Eyeworld

14 Ophthalmology Business • July 2018 I would recommend that any clini- cian who is interested should initially get experience working with industry either from a consulting perspective or in a role where they get exposure to what it's like to be "in house" within a company. Beyond that, un- derstanding the value of potentially impacting lives at a hopefully larger scale instead of one at a time can be very gratifying. In clinical practice, everyday we impact a patient individ- ually, but impacting that larger scale is something that the person has to be comfortable with and enjoy. In addition, they have to be comfortable working in a cross func- tional team environment in order to be successful. Finally, determining how important it is to maintain a clinical practice will help clarify what type of role may be possible in industry. Jonathan Talamo, MD Chief medical officer, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Santa Ana, California In the late 1980s and 1990s when Dr. Talamo was early in his career, federal research funding for corneal refractive surgery was scarce. This led Dr. Talamo to partner with industry, first as a clinical investigator and product trainer/educator and later in other roles for product development and commercial strategy. In January 2016, he became the CMO of Ocular Therapeutix, and in July 2017, he became the CMO of Johnson & John- son Vision. How do you manage being both a CMO and medical practice? With difficulty, but it was possible at Ocular Therapeutix since my prac- tice was only a 15-minute drive, and since I no longer owned the business I had fewer management responsibil- ities. I started out at 1–1.5 days per week seeing patients, but time and travel constraints reduced that to 1.5 days per month within 6 months' time. At J&J, I am traveling constant- ly, so I see patients only by request effectively. On the clinical side in practice, to make sure that's running well, the rest of the team has to be comfortable with managing and taking care of any clinical issues that may arise. Similarly, in industry, it is critical to create a leadership team that can plan effectively and manage issues as they arise. When compared to being a consultant to industry where one is primarily providing advice, the responsibility of being within an organization requires lead- ership and collaboration to effective- ly achieve the company's goals. What are some of the things you enjoy about being a CMO? Especially in an early stage company like Avedro, I get to be involved in all aspects of the company as part of the executive team. This includes investor/banking/analyst presenta- tions, among other things, such as finance and compliance issues, in addition to the more traditional roles in regulatory, medical affairs, clinical research, and professional relations. The entrepreneurial part of it and the aspect where we are able to help the organization continue to grow and develop is exciting. What is your advice to your peers who might be interested in a position like CMO? Because you also continue to see patients, how do you balance both jobs? I think it's an ongoing learning process on how to balance both parts of your professional life and manage the unpredictability to some degree. In clinical practice there is always something going on with patients that you want to be involved in. Fortunately, the other doctors in my practice have been able to take on a lot of that responsibility. We also have a great administrative team so that helps tremendously at making sure all of the practice issues are going well. On the industry side, it's also being able to manage the various responsibilities and demands and determining where to be actively involved. Similarly, the team you work with becomes critical. I think I've gotten much better at that, but it is an ongoing learning process because it is like having two full-time lives. However, it can be truly reward- ing to have the option to create the balance. What were some of the chal- lenges or learning experiences you had upon becoming a CMO? I came to understand better how important it is to have a strong team around you that can collaborate continued from page 13 " Understanding the value of potentially impacting lives at a hopefully larger scale instead of one at a time can be very gratifying. " —Rajesh Rajpal, MD

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