Julia Perkins Smith, MD, Oncology Global Clinical Lead at Pfizer, is a hematologist-oncologist, strategist, and solution seeker -- at the helm of developing breakthrough therapies for breast cancer patients worldwide and implementing clinical trials to examine their efficacy and safety.

During her Temple University Hospital Internal Medicine residency, Perkins rotated at Fox Chase Cancer Center, leading her to make a pivotal decision. “I chose Fox Chase for my Fellowship training because it was one of the top oncology programs in the country, and I loved the way medicine was practiced there,” says Perkins.

Perkins was now on her way to a clinical career; an industry career was not in her plans. “By chance, I went on an interview at Pfizer, and during the extensive interviewing process, I became fascinated by the prospect of using my clinical background to affect so many people through a population health approach.”

After more than a decade at Pfizer, Perkins now serves as a Global Clinical Lead for oncology, creating new partnerships and synergies with industry leaders and renowned academic institutions to further breast cancer knowledge and research, with a passion for advancing women’s health.

Perkins’s research has been published at several congresses and in top peer-reviewed journals and examines topics such as treatment patterns, patient burden, and real-world clinical outcomes in ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients in the United States as well as clinical trial results from ovarian and breast cancer studies.

Improving global health outcomes in the breast cancer space is Perkins’s mission. So are health issues at a personal level. “I have small children, and although we have made tremendous strides in improving cancer outcomes, we still have a way to go. I hope my children and all generations will reap the benefits of the work Pfizer, Fox Chase, and so many others are now doing.”