John Elliott

I’ve sat across the desk from hundreds of doctors, thousands of times, with a detail aid in my hand and a leather bag of samples at my feet. I’ve waited patiently in the corridors of hospitals, eager to share my clinical paper with an elusive specialist. I’ve negotiated with drug plan managers to list our drugs. I’ve persuaded politicians that we need laws and regulations that support innovation. I’ve written speeches for my CEOs which argue for how our representatives and our industry can contribute to healthcare sustainability. I’ve helped patient organizations implement health initiatives. As the chief of staff to the chair of our industry association, I’ve also led the charge to re-think who and how we serve.

These diverse roles have allowed me to see our industry from many perspectives, and have led me to re-conceive how our industry creates value ‘beyond the pill’.

Perhaps more importantly, I’ve also been a caregiver—looking after my mom as she battled cancer for 10 years. Providing care for someone you love makes you appreciate the critical role that our industry can play in patients’ lives and the massive need to work smarter to serve them in new and better ways.

The pharma business has changed so much in the past ten years—and it’s not done yet. In my function as a champion for the role of the pharmaceutical industry in meeting patient needs, it is clear to me that if my employer is going to survive the transformation taking place in our industry and the enormous changes in healthcare, it is not going to be enough to adapt only my approach to dealing with our partners—I need to act as a catalyst to help reinvent the entire industry’s approach.

EngageRx is that catalyst. It’s also a way forward, bringing together ideas from hundreds of great thinkers into one program that Jill and I (and 1000 pilot program participants) feel will allow all of us to serve the patient better. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase: “A rising tide lifts all ships”. EngageRx delivers the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to lift our industry, your company and you up to a higher level of human and financial contribution.

While my work within the pharma industry is extremely engaging and rewarding, it takes a back seat to my most important role as the father of three glorious girls and the husband of an awesome woman who inspire me to relentlessly pursue alternatives to the status quo.