In this special edition of our Leadership Perspective’s series, MAPS Americas Region President, John Pracyk, MD, PhD, MBA speaks with the three Medical Safety, Chief Medical Officers from Johnson & Johnson representing Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, The Consumer Group of Companies, and Medical Devices & External Innovation. At the time of these interviews John served as the Integrated Leader of Medical Affairs, Preclinical and Clinical Research at DePuy Synthes Spine of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices. Rather than publishing each interview separately, John has chosen to organize these three Medical Safety, Chief Medical Officer interviews by topic, distilling the opinions of three thought leaders to demonstrate consensus or offer distinct viewpoints on issues of importance for the practice of Medical Safety.

The process of conducting these interviews marks an inflection point in Dr. Pracyk’s own career. Within 6 months of completing this exploration into Medical Safety & Pharmacovigilance John transitioned from a Medical Affairs role to become the Chief Medical Safety Officer, SVP for the Olympus Corporation.

How did these leaders make their way to Medical Safety & Pharmacovigilance? The routes into Medical Safety are as diverse as the medical professionals that it attracts, with many arriving from different settings including academia, strategic consulting firms, hospitals, health systems and real-world clinical practice. However, one constant remains true, they are extremely committed to being an independent voice that amplifies their organization’s commitment to Patient Centricity.