Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Greetings, I am John Sandstrom! As a forward-thinking leader with over 15yrs of experience in the pharma/biotech industries, I am dedicated to launch excellence, leading high-performing medical teams, innovating solutions, and driving strategic initiatives that deliver exceptional care outcomes. Throughout my career, I have consistently excelled in transforming complex challenges into sustainable, impactful solutions that improve healthcare delivery, optimize operational efficiency, and maintain the highest standards of safety and compliance. I am highly skilled in building and executing medical strategies that support business growth and enhance therapeutic innovation. By leading cross-functional teams through complex medical initiatives, I have demonstrated an ability to align operational/clinical objectives with overarching business goals, ultimately driving value for both patients and organizations. Below are my selected contributions: • Preserved HEOR team roles post-merger with Baxter by demonstrating their impact on formulary status improvements for key products, securing senior leadership buy-in. • Earned top industry recognition by receiving the Roche Outstanding Achievement Award, two Roche Special Achievement Awards,and Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Highest Achievement Award. • Honored for exceptional contributions by securing the Amgen Annual Most Valuable Player Award and presenting process improvement strategies at Walgreens Annual Clinical Symposium. • Strengthened expertise in specialized clinical fields by achieving accreditation in Hemophilia, Oncology, Infectious Disease, Nutrition, and Immunology. • Recognized for contributions to pharmacy by receiving formal acknowledgment from the California State Assembly and the San Mateo County Pharmacists Association. As an executive, I've had the privilege of guiding organizations through major product launches, restructuring efforts, and complex regulatory landscapes. Moreover, I have successfully overseen the launch of new therapeutic indications, guiding teams from early-phase development through to post-commercialization, all while maintaining a focus on safety, quality, and patient satisfaction. I am driven by a relentless desire to create meaningful impact through enhancing the development of new medical products, advancing clinical knowledge, and empowering teams to deliver exceptional results. Connect with me at [email protected]. I am always seeking opportunities to collaborate with like-minded professionals/organizations to further elevate the quality of patient care
• Led the medical affairs team at Primus Pharmaceuticals, focusing on strategic planning and execution. • Develop and implement publication strategies to enhance scientific communication and visibility. • Engage with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and patient advocacy groups to foster collaboration and support. • Oversee health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) initiatives to inform decision-making and value demonstration.
Identify and integrate the unmet needs and perspectives of healthcare providers, payers, patients, and caregivers into Medical Affairs strategies. Responsible for driving the development and monitoring the overall tactical execution of key medical plans across Mineralys’s portfolio. Fosters cross-functional collaboration internally as well as develop and foster relationships with external healthcare practitioners and decision-makers.
• Co-chair Launch Excellence Master Class. • Develop best practices for launch excellence. • Mentorship of medical affairs professionals.
In this role, I led a comprehensive reorganization of Medical Affairs, expanding oversight across six therapeutic areas – (Oncology (Orgovyx®), Hematology (Nuvisertib, Enzomenib), Women’s Health (Myfembree®), Urology (Gemtesa®), Immunology (Rethymic®). I implemented cost-saving measures, optimizing resource allocation and efficiencies. I emerged as the primary global contact for Medical Affairs strategy and execution across US teams. Selected Accomplishments: • I lowered Medical Affairs staff by 75% through leading organizational restructuring initiatives with executives. • I ensured consistency across all therapeutic areas and increased HEOR engagement by more than two-fold by aligning medical strategy with new scientific communication platforms. • I elevated clinical pathway inclusions by 10% in three months by partnering with Market Access leadership to realign payer strategies with brand objectives. • I reduced data generation turnaround time by ~51% through streamlining multiple processes. • I accelerated research project completion by chairing the Pfizer Joint Development & Medical Research Committee while cutting project duration by 25–30%. • I drove a highly profitable product expansion by leading the Medical Affairs team in the successful launch of a new therapeutic indication for GEMTESA®.
In this role, I brought field health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) back into alignment with corporate scientific, medical regulatory, HEOR, market access, and commercial objectives. I built and led the Medical Affairs roadmap and a powerful scientific research assessment process. Through recruiting, developing, and managing high-performing Field HEOR Liaisons, I aligned scientific narratives, evidence roadmaps, and strategic relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs). Selected Accomplishments: • By driving staggering 50-80% growth across Field HEOR and MSL teams in actionable insights, advocacy metrics, payer, and KOL account targets, I demonstrated significant impact. • Through earning multiple promotions, I ultimately became Head, Field HEOR / Field Medical (HEOR and MSL) for demonstrating utmost commitment to achieving organizational excellence. • I increased targeted KOL interactions by 20+% by creating the Medical Affairs Field Engagement strategy. • By achieving 100% Field HEOR Liaison retention throughout my tenure, I showed exceptional leadership. • Through building a successful partnership with Visen Pharmaceuticals in China, I expanded global market presence. • I led the VEEVA CRM implementation, which more than doubled field team efficiency and enhanced data accuracy, insights, and reporting. • By collaborating with HEOR and Market Access teams on multiple product launches – Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency (Skytrofa®), Hypoparathyroidism (Yorvipath®), Achondroplasia (Navepegritide) – I executed payer engagement strategies, including preapproval information exchange (PIE).
In this capacity, I established Medical Affairs infrastructure, overarching strategy, and strategic relationships with high-priority KOLs. I provided oversight for medical directors and designed/executed Scientific Communication Platforms in alignment across two international markets. Selected Accomplishments: • By being recognized for significant improvement in Advocacy, Advisory Board, and Speaker Program metrics, I demonstrated leadership in these areas. • Through providing strategic scientific expertise for the creation of external communication materials, I substantially increased compliance with regulatory guidelines. • I drafted the growth hormone deficiency registry protocol in preparation for the launch of Skytrofa®.
In this role, I directed Medical Affairs strategic planning, resource management, and budget oversight. I partnered with senior leadership to align Medical Affairs strategy with corporate objectives, influencing decisions on pipeline milestones and investment priorities. I led critical Medical Affairs projects for product launches. By partnering with cross-functional teams (Medical Affairs, Clinical Ops, Commercial, Market Access, Business Development, Communications), I worked on communication strategies, content, and virtual engagement platforms. Selected Accomplishments: • Through achieving 23-28% efficiency gains, I led the optimization of workflows. • By introducing project planning tools, I enabled better cross-functional stakeholder collaboration and reduced project turnaround times by up to 33%. • I streamlined Medical Review Committee processes, reducing approval cycle times by 50+%.