Interview Transcript
Q. Hi Mr. Tam! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. My first question is what is your job title, and would you mind giving me a quick overview of what the job entails?
A. No problem Samantha. Well, I actually have two jobs, both that require a chemistry background. First off, I am a pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart. Secondly, I am the Vice-President, Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche. Even though this is a legal position, most of the work we do here surrounds the legalities of bringing new drugs into the market, and having a solid knowledge of chemistry is crucial to understanding the implications of how the drug will work in the human body. As a pharmacist, I prepare and dispense medicinal drugs, after being brought the information about which drugs a person needs from a prescription. As the Vice-President Legal, I am generally responsible for all legal matters that pertain to Hoffmann-La Roche, including patent litigation, compliance, privacy, general commercial matters, contractual matters, supply matters… basically the whole thing.
Q. Wow that sounds very interesting! What kind of education is necessary for these jobs?
A. Well personally, I have a pharmaceutical degree, essentially my undergraduate degree, and a law degree. I got my pharmaceutical degree from the University of Toronto, and am a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Canadian and Ontario Pharmacists Associations. I obtained my law degree from the University of Western Ontario, and am a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. Anyone interested in becoming a pharmacist must obtain a pharmaceutical degree, and anyone interested in becoming any kind of lawyer must obtain a law degree, but it was my unique combination of degrees that specifically prepared me to be a lawyer for a chemistry related business.
Q. Other than the obvious educational preparation from your degrees, was there any sort of in-service training required for either being a pharmacist or the Vice-President Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. Both for being a pharmacist and a lawyer, you have internship/residency type on the job ‘training’ that you have to do. So, for example, after my pharmacy degree, I had to do an internship with an accomplished pharmacist to learn from them and under them before being able to work on my own. The same goes for being a lawyer: you start out working under more accomplished lawyers in internship-like positions, and work your way up in the business. Also, we have lots of training as a lawyer that has to do specifically with personal and management skills. They include basic leadership skills, communication skills, media training… there are also specific modules on leading without authority, leading with authority, effective coaching… a lot of different things. Everything that we do has some form of relationship aspect.
Q. What was the exact career path you took? Did you start working as a pharmacist before deciding to go on and pursue a law degree?
A. Yes, actually, I did. I have been working as a pharmacist for 12 years and as a lawyer for about 10. I started working as a pharmacist right after finishing my pharmaceutical degree and completing my internship, and worked as a pharmacist throughout law school. I did a little bit of research while in university, but other than that my career path has been pretty straight forward: pharmacist to lawyer. Research never really held my interest in the way that these jobs did. Before practicing law at Hoffmann-La Roche, I did work at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, focusing on the pharmaceutical industry.
Q. How does your background in chemistry and as a pharmacist help you in your job as Vice-President Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. It especially helps me as a patent litigator. Most of what we do is, well we’re bringing chemicals to market. And in a lot of circumstances, very very small changes to the chemistry of a product can make all the difference in the world. So, I’ll give you an example: I often have to look at things like solubility, chirality, dynamics, physical chemistry… oftentimes when we’re analyzing materials we have to understand things like x-ray diffraction, and how different patterns of x-ray diffraction relate to the compound. Oftentimes we look at different synthetic processes and drugs and determine if they’re possible, or what they do if they are. Impurities in compounds, stability of various salts and esters… we look at pro drug chemistry… all of these things directly relate to chemistry and make a background in chemistry necessary to understanding the drugs we represent and patent, and by extension, necessary to my job. These are some of the things I use my chemistry background for at Hoffmann-La Roche.
Q. If you would be comfortable giving it, what would your average salary be for your current job at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. Actually, we are not allowed to disclose that. But it’s in the six-figure range.
Q. Your job sounds so interesting! I never realized before how much the professions of chemistry and law could interact. What would you say is your favourite part of your job?
A. Well I think that the number one reason that I enjoy my job is knowing the direct impact that it has on society – on people’s health. We’re in the business of saving lives. And the reality is, the human body isn’t really designed to accept strange drugs in our systems. But without science and medicine, people wouldn’t ever live past 35 or 40 years old. Science isn’t the only thing that relates to medicine and health. If you think about it, sanitation plays a role. Environment plays a role. But science is the part of medicine that we can most easily work with and control and to help people. Some of the most challenging things that are facing world health today are things like cancer and HIV. These are the very challenges that we work towards finding a cure or treatment for every single day. I think that it’s a job that not just a small difference, but a huge impact on society.
Q. Well that’s it for my questions, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day for this interview!
A. No problem Samantha, it was my pleasure. I hope that I could give you adequate answers to your questions. Good luck on your project!
