CASE STUDY
Novartis – Meeting the demand for expertise in specific disease states
Published Date – 9 September 2024
The challenge
As Novartis continues to expand its presence in cardiovascular medicine, so too does its commitment to promoting gender equity in the field. A core element of their strategy is to ensure that women in cardiology are meaningfully represented in leadership and advisory roles. This includes filling positions for clinical trials, participating in guideline development, and identifying thought leaders for highly specialized disease state areas of medicine.
However, finding women cardiologists with deep expertise in specific disease states such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and plaque management proved to be a complex task. The usual industry vendors that Novartis relied on were unable to provide the depth or specificity needed for these critical roles. Recognizing this gap, Novartis turned to Women As One for a solution.
The Women As One solution
To meet Novartis’s needs, Women As One received a detailed brief outlining the ideal profile for candidates. Novartis was looking for women in cardiology with clinical or academic expertise in specific disease states, particularly proceduralists with experience in PAD and plaque, as well as those involved in publishing and contributing to clinical guidelines. These requirements demanded a highly targeted and informed search.
Using the Women As One Talent Directory, along with survey and programmatic data from across our network, we began curating a list of women physicians who matched Novartis’ criteria. The Talent Directory is a growing global database designed to identify, promote, and connect talented women in cardiology, helping organizations like Novartis meet their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in a strategic and efficient way.
Thanks to our in-depth knowledge of the field and access to comprehensive data, Women As One was able to quickly identify candidates who not only met the required clinical competencies but also brought additional value through their leadership roles and contributions to the scientific community.
The results
Ultimately, Women As One delivered a list of 125 carefully selected contacts who aligned with Novartis’ disease state criteria. Each profile was hand-picked to ensure a strong match in terms of clinical focus, research expertise, and overall leadership potential.
Following the delivery, the Women As One team met in person with Novartis to review the profiles, discuss outreach strategies, and explore additional opportunities for collaboration. The partnership has become a model for how life sciences companies can engage women in cardiology in a meaningful and effective way.
This collaboration underscores the increasing importance of including women cardiologists in leadership and innovation, and demonstrates how Women As One is uniquely positioned to help organizations achieve this goal.
We are proud to be a Women As One industry partner, and utilization of their Talent Directory is just one way that we are able to ensure we have representation of female voices and ideas across all levels and areas of practice to conceptualize and execute all our initiatives in cardiology.
Cheryl Abbas, PharmD, FAHA
US Medical Team Head, ASCVD at Novartis
Women As One is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the inclusion, development, and advancement of women physicians in cardiology. By creating opportunities and resources specifically designed to support women in the field, we aim to address long-standing gender disparities and foster a more equitable and representative cardiovascular workforce.
We believe that partnerships with industry organizations are essential to creating meaningful, systemic change. Through collaboration, we can amplify our reach, align on shared goals, and develop innovative initiatives that promote gender equity across all areas of cardiology, from clinical trials and leadership to education and visibility. If your organization is committed to making cardiology a more inclusive and diverse specialty, we would be delighted to explore potential opportunities for collaboration. To learn more about partnership opportunities with Women As One, please contact us at info@womenasone.org.
Let’s create a lasting impact, together.
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