Have you ever wondered why new medicines can take decades to be developed and why the process is so costly? On this exciting episode of Let’s Talk Chemistry edited by Presley Vu, hosts Amber Bakkum, Poorvi Iyer, and Nina Deng go behind-the-scenes of the pharmaceutical industry with Dr. John LaMattina, former president of Pfizer Global Research and Development and current biotech advisor. Dr. LaMattina shares his experience first as a bench scientist to becoming the head of global Research and Development at Pfizer Inc. He talks about the important skills needed for chemists to work their way to leadership positions and dispels common myths about the pharmaceutical industry. We hope you enjoy!