Dr. Dennis discusses his role at IQVIA; how his background in academia, medical care, and medical affairs brings value to his team and the customers he serves; and, his passion for impacting millions of patients.

Dr. Gregory Dennis joined IQVIA three years ago, bringing with him a clinical background in immunology and rheumatology, and a business background in medical affairs. We asked him about IQVIA’s Therapeutic Science and Strategy (TSSU) function, and discussed how his career and experience provide value to the internal and external stakeholders he engages with daily.

Q: How would you describe the TSSU organization at IQVIA?
A: The TSSU is a group of individuals with medical, scientific, and operational expertise. I oversee 16 therapeutic centers of excellence and approximately 100 individuals who have that breadth of expertise; all are high-caliber, high-performing individuals.

Q: What are the mission and goals of the TSSU?
A: Our mission and goals are extensions of those shared across IQVIA: creating sustainable growth and fostering Connected Intelligence™ across the organization and all its stakeholders.

We have an integrative program through which we’ve developed evidence-based approaches to how we assess the progress of our impact and the effectiveness of our strategies on the studies we’re involved with. This allows us to make real-time adjustments when needed, and we believe this approach is transforming the clinical research landscape. The TSSU is an important “tool” in that regard because it demonstrates to our customers the specific expertise that we have in drug development and clinical research across the spectrum of care. This is important for interpreting the data available to us in the context of the current clinical research landscapes.

Q: How would you say your professional experiences have contributed to the perspective you bring to your current role?
A: I believe my background serves me well in my position, and I believe my career has prepared me for the challenges. Being a physician allows for a certain type of rapport with others, and one of the most valuable aspects of my career is that I understand the personal and professional challenges that come with being a physician and researcher. Caring for patients in an academic environment is different than in a clinical practice per se, and it is important to be aware of these differences. I believe that my experiences have prepared me for a role involved with early- and late-phase clinical research, as well as post-marketing authorization-types of studies.

I also formerly served as a colonel in the military, and one does not get to that status without the ability to direct individuals to have certain expectations, nor without possessing positive attributes of leadership that help your group achieve success. It’s about how you use your leadership skills to help the organization be its best. My background in research has also trained me to remain current on best practices and clinical trials.

Q: Has there been any crossover with your background in research and development and medical affairs?
A: Some of my early research was in the study of complex autoimmune disorders, and it was my interest in lupus that created the opportunity for me to transition into the biopharmaceutical industry. I conducted academic research for 20 years. My first job was to write and execute protocols in patients with systemic lupus. My second position was to launch a medical affairs department for a company preparing for a drug’s marketing authorization. I launched the first biological drug for systemic lupus and participated in all the post-marketing authorizations — I traveled the world to translate the clinical data into clinical practice utility. My career began with observational studies in patients with lupus and, in my current capacity, I’m able to continue applying the insights I’ve acquired in my career and use them to advance the clinical research paradigm.

Q: How have you seen the medical affairs role shift over the years?
A: It’s been evolving into a more evidence-based approach and has become increasingly engaged in conducting more real world studies. We always knew this was an important component earlier in the clinical research, but many companies previously did not want to invest money early in the development process. So, the medical affairs role was primarily relegated to the post-marketing authorization phase. Today, we are seeing medical affairs involved earlier, but this still needs to be embraced more, along with reimbursement and data integration. The more that organizations accept real world data as part of marketing authorization, the closer that comprehensive collaboration will exist for the advancement of healthcare.

Q: How do you collaborate with customers?
A: I spend almost every day as an active participant in communicating with customers. I participate in the strategy calls. I make recommendations for various study plans and patient recruitment. I’m the TSSU representative during meetings that require medical scientific input.

Customers may also request a specific conversation about how the TSSU can bring value to their organization. I may also provide executive oversight of a study related to data integrity and consistency of assessments. My activities can span from being an integral member of the study team, providing executive oversight, or all the above, with some of our customers.

Q: What value do you and the TSSU provide to customers?
A: All our on-staff physicians remain current in their respective fields, so they maintain consistent perspective with our clients at all times. We always need to know the clinical context in which research is being conducted. We need to harness that information, integrate it, and provide it to our stakeholders in a way that brings them value and success.

Q: Can you share more about the value of having the many on-staff physicians for medical affairs and other industry professionals with whom you collaborate?
A: This is an enormous resource to tap into daily. These physicians and other subject matter experts in various therapeutic areas allow us to craft meaningful, valuable insights for all stakeholders. This is Connected Intelligence in action. This is how we also leverage the knowledge and expertise outside the TSSU and throughout IQVIA.

Q: You’ve mentioned “Connected Intelligence™.” What does this mean to you?
A: It means we have many sources throughout IQVIA that are useful, especially from the standpoint of data gathering and integration. But it is the value of the human knowledge too, through the skillsets and expertise of those throughout this organization. Opportunity is out there, and it’s everywhere. And IQVIA Connected Intelligence is empowering our customers to discover new insights, drive smarter decisions, and unleash new opportunities.

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your career?
A: I’ve learned a lot, and I’m having fun. When you truly enjoy your work and have a willingness to learn, you remain motivated, enthusiastic, and excited about what you do every day. I have opportunities to improve the quality of people’s lives. And being a part of this organization has allowed me to force-multiply the impact that I had as a practicing physician, and to amplify that impact to millions of patients.