VP of Medical Affairs Helps Cure the Incurable

Name: Nick Sanford (he/him)

PhD: Biology, Texas Tech University, 2015

What was your main area of research?

I studied the molecular biology of cotton fiber cell wall development using near isogenic mutants.

What is your current job?

I am the Vice President of Medical Affairs at MicroGenDX in Lubbock, Texas.

I present scientific data to healthcare professionals to educate them about available diagnostic tools.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

We are helping to cure infections which people have been told are incurable. They get their lives back and more time to enjoy it.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Reading the literature for understanding and presenting it.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

I have done several professional development courses over the years, but practice was the most important.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I wasn't hired by the Agricultural companies that I thought I would be one day working for after finishing my PhD. I applied to bench technician jobs which I was a little overqualified for, but a lab gave me a chance and 10 years later, I am the VP of Medical Affairs.

PhD graduate ➡️ Bench Technician at Independent Reference Lab ➡️ Technical Supervisor at said lab ➡️ Assistant Lab Director at said lab ➡️ VP, Medical Affairs.

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

Understand the technologies that the industry is using, from the bottom up.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

It came quite easily to me. I watched the politics of academia cause attrition in several departments. I saw tenured professors 'let go' because of those politics.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Getting a PhD means you now know how to contribute new knowledge to a field. You can do this much faster in your chosen field of study because, well you have already studied that. But you can recreate that process in any area of life now. That makes you most valuable wherever your interests and the work you'll be doing align.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

Good mentors. I had two. One in high school that pushed me to college, and my major professor in college who pushed me to understand the why behind doing something.