According to Dr. Yuan Liang Woon, Real World Evidence Team Leader at Novartis, in Malaysia, researchers are sparse in health economics, epidemiology and economic modelling. These would make good areas for you to specialize in as a researcher.
Dr. Chui Fong Chong who is Senior Principal Medical Director of Immunology at Hoffman La-Roche, Switzerland notes that having some experience in clinical trials or publications in your resume no matter how small the study, or even a publication of a case report would make you stand out among the other job applicants seeking a research position.
She also says that most entry level researchers must be able to engage in some level of data summarization from literature on diseases. They would also need to know the current standard of care, be familiar with background information, and treatment guidelines.
You would also need to learn on the job to design a study, discuss with key opinion leaders on key study endpoints, engage in data interpretation, prepare manuscripts for publications and the like. Certainly, mastery for these activities will take a little time.
Doctors as researchers also are needed in the field of AI, medical devices, drug manufacturing, digital health, insurance, the academia, bio tech companies and contract research organizations. Doctors could begin their careers in junior roles in these fields. Researchers are also needed in the private sector in the fields of oncology, hematology, immunology, neuropsychiatry, and rare diseases. Tropical and infectious diseases are highly desired research areas in both the public and private sectors.
Based on her experience of working overseas, Dr. Chong points out that there are career options in countries like Singapore, China, Australia, the U.S., and most European countries. If you’re thinking of working overseas, it is advisable to start in Singapore or China although China would probably require Mandarin literacy. China has a high demand for medical researchers at all levels, says Dr. Chong.
Speaking from experience, Dr Woon shares that in Malaysia, should a doctor as researcher want a decent income to be able to provide for his/her family, the best pathway still lies with the private sector. As mentioned earlier, at the moment, the pathway for researchers to be recognized as Specialists in the government healthcare sector simply isn’t available.
Disruptive Doctors is of the opinion that the limited view pertaining to researchers in the government healthcare sector must be quickly addressed. The Covid-19 pandemic is reason enough for this change in mindset. In the 21st Century, research ought to be a priority for obvious reasons for any country seeking economic advancement. Outdated policies and limited viewpoints in public healthcare such as ‘doctors ought not to be recognized purely for doing research’ serve only to stand in the way of progress.
