Researcher blogs

Life as a Medical Science Liaison with Christina Neofytou

Written by Carolyn Lomahan, PhD student at Karolinska Institutet and participant of the course “Career Skills for Scientists” during the autumn term 2025.

Christina Neofytou is currently a Medical Liaison Manager for Biogen; a role otherwise referred to as Medical Science Liaison (MSL), which is tailored for her science skill set and drive. From early on in her scientific training, she developed an interest in science communication, particularly to connect with fellow researchers and forge collaborations between academia, industry, and the clinic.

Christina’s interest in brain development led her to pursue a PhD at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Neuroscience. Her focus was on epigenetics, stem cells, and bioelectronics, as tools to combat childhood cancer neurological sequelae and as a therapeutic option in glioblastoma, both rare diseases. Within both projects, Christina collaborated with the Karolinska University Hospital. For the latter, she collaborated with Celluminova, a start-up, in addition to the Karolinska University Hospital to create a bridge between bench and bedside.

Cultivating a Passion for Science Communication and Career Growth

As a Masters student in the KI Biomedicine program, Christina started as a digital ambassador managing social media science communication. Later, as a PhD student in the Neuroscience department at KI, she became involved in committees for scientific event planning. Merging her expertise with her passion for science communication led her to become an optimal candidate for a Medical Operations Manager role for Biogen, which focuses on neurological and rare diseases, where she quickly advanced to a Medical Liaison Manager covering all therapeutic areas in Sweden. 

Understanding the Medical Science Liaison Role: Science, Not Sales

A Medical Science Liaison is responsible for science communication, relationship building with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the field and lifting clinical trial data to advance diagnosis or treatment standards. Christina debunks a common myth:  “The role belongs in the R&D department and is not sales based or promotional − rather it is one focused on science communication and clinical trials.” Her discussions with peers or KOLs revolve around data gaps, better diagnosis, and improving treatments.

A Week in the Life of a MSL

According to Christina, her working tasks include:

• Main tasks: Meetings in person or online with KOLs, working with new data (Analyzing, writing manuscripts/abstracts/posters etc.)
• Secondary tasks: Administrative tasks (e.g. Documentation, contract handling, presentation building, creation of educational materials), managing emails (Internal and external)

A typical week may present variable responsibilities, including but not limited to, handling large datasets, interacting with physicians and other researchers, and writing research proposals. There is a large emphasis on documentation, which is performed on the Viva Insights platform. Furthermore, this role is hybrid, as a majority of these tasks are performed on the computer with the exception of in-person meetings with KOLs.

Essential Skills for a Successful MSL

Strong science communication and interpersonal relations are the biggest asset. Christina frequently meets with KOLs who are physicians to discuss. “The ability to build trust and communication with these KOLs is very important”.

During these discussions, her knowledge of the field is necessary to facilitate the conversation and scientific exchange. She described how her presentations must easily explain complex clinical trial datasets and lift the data that is of particular interest for the right audience (e.g. physicians, reimbursement bodies, researchers). In addition, successful project management and strategic planning skills are essential.

“This is a role perfectly suited for nerds who are extroverts!”

Advice for Aspiring MSLs: Navigating Your Career Entry

Christina recommends starting by looking for opportunities in small companies. This is because they typically offer a larger range of responsibilities, allowing you to understand which tasks you gravitate towards. “The company you choose should be based on interest and previous knowledge in your therapeutic area.”

Christina notes to keep in mind there may be a limited number of the Medical Science Liaison positions within a company. While it is permissible to specifically look for Medical Science Liaison roles, it may be beneficial to first start in another role in the medical team, particularly if you are a recent grad. Once you gain more experience, there will be an opportunity to transition to the role of a Medical Science Liaison, and perhaps even to a bigger company later. In Christina’s experience, she started in a Medical Operations role on the medical team, which allowed her to build the skills for a Medical Science Liaison, all except for having the opportunity to meet with KOLs. In her Medical Operations role, she worked on many projects on all therapeutic areas across many countries (Nordics and Baltics). This allowed her to get promoted to a Medical Science Liaison with responsibility for all therapeutic areas of Biogen for Sweden.

Career Growth and Advancement Paths in the MSL Field 

There are two avenues for career advancements in this position. The first is to become a project manager, or a subject matter expert. You will become focused on a specific therapeutic specialization, including details about the disease, diagnosis, treatments, past and ongoing clinical trials, and prospects for improvements. The second is to become a people manager and become a medical director responsible for managing all Medical Science Liaisons within a company. This senior, or lead liaison has more responsibility in training the junior liaisons and may foster deeper relations with KOLs as there may be more strategic decisions to make. There can be other opportunities outside of pharma as well such as working in governmental agencies, expert committee networks, and many more paths to explore.

The Rewards of the Role: Continuous Learning and Patient Impact

Medical Science Liaisons discuss and contribute to research at the forefront of advancing diagnosis and treatments for disease. They engage with respected clinicians who are KOLs in their field. In addition to KOLs, they also collaborate with various peers throughout the company. These interactions facilitate continuous learning within the literature field, treatment guidelines, and advances. Out of all the perks of the job, personally Christina’s favorite is getting to see the “real impact on real patients”, even having the chance to listen to experiences directly from the patients themselves, in a few circumstances.

A Full-Circle Moment: Impacting Patients Through Collaboration with Karolinska Institutet

One project that Christina finds particularly exciting in her role is being responsible for maintaining and expanding the longstanding collaboration Biogen has with Karolinska Institutet. In 2018, a Master Research Collaboration Agreement was established between Biogen and KI to build a long-term commitment to research and development in the field of neurodegeneration and rare diseases. Several scientific projects have been completed since then, including ones at the global level in Biogen. She serves as a member of the Joint Advisory Committee and has been involved in projects that generated data for submission to the European Medicines Agency and local regulatory authorities and open access to more flexible treatment options for multiple sclerosis patients. “Not only can I make a real change for patients, but I can do so by giving back to where I started from, Karolinska Institutet, making this a true full-circle moment,”  she concludes.