MSD for Mothers UK proudly launched ‘Parent Packs’, a thoughtful initiative dedicated to easing the return to work for new parents and offering a supportive hand to those on parental leave.
There’s no manual for raising little ones, but support, community, and the confidence to manage it all can go a long way!
Recognising the tremendous value a strong and unwavering support system can have for new parents, MSD for Mothers ‘Parent Packs’ programme centres around sharing experiences, boosting confidence, and providing practical strategies to re-enter the workforce with confidence.
The launch was coupled with an engaging group coaching session facilitated by an award-winning partner. New parents and those on parental leave were warmly invited to our Moorgate and Milton Keynes offices for a session focused on enhancing confidence and equipping parents with practical strategies for a seamless return to work.
The morning wasn’t just productive; it was an enjoyable experience filled with enriching conversations and cathartic moments, contributing to the establishment of a robust, supportive community for MSD’s newest parents
By focusing on shared experiences, fostering confidence and community, and working with individuals to craft a robust re-entry strategy, we are elated and honoured to extend our support to all new parents at MSD!
Behind the scenes: Navigating clinical trial operations
October 2023
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Ever wondered about the unseen heroes behind ensuringupholding patient safety in clinical trials?
Patient safety lies at the core of every healthcare organisation, and this holds particularly true for our Global Clinical Trials Operations team (GCTO). Their mission revolves around safeguarding patients during clinical trials, maintaining data accuracy, and serving as the vital link between hospitals and MSD. Often unsung, they play a pivotal role in ensuring seamless and safe clinical trials.
To gain a deeper insight into the dynamic realm clinical operations, we sat down with Noorie. A former work experience intern at MSD who has since flourished into a Clinical Research Associate, we delved deep into her professional journey which ultimately lead her to the heart of clinical operations
Interviewer: Noorie, let’s start at the beginning: could you share how your journey began at MSD, especially considering the impactful experience that motivated you?
Noorie: Well, it all began when I was 15 years old. My mum was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and it was absolutely devastating.
Witnessing the profound impact it had on her health was a real eye-opener, and around the same time I decided to go for a work experience at a pharmaceutical company. I was very blessed to be given that opportunity at MSD.
Interviewer: That’s a compelling start. Could you shed some light on your role within GCTO at MSD?
Noorie: Certainly, I’m an integral part of the global clinical trials operations team at MSD. We oversee and manage the operations involved in executing our company sponsored clinical trials.
Interviewer: What inspired you to work at MSD?
Noorie: So when I went to MSD, I got to talk to many different people in different departments. It gave me a big inspiration because I realized, wow, all these people are working to a common goal trying to cure different types of diseases. It’s actually the people who work at MSD that really inspire me. Everyone works together. We’re all working as a team and working with the NHS staff as well. They all know what is at stake. It’s like one big family.
It’s actually the people who work at MSD that really inspire me… it’s like one big family
Interviewer: Your role involves bridging the gap between hospitals and the sponsor company. Could you elaborate on this vital aspect of your role?
Noorie: Yes of course! I work with a lot of NHS hospitals and that partnership is so key. Being the liaison between the hospital and the sponsor company ultimately has a huge impact on patients and the NHS as my role is ensuring sites compliance to study protocol as well as good clinical practice. Ultimately, it’s about upholding patient welfare and safety and ensuring the data is accurate for regulatory approval.
Interviewer: Your workdays seem quite dynamic! Can you give us a glimpse of what your typical week looks like?
Noorie: I’m a Clinical Research Associate or CRA for short. I’m a field based CRA, which means I work around three days at different hospital and two days from home. At these hospitals I work closely with investigators and the team. When at home for the other two days, I’m catching up with admin.
Interviewer: What are the key things you look at when you go to the hospital?
Noorie: When I visit hospitals, my main focus is on data integrity. I’m making sure patient notes, prescriptions, and everything at the hospital matches what they’re entering onto the database. And without having that, we wouldn’t know if the clinical trial is running smoothly.
Interviewer: It’s clear you’re deeply involved with your work. What would you say is your favourite aspect of the role?
