Sunil Verma celebrates 5 years at AstraZeneca

Sunil Verma shared on LinkedIn:

“‘Are you ready to write the next chapters in oncology textbooks that will redefine cancer care?”

In April 2019, Jose Baselga posed this question to me, as he invited me to join AstraZeneca and lead the breast cancer strategy and clinical development program. At that time, I was leading a cancer center in Canada, and joining the pharmaceutical industry and moving from Canada was not in my ten-year plan.

Sharing some thoughts in the article here describing the decision to join AstraZeneca five years ago today and the lessons learned along the way. We have so much more to do and looking forward to many more years working alongside colleagues at AstraZeneca and the Oncology community to improve lives of people with Cancer.

In April 2019, Jose Baselga posed this question to me, as he invited me to join AstraZeneca and lead the breast cancer strategy and clinical development program. At that time, I was leading a cancer center in Canada, and joining the pharmaceutical industry and moving from Canada was not in my ten-year plan.

Joining AstraZeneca was, and still is the best career decision I have made. It was a difficult decision, professionally and on a personal front, to leave my parents, whom I dearly admire and adore in Canada, and to move with our kids who were well-settled in school with their friends. I recall my daughter drawing an image of all the reasons that I shouldn’t sign on the offer.

I still remember when the DocuSign offer page was open on the screen and my wife asking me, ‘Are you sure you are ready to leave clinical medicine?’  My response was ‘I know this is the right decision because I can contribute the most to Oncology and it will make a difference. I want to improve outcomes for my patients and their families.’

Over the next few days, I shared the news with my colleagues and friends who, while disappointed, were very supportive. It was the most difficult sharing the news with my patients. How could I leave them? Many of them were in the midst of life-transforming decisions. As coverage was organized for my patients, we ensured that the transition of care would be seamless.

Yet, I started to wonder and feel the agony of leaving clinical care. When and how can I help them? Will I get a chance to hold their hands again to give them hope and strength? Will I miss their strength that kept me motivated to do more?

In one of my clinics, a patient shared with me, ‘Dr. Verma, promise me one thing?’ I replied, ‘Sure, anything.’ She continued, ‘Promise me that you will develop better therapies to help patients like me. I may not benefit from them but promise me that you will do more, so more patients will survive and live longer.’ Those words, that strength, and conviction have stayed with me every day since then.

We made the right decision.

Today, Aug 5th, marks five years since I joined AstraZeneca. Taking a leap into unchartered waters was the right decision and gave me a chance to help write those “chapters” that are redefining cancer care.

As I look back on the past five years, there are many lessons that I have learned and shared with colleagues and friends.

1. Work with urgency. Our patients don’t have time. Days matter, weeks matter, and we must push ourselves and do more so we can develop and bring better therapies that will provide meaningful benefit to patients.

2. Stay humble and serve others. I used to share with my residents and fellows that the day you think you have figured out Cancer, is the day that Cancer will outsmart you. We are dealing with a very complex disease. We have so much more to discover – from what drives cancer to the complexities of how our therapies work, to where and how cancer will outsmart these therapies.

How do we improve the lives of people living with cancer and improve their experience on our therapies? It is not just important to live longer, it is important for people with cancer to live better. Humility in science and in work is critical and we have so much more to do for the field and for patients living with cancer.

3. Build the next generation of leaders. Our legacy and our work are defined, we all strive to make an impact and serve with purpose. However, you can do much more by helping those working with you to be better than you and build networks that are much stronger than a single individual. Connecting and developing the leaders of tomorrow continues to be a strong foundation of what we do at AstraZeneca.

4. Never say no to those in need. When I signed on that offer, my wife asked me to always remember that the Dr. in front of my name will always be there and I have taken an oath to always help those in need. While I don’t have a chance to sit in front of patients and help them make an important care decision and look after them when they are in immediate need, I always think of what the right decision for patient care is in all that we do, and this will always be my North Star.

5. Stay curious and learn from others. Medicine and science are a life-long learning journey. We made the decision to join this field because we have a strong desire to answer the most pressing unanswered questions in Cancer. We are learners, we are discoverers looking to solve the most complex challenges and we work together to uncover what the truth is, and where and how we can push the boundaries.

I learn every day from those around me and those who continue to shape medicine – from academia, clinicians, researchers, scientists and most importantly patients who inform us of the right questions to ask.

I am proud of what we have achieved over the past five years at AstraZeneca. I am proud of how we lead with purpose to redefine cancer care, place patients at the core, and develop therapies that are helping people across the globe. Fostering collaborations is key in achieving this – the clinical community and the role it plays in patient lives has been key. I am also proud that I can answer to my wife and our kids that we made the right decision.

However, I am most profoundly aware of the commitment I made to my patients – I will continue to work with my colleagues towards the development of improved therapies that can positively impact their lives, helping them to live longer with an improved quality of life.

The journey at AstraZeneca is just starting, and I will continue to learn and grow and hope I can contribute to writing more chapters in the Oncology textbooks. Our editor in chief, dear friend and colleague Jose Baselga is no longer with us, however we will work to ensure that we continue to write the chapters that he imagined, and I am grateful I said yes to be an author in this book.”

Source: Sunil Verma/LinkedIn

Sunil Verma is the Global Head of Oncology, Medical at AstraZeneca’s Oncology Business Unit. He previously led AstraZeneca’s global research and development in breast cancer, developing a leading clinical development program. With nearly 15 years as a Medical Oncologist, Verma has conducted pivotal trials in breast and lung cancer, with his work published in over 125 peer-reviewed journals.