Focus Supplement 3 - Summer 2017 - 31

2017 FINALISTS

PRACTITIONER INNOVATION:

Astellas, Genentech, Grifols & Shire
■ By Tim Sosbe

Astellas Pharma
Looking to ensure a successful
launch of its Key Account
Management (KAM) teams, Astellas
put together a progressive training
plan that included clinical,
marketplace, account management
skills, resource use and customer
perspectives. e training was
targeted to the diverse 46-member
teams, including a vice president,
senior directors, directors and
managers.
Faced with challenges like team
makeup (both veteran and new
account managers), varied levels of
knowledge and launching the new
teams, it was important that the
training be progressive while not
overloading participants with
materials. Virtual learning and posttraining reinforcement helped meet
those needs.
"A brand new organization in such
a dynamic healthcare market, the
KAM team's learning program and
eﬀorts will be continuously evolving,"
said Chuck Pearson, executive
director of commercial operations and
commercial learning and development
for Astellas. "e KAM Learning
initiative is ongoing and will continue
to evolve just like the KAM
organization itself."

Genentech, Immunotherapy
Division
Tasked with supporting a new

launch in a competitive landscape, the
Genentech immunotherapy training
team created a training plan that
included competitive data and
workshops focused on marrying
messaging with specific selling skills.
e training team collaborated with
competitive intelligence colleagues to
design a workshop that used actors
portraying competing sales reps, as
well as evaluated field readiness.
Led by Tamsin Mulrooney,
associate director, the team included
senior clinical trainers Chris Hamman
and Sheena Gurai, training manager
omas Kiggins and training
coordinator Briana Rodriguez.
"Recognizing the need for a
cultural shi, the team worked with
sales and marketing colleagues to gain
alignment around a proposed training
plan that would continue to build
clinical expertise, but would also
enhance competitive selling skills,"
Mulrooney said. "Product knowledge
and basic immunotherapy oﬀerings
were interactive in order for the
learners to attain secure grounding.
e team developed an online,

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interactive competitive resource guide.
A gamification platform, based on the
"Trivia Crack" game, provided a fun,
interactive way to ensure solid
knowledge." 

Grifols
Aer creating a best-in-class
clinical training program for the
neurological disorder CIPD, Grifols
trainers and national sales director
Alan Greensmith worked with the
American Association of
Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic
Medicine (AANEM) on a certification
exam for a group of Grifols sales
representatives, as well as physicians
and allied healthcare professionals.
e intensive six-month training
program led to a 94 percent passing
rate on the AANEM exam for the first
group, with a second group preparing
for a 2017 certification exam. e
training roadmap includes weekly
assignments, webinars, videos,
gamification, sample exams and live
group events.

PRACTITIONER INNOVATION:
continued on page 32

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