Ulrike Jacobi profile picture

Ulrike Jacobi

External Affairs Lead, Amgen

Ulrike Jacobi is the External Affairs Lead for Amgen. She studied on the 5 day intensive Market Access Academy programme.

"The best thing about the programme was the way we were able to look at market access out of isolation. We really put it into the context of how healthcare systems work, and in that way could really examine what the challenges are"

I really enjoyed Market Access Academy. I think it was a very insightful programme because it wasn’t just about market access policies or techniques. It put market access very much in the context of what affects it: healthcare policy and drug policy, and how market access policy is influenced by these broader policies. It’s the right programme for people in leadership positions, or aiming for them.

A holistic view

I am head of market access and external affairs in the Netherlands for Amgen, a biotech company. I have a strong commercial background, so the goal for me was to get a helicopter view on market access leadership. It absolutely did that, but other participants who were market access specialists benefitted just as much as me, because of the broad scope of the programme. We learned about strategy, access techniques, international differences in market access policies and how to shape the external market access environment, through highly engaging lectures or by active problem solving in workshops. It was very good that the participants were all from different places and different backgrounds, from headquarters to regional offices. The programme was very useful for everybody.

It’s absolutely had an impact on me already. I have now a full understanding of the drivers of market access, where it came from and where it’s going. The knowledge I gained from the programme helps me to shape policies and develop the right arguments with the right networks: I appreciate the complexity but I am capable of breaking it down in order to manage the parts without losing the bigger picture.

Putting market access into a world context

The best thing about the programme was the way we were able to look at market access out of isolation. We really put it into the context of how healthcare systems work, and in that way could really examine what the challenges are. I think this is key when being in a leadership position.

We explored where we might go in the future and what could happen. I saw how policies and measures influence each other and what variables are important. The programme is really special in the way it enables you to understand why the field is how it is: Why it’s different in different countries and how culture is so important.

Choosing LSE

The faculty were very interactive and very clear in their explanations, and on top of their subject. There were two guest speakers. One was from NICE and they were both very relevant and interesting. LSE has a lot of visibility in the pharma world. If I had to choose an institute for another programme, LSE is the one I would choose.

See the programme

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