Samuel Watson
Vice President, Field Educator Networks
VMS BioMarketing
Personalized Patient Engagement in a Virtual World
VMS BioMarketing is the leading provider of patient engagement solutions integrating human connection, technology, and data to deliver personalized patient support. As Vice President, Field Educator Networks, Samuel Watson, RPh oversees the management of hundreds of Clinical Educators who provide patient and HCP engagement programs about novel immunotherapies and complicated treatments that often require the use of a medical device or delivery of self-administered injections.
At VMS, Sam ensures that his team not only understands a biopharma product, but also, has the keen passion and superlative communication skills to connect with both HCPs and patients. “We seek out educators who find that emotional trigger to build a relationship of trust,” he says. Sam emphasizes the need for “engagement programs that monitor the patient throughout the treatment journey and help overcome roadblocks.”
Sam’s career began at age 15, when he assisted in his local pharmacy. He later earned a degree in environmental biology from the University of Tennessee and a pharmacy degree from the University of South Carolina. He has worked in institutional, long-term care, and retail settings, eventually serving as National Sales Director at Eli Lilly and Company. In 2014, he joined VMS to continue building and innovating on Clinical Educator teams.
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation in 2020, VMS BioMarketing needed to transition from in-person patient and HCP engagement programs to virtual. Sam and his team made it happen—in less than two weeks, maintaining the same high standards.
The results are measured in countless testimonials from grateful patients. Overall, VMS has noted a 33% increase in medication adherence after six months and a 95% increase in patient satisfaction. Additionally, 98% of HCPs believe the information received will lead to a better initiation experience for patients.
Andrea Heslin Smiley, VMS President and CEO says, “What Sam does better than anybody else is put in the time to call out the team’s successes. His style is ‘we’re all in this together,’ versus very traditional management.’” When asked about his own success, Sam simply says, “What we’ve accomplished at VMS are many victories giving people hope to achieve a better quality of life.”