A. No problem Samantha. Well, I actually have two jobs, both that require a chemistry background. First off, I am a pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart. Secondly, I am the Vice-President, Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche. Even though this is a legal position, most of the work we do here surrounds the legalities of bringing new drugs into the market, and having a solid knowledge of chemistry is crucial to understanding the implications of how the drug will work in the human body. As a pharmacist, I prepare and dispense medicinal drugs, after being brought the information about which drugs a person needs from a prescription. As the Vice-President Legal, I am generally responsible for all legal matters that pertain to Hoffmann-La Roche, including patent litigation, compliance, privacy, general commercial matters, contractual matters, supply matters… basically the whole thing.
Q. Wow that sounds very interesting! What kind of education is necessary for these jobs?
A. Well personally, I have a pharmaceutical degree, essentially my undergraduate degree, and a law degree. I got my pharmaceutical degree from the University of Toronto, and am a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Canadian and Ontario Pharmacists Associations. I obtained my law degree from the University of Western Ontario, and am a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. Anyone interested in becoming a pharmacist must obtain a pharmaceutical degree, and anyone interested in becoming any kind of lawyer must obtain a law degree, but it was my unique combination of degrees that specifically prepared me to be a lawyer for a chemistry related business.
Q. Other than the obvious educational preparation from your degrees, was there any sort of in-service training required for either being a pharmacist or the Vice-President Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. Both for being a pharmacist and a lawyer, you have internship/residency type on the job ‘training’ that you have to do. So, for example, after my pharmacy degree, I had to do an internship with an accomplished pharmacist to learn from them and under them before being able to work on my own. The same goes for being a lawyer: you start out working under more accomplished lawyers in internship-like positions, and work your way up in the business. Also, we have lots of training as a lawyer that has to do specifically with personal and management skills. They include basic leadership skills, communication skills, media training… there are also specific modules on leading without authority, leading with authority, effective coaching… a lot of different things. Everything that we do has some form of relationship aspect.
Q. What was the exact career path you took? Did you start working as a pharmacist before deciding to go on and pursue a law degree?
A. Yes, actually, I did. I have been working as a pharmacist for 12 years and as a lawyer for about 10. I started working as a pharmacist right after finishing my pharmaceutical degree and completing my internship, and worked as a pharmacist throughout law school. I did a little bit of research while in university, but other than that my career path has been pretty straight forward: pharmacist to lawyer. Research never really held my interest in the way that these jobs did. Before practicing law at Hoffmann-La Roche, I did work at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, focusing on the pharmaceutical industry.
Q. How does your background in chemistry and as a pharmacist help you in your job as Vice-President Legal at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. It especially helps me as a patent litigator. Most of what we do is, well we’re bringing chemicals to market. And in a lot of circumstances, very very small changes to the chemistry of a product can make all the difference in the world. So, I’ll give you an example: I often have to look at things like solubility, chirality, dynamics, physical chemistry… oftentimes when we’re analyzing materials we have to understand things like x-ray diffraction, and how different patterns of x-ray diffraction relate to the compound. Oftentimes we look at different synthetic processes and drugs and determine if they’re possible, or what they do if they are. Impurities in compounds, stability of various salts and esters… we look at pro drug chemistry… all of these things directly relate to chemistry and make a background in chemistry necessary to understanding the drugs we represent and patent, and by extension, necessary to my job. These are some of the things I use my chemistry background for at Hoffmann-La Roche.
Q. If you would be comfortable giving it, what would your average salary be for your current job at Hoffmann-La Roche?
A. Actually, we are not allowed to disclose that. But it’s in the six-figure range.
Q. Your job sounds so interesting! I never realized before how much the professions of chemistry and law could interact. What would you say is your favourite part of your job?
A. Well I think that the number one reason that I enjoy my job is knowing the direct impact that it has on society – on people’s health. We’re in the business of saving lives. And the reality is, the human body isn’t really designed to accept strange drugs in our systems. But without science and medicine, people wouldn’t ever live past 35 or 40 years old. Science isn’t the only thing that relates to medicine and health. If you think about it, sanitation plays a role. Environment plays a role. But science is the part of medicine that we can most easily work with and control and to help people. Some of the most challenging things that are facing world health today are things like cancer and HIV. These are the very challenges that we work towards finding a cure or treatment for every single day. I think that it’s a job that not just a small difference, but a huge impact on society.
Q. Well that’s it for my questions, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day for this interview!
A. No problem Samantha, it was my pleasure. I hope that I could give you adequate answers to your questions. Good luck on your project!