Jennifer Spear Smith may be soft-spoken and petite, but she is loud, clear, and stands tall for one part of industry that she is clearly passionate about: continuing medical education (CME).
JENNIFER SPEAR SMITH
Executive Director, Medical Education, Wyeth
(JOHN HALPERN)
Jennifer Spear Smith may be soft-spoken and petite, but she is loud, clear, and stands tall for one part of industry that she is clearly passionate about: continuing medical education (CME).
Prior to her current position as executive director of medical education for Wyeth, Spear Smith was a CME provider and before that a professor in physiology at Indiana University and Purdue University's combined medical school program. "Medical school was just a starting point for me," says Spear Smith. "Things change so differently in medicine. There is a system, but it needs improvement so that physicians can be helping patients. That is the reason I go to work every day, to improve patient care."
Spear Smith was attracted to the pharma industry for the ample resources available to guide CME in a direction where she could "make a difference in patient care." And she already has by helping to make Wyeth one of the first pharmaceutical companies to require CME providers, after they conducted a CME activity, to measure its success.
"In 10 years, I hope I am still involved in managing education of physicians where it's my goal to continue in a position that ultimately helps patient care," Spear Smith says. "A pharma company is in the perfect position to make a change with how they conduct business and really gear it toward patient care. When we can do that we will have really revolutionized the business."
The Weight-Loss Gold Rush: Legal and Regulatory Implications
July 11th 2024Jim Shehan, chair of the FDA Regulatory practice, Lowenstein Sandler, discusses how the FDA and other regulators likely to respond to the increased public interest and potential off-label use of GLP-1 drugs, what needs to be done for GLP-1s to be covered, advice for investors and financiers considering entering the weight-loss medication market and more.
Healthcare Marketing Strategies for Reaching Diverse Audiences
May 14th 2024Amanda Powers-Han, Chief Marketing Officer, Greater Than One, and Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Advisory Board member, discusses how improved DE&I in healthcare marketing strategies can not only reach diverse audiences more effectively but also contribute to improved patient care outcomes, challenges faced in crafting culturally sensitive messages, and much more.