ELITE 2018 Leader of the Future Carolyn Atchison of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Carolyn Atchison

Director, Access, Pricing & Advocacy

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.

A Superhero Approach

Carolyn Atchison’s first year in Access Marketing as Director of Access, Pricing & Advocacy at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. almost proved to be superhuman.

In that time, Carolyn had multiple mandatory updates, with 23 tactics to potentially update per round, and countless hours of medical, regulatory, and legal review ahead of her. But that just includes the work she knew she had in front of her, not the unexpected surprises that crept up on her.

Take, for example, the time the patient and caregiver video she was spearheading had to go through intense market research. Did she panic? No, she took control. More than 20 interviews were quickly scheduled, a discussion guide was completed, two versions of a video storyboard were prepped, several rounds of comments were incorporated, and meetings were held to ensure all involved knew exactly what was going on.

Carolyn also had to deal with the year after launch, which can be a challenging time for any team. Colleagues who were once frequently together during pre-launch now work less cohesively due to increasing demands on their time. As a result, integration is harder to come by. But that didn’t stop Carolyn.

Within the first two months in her new role, she heard the NUPLAZID® (pimavanserin) website was being updated, but instead of waiting to find out what changes were being made, she brought together her colleagues and agency to help define them. In the process, Carolyn ensured that any updated content in her materials made it to various sections of the website and that every word matched to guarantee that patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers had the most accurate, up-to-date information.

“We thought the rule was that you’re only allowed one superpower, but we saw Carolyn prove to be a graceful decider, big picture collaborator, and master integrator,” says Shahin Syed, Account Supervisor at Entrée Health. “We think these superpowers make Carolyn special, but her understanding of NUPLAZID, her care for the patients and caregivers, and her attention to the payers who cover it make us believe Carolyn is truly a leader of the future.”

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