Breaking Into the MSL Role by The MSL Academy™ - Episode 6 with Zeba Saiyad

Hello, and welcome to another episode of office hours with Dr. Swathi. We are here at The MSL Academy™ excited to talk about how you can elevate your career. And we have a series, of office hours and various webinars in which we bring on experts or members of the team to talk about their experience. And so today, we are joined by one of our interns, more specifically one of our medical affairs interns. If you don't mind introducing yourself, Zeba, and tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you for the warm welcome, Swathi. So hi, everyone. I'm Zeba. I'm a third year PharmD candidate at the UIC Red Sky College of Pharmacy, and I've had the pleasure of working as a medical affairs intern with The MSL Academy™ since August. And this has been such a great learning experience as a student gaining the opportunity to create relevant content pieces and to learn more about the impact MSLs make in a variety of different functional areas.

Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much for being here. And I also should have introduced as my introduced myself. So I'm Dr. Swathi Varanasi Diaz.

I'm the director of client success here at The MSL Academy™. And one of my goals is to try to deliver as much value on content as possible. And so part of that is through this office hour series. So thank you to everyone. I see quite a few people coming in the the room right now.

Amazing to see you all. If you have any questions throughout the presentation, please do not hesitate to put them in the chat. They could pertain to, you know, MSLs and clinical trials. They could per se pertain to actually breaking into the MSL curve. Whatever you wanna ask us about, whether it's myself or Zeba answering a question, we are here to help you tonight.

And, also, you know, besides dropping it in the chat, like, please do not hesitate also to, you know, add other people who are here. This is a great way for you to build your network, and, also, don't forget to to follow us and and add us on on LinkedIn too. Okay. So we're gonna dive into the content today. We're talking about how MSLs can play a role in clinical trials.

And so we have a few slides, to accompany some of our conversation today, and then we'll open it up to q and a. But, again, if any questions pop up throughout the presentation, please do not hesitate to put them in the chat, and we will address them at the end. Alright. So can you give us a high level overview of, you know, what the MSLs and clinical trials module encapsulate? So, also, maybe I should give a little background.

So, one of the reasons that we're excited to bring you this topic today is because one of the upcoming modules that we are going to launch on the Excel As An MSL™ program, which is one of our flagship programs at The MSL Academy™, is going to include the MSLs and clinical trials module. And so this module is going to dive into a little bit about what we talk about today, but it's really giving, current MSLs, insight into, you know, as an MSL, how they can play a role in bolstering clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry or in biotech. So that's a little bit about, you know, the the module itself. Ziva, is there anything you'd like to add to that? Yeah.

So in this course, we've covered how MSLs contribute to clinical research from their role in different trial phases to to how they collaborate with clinical, regulatory, and medical teams. We also went over strategies for effective KOL engagement and common challenges in clinical trials and also ways for MSLs to advance their careers in this space. And then yes. And then and today's LinkedIn live will provide you with a bit of an overview of this topic. Amazing.

And so who's the ideal audience for this course, and what can they expect to gain from it? Yeah. So this course is really designed for anyone looking to understand clinical trials and the role of MSLs, whether you're exploring medical affairs, starting out as an MSL, or looking to strengthen your impact in clinical development. By the end, our goal is for you to have a clear picture of how MSLs shape research and how to leverage this knowledge for career growth. Okay.

Amazing. And so let's get right into the topic. So why is it important for MSLs to understand clinical trials and the clinical trial landscape? Yeah. So understanding the clinical trial landscape is key for MSLs because this really helps to simplify complex data for health care providers, ensure scientific accuracy in conversations with key opinion leaders, and support trial sites in keeping patients engaged.

It's all about making research more accessible and impactful. For example, let's say if an HCP asks about a new anticoagulant, instead of just citing trial results, an MSL might say the drug reduced stroke risk by thirty percent in clinical trials, But in real world evidence, adherence is critical and missed doses can significantly increase clotting risk. So by doing this, this shifts the conversation from just numbers to practical patient impact. And on the KOL side, let's say a KOL assumes an immunotherapy benefits all lung cancer patients, an MSL would step in to ensure scientific accuracy by saying, for example, survival benefits were strongest in patients with high PD L1 expression, which is a biomarker testing that's essential to identify the right candidates. So these conversations essentially are where MSLs add value by translating research into actionable insights and bridging the gap between clinical trials and patient care.

