Imagine a future at Inizio Medical: Joanna Fearnhead-Wymbs, Senior Vice President

At Inizio Medical, we strive to reshape the future of patient-centric treatment across drug development and commercialization. To gain more insight into the role of medical communications and its leaders, we spoke with Joanna Fearnhead-Wymbs, Senior Vice President of Patient Engagement at MEDiSTRAVA, an Inizio Company, to find out what being part of Inizio Medical means to her and her vision for the future of the medical industry.

What does your typical day at Inizio Medical look like?

There’s no such thing as a typical day in my role, and every day brings something new. A large part of my role involves supporting teams across the Inizio network to help clients enhance patient engagement and deliver a meaningful impact.

A significant portion of my time is dedicated to working directly with these partners, providing them with guidance and support as they navigate the process of incorporating the needs of patients into drug development. The FDA is now requesting evidence of the impact of incorporating this patient perspective, making this a top priority for many across the industry.

Overall, while each day is unique it usually involves discussions with pharmaceutical companies, helping them better bring the patient’s voice to the development process.

What role do diversity, equity, and inclusion play in your day-to-day life at Inizio Medical?

While diversity and inclusion are often associated with issues related to ethnicity, race, or gender, the team at Inizio Medical also sees health equity as one of the most pressing challenges in the industry.

This is why one of our core focuses is on hard-to-reach patient populations,  ensuring access to healthcare, health literacy, and the ability of individuals to access information about their health.

Our goal is to create an inclusive environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access to healthcare for all. In this way, diversity, equity, and inclusion play a vital role in promoting health literacy and health equity, making a real difference in patients’ lives.

What makes you proud to be part of Inizio Medical?

I’m immensely proud to be a part of a company that is driven by its intention to help improve the health of people around the world.

This focus is reflected in our ability to provide expert solutions to a wide range of health challenges, thanks to the breadth of expertise and experience that exists within the company. The fact that our people can reach out to our internal team of over 12,000 experts across the globe for help and support is incredible, and this number continues to grow.

Our ability to provide such comprehensive and personalized solutions, without relying on external partners, is truly unique and sets Inizio Medical apart from others in the industry.

What’s your greatest achievement to date at Inizio Medical? Do you have a moment that stands out as one you are particularly proud of?

One of my greatest achievements to date is what I call the ‘moments of truth’ that occur. These are instances where a patient shares a valuable insight or perspective that has the potential to influence the future of drug development.

There’s not one specific moment that stands out, but rather a series of instances where something has shifted because of this vital input from the patient. I feel truly honored to be able to listen to these perspectives and share them in a way that can make a positive impact.

What does the future hold for the medical industry?

The future of the medical industry holds exciting possibilities with the advancement of data and our understanding of it. We are now able to delve deeper into health and medical issues, leading to more targeted and effective treatments.

For example, in the past, patients would be diagnosed with a general type of cancer in a specific part of the body. However, with advancements such as genomic profiling, we can now be more precise in our diagnoses and treatments, resulting in better patient outcomes.

The integration of data and technology in the medical field is opening new doors for more personalized and effective healthcare solutions, bringing us one step closer to improving the quality of life for patients everywhere.

The future also holds immense potential for gene therapies, which is a rapidly growing field with many promising therapies in the pipeline, especially for those with rare and inherited diseases. However, it is crucial to understand the full impact of gene therapy on an individual’s life, both in the short-term, medium-term, and long-term.

At Inizio Medical, one of our goals for the coming years is to fully understand the impact of gene therapy and help innovators in the space make informed decisions about how they can best help those who need these therapies.

What steps can the medical industry take to encourage innovation?

To encourage innovation, the medical industry can adopt a patient-first approach and focus on transparent communication with patients and the general public about new medicines. While there are good reasons to be cautious and considerate in how we communicate with these audiences, science shouldn’t be done in secret.

The industry can strive towards greater transparency by strengthening their dialogue, making patients and their families a part of the discussion, and sharing information with them in a more open and transparent manner. Sharing lay summaries of clinical trials is a step in the right direction, but there is still room for improvement in the way that the medical industry communicates with its patients, and that’s something we strive to improve at Inizio Medical.

Imagine a future at Inizio Medical

With promising advancements in the medical industry on the horizon, the timing for starting a rewarding career has never been better. At Inizio Medical, we’re driven to help our partners in our shared goal to build a better future for patients around the world.

Striving to become an industry leader in medical strategy and communications, Inizio Medical imagines a future where our people play a pivotal role in incorporating the patient’s voice into drug development and building a more patient-centric future of healthcare.