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Industry Transition Spotlight: Pooja Dhupkar, PhD

An interview with Pooja Dhupkar, PhD

What is your name, your full job title, and the full name of the company you work for?

My name is Pooja Dhupkar. I work as a Medical Associate/Writer for Scienomics Group (Healthcare Consultancy Group) in San Francisco.

What is your favorite part about working in industry?

The best part of working in the industry is the fast-paced nature of projects. You can actually be involved in seeing a project goal being accomplished from start to finish. I also like that working in the industry means “working in a team” and that gives you an opportunity to learn how people from different backgrounds think. This also helps to know the big picture of the field!

Can you describe what a typical day at your job looks like?

As a Medical writer, I have been working in the area Medical Communications. I am part of a medical team that is responsible for creating scientific and clinical content and design strategy for pharmaceutical clients. The purpose is education and promotion of their products. On a daily basis, I update myself by reading clinical trial and research literature for varied diseases, creating and editing slide decks primarily involving pharmacology/safety content. We also help clients during the drug pre-launch for regulatory submissions of these educational materials.

How is your current industry position different from your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?

My current position as a Medical writer in a communications agency is very different than academia and has been a learning experience. I have previously worked in a start-up as well and feel that industry is very fast-paced, and we have to deliver on time. Deadlines are the most crucial part of the job and affect everyone’s work. I also feel that you need to be able to work in a team environment and communicate on a regular basis with your team to deliver better results. In academia, we worked independently most of the time and had long-term projects with open-ended goals.

If you could go back in time, to before you received your job offer, and give yourself one piece of advice or encouragement, what would it be?

Always be pro-active and positive. It only requires one “hit” to get a job!

What was the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?

I think the cheeky meet-ups have been useful for all of us, as we all are in different phases of our career, but yet the same! The Houston meet-up was a memorable one. I would like to continue to attend these, since it really gives you some positive energy!

What do you see as the next step in your career?

For now, I want to get some experience in the industry and get my feet wet for a few years before thinking of the next steps.

How can the Association and the Association’s members help you continue to achieve your career goals?

I think the cheeky meet-up’s is a good idea as it allows us to meet experienced people in-person. I would like to continue to engage in the meet-ups, so that I can have a forum to discuss the challenges I face and also to perform better in the industry.

Now that you’ve spent some time working in industry, what is the biggest takeaway(s) you’d like to share with those who are still executing their job search?

It is important to start preparing from the beginning. For people transitioning to applied roles, the extra effort to build your resume through internships, volunteering, certificates go a long way and help build your brand!

To learn more about how you can transition into an industry career like Pooja, including instant access to our exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the wait list for the Cheeky Scientist Association.

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ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & CAREER SUCCESS MENTOR

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped professionals transition into top companies like Pfizer, Tesla, Amazon, Pearson, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Here's What Others Are Saying

"Thank you for your support. I greatly benefited from your DD talks on the importance of networking on LinkedIn and resume-building tips. Your team member Meera was very helpful in building my LinkedIn Profile and resume. Thank you!"

 Taranum Sultana

Taranum Sultana

Research Administration

"Aside from all the technical pieces, the comradery, I really had an excellent time at the symposium that I was in Florida, that was super helpful...having a community that takes a part in your wins and also helps you pick yourself up and dusts yourself off when you don't get those wins and that you're not alone."

Christine Lo Bue-Estes

Christine Lo Bue-Estes

Medical Communications

at NBA

"I'm excited to announce that I have accepted a position as an Innovations Analyst at Cleveland Clinic. Looking forward to using my background to help commercialize healthcare innovations!"

Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas

Innovations Analyst

at Cleveland Clinic

"I am grateful to Isaiah, Meera, Abha and all the CSA for their constant help and support. This was my transition from academia to the healthcare industry...I accepted this offer as I am in urgent need of a job as my current lab is closing soon. Thank you!"

Divya Amin

Divya Amin

Program Coordinator

at University of Missouri Healthcare

"Thrilled to announce that I have joined a new role as a Research Associate at HJF to work at the WRAIR. Very excited to join a dedicated and brilliant team working to eradicate HIV. Thanks to my family, friends, and fellow Cheeky associates for their support in my job hunt journey.""

 Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Research Associate

at HJF

"I am happy to share I am starting a new position!"

Mary Hidde

Mary Hidde

Clinical trial manager

at Medspace

"I would like to express my appreciation and assure that your school was eye-openning, thanks! I registered on your course 2 months ago and from total ghosting I ended up with a dream job in biotech."

Petro Starokadomskyy

Petro Starokadomskyy

Senior Scientist

at Kyverna Therapeutics

"I started working with you all back in October 2022 and it took me about four months to secure my new role. I actually had two six figure salary offers in the learning and development arena! One was from a prestigious HBCU and the other one was with a scientific research organization. I signed my six figure offer letter for a Head of Talent Development role with the scientific research organization on March 1st. I negotiated and received a $7,500 increase in salary and I also received an increase in my relocation package. I cannot thank you all enough!"

Dr. Rhonda Anderson

Dr. Rhonda Anderson

Head of Talent Development

at Southern Research

"The decision is final - it is Cormetech!"

Carlos Vargas Garcia

Carlos Vargas Garcia

at Cormetech

"I'm happy to share that I'm stating a new position as Medical Science Liaison at Celltrion Healthcare Co, Ltd.!"

Tammy Virdi

Tammy Virdi

MSL

at Celltrion Healthcare Co, Ltd

"One thing I feel I did great was joining the association as a Diamond member. Modules and Classes helped me to prepare ahead of the search- to do and to go right. The other useful thing was the accountability forum....your classes and modules really helped me to believe in myself and have confidence in myself. I value myself as a PhD. I gave a shot for a senior scientist position, and got one!"

Nabina Paudyal

Nabina Paudyal

Senior Computational Scientist

at Colossal Biosciences

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position!"

Norhaziland Mohamed Zaid

Norhaziland Mohamed Zaid

Senior Development Scientist

at Haleon

"I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Clinical Scientist at Arvinas!"

Ana Luiza C. Zaninotto

Ana Luiza C. Zaninotto

Clinical Scientist

at Arvinas

"I just accepted an offer to be a Clinical Researcher Coordinator for a pain clinic near me. I'll be helping them run their clinical trial that uses a device to stimulate nerves to relieve patients pain. I start next Wednesday. So excited! I wanted to say thanks to Isaiah and all the members of the Cheeky team for your help! I really appreciate it!"

Natasha Fowler

Natasha Fowler

Clinical Research Coordinator

at Columbia Pain Management, P.C

"'....all the modules and associates really helped me understand the job and interview aspects really well. Meera specially helped me a lot prepare for the 8 interviews (written, analytical, on-site, assessments). She was very prompt in responding to my questions and concerns and really helped me keep my morale whenever I felt I might loose this position.... This is something I was looking for in a job so it is perfect for me."

Haymanti Bhanot

Haymanti Bhanot

Editorial

at Elsevier

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