Okay. Great. I think this was a little bit more of the the details of what you just talked about. Right? Yes.

So in order, to contribute to the clinical trial successfully, MSLs play a critical role in bridging science and practice. They can help educate sites and key opinion leaders on study designs, patient eligibility, and scientific value. They can enhance recruitment by developing clear patient friendly materials, improve retention with communication strategies that reduce dropout, which is really essential for clinical trials, and also support high risk populations by providing resources to boost adherence as well as bringing in real world insights to refine study design and address site challenges. And additionally, they can help facilitate data interpretation to ensure meaningful scientific exchange. And the goal of all of this is to for MSLs to help optimize trial outcomes and improve patient impact.

Wonderful. And then now you have a poll question for the audience here. Yes. So let's imagine a scenario where we say a clinical trial site is struggling to enroll patients because the eligibility criteria seems too restrictive and the investigators are concerned that too many potential participants are being excluded making recruitment slow. As an MSL, how would you address this issue?

Ignore the confetti symbol next to, the letter. But if you wanna drop your answers in the chat, I'll give it a couple of seconds. You can read over the questions and the answer choices. So, the correct answer is B. They can gather feedback from investigators on specific inclusion criteria, causing issues, and share insights for with the clinical team.

And after this review, they can adjust exclusions like a strict BMI cutoff, expanding eligibility without compromising safety. And sharing these concerns with the investigators helps to improve recruitment. This highlights how MSLs can influence study design with real world insights, which is very crucial to their role in clinical development. Alright. Wonderful.

And so how does an MSL's involvement in clinical trials differ from other people who are who are involved in clinical trials? For example, clinical research associates or CRAs or or medical directors. That's a great question. So MSL's focus on scientific exchange and KOL engagement. They educate investigators on trial data, gathering real world insights, and support trial success through decisions.

CRAs handle site monitoring and compliance, so they ensure trial protocols are followed, oversee data collection, and report any regulatory issues. And then we have medical directors who oversee trial strategy and approvals. So they make high level decisions on study design, protocol development, and regulatory submissions. So to sum this all up, while CRAs focus on operational execution and medical directors handle strategic oversight, Our MSL serve as a scientific bridge, bridging insights from trial sites back to the company and ensuring investigators have the information that they need. Wonderful.

And so can you talk us through a typical MSL's role at different stages of a clinical trial? Here on the slide, we have, you know, phase one all the way to phase four. And so how do MSL's play a role in all these different phases? Yeah. So MSLs play a critical role in each of these phases, but their focus shifts depending on the phase.

For phase one, which focuses on safety and dose binding, MSLs educate investigators on the trial and monitor early safety signals based optimization and early efficacy. So here we can see MSL's gathering insights on how patients are responding to treatments and helping redefine dosing strategies. And then we have phase three, which focuses on large scale efficacy and safety. Here, MSL support trial sites by addressing investigator concerns, questions, clarifying protocol details, and helping resolve any challenges along the way. And then we have Phase four, post marketing surveillance phase.

So once the drug is approved, MSLs collect real world evidence and facilitate discussions with KOLs about long term safety and effectiveness. So here we can see at every stage, MSLs act as the scientific link between trial sites and the company, ensuring that insights from the fields help shapes research and clinical decision making. So given this background and information on how MSLs play a role in all these different phases, What are some of the most common challenges that MSLs face when working on clinical trials, and what are some insights on how they can navigate them? Yeah. So one big challenge that we face is low recruitment, low patient recruitment, which is most common during phase two and three.

And here, MSLs can educate trial sites on the study's benefits and help investigators communicate more effectively with potential participants. So, and then we have phase the other, big problem that occurs during phase one and phase three is protocol complexity. And so here, MSLs clarify trial procedures and eligibility criteria ensuring investigators have the right information to keep the study running smoothly. So this is very important to make sure there are no hiccups along the way. And another big problem that MSL's face is regulatory compliance, which is critical in all phases, especially in phase three and four.

So staying updated on good clinical practices, GCP, and other guidelines help MSLs provide accurate, compliant, scientific discussions. So just working through all the different phases is really crucial in order to ensure that the study is running smoothly. And just understanding the different phases really helps to define the roles that MSLs play in each one. Great. And so what strategies can MSLs use to strengthen relationships with KOLs or key opinion leaders that are involved in clinical trials?

