Nicole Visitacion
Director, Medical Information
AMGEN
Nicole Visitacion, PharmD, is currently Director, Medical Information at Amgen where she has held various roles with increasing responsibility over the last ten years. Her areas of focus have included the globalization of medical information processes; integration with partners and subsidiaries; and the development of a global cross-functional platform for the management of adverse events, product complaints, active surveillance programs and medical information inquiries.
Prior to Amgen, Nicole was a Department of Defense Clinical Pharmacist at Fort Meade Maryland where she gained real-world experience in formulary management, clinical practice guidelines and patient care, including the establishment of pharmacist-run clinics, for the Walter Reed Health Care System. She is a member of the Drug Information Association (DIA); the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD); and a Founding 500 member of the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO). A native of North Dakota, Nicole received her PharmD from North Dakota State University in Fargo. She currently resides in California with her family and remains a farm girl at heart.
The views expressed herein represent personal views and do not necessarily represent the views or practices of Amgen.
From your perspective, what does the phrase “customer centric” mean in relation to medical information?
A customer centric approach to medical information is one that analyzes customer inquiry trends and technology solutions to inform the creation of medical information responses and the use of delivery methods in order to respond to current and future unsolicited requests for information.
Why is the role of medical information teams within the pharmaceutical industry so vital to the organization’s success?
A medical information team’s role is vital to the success of an organization due to the nature of their interactions with both internal and external customers. Their unique access to external customers requires a nimble and cohesive approach to address and respond to a multitude of topics in an empathetic way. This requires ongoing collaboration with other functions to understand topics that range from packaging and stability to clinical study results and patient assistance programs. Data from these interactions are then used to inform planning within multiple areas of the organization and contribute to its overall success.
What are you most looking forward to regarding the Customer Centric Medical Information conference this June?
I think the conference is an excellent opportunity to promote awareness and access to medical information services and to learn about innovative technology that enhances the delivery of customer centric services to a variety of customers.
What is your inspiration or motivation for progress in medical information?
My vision for medical information is to have a greater impact on positive patient outcomes. To me, this means leveraging innovative technology in order to: respond to healthcare professionals with current scientific data; provide patients with information to help them understand their medications; and share the data medical information collects within the organization to better inform the planning and design of current and future products.
What do you believe physicians and/or patients and caregivers want from medical information teams?
I feel healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers want to receive information in a way that they can easily access and digest. They also want to know that they are working with a professional who understands the disease state, medications and the challenges faced within the healthcare system.
Is there a project that you’re looking forward to working on over the next year, and can you briefly describe it?
I am currently working on a project that involves curating the medical literature identified during daily literature surveillance and ad hoc searches. Using a customer centric approach, the team and I are evaluating the needs of our key internal stakeholders and designing the output of the curation effort to meet the current and future needs of the organization.
Nicole will be one of our distinguished presenters at the Customer Centric Medical Information Conference.
