With an impressive curriculum including a MD, PhD, and MBA, Shari Langemak has been Editorial Director at the German branch of Medscape for 3 years now. Medscape is an international online magazine that offers information and media resources on a wide range of medical topics destined for healthcare professionals. In addition to this, Shari is also a public speaker at conferences, and a coach for startups, especially in the field of digital health. We sat down to talk to her about how she got here, her thoughts on diversity in tech and much, much more.
What is your role at Medscape?
I am responsible for the production of medical content that enables physicians to stay up to date with their specialty. I work with science writers, medical experts and colleagues from all over the world. Regular discussions with all of them are crucial, as we need to identify the biggest topics in medicine and to stay updated on the latest findings in research. My job also includes quite a bit of traveling, as we make videos with key opinion leaders at international congresses.
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Shari Langemak, Editorial Director at Medscape Germany |
I appreciated my medical studies a lot, but from the very beginning I felt very intrigued by the entire healthcare industry and was curious about innovation, both medical and technological. I realized quickly that a role in journalism would enable me to understand the healthcare system on a meta level. Somewhat randomly, I got an internship at Axel Springer, wrote quite a lot of articles about topics in medicine for Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag, and continued working as a freelance journalist in addition to my medical studies and my PhD.
"Journalism enables you to get a broader understanding of the healthcare system"
Journalism is very interesting, because you keep up with all the different topics out there. You get a broader understanding of the healthcare system, and you meet many people. So it was a very cool job to do while being a student. After finishing my medical degree, my freelance activity paid off, and I started working as an editor for Die Welt. This was definitely exciting – going from a clinical career to a big media corporation where I had a completely different life!
And when did you do the MBA?
I did my MBA in parallel to my current job at Medscape, as I really like to challenge myself. My main goal is to understand the healthcare system from all the different aspects and stakeholders’ points of view, especially from an entrepreneurial and an economic perspective. I aim to play an active part in the innovation lifecycle. But I realized that without business knowledge, this would not be possible.
I already had the medical and the research point of view, and then journalism, which allowed me to talk to a lot of people from different areas in healthcare. But especially because I work with startups a lot (I am a startup mentor and speak about what the healthcare system might look like in the future), I should know the basic principles of business, finance, and entrepreneurship. So the MBA was a great opportunity for me to catch up with that. I think I now have a broad view of the healthcare system.
What do you like the most about your job?
I like that I can learn about many different topics in medicine. And I love working internationally. And building a product in the German market, while working with very insightful colleagues. I also really like our company culture. We have many women working at Medscape, and they are really tough and smart.
What are some of the challenges of your job?
Media is a tough field, with lots of competition. It’s really hard to get the attention of the reader in a digital world, where everything is so quick. It’s not like you stay at home on a Sunday and read the newspaper anymore. There is so much distraction and information, and competition for the reader’s attention. Also, it is challenging to keep up with the innovation in digital health across the globe. The industry is rapidly evolving, which – to be honest – is also incredibly rewarding.
The world of technology is very male-dominated. Have you gone through any difficulties for being a woman, or experienced inequality?
No, quite the opposite. I'm invited to be a speaker quite often, being a young female, so I cannot say I have a disadvantage. I think people want to hear more diverse opinions, different perspectives. I also see a growing number of women who are founders in the startup scene, including health-tech. I believe that the male domination has other reasons. Many women, or rather girls, maybe pursue the wrong career path because they don’t know that they make great engineers, programmers, and entrepreneurs.
"I personally was a little nerd child"
During school and university we are told that women are not good at tech. I personally was a little nerd child. I used to game, I built my own computer... So I was always around many males. I learned a lot by just playing and being around friends with the same interests – that’s the best way to learn and pick your interests for your career later.
Can you tell us about the Startup Bootcamp where you are a mentor?
It’s an accelerator. Startup Bootcamp helps startups to grow by empowering entrepreneurs with knowledge and network. Many mentors from different areas do this type of work. I coach startups on digital health. I help them with market access, understanding how each player in the health industry thinks, product design, identifying which regulatory challenges they might face – as there are plenty. Many startups are international and want to grow a product in Germany, so they don’t know which problems may come up here.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were in university? What would the current Shari tell the student Shari?
Everything is possible! It’s not because you chose one field of study that you will eventually end up in this specific field of work. But it’s also not as if it comes to you. You have to define your path and build your own brand. You should think early in your studies where you want to be, and many options are possible. You have to think about what makes you happy and get an inside view of the job you would like to do, so that you can actually see what it is like – by doing internships, talking to people… And if you still like it, perfect. Then you should think: what do I need to do to get there? Or what kind of skills would this future employer like to see? And then work on these. Academia is one thing, but especially if you want to move into a different field, you need very specific and practical skills. And while you are still studying, you can start developing some of them.
"You have to define your path and build your own brand"
Interview by Mariana Cerdeira, PhD Student, AG Harms
This article originally appeared March 2017 in "Diversity in Neuroscience"
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