Building relationships with KOLs is all about trust and value. MSLs can do this by being a reliable scientific resource, staying up to date with trial data and literature so they can provide meaningful insights, maintaining regular communication, such as checking in consistently, not just when there is an update to keep discussions going, and also providing value driven interactions. So sharing insights that genuinely support a KOL's clinical practice, making their engagement with the trial more impactful. Yes. And what kind of insights can MSLs bring back to the companies from their interactions with these KOLs or trial investigators on-site staff?

MSLs gather real world feedback from trial sites that helps improve study execution. Some key insights that they can bring include recruitment challenges, so whether patients are hesitant to enroll or if the eligibility criteria is chewed restrictive, as we saw in one of our previous examples. Another one is protocol feasibility concerns. So identifying site level issues that may affect compliance or trial efficiency. And then we also have competitor and standard of care updates.

So here, it's learning about how similar trials are running and how investigational treatments compare to existing options. And by bringing back these insights, MSLs help the clinical and medical teams refine strategies. And, again, it's all about optimizing the trial success. Great. And so how do MSLs collaborate with cross functional teams such as clinical operations, regulatory affairs, and medical affairs during clinical trials?

Because so far, we've talked about how MSLs work with KOLs and kind of the external members of the quote, unquote team. But what about internally with cross functional teams? Yeah. So MSLs work with a variety of different teams to keep trials on track and to make sure insights from the field are heard. For example, for clinical operations, they help trial sites run smoothly by addressing investigator questions and troubleshooting challenges.

With regulatory affairs, they can help share real world feedback from trial sites that could improve regulatory submissions. And with medical affairs, they can connect clinical trial data to real world applications, making sure findings are relevant for patient care. Alright. And so what are some of the best practices that MSL should follow when working with internal stakeholders to relay real world clinical trial insights? Yeah.

So to make an impact, MSLs should keep communication clear, present updates in a way that's easy to understand and actionable, bring valuable insights to the table, share what they're hearing from trial sites and KOLs to help teams make informed decisions, and stay compliant, make sure discussions align with approved messaging and regulatory guidelines. At the end of the day, MSLs are the bridge between the field and the internal teams, making sure the trials are both scientifically sound and practical in the real world. Yes. And and in particular, you know, the majority of the of our audience are either aspiring MSLs or early career MSLs. So how can we help, you know, these two cohorts of people to develop effectively to contribute to clinical trials?

Yeah. So the top three skills that MSLs should develop are scientific communication. So this is the ability to break down complex data in a way that makes sense to different audiences from investigators to health care providers. Additionally, regulatory knowledge is very important. So having that solid understanding of clinical trial guidelines, FDA regulations, and compliance requirements, as well as data interpretation.

So a strong analytical skills to evaluate trial results and translate them into meaningful insights can really make a big impact. And so how can MSLs position themselves as valuable contributors to clinical research within their organizations? Yeah. So MSLs can stand out by engaging proactively with trial investigators and bridging and bringing back insights that help improve study execution. They can help to by staying ahead of emerging trends in clinical development to offer relevant data driven perspectives, as well as building key relationships across teams, working with clinical operations, regulatory affairs, and medical affairs to enhance trial success.

So it's all about communication and staying proactive and really trying your best to do the research and what's up and coming. And a final question before just for me before we hop into the q and a, how can understanding clinical trials make MSLs more competitive in the job market? Because, again, a lot of our audience is either aspiring or are current MSLs looking for, you know, the way that they can break in or get to the next step of their career. Mhmm. So having that strong clinical background gives MSLs an edge by opening doors to broader career paths in clinical development, regulatory affairs, and strategy roles.

It helps to boost credibility by showing this deep expertise in trial design and execution, as well as helping to strengthen KOL engagement by allowing MSLs to translate research into real world applications effectively. So understanding clinical trials is definitely a key differentiator that makes MSLs more impactful and sought after in the industry. So it's really good to just have this knowledge, and and I I believe it will really help to differentiate MSLs and give that extra edge. Yeah. And something that people might be wondering who are listening is, you know, how can I get this experience?

