Name: Jill Daigneault (she/her)
PhD: Cancer Biology, University of Michigan, 2017
What was your main area of research?
In my PhD, I studied transcriptional regulation by RNA Polymerase II, specifically RNA Polymerase II pausing. In my postdoc, I studied the role of a long non-coding RNA in mediating adrenal steroidogenesis.
What is your current job?
I am the Regional Medical Director (medical science liaison) at Nuvation Bio working remotely in Denver, Colorado.
My job has entailed several responsibilities including:
Co-led the Medical Insights team – developed novel methods for analyzing and tracking trends in field medical insights, developed and presented quarterly reports, and organized and executed team training
Co-led the development of social media dashboards which allowed for novel was to identify KOLs and their collaborators
Co-led the planning, SMRC approval, execution, and debriefs for two Field Led Advisory Boards
Presented scientific content at Field Advisory Boards, institutional in services and journal clubs as well as delivered scientific presentations at the Future Directions of Urology Symposium 2023 and PHEN Summit
Identified and expanded KOL network in the mountain west and engaged with key internal stakeholders to build a comprehensive territory plan
Communicated with KOLs and other HCPs to discuss the company, products, pipeline, answer unsolicited questions, and engage in scientific discussions
Collaborated with Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, and appropriate CROs to support company sponsored clinical trial site identification, assessment, education, and recruitment
Provided scientific session coverage at regional and national conferences
Lead disease state and product specific scientific training for commercial colleagues
Developed training programs for MSLs
KOL = key opinion leader
SMRC = supplemental medical review contractor
HCP = healthcare provider
CRO = contract research organization
MSL = medical science liaison
The best part is that I get to work collaboratively with co-workers of so many different backgrounds with varied expertise to improve the treatment landscape for cancer patients.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
The manager at my previous job knew the HR at this company and recommended that I apply.
PhD graduate ➡️ postdoctoral fellow ➡️ scientific project manager at a professional society/nonprofit ➡️ medical science liaison
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia? Was this a difficult decision or one you felt came easily?
I took some time to critically evaluate my strengths and things I enjoyed about academia. As much as some of my strengths and things I enjoyed lead towards academia (mentoring, presenting, collaboration), I knew I didn't want to spend an indefinite amount of time working individually in the lab with no promise of ever moving into a senior academic position. I think what solidified my decision was my desire to have a good work-life balance. I realized that this was extremely important to me, and the balance I was looking to strike didn't seem like something that was feasible through academia. Considering all of these things, I found the decision to pursue a career outside of academia fairly easy.
What are three pieces of advice you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
The most difficult piece is being both under- and over-qualified for so many jobs after graduate school. Getting work experience, even if it isn't at your dream job, is so important. Interviewers want to see experience outside of being a student. Even a postdoc is seen as work experience. So my advice would be to remain open-minded when looking for a job because even though it may not have been your goal job, it can lead to the dream job down the road.
I would recommend attending career panels, networking events, and doing some informational interviews with people who have the job you want early in your career search process. Once you meet them, stay in contact as best you can. Many individuals have lots of initial contacts at larger events, but if there is no follow-up, they lose track of those contacts. Establishing a relationship keeps you at the front of their mind for opportunities at their companies and makes them more likely to connect you with anyone they may know at a company to which you are applying.
Hone your presentation skills (oral presenting and slide preparation) and ability to give a strong elevator pitch to a non-expert. All of the jobs in which I have worked have asked for a presentation as a key piece of my interview process. The feedback I received from these interviews has always included their thoughts on my presentation style, ability to engage my audience, ability to synthesize complex scientific information in a way that any audience could understand as well as the formatting of my slides.