Yalia Jayalakshmi, Ph.D. has over 13 years experience in the biopharmaceutical and Medical Device industry. For the last 4 years, she is a Compound Development Team Leader (CDTL) at ALZA corporation / Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development Organization. In this role, she has been leading the progression of compounds from first glance through proof of concept and transition to full development.
Before joining J&J, Jayalakshmi was the program manager for Lucentisâ and cardio vascular product teams at Genentech. Prior to this, she was at Cygnus Inc. for 6 years where as project leader she held responsibilities for Glucowatchâ, a glucose-monitoring device. Yalia Jayalakshmi received her Ph.D. in Physics from Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, post-doctoral training in France and the United States.
This presentation and discussion will focus on the role of a project leader / champion in pharmaceutical product development and the value this role brings. Fundamental responsibility is to create value from a compound in question to the product portfolio, a role similar to that of a CEO in a one product /compound organization. The job is to drive the optimal development and commercialization of the compound through a cross-functional matrix team structure while ensuring organizational support for continued internal or external resourcing and funding.
Why does this role exist, what environments, organizational structures benefit the most from this, how does it work, how can this be different from the traditional project management role, what are the core competencies: these common questions will be addressed. Applicable real life examples will be presented to illustrate the benefits and challenges of the role.