So there are so many ways to get this experience. And Zeba, you can you can chime in if you'd like to add, to what I'm gonna say as well is, you know, when I think about, you know, when I was, let's say, a student, there are so many ways that you can get involved in clinical trials. Like, maybe that's being a research assistant, and that's something that I did when I was a student. I'm a pharmacist by trade for those of you who don't know who I am. And so when I was a student, I got involved in clinical trials, and so that meant being a research assistant and working on a phase three pharma sponsored clinical trial.

And so I got to see the ins and outs of kind of being a a CRA equivalent, if you will. So that was a great experience to to see it from that side and also to interface with with the sponsor, with the principal investigator, with the medical director. It was it was an amazing experience. So I did that as a student, but maybe some of the people tuning in are working in a community pharmacy setting or they're working in a clinical pharmacy setting. And there might be opportunities there to get involved, especially if you work at a large institution to get involved in clinical trials going on there, whether that's even just shadowing to start.

You might not be running the trials. You might not be a part of it, but just start shadowing and seeing what's going on around you. And then the other thing I would say is if you don't have an opportunity to be a part of the clinical trial itself, there are so many amazing opportunities to stay on top of what's going on in research, especially in different therapeutic areas you're interested in. So this could be anything from, you know, checking PubMed to see what's new, checking, like, Fierce Pharma or Fierce Biotech to see, like, what's a recent drug that's been approved and and see, like, what are some of the clinical trials that were a part of that approval process. So there's so many ways to stay engaged in, like, what is going on in the clinical trials landscape, whether you're actively involved in it or not.

And I think that's one of the things that this course and and module does a great job of describing is, like, yes. Once you're in MSL, these are ways you can get involved, but there's so many ways to actually bolster that knowledge even before you get to that point. Yes. So, Adi, you bring up a great point. And to just add on about gaining experiences while in pharmacy school, I've actually had the opportunity to intern in clinical development at a pharmaceutical company.

And I remember during my internship, it was really amazing learning about all the clinical trials and really breaking that down, learning about what goes into them, what are we looking for, and as you said, reviewing PubMed and clinical trials to really gain that fundamental knowledge. I think that is very essential to have just the knowledge of, you know, how do we interpret this? How can we effectively communicate these findings and present them in a presentation and make it easy easily readable for our audience? And I think that's very important. And I think that definitely comes with practice and actively taking steps to improve that knowledge.

Everyone has a learning curve, and, I think, you know, that's completely normal and just, you know, taking that step and gaining fundamental knowledge is really essential. And, I think that's the best way to start. Yes. Definitely. And you kind of already touched on it, but I I wanted to ask, you know, why did this topic appeal to you to dive into more to, you know, help put together this module for us?

Yeah. So when I had my internship in clinical development, I remember, you know, being a newbie, fish out of water, and learning all about this process. And, I remember from day one to the end of my internship connecting all the different pieces of the puzzle. You know, how does trial one help? How does trial four help?

And just, you know, connecting everything together. And now, having that knowledge, I really wanted to help share that and help create this course and help other help aspiring MSLs to learn about the different the importance of clinical trials and how that plays such a crucial role because I think, you know, this clinical trial is really they're the key to improving patient outcomes. And having this knowledge, I think it definitely is a key factor to having that edge. Wonderful. Yeah.

So I wanna open it up to q and a. I don't see any questions in the q and a right now. But, if there are does if anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to to pop them in the chat, and we can answer them for you. Because I think this is a topic that people don't talk about often enough, and it's such a cool opportunity as an MSL to not just, you know, be involved in what you're doing in your in your day to day, but also being able to be, you know, on the forefront of what's going on in clinical trials and be a part of that cross functional collaboration. So we are here to answer any questions if you have them.

If not, I hope you really enjoyed the the presentation. And, yeah, we'll stick around for a few minutes to see if anything pops in the chat. If you wanna ask anything about anything that's, not specifically about clinical trials, that's also fine. If you're just interested in breaking into the industry or your current or early career MSL and you're interested in, you know, how can I get to the next step in my career, wouldn't be happy to answer any questions? Yeah.

So we'll hang out for a few minutes and and hope that this provided some value to you, especially as you're, in the process of doing this. Okay. Can you speak more on KOLs? Who, what, and who are they, and how do we seek them out, and how do we build relationships? Oh my gosh.

