“We are purposefully building a collaborative team to tackle the problem of understanding and treating cancer head on,” says Jamie Christensen, chief scientific officer, Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. “Bringing together unique skillsets across translational research and discovery science, we are exclusively and aggressively focused on programs where existing interventions are unknown or insufficient.”
Our labs are set up to be integrated so that all disciplines in R&D can benefit from one another and help rapidly share ideas.
From seating charts to lab configurations, we are aspiring to maximize collaboration, curiosity, and our drive to do more for patients.
“We have an open office setting providing an opportunity to intermingle different functions and teams,” says Jamie. “Our labs are set up to be integrated so that all disciplines in R&D can benefit from one another and help rapidly share ideas.”
The Mirati culture is designed to unleash the potential of our science and our people by creating an environment that fosters open-mindedness and collaboration as we seek to transform the lives of patients with cancer. The company’s more than 320 employees are uniformly focused on patients by trying to make a difference with our science and in our communities.
“Where we differentiate ourselves is that we believe in advancing innovative oncology medicines focused on areas with significant unmet needs. Our portfolio is built on what is right in front us – we simply accept the challenge,” says Jamie. “The goal is to do things in a way that will help solve specific problems for identifiable patients by targeting the genetic and immunological drivers of cancer.”
Kelly Covello, head of Medical Affairs, shares a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the dynamic work of the Mirati Medical Affairs team and how their work intersects with patients, patient advocacy groups and healthcare professionals.
Meeting this mission for patients with cancer means everyone at Mirati, including me, shows up prepared, trained and studied to deliver the best results for those impacted by cancer. When we all do this as individuals and as an organization, we know we left 100 percent on the field. We leave nothing to chance and pursue every opportunity to deliver for patients.
Mirati is in a race to help those with cancer—a race against time for those patients who are waiting for options—and this is the race of a lifetime.
I joined Mirati over a year ago. An important part of my role is to ensure Mirati is ready to be a successful commercial company by assisting in creating capabilities and competencies to commercialize a product effectively and responsibly. I think of my role beyond just those on my team, as we work in partnership across the broader Mirati team to ensure our science is well understood and our compounds, once approved, can deliver the most benefit to those living with cancer.
Mirati’s genesis in discovery and drug development is a core piece of who we are. There is a daring spirit to reach for new horizons, breaking through to discover and advance novel areas of scientific innovation and technology. It’s in our DNA to push the envelope in trying new things to benefit the patients who need us.
Above all, Mirati employees are committed to transforming the lives of those with cancer. We never want to take for granted the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. My team and I view this as our life’s mission and not just as a job. We strive for excellence, seeking those who respect others and find value in others’ differences.
When I first started working in oncology, it was a rational decision, but like many others, it became personal after I lost my father to cancer. That experience taught me that time is not on our side when dealing with this terrible disease.
While time is not on the side of those with cancer, each of us at Mirati are actively and relentlessly on the side of the patient.
Early in my career at a world-renowned cancer center, I had the opportunity to work on patient-reported outcomes, which meant that I sat with patients in waiting areas and supported them in filling out health-related questionnaires. One woman in particular inspired me. She was a breast cancer patient in her early thirties. She sat there with a bandanna around her head after losing her hair to chemotherapy, but she had a huge smile on her face. She was determined to beat cancer so she could see her new baby’s first step and see her child grow up and grow old. I remember, at that moment, knowing that I wanted to commit myself to patients in order to do more to help them achieve long-term survival and win their battle with cancer.
I think of patients as warriors. They are ready to put up a fight in the face of a devastating diagnosis. And here at Mirati, we’re doing everything we can to help them.
Part of my responsibility at Mirati is to lay the foundation for and support the company’s clinical assets by identifying and providing evidence to highlight the unmet medical needs across a variety of cancers. My team and I seek to understand what the treatment environment looks like, referencing published data, in an effort to clearly articulate the value we bring to patients with our new medicines.
I also work with patient advocacy groups where I build relationships on behalf of Mirati. Our goal is to work with patient communities to better understand and identify the unmet needs and ensure that the voices/perspectives of patients are incorporated across all activities from trial design to development and, eventually, through commercialization. Patients and caregivers are at the heart of everything we do here at Mirati, and for those reasons, we want to ensure that we are working together to achieve our common goals through awareness and education.
I think of patients as warriors. They are ready to put up a fight in the face of a devastating diagnosis. And here at Mirati, we’re doing everything we can to help them.
The people and the science at Mirati are truly unique and are what I’m most proud to be a part of. The investment in innovative and potentially life-changing science allows Mirati to attract and retain amazing talent. The initial team that built Mirati from the ground up spent a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy putting us on the course we’re on today. As a result, we have an excellent team of scientists, and that excellence continues to attract incredibly talented people across a broad range of functions as the organization continues to grow, develop and expand.
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