Sunil Verma, SVP, Global Head, Oncology Franchise at AstraZeneca, shared on LinkedIn:
“Seven years in, and many more to go…
Seven years ago I made one of the hardest career decisions: to leave clinical practice and join AstraZeneca. I cared deeply about the patients I served, and being part of a clinical team with one shared mission – the best possible outcome for the person in front of us.
Telling my patients was the hardest part.
And what they shared has stayed with me ever since. They told me to go. They wanted me to contribute to the next wave of progress, so that patients like them would have better outcomes in the future.
They were right, and it has been an incredible journey. I’m proud of our teams across the globe who have helped to transform cancer care, and of what becomes possible when scientists, clinicians, health system partners and patient advocates all pull toward the same better future for cancer care.
I’ve been surrounded by people like that for seven years. It is a genuine privilege. And while I still miss holding a patient’s hand in clinic, I know this work reaches the patients who once sat in my exam room and far more people than I could ever have helped as a clinician.
The next wave will be more transformational still. The science, AI, precision medicine and the way health systems deliver care are all converging at once. I’m excited for the decade ahead, and still driven by the same patients who sent me here.
To our teams at AstraZeneca, and to every collaborator who shares this mission – thank you for the past seven years and many more to come!”
