When Eli Lilly hired computational pathology expert Thomas Fuchs as the company’s first-ever chief AI officer in October, the announcement showcased pharma’s demand for a very specialized combination of skills.
While many AI functions in pharma are outsourced, pharma and biotech companies are building up their internal AI workforces, triggering a higher need for leaders with a background straddling tech and health care.
A recent survey of about 500 industry professionals by the CRO Parexel showed it’s a pressing issue for drugmakers.
“A key insight is that 51% of biopharmaceutical leaders consider AI experts as one of the top three roles they need to fill in the next three to five years,” Keri Mattox, chief business officer at Parexel, said via email.
But recruiting experts for such specialized roles isn’t easy….