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A picture of Bob MilsteadWhat year did you graduate?

1971

What course did you study?

Medicine.

What is your current role?

Senior Partner at Transcrip Partners. We provide consultancy services for large and small companies who require assistance with drug development projects, supplying individuals or complete development teams.

How did you get into your current role?

Accredited in General Medicine and Medical Oncology. Moved from Senior Registrar in Medical Oncology to Medical Adviser at ICI Pharmaceuticals, developing the world’s leading drugs in Prostate and Breast cancer and the leading drug in schizophrenia.

Can you describe a typical day?

There is no typical day in the pharmaceutical industry. Every week and every day is different. I spent 3 months of every year out of the country for 23 years. The work is varied with a whole new knowledge base that needs to be acquired, stats, pk, toxicology, regulatory etc.

What do you enjoy about your role?

The variety and intellectual challenge.

What do you find challenging in your current role?

Making drug development as efficient as possible in a changing regulatory environment.

What advice would you give to a current student at St George’s who was keen to get in to a similar area of work as you?

Talk to people in the industry. Think about whether you want to stay in this country or are prepared to move to the USA, Switzerland or Germany. Think about whether you want to complete specialist training before joining or join as a generalist. If you wish to work in the development and manufacture of vaccines, this is highly specialised and is the province of a very small number of companies in the industry. 

Which aspects of your degree are relevant for your current role?

A general understanding of physiology and pathology as well as the issues involved in treating a range of diseases.

What would you say were the best / most challenging things about your degree?

In my day there was no careers advice available that I can recall. On the plus side, we learnt how to take a history from a patient and had a good general grounding in medicine and surgery.

If you could go back to your time at St George’s, would you do anything differently?

No. I had a great time and still qualified.

 

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