(Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics BSc, 2020)
My degree was essential in understanding terminology and concepts relating to medicines and the effect they have within clinical settings. In pharmacology we delved deep into clinical trials and their design, which has come in handy when speaking with doctors about safety and efficacy.
How did you come to the decision to study BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics at Queen Mary?I was lucky to have a family mentor from a young age. His flashy cars and infectious charisma was very different from the life that I was used to, having come from a poor working class and ethnic minority background. Every interaction I had with my mentor filled me with motivation and the hope that I could create a better life for myself and my family. My mentor would always give my family advice on healthcare and how the system works and this in turn stimulated my curiosity to learn about and impact the healthcare industry and people’s health outcomes. In my early teens I also became aware of disease and how it affects quality of life first-hand, having watched my father and grandmother suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis. BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics was the first step in helping me to achieve my goal of a career in healthcare. Queen Mary not only offered this course, but the chance to study in the heart of London and be taught at the prestigious Barts and The London, William Harvey Research Institute, and the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, with many lectures taking place on the doorstep of the Royal London Hospital. Alongside an outstanding learning environment, Queen Mary also promised a rich mix of culture and diversity, so I applied, and the rest is history!
What did you enjoy most about your degree and your overall University experience?Meeting new people. I am naturally very outgoing and studying in London provided the chance to meet people from all walks of life and nations. Through engaging with different people, I found myself joining the American football team, a completely alien sport for the average English schoolboy! I really did make friends for life at Queen Mary.
The best aspect of the degree itself was the modules and topics covered. In hindsight, my degree excelled at addressing the skills gap within industry. With just over 18 months in industry, I can safely say that my degree provided a strong foundation in understanding the science behind drug design and medicines innovation, from physiology, disease pathology to the drug development process. It also equipped me with the knowledge I needed to appreciate how the research and development side of industry functions.
If you would like to get into healthcare as part of your career, pharmacology is a great degree to study. It explores some of the most important aspects of scientific and therapeutic research and not only does it provide strong foundational knowledge for jumping straight into industry, but also serves as a valuable degree to carry into further education.
What does your role as Vaccine Account Manager at GSK involve and how does this job allow you to explore your passions?I am essentially responsible for a part of the business (Vaccines unit) within the UK, with the aim of growing sales and revenue for the company. This consists of speaking with healthcare professionals (HCPs) like doctors, nurses and pharmacists, and this can include conversations around disease area, prevalence and risk, to clinical discussions such as efficacy of drugs and the benefit an intervention provides to the health of their patients. There is also a commercial aspect of the job focusing more on business elements like strategy, identifying growth and new business development opportunities as well as setting tactics to successfully implement and achieve the goals of said strategy. This mix of commercial and clinical discussions with HCPs allows me to both highlight the benefits of new medicines, playing a role in a patient gaining access to valuable treatment options, and helping customers achieve their goals for their business/healthcare organisations. There is essentially a transaction taking place, we offer the medicines, the healthcare services buy these medicines and then provide care to patients through consultation, diagnosis and appropriate prescribing.
How has your degree remained relevant throughout your career and to your current role?I began my journey in pharmaceuticals in vaccines, transitioning into repping an asthma drug, then back into vaccines. I had to become familiar with a wide portfolio of medicines and different therapy areas to facilitate high level discussions with HCPs. Thanks to my degree I had already developed a strong grasp of disease pathology and the mechanisms by which different drugs act on the body to fight disease. As a result, I could easily digest the scientific rationale of medications and I passed my initial training with flying colours each time I had a new portfolio.
In addition, my degree was essential in understanding terminology and concepts relating to medicines and the effect they have within clinical settings. In pharmacology we delved deep into clinical trials and their design, which has come in handy when speaking with doctors about safety and efficacy. What do you find exciting about the industry you are currently in? And what is the workplace culture like at GSK?The industry is huge and the opportunities are numerous. The average pharma company will have billions in revenue and tens of thousands of employees. Along with this comes the responsibility of a pharma company for the healthcare of many diseased populations in need of important medicines. Due to the sheer size and responsibility these companies take on, they have large, diverse workforces all collaborating with the purpose of delivering the best possible health outcomes for patients. The idea of working towards a large project, impacting a large group of people whether that be in vaccines, Oncology or Rare diseases, and the fact that I can make an impact in multiple disease areas, is really exciting and motivating.
Working at GSK has taught me a lot about industry and helped develop my commercial acumen. I have a great level of autonomy in my role and have been put on a development plan to help me gain the skills needed to take the next step in my career. There is an emphasis on innovation, trust and performance. We focus first on being ambitious for patients. We aim to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together, aspiring to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people over the next 10 years. Our vaccines portfolio is the broadest in the industry, helping to protect people across the course of their lives. Two million of our vaccines are administered every day, and 40% of the world’s children receive a GSK vaccine each year! Why would you encourage prospective students to study BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics based on your own experiences?If you would like to get into healthcare as part of your career, pharmacology is a great degree to study. I can testify that the BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics degree at Queen Mary is a well-run programme and the course content is fantastic. It explores some of the most important aspects of scientific and therapeutic research and not only does it provide strong foundational knowledge for jumping straight into industry, but also serves as a valuable degree to carry into further education, such as a Masters, PhD or even Medicine.
Career prospects are strong, particularly within industry - you could find yourself in research, clinical trial projects, or within the commercial/private sector like myself. I would highly encourage reaching out to professors for advice as well as people within industry (we don’t bite!) to get an idea of the area where your skills would be best suited. No matter which field you choose to go into, if you are enthusiastic about science, healthcare and how the scientific community innovates to treat those most in need, then this course will be very fulfilling.
Career prospects are strong, particularly within industry - you could find yourself in research, clinical trial projects, or within the commercial/private sector like myself. I would highly encourage reaching out to professors for advice as well as people within industry (we don’t bite!) to get an idea of the area where your skills would be best suited.
Who has inspired you in your life/career so far and why?As mentioned previously, I was fortunate to have a mentor within my family from a young age. I identified with him in the sense that we both came from poor, ethnic minority backgrounds, which is accompanied by its own unique set of challenges, whether they are financial or cultural. I saw first-hand how he had made a successful career for himself despite the long nights, rainy days and lonely periods. He taught me that life will always have its ups and downs, and that failure is inevitable and that is okay. It is necessary to take some time to reflect on the lessons learned and proceed with the courage and belief that you are wiser the second, third, or fourth time round and so on. Despite my mentor’s busy schedule and career demands, he always made time for me, and nurtured me every step of the way when I felt like all the chips were down. It is this empathy that I try to implement into my life as much as I can. Kindness and sharing of experiences go a long way and both are free! Finally, a little bit about you: what do you like to do outside of work? What are you most passionate about in life?I am very much a people person; I love socialising with friends and meeting new people. I am a big football fan and politics and economics have also always fascinated me, so I like to read quite a bit on these topics, as well as dabble in a fair bit of history. I have recently developed a passion for climbing, which is scary at first but quite enjoyable once you get used to it! Health and fitness are great for both my physical and mental wellbeing, so when I'm not reading the adventures of Alexander the Great or climbing, I am lifting some iron. Travelling and seeing the world is also exciting, my most recent trip was to Lithuania where I felt like the only Bengali man in the country, but the people were amazingly welcoming and kind. One day I hope travelling will be part of my work as my biggest passion is helping large numbers of people access healthcare and technology, whether that be part of a project or hopefully one day leading a global initiative. Watch this space!
If you would like to get in touch with Syed or engage him in your work, please contact alumni@qmul.ac.uk.