September 2020

"Brett Mulvey’s Roadmap to a Career in Medical Affairs: How to Break Away from Academia’s Publish or Perish Environment with Networking and Communication"

By Matthew Ingalls, PhD Candidate in Genetics, Development, and Stem Cells

My dreams became set on becoming an academic in part because that was what I was led to believe would be the most fulfilling career path in science, but also because the only other option fell into a gray box called, “industry.” After six years of observing my peers, mentors, and surrounding faculty constantly struggle to secure funding, that academic pipedream has begun to produce a more nightmarish tone. I still love science, I can’t imagine my life without it, but I’ve come to realize that what I most enjoy about science cannot flourish in academia, at least not with the current “publish or perish” environment.