What a good question. So I can start, and then, Zeba, if you have anything to add, please feel free to add. So KOLs is, is just like a fancy acronym that is used in the in the pharma space. KOLs are key opinion leaders. We should have defined that more specifically, but key opinion leaders are pretty much like the thought leaders and, like, the, quote, unquote, bigwigs in the space.

And so if you are a part of, let's say, immunology, when you're thinking about, okay, who do we want to create relationships with as a medical affairs team to then educate about our drugs? Who do we wanna do that with? And so the key is for each region or each area that the company and or the medical affairs team will identify a list of people who are you know, they are seeing a lot of patients and they, you know, maybe have some sway in the industry. Maybe that sway is through publishing a lot of research. Maybe that sway is doing a lot of CE, in their, in their specific therapeutic area.

But, really, what's important to note is that they are people who are are making a splash, in their therapeutic area. They could also be famous. They could also be authors. Right? And so KOLs are identified individuals that the pharmaceutical companies and the medical affairs teams wanna engage with.

Oftentimes, they are physicians or nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, or even pharmacists. And there are people, again, who are seeing patients, working with patients, and could be a potential, you know, person that would use, a drug that is in that particular therapeutic area from the pharmaceutical company. How do we seek them out? So that could be in a in a number of different ways. The MSLs who are field team, will, you know, sometimes go to their offices, and see if they can have a moment to speak with them, to educate them, to create that relationship.

It could be virtually, because maybe, you know, the person is very busy and you're not sure if you're gonna, as an MSL, stop by, and then then they're not gonna be available. So sometimes the MSLs make those first one or two steps, to creating that relationship through a virtual way that could be through an email or otherwise. The other side is, like, maybe you're joining a team and maybe it's the team for for Botox, for example. And that has been such a long standing drug for that specific therapeutic use case that there are already a set of KOLs that are corresponding to that particular use case and that particular drug. And so there might already be a KOL list, and so your role in that particular case is to foster those relationships that already exist with the company, but then to create more.

And so seeking them out could be, again, done in so many different ways, but a lot of it is not only creating the relationship, but then fostering the relationship. So I hope that that that adds some color. The other thing I wanted to add is that oftentimes, KOL relationships are made and created at big conferences. So especially, like, in the oncology space, there's ASCO every single year in Chicago, and there oftentimes, there are so many opportunities to meet health care providers that are at the forefront of their therapeutic area and would be considered KOLs, and so that's another great place that medical affairs teams meet these KOLs. Anything you wanna add, Ziva?

I just wanna share that, you know, it's important for MSLs to interact with KOLs, as Swathi said, because they really help influence medical practice, research, and education. So just having their opinion is very essential, during this whole process just to have the expert guidance. I hope that was helpful, Elizabeth. Please let me know if there's any additional information you'd like on that. Great question.

And that's also a good reminder to us that, you know, in in the meantime and then every time we do another webinar, we'll make sure to very clearly define all of the the acronyms. Because in our world, we use these acronyms all the time, so we kinda forget that, that that not everyone knows all the ins and outs of them. Yes. Amazing. What other questions can we answer about anything we talked about today or anything else pertaining to to medical affairs or being an MSO?

Yes. Absolutely. Happy to help. Amazing. We will, stick around for a few additional minutes, see if any other great questions come through.

Ziva, as we're waiting, you know, how do you see the the the use of digital technology and innovation and AI play a role in in in clinical trials? Just in the future as a rating for a question, I'm curious. Yeah. That's a really great question. I think with the ever growing AI technology that's out there, I can definitely think it'll help to make clinical trials more efficient.

We can help to optimize our patient population during the clinical trial process. You know, who are we looking for, help to improve just the outcomes by doing that too. So I think just having that technology out there and having it advance, I think it's definitely going to help the clinical trial process and advance it. Yeah. I agree, and I'm very excited to see what sort of innovation is gonna come out from it.

I'm also like, I I work a lot in in the startup space, so I'm very interested in, like, is it gonna be startups that innovate? Is it gonna be the the large companies that innovate? Like, who's gonna be at the the forefront? I'm always interested. Okay.

Cool. So we've waited a a few minutes. If there's, anyone else, if you have any follow-up questions, please do not hesitate to like I said, please don't hesitate, like, six times. I don't mean to say it, like, that many times. But I just mean to say, like, if you have any questions, we are available to you.

