Editor's note: Is there life beyond academia for pain researchers? That question is the focus of PRF's latest podcast – and the answer is a resounding “yes”! This optimistic outlook comes from four podcast participants (see full bios at the bottom of this page) who all successfully made the transition from studying pain in the Ivory Tower to alternative careers, including:
- Alexandria Magnusdottir, PhD, Trainee Solicitor in Patent Litigation, Bristows, UK
- Steve Medhurst, PhD, UK Head of Field Medical Excellence, Novartis UK
- Candler Paige, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Doloromics, US
- Alex Tuttle, PhD, Chief of Staff (acting), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), US
The group spoke with PRF Correspondent Larissa de Clauser, a postdoctoral fellow at Eurac, Bolzano, Italy, to discuss their transitions from academia into non-academic roles, sharing their motivations, struggles, day-to-day work responsibilities, and advice to make such transitions as smooth as possible. Listen to the podcast below. The podcast is also available on Spotify here and on Apple Podcasts here.
Podcast participant bios
Alexandria Magnusdottir, PhD, graduated with a First in psychology from Iceland, a MSc in neuroscience from University College London and a PhD in neuroscience from the RVC, University of London. Her studies were focused on molecular nociception and pre-clinical studies working with novel analgesics. Following her scientific studies she undertook a law conversion degree and the Legal Practice Course, and is in her first year of a training contract to become a solicitor. Alex is currently a trainee solicitor working in Intellectual Property litigation in UK actions and on international coordination projects.
Steve Medhurst, PhD, is currently the head of Field Medical Excellence for Novartis UK, a role that involves leading and driving field-medical strategy ensuring the delivery of all Medical Scientific Liaison (MSL) activities. Steve’s passion for the MSL role is largely due to his first-hand experiences of the evolving MSL role: from a purely reactive to a more pro-active partnership role, and now changing to a focus on pipeline/launch products, healthcare systems and multichannel approaches. Following his completion of a BSc in Pharmacology (Kings College, London), Steve’s scientific career started at Novartis as a pre-clinical scientist in the Chronic Pain Department. After a few years, he moved to GlaxoSmithKline continuing his focus in pre-clinical Neuroscience, during which time he also completed a PhD in Behavioural Pharmacology (University of Edinburgh). Steve then left the laboratory and joined Grunenthal as an MSL, which is where his passion for the role began. He subsequently returned to Novartis as a Neuroscience MSL, and after a few years became MSL Manager, leading high-performing MSLs on products across the entire life-cycle. During this time Steve also led on the UK "Field Medical Excellence," coordinating and embedding many critical processes. He also enjoyed working with Global and European teams on such initiatives as "Year of the Field," Strategic Thinking training and most recently "Field Medical of the Future." Outside work, Steve is a proud dad of two lively teenagers, plays the French horn in a local orchestra and swims regularly to try and keep fit!
Candler Paige, PhD, is chief executive officer of Doloromics, a biotech spinout from the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from the University of South Carolina in 2012. Before co-founding Doloromics, Candler completed her dissertation research in the lab of Theodore Price where her research focused on identifying sex-specific mechanisms underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain. As a doctoral student she received numerous awards including a BRAIN Initiative D-SPAN (F99/K00) fellowship. Currently, Candler is located in the Bay Area where Doloromics is a resident of the Illumina Accelerator.
Alex Tuttle, PhD, is currently serving as the acting chief of staff for the NINDS Director. His duties include providing day-to-day management of tasks related to Institute priorities, coordinating amongst NINDS Divisions and Offices, and representing the Director on a wide variety of high-priority and high-profile projects. Alex also manages communications from the Director to the other parts of the NIH, other federal agencies, patient advocacy groups, professional societies, and the broader scientific community. Previously, Alex served as a health program specialist for the Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster in the Division of Neuroscience at NINDS, where he provided key coordination and support for several Trans-NIH Initiatives, including the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Prior to joining the federal government, Alex completed a postdoctoral training fellowship at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alex received his PhD in experimental psychology from McGill University, where he was awarded the Richard H. Tomlinson Doctoral Fellowship for his work characterizing the interplay between social factors and pain. Alex completed his BS in psychology at Haverford College.
Note: My thoughts are my own. I’m not speaking as a representative of NINDS or NIH, but as a science professional.
Additional public policy fellowship information/resources:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
Presidential Management Fellows Program
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Science/Health Policy Fellowships