By Najah Sampson, Pfizer Canada President

The end of the year presents us with an opportunity to reflect not only on our accomplishments throughout the year, but more importantly, on the impact we’ve made.

For us at Pfizer, that driving force has always been the people that we seek to help. Our team collaborates with patients, advocates, and caregivers on a daily basis to make sure their perspective informs and is embedded in everything we do; from the earliest stage of research and development of our medicines and vaccines to integrating patient insights into our educational efforts.

Earlier this year, our Pfizer team was proud to learn that we achieved the top ranking in the PatientView Survey among the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies. This recognition is particularly meaningful to us since it is based on the feedback of patient groups from around the world, including Canada, who assess the work of the pharmaceutical industry based on 10 criteria that define patient centricity. We are truly grateful for this important acknowledgement of our work, yet we realize it is just one milestone in an ongoing journey to raise the bar on how we collaborate with the patient community.

Last October, Pfizer hosted our second annual Patients in Focus global event, a week‑long event where colleagues are invited to celebrate the impact that patients have on our work, explore new ways to renew our commitment to patient centricity and feel the joy that comes with helping others live healthier lives. By showcasing best practice case studies, sharing patient testimonials and offering learning activities with patient groups, Patients in Focus is an initiative that enables employees to reflect on the work they're currently doing and where we can make an even more meaningful impact in patients’ lives.

Every single colleague plays an important role in influencing patient centricity, whether directly or indirectly. We all contribute in some way to our purpose. When we talk about patients, it is easy for it to seem like they are far removed from our day‑to‑day work. But we are patients. Our loved ones, partners, children, friends and neighbours are also patients.  As we move into 2023, we will continue to put patients at the center of everything we do.