Noorie: The highlight for me has been travelling across the UK and Ireland, engaging closely with research nurses, pharmacies, doctors, and the remarkable hospital teams. It’s an enriching part of the job.
Interviewer: And finally, if you had to capture your MSD experience in just three words, what would they be?
Noorie: Innovative, collaborative, and inclusive. It’s one of the main reasons that I continued working at MSD after I graduated from my Masters; it’s been eight years and I’m very happy here!
From gardening at the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton to volunteering at the British Transplant Games in Coventry, individuals and teams across MSD reach out to support charities and not-for profit organisations. We asked what inspired them…
Team Gardening
The Corporate Affairs Team took the opportunity to give back when they undertook a half day of gardening at the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton – a place where the Centre’s patients and families spend time enjoying the allotment’s sea views, vegetable garden and flowers.
“We saw a huge change in the allotment in just one morning and knowing that the Horizon Centre’s patients and families can now enjoy the refreshed allotment for the whole summer is inspiring. We were incredibly lucky with the weather on the day. In total we volunteered for 66 hours in just one morning, that’s over two weeks of full-time work for one gardener!”
When it Comes to Animals
Members of Animal Health’s Equine Team found the perfect place to provide a helping hand. The team utilised their hours volunteering at the World Horse Welfare , the largest centre of its kind in the UK. Starting off with a tour of the facility learning about the rehabilitation and re-homing process for the horses, their day was then spent weeding, cleaning and re- filling water troughs – there are 120 horses onsite!
“Volunteering at World Horse Welfare was a great opportunity for our team to continue to build our strong team culture whilst supporting the equine industry. The day helped us get closer to them as a charity, whose equine health and welfare work share many of the values we do at MSD.”
Going for Gold
Having undergone a kidney transplant two years ago, one of our employees joined the Transplant Sport Northern Ireland (TSNI) charity during his recovery. This year, he helped to raise awareness and promote the life-saving impact of organ transplants by leading the NI team at the British Transplant Games in Coventry. He helped organize logistics and training to take a group of transplanted patients of all ages to Coventry to compete in the Games, as well as taking the chance to compete in the swimming.
“The Games’ main aim is to encourage patients to regain fitness after their transplant and help persuade more people to join the UK donor register. To celebrate the gift of transplant through sport was fantastic. It is also a great way to showcase how organ donation can be truly lifesaving. The Transplant Sport Northern Ireland Team came away with 13 Gold, 9 Silver and 8 Bronze medals this year alongside a lot of great memories.”
Clearing the Environment
The Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacovigilance teams wanted to find a volunteering opportunity to both support the community’s well being and do something good for the environment. What better way than doing some litter picking at Burgess Park with Southwark Council!
“Parks have a positive impact on people’s mental health (as we saw especially during the pandemic) so creating this clearer environment allowed us to give back to a local community which does not have the resources to focus on litter pollution. Preventing dangerous items polluting natural habitats also protects and enhances biodiversity in the park.”
MSD encourages all employees to volunteer in the community granting 40 hours paid leave each year. Hundreds of hours are racked up giving back in varied roles, and so many stories are shared of how truly inspiring they find the experience.
GB-NON-08076 | September 2023 | Approved for continued use Aug 2025
Smashing Stereotypes for British Science Week 2023
March 2023
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The annual Smashing Stereotypes campaign is run by the British Science Association (BSA) during British Science Week, encouraging STEM employees and researchers to share stories about their day-to-day work. The BSA wants to showcase the diversity of the STEM workforce, the broad range of jobs and careers available, and that science can be for anyone.
With short films, interviews, and behind-the-scenes photography, the Smashing Stereotypes campaign profiled 5 MSD employees working across MRL, human and animal health, showcasing how they are smashing stereotypes in their roles as they work to save and improve lives.
By identifying and showcasing diverse role models, we can play our part in helping to break down misconceptions and barriers about who can be a scientist, and what they do
Check out our MSD colleagues’ profiles below to find out how they are Smashing Stereotypes!
MSD has provided partial funding towards the Smashing Stereotypes 2023 campaign
Viola Ntim
After studying pharmacy at the University of East Anglia, Viola completed her Masters degree in International Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
At MSD she works as a health technology assessment and outcomes research (HTA&OR) manager, helping to decide whether new medicines are cost-effective through developing and designing models.
