Holly Smith
BSc Biochemistry with Professional Placement Year
Policy and Communications at MSD UK
MSD are a global pharmaceutical company, using the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, MSD has been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases.
Why did you choose to study at Newcastle University?
There were a few reasons for choosing Newcastle University. Firstly, the Faculty of Medical Sciences was well respected, and I liked that the course allowed flexibility. I first started studying biomedicine, knowing that I wanted to specialise later into the course. Once I took various modules in my first year, I quickly realised that Biochemistry was for me and so I was able to swap onto the course.
I also chose Newcastle because of the location. I have a memory of visiting the Uni’s Open Day where one lecturer told me to “choose a uni based not only the course, but also location as you will spend 3 (or more!) years of your life there”. I loved that Newcastle was a small city with big energy and the people were so friendly. Of course, it also helped that Newcastle is a very long drive from my parents’ home in Gloucestershire and I felt very ready for more independence!
What did/do you love about Newcastle University?
All the reasons above 😊
What did you enjoy most (or least!) about your course?
I loved learning about science, understanding how systems work at the macro level was fascinating and I still love reading books on genetics and general human biology.
I loved the breadth of the Biomedicine courses, with the opportunity to learn more about genetics, physiology, pharmacology, etc than you had the opportunity to at school. Collaborative projects and discussions with peers and supervisors sharpened my problem-solving and communication skills, while coursework in areas like molecular biology, enzymology, and structural biochemistry provided a strong analytical foundation. Above all, what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to connect fundamental science with applications in health, biotechnology, and research, and to develop the critical thinking and technical skills needed to pursue a career in life sciences.
The least….
I learned that although I love (and will always love) learning about science including how metabolic systems and pathways work, I'm not built for long hours in a lab.
I found repetitive experiments less enjoyable, especially when progress depended on long incubations, and it was time-consuming troubleshooting finicky protocols, particularly when results were inconsistent despite careful technique. Despite these challenges, I chose an 8-week lab placement for my dissertation as it would be the only time I would have the opportunity to work in a lab and it taught me patience, resilience, and improved my experimental planning and problem-solving skills.
Tell us a little bit about career journey. How did you get into what you do now?
Throughout my time in Newcastle, I realised that I didn’t like lab work, the long and quiet hours in the same room just wasn’t for me. That’s why I looked to the pharmaceutical industry, where I thought I could neatly couple my interest in science with business and people.
My first experience of the pharmaceutical industry was a placement year at Pfizer where I worked within their regional commercial operations team. This experience was a joy, I was able to meet new friends, learn about the role of pharma and the massive diversity of jobs within just one company. I was also lucky enough to go on several business trips around Europe including Prague, Madrid, Istanbul, Berlin and Malta- those were the days!
After graduating I secured a sales and marketing graduate scheme at MSD UK, which was an amazing opportunity to learn about the UK pharmaceutical business. I spent one year working in the national Diabetes marketing team, where I imputed into marketing plans and coordinated the development and delivery of those plans- such as designing email campaigns and presence at important conferences. I then rotated to become a sales manager in oncology, back in the North East for a year. In this role I met with lung oncologists and their teams across the area to increase awareness of a medicine and educate them on its best use in order to grow sales.
After this experience, I secured a permanent role with MSD UK within their Corporate Affairs team. I spent a year managing their social media channels, launching both organic and paid campaigns to raise awareness of MSD UK as an employer and several disease awareness campaigns.
For the last 3 years I have worked across Policy and Communications, where I have found my passion. It’s a huge shame that access to healthcare and subsequently health outcomes across the country vary. I focus mostly on public health issues, aiming to influence policymakers and work with the national systems to provide fair and equal access to medicines and vaccines.
What do you enjoy most about your current job?
I like that every day is different in my job. I cover a few different disease areas which means that within the same week I can talk to brilliant patient groups championing care for people living and growing older with HIV, write a press release for a vaccine and at the end of the week I can be at a parliamentary event raising awareness of a specific cancer type.
Most recently I was selected to participate in a global company programme which gives MSD employees the opportunity to partner with non-governmental oganisations (NGOs) to address complex global health challenges in communities around the world. For 3 months I worked to support an NGO in the Philippines to improve awareness and access to cancer screening for underserved populations. I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks in the Philippines, with the rest of my time working virtual to implement recommendations.
Ultimately, I love that my job allows me to advocate for fair and equal access to medicines and vaccines nationally- this is absolutely something that drives me.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career journey?
At the beginning I found it so difficult knowing what I actually wanted to do with so many industries and jobs out there. The options were endless and sometimes I found it paralysing not knowing where to start. For me, the best thing to do was to throw myself into the deep end and try things until I found the right fit. In all my previous jobs, there have been things I enjoyed and things that I have enjoyed less. Whenever I have looked for my next career move, I have always tried to ensure a new job would provide more of those things that I enjoy.
How did your course and experiences at Newcastle University prepare you for your current role?
There are a whole bunch of transferrable skills that Newcastle helped me to build in preparation for my first jobs – confidence, analysis, critical thinking, time management, etc etc. With my science background, I bring a unique perspective to my role in comparison to my colleagues. It’s a bit nerdy but I love to understand how the medicines and vaccines the company produces work and interact with the body.
What other things did you do at University which helped you to get where you are now?
I held various roles in societies and charities throughout uni which again helped build my transferrable skills when managing multiple priorities. It also helped to bulk out my CV when applying for grad schemes too! Ultimately, my placement year was the largest differentiator. I still tell everyone that will listen that pursuing a placement year was the best decision I ever made- I got real life industry experience, networked and made friends for life.
What one piece of advice do you wish someone had given you when you first started?
Enjoy every moment… and please please please consider getting industry experience in you field of interest! I genuinely don’t believe that I would be where I am today without my experience as a placement student. To have real experience, understand the workplace and know areas of interest when applying to graduate schemes really helped set myself apart from other candidates. You should 100% do it!
What support do you wish you had when you first started? And are there any resources that you would recommend to people?
If you think that the diverse world of pharma could be for you, I recommend speaking to people in industry to understand their journeys and experiences, speaking from experience- everyone loves to help young professionals in early careers! LinkedIn is a wonderful tool as you can search by company and university then message anyone that could be a good fit. I’m more than happy to chat to anyone about my own experiences too, you can find me at: www.linkedin.com/in/holly-smith-858b45140