So, you know, you now have our LinkedIn, so you can send us a DM. If you have any specific questions as well, you can email me directly, at Swathi at oh, I literally was just speaking and someone just sent a question, but, I will still say my email, in case you wanna ask another question after this, and then we'll definitely answer this as well. The question that just came in from Raymond will answer this. But, if you have any other additional questions after tonight or as you're thinking about what we talked about today, please email swathi@themslacademy. So it's just my first name, [email protected], and I will respond to your email and be available to answer your question, just in case we don't have time to answer it today.

Okay. So let me get to Raymond's question. So would you say the majority of MSLs are former pharmacists, NPs, and PAs looking for some advice on the best way to break into the industry as a doctor of physical therapy? It seems like most MSLs I've spoken with recommend starting out in medical and professional sales or as a CRA. Oh, good question.

Okay. So I will address this first, and then, Ziva, if you have anything else to add, you can definitely jump in. I would say the majority of MSLs that I'm familiar with are either former pharmacists, or physicians. There are a few NPs and PAs as well. Generally, what the, you know, what what the description say of the job is like a doctorate level or terminal level degree, like a professional degree.

Actually, no. I would I would actually let me back up a little bit. The majority of MSLs I've interacted with are actually former pharmacists, physicians, and PhDs. That's what I would say for the majority. It would be like a combination of those three.

That being said, I do think because you have a doctor of physical therapy, you would be a great fit. I think in particular, it would be, you know, what sorts of therapeutic areas are you going for? I think with the background in physical therapy, with the education paired with clinical practice, I think there are a lot of potential therapeutic areas areas like musculoskeletal, immunotherapies, things concerning joints, bones, like, a lot of potential therapeutic areas where I think you can actually make a really amazing amazing fit. And so even though the I don't see PTs as a majority, I definitely think there is, there are opportunities. Another great example to mirror would be, like, ODs, for example.

I see ODs that are, MS cells, but they're generally in therapeutic areas specific to ophthalmology, which makes sense. Right? So there are, use cases and and opportunities where I do think that your background would be a great fit. It would just have to be the right therapeutic area. But I think that that kind of comes down to to most people looking to break in is that everyone is trying to find their particular therapeutic area that makes the most sense.

And so even if you're a pharmacist, you know, you can look at a lot of different therapeutic areas. But let's say you are a diabetic specialist or an endocrinologist as a physician, oftentimes, people will go over the therapeutic area that corresponds with that. So I would say there's definitely an opportunity, as long as it's, like, the right aligned therapeutic area. So I I would say definitely, yes. Consider going straight for MSL.

The other things that you asked about, what about starting in medical and pharmaceutical sales? I think if you have a doctorate level degree and you have clinical expertise and you're able to demonstrate on your resume and cover letter and interview process that you have those transferable skills, which are like, you know, the ability to present complicated information to the right audiences, the ability to create relationships, the ability to understand a bit about clinical trials as we talked about today. I think if you're able to put all that together, I think that you'd be a great fit to go straight to MSL versus going to the sales or CRA route first. But it's it's all about articulating that story, and getting that story across. And I know, like, quite a few people from all different, you know, therapeutic areas and specialties who have landed MSL roles right out of their clinical practice.

So it's definitely possible. And to just add on to Swathi, I also believe transferable skills are very important because it's tying it back into how can this help as an MSL, how can your, experience with scientific communication and education and that patient centered approach help and tying that back in, I think, is very important in how you present that information. And also, some other strategies. I know MSL certifications and trainings and just having that extra leg up can also be helpful. Networking on LinkedIn as well and attending these, you know, informational webinars and just kind of just getting more information on the topic is really helpful too because that can help you identify how you're going to, speak in interviews and how you're going to speak on translatable skills.

So that's something to look out for as well. Yeah. I love that you brought up networking, and that you brought up the the transferable skills again to kind of drive that home. But the the networking component is so, so important. Oh, the other thing I was gonna add to that is the networking transferable skills and then the oh my gosh.

I just lost my train of thought. No. Okay. It'll come back to me. But, I just first talking about networking is, like, the way that most people get roles in this industry, you can get the role from just applying blind.

