Here I am at the end of another chapter. As GARDP closes their North America office, I will also move on. Staying in jobs that truly focus on Infectious Diseases has not been straightforward for me through my long career. Right sizing of teams, portfolio prioritization, leadership changes, and resulting redirection of strategies, closing of offices - these have all been part of my many career transitions.
Much has been written about attrition from ID/microbiology and the sluggish entry of young talent into the field. If something is to be done to make this situation better, there have to be visible ways of sustaining a talent pool in the field. The path to move to an adjacent field has very little resistance, and many colleagues I have worked with over the years have indeed done so.
Companies and their investors look for outputs - success in trials or drug approvals - but what makes these things happen are strong teams. The team at Entasis was a great example of a small, highly experienced, and hardworking set of people who worked, ate, and played together to get things done. What that group did in the 3.5 years I was there was remarkable and has resulted in the approval of one drug and well on the way to the next one. That team is now scattered, and many have gone on to fields other than antiinfectives.
Through the years, I have had the good fortune to land in a group that is similarly interested in working on infectious disease projects. I hope that lucky streak continues. Meanwhile, I plan to put my feet up for a bit, take on a few consulting projects to pay the bills, and cheer all the exciting innovation from the sidelines.
Head of Program Leadership, Myrobalan Therapeutics
4moBowie, Rich and Simon Mazza-Lunn, great to have you all joining us!