though. It encompasses how we feel as members personally, and how we feel about the FPM itself. Whilst I have a unbreakable bond to the FPM, I have heard about a growing disconnect between members and the faculty. This is despite wonderful standalone events in mental health and equality, diversity and inclusion.

As such, as Vice President, my one priority would be realised by creating and implementing a strategic plan for member wellbeing across the FPM strategy. For every strategic pillar/ objective/ activity we should be thinking about wellbeing…. This is my goal. It must become embedded.

What makes me qualified? I don’t know… I’m passionate about the Faculty, but also passionate about change. I have extremely good relationships with the Faculty but also feel I can reach the members as someone who is available emotionally. There is no doubt that I am less experienced compared to previous VPs, but I have a different focus and would complement the new president in the modernisation of the Faculty.