Ethan Ward- Intern Profile

I joined Otsuka at the end of June 2024 having zero industry experience and no idea what to expect from the year ahead. As well as this, I am the first Medical Affairs intern that has been taken on at a European level. I was under the impression the corporate workplace would be stressful and busy when starting but with the support from my medical colleagues and the Learning and Development team, I felt like I found my place in the team extremely quickly, and, felt comfortable and positive logging on to work every day. I am now four months into my internship and currently working in the Haem-onc department aiming to support the launch of new indications, support in the production of medical materials and supporting the department in congress activities.

I study at the University of Reading working towards a Bsc Medical Science degree and even though I have only been at Otsuka for 4 months, I already find myself applying my degree knowledge and critical thinking skills developed at Uni to benefit myselfin the workplace.

Working cross functionally with Market Access and the Marketing teams, it has really allowed me to quickly pick up a good sense of the business processes that are crucial for any pharmaceutical company to run effectively. The positive working culture between these teams at Otsuka has really supplemented my development as I have never felt unable to reach out to colleagues in other teams to get advice and help on work I’m completing.

Continual growth and development is an ethos that is promoted and practiced regularly at Otsuka, from both a business and a personal standpoint. I have found this highly beneficial as intern, as it allows me to learn at the same level as every other employee on topics such as the ABPI code, which is integral for anyone working at a UK pharma company to have a good understanding of. As well as half day workshops on topics such as Presentation skills, which as an intern having their first experience in industry, this is something that needs practice!