It does happen. But oftentimes, it's, you know, networking with someone who is a current MSL on the team and maybe you've just you know, oftentimes, I direct message people I have no I have no mutual connections with on LinkedIn. Right? So it's like not like you have to know anyone. You sending a LinkedIn DM to most people on LinkedIn without premium is free.

Sometimes people have different, you know, barriers up, but most times it's free. So you can send a message to anyone. And so when I started learning about, like, becoming an MSL and, you know, becoming, you know, like, a part of the pharmaceutical industry or even pursuing anything of interest, like, professionally, I would just look up people on LinkedIn and just send them messages. So particularly for you, Raymond, it'd be amazing if you just started looking up, like, who is an MSL in musculoskeletal related therapeutic areas, and that's something you can just search right in the, in the search bar. You can search it on Google and then put LinkedIn, like, right after that and see who pops up.

And then or even you could search, like, companies that you know that have, you know, drugs, like pharmaceutical drugs that you're using and practice all the time. And then you'll be able to see who pops up and just start sending the messages on LinkedIn because that would be the best way in to, like, first understand, like, how are they liking the role, how are they liking the company. Oftentimes, employees are pretty candid. And so you're able to get that kind of insight, but also then you create that connection internally because then someone knows that, oh, they're interested. And, I mean, you might have to talk to quite a few before that helps you, you know, land the next role or get that right connection, but a lot of MSLs know each other.

So once you start connecting with one, then what you always should do at the end of that first chat is, like, okay. Like, who would you recommend I talk to? And see, like, how they can help you grow your network, as well, which is super helpful. And I still use this tactic all the time. So I did this when I was first learning about the role, but then I did it afterwards as well.

So that's important. Oh, the thing that slipped my mind that I wanted to say was that there's a whole different lingo as you probably got a little whiff of, you know, today from our conversation or even Elizabeth's question about, like, what a KOL is. It's like that's so important because we, like, in the pharmaceutical industry, use all these different acronyms and, like, even cross functional collaboration, things like that that are just, like, terms and phrases that are only used in pharma. And that's something that even if you don't have pharmaceutical experience, the hiring managers and the HR people in pharma, they'll be looking for those terms in your cover letter, in your, in your CV when you apply because that means that you understand the role because you're using the industry speak even without an industry role. And so that's really important even in your interviews to bring up things like, you know, even if you worked in an interdisciplinary practice to just use the terminology that it was a cross functional you know, that you worked cross functionally or that you had cross functional collaboration with different departments.

It just means that you understand a little bit more about what the role is about. And in every MSL interview, they will ask you, what do you understand about the role? That will be, like, an undeniable part of every single interview, and so you have to have a really good answer to demonstrate that you understand the role. I feel like I just started ranting there, but I I just, there's just so much that goes into, like, a successful application that we can talk so much more about. But I just I'm very passionate about networking because I really do think that it is so important to landing the role and then understanding the role back to what Seba said.

Yeah. Anyways, yeah, I could talk about that, like, all day just because it's so important. But, yeah, what other questions can we can we answer for you? And, of course, if something comes up after or you're watching the recording on YouTube or something, please feel free to just, send an email that I mentioned before. Wow.

Time is flying by. We're happy to stick around for a few more minutes. Yes. Of course. We're happy to help.

We're happy to help. Amazing. Great feedback. Okay. Well, if anyone has any other questions, I'm more than happy to to answer offline.

Again, my email is [email protected]. Happy to answer there. Also, I'm I'm only a LinkedIn DM away, so you can link so you can DM, Ziba or myself, and it will get back to the right people to to answer. So, yeah, so definitely do you know, I was gonna honestly, do not hesitate. But if you would like to be in touch, please be in touch.

And, yeah, we will we'll be in each other's orbit. Yeah. Thank you so much to everyone who attended today. If you wanna learn more about The MSL Academy™ you can head over to our website, themslacademy.com. We're all about helping health care professionals and scientists, academic researchers break into the industry, whether you're aspiring MSL or you're a current MSL looking to uplevel your career.

Alrighty. Amazing. Thank you so much, and thank you to Ziva for being our our guest this month. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time, guys.

And definitely, as Swathi said, feel free to reach out. Alrighty. Until next time. We do these every single month, so, look out for our our next announcement. Alrighty.

Thank you. Bye bye. Thank you.