Dr. Grace Trentin
I’m a medical science liaison (MSL) – a field‐based scientific professional whose key responsibility is to provide clinical and scientific information regarding Allergan products to physicians and other healthcare providers within the territory I cover. This may involve presenting and discussing clinical trial data with a group of
physicians or organizing activities to meet their educational needs. As I’m the primary scientific contact in the field, I work closely with other teams within Allergan. On the clinical side, I have a role in identifying unique research opportunities that support Allergan products. I often meet with clinicians to discuss a study proposal they have developed. I also provide support for Allergan‐sponsored clinical trials either by helping to identify potential study sites or by providing support to an investigator to ensure the trial sees completion at his/her
site. In addition, I also help to develop and manage Advisory Boards to discuss a product or will often provide scientific content and perspective on materials or initiatives developed by our marketing team. To ensure I keep up‐to‐date in the different therapeutic areas I work in, I attend several medical conferences throughout the year.
Becoming a MSL wasn’t a career choice that I had planned early on. I completed my Ph.D. at McMaster and accepted a great opportunity to work in Dr. Linda Penn’s lab at OCI from 2004-2009 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. My intentions were to work towards a Research Associate position as I very much enjoyed being behind the bench. However, during my postdoc I was introduced to the MSL position and after speaking to someone who had been an MSL herself, I realized it was a career I was very much interested in. Since a specific requirement for the MSL position is an MD, PhD or PharmD degree, I realized it was a profession in which I could utilize my
education in a different manner outside the academic setting. I soon began applying to job postings which led to my position at Allergan.
What excites me about my job is that no two days are the same. There are different activities and discussions everyday with different groups of people from different therapeutic areas. There is a constant learning of new information. I get excited in discussing a pilot study that has the potential to grow to a large clinical trial, in seeing a drug’s use move from clinical trials to Health Canada approval and in hearing from a physician or patient directly, of the treatment benefits from an Allergan product.