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Purpose & Ideals

Pfizer’s Institute of Translational Equitable Medicine Addresses Equity in Health Research

When it comes to healthcare, the terms “equitable” and "access" often go hand-in-hand. In order to prevent, treat, and identify diseases that disproportionately impact underserved and minority populations, Pfizer believes that research must be directed to the root causes of healthcare disparities. The recently-launched Institute of Translational Equitable Medicine (ITEM) is intended to do just that: work toward a more equitable future of health care. For Aida Habtezion, M.D., who is Pfizer’s...

Living & Wellbeing

How Wearable Technology is Helping Scientists Better Understand Patients and Diseases

Like many people, Tim McCarthy, PhD, wears a watch that tracks his steps and monitors his activity levels. That watch also represents something else for McCarthy, who is Pfizer’s Head of Digital Medicine & Translational Imaging, which is part of Early Clinical Development in the company’s Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical Organization. For him, wearable technology could hold the power to better understand patients and diseases to improve healthcare. McCarthy acknowledges it’s still...

Trusted Voices

Thanking Rod MacKenzie for his countless contributions to Pfizer

Thanking Rod MacKenzie for his countless contributions to Pfizer, the industry and patients around the globe. After 35 years of outstanding service to Pfizer, Rod MacKenzie, PhD, Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President, has informed me of his intent to retire early next year. This is a bittersweet time for me and for all those colleagues who have worked with Rod over the course of his career. I will miss working with my friend, but I am excited to see the wonderful things he...

Real People

On the Record: Pfizer Leaders Share Career Advice for Young Professionals

Payal Sahni did not expect – or plan -- to work for a multi-national corporation. In fact, when a college professor asked her if she’d ever considered a corporate career, she replied, “absolutely not.” At the time, Sahni was pursuing a graduate degree in psychology. She believed corporate America was “stuffy” and “political,” and “wanted nothing to do with it,” she says. But she told her professor she was open to exploring and applied for a summer internship at Pfizer, a pharmaceutical and...

Living & Wellbeing

For Education, Support, and Assistance, Patient Advocacy Groups Can Help

A medical diagnosis can raise countless questions and concerns. One way that patients can empower themselves with knowledge and surround themselves with support is by finding an advocacy group that focuses on that particular condition or disease and the challenges that may surround it. “The work of patient advocacy groups is very important to provide education and support; sometimes these groups have social workers on staff that can provide that psychosocial support to people, and and advocate...

Living & Wellbeing

Empowerment Through Patient Education: How to Play an Active Role in Your Healthcare

The phrase “knowledge is power” rings true in healthcare encounters as much as it does in day-to-day life. “Patient education is important so that patients can make informed decisions in their care and treatment plans,” says Mike Zincone, Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at Pfizer. Research has shown that patient education significantly improves adherence with taking prescribed medications.1 One of the big challenges when it comes to patient education, says Zincone, is determining where to...

The Antigen Podcast

The Antigen is an eight-part audio-documentary style podcast about the scientific, cultural, and political elements of vaccination. We start with the basic science, review vaccine history, explore the many facets of their global impact, and the public sentiment about vaccines around the world. Hear from leading experts about the past, present, and future of this important innovation, as well as people whose families have been impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases.  Host: Jasmeen Agosti M.D...

Purpose & Ideals

Pfizer's Commitment to Supplier Diversity

While it’s easy to recognize the economic and social benefits that suppliers and their communities receive by doing business with a global biopharmaceutical company such as Pfizer, the benefits are far more mutual than they may seem. Applying innovative perspectives gained from working with suppliers that bring diversity, Pfizer is better able to improve patient care through these connections to a more inclusive group of communities, thus improving health for all. One way Pfizer has worked to...

Data Doctors: How Biostatisticians Play a Critical Role in Discovering and Developing Medicine

When you think of a statistician, you may picture a math whiz hastily scrawling formulas on a white board in the halls of academia or the trading floors of finance. But statisticians—specifically, biostatisticians—play a critical role in discovering and developing new medicines. “If we want to get the most from the data, analysis, and experiment, more often than not, it requires early partnership between scientists and biostatisticians in the design and analysis plan,” says Vice President, Head...

Living & Wellbeing

Why Raising Health Literate Children Is Important

Annlouise Assaf’s grandmother didn’t speak much English when she left Lebanon for the United States in the early 1900s. The language barrier forced Assaf and her siblings — who were just kids — to stand in as the chief interpreters during doctors’ appointments. As her grandma’s health hung in the balance, Assaf soon found herself juggling much more than two dialects. “The doctor would ask us all these questions,” recalls Assaf. “But first, we had to understand what the doctor was asking us.” T...

Living & Wellbeing

The Truth About COVID-19 and Black Fungus

The novel coronavirus has recently been linked to two serious fungal infections: COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM).1 The resurgence of these rare fungal infections has medical personnel concerned. A 2021 study found that more than 47,000 cases of CAM were reported in just three months in India. And with the Delta variant spreading worldwide, reports suggest that the number of cases is likely much higher.2 Aspergillosis and...

Real People

Ramcess Jean-Louis Is Ready to Build on Pfizer’s Longtime Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As the new Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer at Pfizer, Ramcess Jean-Louis is betting that the global biopharmaceutical company that delivered a COVID-19 vaccine in nine months will support the mission of his office with a similar urgency and can-do spirit. “I feel as if I’ve joined an organization that has the mentality and philosophy that nothing is impossible. When we apply that same urgency and attention to the area of diversity, equity and inclusion, the...