SEAK faculty member who is an experienced physician in Pharmaceutical Industry answers the question: What non-clinical jobs are there for physicians in the regulatory and medical affairs section of the pharmaceutical industry?
There are lots of different opportunities. For physicians in the more medical oriented fields, there are jobs as medical directors, both for phase 1, 2, and 3 in clinical trials in Pharma and biotech companies, phase 4 medical directors looking at post market studies, as well as medical directors in medical device companies overseeing clinical trials and working in medical affairs. There are also roles in the regulatory affairs side of things, for those who are more interested in regulatory compliance or working on the documentation required to submit for new drug and device applications. People who particularly like that type of level of detailed work; those are good opportunities for them.