Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 7/1/2021 12:00:00 AM

João A. Abrantes, PhD, Senior Scientist, F. Hoffman-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland

What Professional Accomplishment Are You Most Proud Of?
I am very proud and privileged to work as a Clinical Pharmacometrician in drug development. In my day-to-day life, I use mathematical modeling and simulation techniques to help develop safe and efficacious new drugs. In the few years I have been working in this role, I am proud and fortunate to have already had the chance of leveraging quantitative methods to inform critical drug development decisions in the fields of neurosciences and rare diseases. In addition, during my PhD training I developed pharmacometric models to help improving factor VIII dose individualization strategies for patients with hemophilia A, and part of that work was published in the ASCPT journal family, namely CPT and CPT:PSP, which made me extremely proud.

Who Has Inspired You in Your Career?
I have been fortunate to come across many outstanding scientists and mentors. During my PhD training at Uppsala University, I had three mentors: Professor Mats Karlsson, Dr. Elisabet Nielsen, and Dr. Siv Jönsson, who all contributed enormously to my foundation in pharmacometrics. Probably the most influential was Dr. Siv Jönsson with whom I started collaborating first. Dr. Jönsson taught me the basics of pharmacometrics and from day one took a very active interest in my education, providing me with extraordinary support and encouragement. When you are starting a career in science, having someone who you admire encouraging you to move forward and to become a better scientist can be incredibly inspiring. In 2019, I started working at Roche, in Basel, Switzerland, and I have been finding inspiration all around me. My manager and colleagues have inspired me to work to the best of my abilities by providing me with exciting opportunities to assist drug development while fostering my professional growth.

What Has Been Greatest Challenge in Your Career?
Delivering clear scientific messages based on the output of complex mathematical models to experts in other fields has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve experienced up to this point. In drug development, pharmacometricians play the role of influencers of the process of decision making and being able to communicate about research to multidisciplinary teams in a clear uncomplicated way is key to success. I find this a particularly challenging topic, and I believe that the importance given to communicating science is frequently underestimated. In fact, I have never heard someone say that something explained by a scientist was too simple!

When You Aren't Working, How Do You Spend Your Time?
In my free time, I enjoy doing activities that recharge my body and mind, namely running, training, public speaking, and practicing meditation. I try to run a half-marathon once a year and I actively participate in Toastmasters Club meetings once a week and I meditate daily. These activities help me overcome mental fatigue, recharge my batteries, and stay focused at work.