‘There’s a stereotype about careers in science or health that you have to work in a lab or hospital. In fact, there are plenty of office-based jobs in the medical field in which you can still have a huge impact on patients. As a Black woman, I am also an example that ethnic minorities can work in science.’
After a degree in medical neuroscience from the University of Sussex and a PhD in Chemistry at Cambridge, Maya joined MSD as a cell biologist.
Maya is based in the company’s London Bioscience Innovation centre in Kings Cross, investigating neurodegenerative diseases of ageing.
‘People often think that scientists must be incredibly analytical and mathematically minded. These skills are important, but I think creativity and thinking outside of the box are just as valuable. Science is all about problem-solving after all!
Tom started working with animals at just 13. His first job was as a kennel assistant at a local veterinary hospital – a role he continued throughout school. At university, he studied Animal Welfare and Veterinary Science before becoming a veterinary nurse.
He is now Senior Pharmacovigilance Officer where he is also Rainbow Alliance Lead for Animal Health.
‘The stereotypical view of science, I think, is that it’s boring and predictable. My experience is the complete opposite: Yes, the fundamentals of science are chemistry, physics, and biology, but what’s possible is almost limitless.’
Jessica grew up swimming competitively and competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia as part of Team England.
She studied Biomedical Science at Plymouth University and during her time there was accepted as a Medical Affairs Associate at MSD as a student industry placement.
Jessica now works at MSD in the Medical Innovation team in Medical Affairs.
‘During my degree, I did a student industry placement at MSD. Initially, I felt like an imposter, but thanks to the support and mentorship I got at MSD, I returned to university with renewed purpose, completed my degree, and then went on to study for a part time Master’s degree at the University of Oxford – something I never thought would be possible for me.‘
Kuldip started her working life as a junior lab technician in the NHS before becoming a clinical research technician. After starting a family, she switched careers in her thirties, taking a job in project management at MSD
She is now National Strategic Partnerships Programme Manager, heading up the company’s effort to eliminate Hepatitis C in England.
‘As a daughter of first-generation immigrants from India that came to the UK in the 1960s, I had been guided by my parents to follow a career in teaching so that it would be easier for me to take time off in the holidays when I had children. But following my father’s death, I started reading about cancer and the science behind how cells multiplied. It fascinated and inspired me.‘
MSD launches Fifty Over 50: Giving people growing older with HIV a voice
July 2022
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A unique listening project in partnership with several leading HIV organisations, with a mission to hear from people who are growing older with HIV.
Thanks to decades of clinical research, innovation and cross-sector collaboration, HIV has largely become a chronic condition in the UK. The UK has led the way in achieving the UNAIDS targets of 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, of those with a known HIV diagnosis 90% receiving treatment, and of those receiving treatment 90% having an undetectable viral load.
The progress which has been made through improvements in testing and treatment has been remarkable, and new diagnoses of HIV continue to decrease in the UK. However, as the number of people who are now growing older with HIV increases, this brings with it a host of new or additional challenges.
The Fifty Over 50 project, coordinated by MSD in collaboration with the Whole Person Care group of HIV community and professional organisations, is a unique listening exercise which set out to give people growing older with HIV a voice. Fifty Over 50 brings together first-hand accounts from a diverse range of people living with HIV aged 50+, and highlights how for many in the HIV community being well is about more than just viral suppression, it’s also about living well.
Ben Lucas, Managing Director for MSD in the UK and Ireland, commented:
“I am immensely proud that MSD have worked with all the individual contributors and organisations that form part of Fifty Over 50 – providing a platform for people to share their experiences and shine a light on the changes that are needed to support people living with HIV to live well across the entirety of their life.”
Learn more about Fifty Over 50 and hear what our contributors had to share in the e-book here.
GB-NON-06155 | Date of Preparation: July 2022 | Reapproval: May 2024
Forward-looking statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the recent global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
No Duty to Update
The information contained in this website was current as of the date presented. The company assumes no duty to update the information to reflect subsequent developments. Consequently, the company will not update the information contained in the website and investors should not rely upon the information as current or accurate after the presentation date.
