Tell us a little about your background.
I grew up in Douglas, Wyoming, and went to undergraduate school at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I changed majors a few times and landed in premedical studies. After volunteering with several medical specialists, I really liked the feel of optometry. It was clean (very little blood and no vomit!), the patients appreciated the work, and my experience was private practice—true cradle-to-grave care. I ended up at Southern California College of Optometry, which is now within Marshall B. Ketchum University.
How did you develop an interest in optometry?
It came from volunteering, which allowed me to compare different fields and hone what I wanted in a career and subsequent lifestyle. The optometrist I shadowed was a good friend of my family, so there was familiarity. I had the impression that I would pursue the same route: private practice, full clinical care model, in perhaps a rural setting. I was interested in the business aspect, the patient care aspect, and the work/life balance.
How did you come to be in your current role?
After my residency in cornea, glaucoma, and surgical management at Minnesota Eye Consultants (MEC), where I had a full year of progressive tertiary care management and was mentored by some of the best physicians and thought leaders in eye care, I was hired on as a staff optometrist, where I continued to specialize in the medical management of ocular surface disease and the cornea. I began to partner with industry, initially for educational purposes, and then in consultative roles. Simultaneously, I was exposed to clinical research, and although I had no interest in it during school, I became more passionate about it as my career developed.
After 17 years with MEC, I pursued a clinical position as the director of the Ocular Surface Clinic at the University of Colorado, where I led sponsored studies and participated in and directed additional research work. The area I specialized in, neurosensory abnormalities in ocular surface disease, aligned with Dompé, and a friend within industry suggested I apply for my current role, which I have been in for about 5 months now.
What does your typical workday look like? What are your main responsibilities?
As a senior director, I’m in a leadership position within Medical Affairs. My responsibilities are to oversee the phase 4 research and development for neurotrophins and to work collaboratively across other facets of Medical Affairs. I report to the Senior Vice President of Global Medical Affairs.
A typical workday varies, but it’s a lot of meetings and cross-functional work. It can range from interviewing for key leadership positions to going over FDA regulations and preparing for internal audits from a compliance standpoint. Two people report to me. We work with leaders in optometry and ophthalmology to identify knowledge gaps, and then we work on formulating ways to close these gaps. This benefits the clinical community, the scientific community, and patients.
What are the most rewarding or enjoyable aspects of your role?
As someone who has been in clinical care for a long time and enjoyed mentoring, I think seeing my team develop the skills and insights to work at a very high level in a very short time. It’s a different skill set than clinical care, but I love seeing the growth and improvements in confidence and decision-making skills. A close second is developing an idea into a full-fledged project and knowing the output will help people make better clinical decisions or shine a light into an unexplored area.
What have you learned through your industry role that you never would have learned working in a practice setting?
I have been impressed by how much care is put into each decision on the industry side. We get glimpses of “what’s behind the curtain” in consulting roles, but it’s not obvious how intricate, detailed, and careful the industry side is and how much work goes into justifying every step. At Dompé, we are mindful of ethics and regulatory considerations, and we are diligent in ensuring compliance and advancing the science to help clinicians and patients.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in the ophthalmic industry?
First, find an area that you love. Some people enjoy the interaction with their professional peers in an outward-facing role, and others may prefer the output and regulatory items. There are a lot of different niches within industry, so it helps if you know your strengths and what you enjoy. I knew I would be happiest in research and development. I’ve been on the podium, but I’m also a little more comfortable working behind the scenes. I’m lucky that my skill set and interests matched.
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