In this blog of ‘Career Insights’ serie,s we talk to Roberta Boghi, Drug Safety Manager of seQure, the business unit of Arithmos, to find out more on her career path, achievements, current role at seQure and her interests outside of work.
Can you give us a little background on your career and your journey so far?
I hold a Master’s degree in Biology from the Università degli studi di Milano (Milan, Italy).
After my graduation, I got a job offer from a small pharmaceutical company as Scientific Medical Informant. I loved this kind of job since I was always in contact with healthcare professionals and many other persons during the daytime.
After this, I found work in a CRO in Milan and I started to work as pharmacovigilance officer in the department of a big multinational pharmaceutical company. There I stayed for 12 years and I had a possibility to learn everything about pharmacovigilance, and to reach a whole new level as a professional and a person. I started as pharmacovigilance officer and then I was promoted to a Senior PV officer / QC Manager.
In October 2019 I joined seQure, the business unit of Arithmos, as Drug Safety Manager. Currently I am responsible for post-marketing case processing in several national and international projects.
What does your day at seQure typically look like?
As Drug Safety Manager I am responsible for managing crucial aspects of our work such as quality control, production of safety reports, distribution of ICSRs to partners and reporting ICSRs to competent authorities, writing and reviewing the project related documentation of post marketing case processing.
I am also responsible for drafting Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) – Working Instruction (WI) related to projects and for providing clients with for efficient daily case processing.
As a senior professional in the company, I am supporting the rest of the pharmacovigilance team with my knowledge. Mentoring is an important part of seQure’s culture and we aim at helping our junior colleagues to expand their knowledge and skills.
What do you like the best about working in seQure, the business unit of Arithmos?
seQure has great culture that values collaboration, humanity and kindness among people. This environment and mutual respect among colleagues and management mean that our commitment is ever greater. We keep an eye on new goals and keep growing and improving every day. In these months of COVID-19 pandemic I appreciated also the great flexibility. Changing job after 13 years in the same company might not be an easy task, but I am very happy about how it went.
What do you think will be the biggest Pharmacovigilance trends in 2021?
Surely the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the daily work of pharmacovigilance professionals like us. I believe that 2020 trends will continue to develop also in 2021. Already now we see a strong trend of decreasing number of reports from the European Authorities and more reports from doctors and nurses. I also expect the growth of the reports on COVID-19 vaccines both during clinical trial and post-marketing.
How do you think pharmacovigilance will change in the future?
First of all, I believe that in the next years the databases will become more complex and increasingly advanced, capable of quick queries and a lot of processes will be automated. Secondly, the amount of duplicated literature cases reported to the European Medicines Agency will be reduced. This in turn will reduce the level of alteration of the review of products and their safety profiles. Finally, there will be greater collaboration between the various European authorities with coordination and under the supervision of the European Medicines Agency.
What according to you are some new skills aspiring pharmacovigilance professionals should acquire?
- Knowledge of multiple languages in order to have the opportunity to work with stakeholders from all around world
- Computer skills and knowledge of technology
- Ability to work in team and learn from others
- Interpersonal skills to build personal relationships
What do you love to do in your spare time?
One of my favourite hobbies is travelling. I visited many great cities all around the world and many beaches in remote and very touristic places. One of my objectives once the pandemic is over will be to visit different places in Italy to support the Italian people in the hospitality sector that have suffered from closure in recent months.Moreover, I love all kind of music and sports (especially basketball) and going to concerts and basketball games.
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