By Gloria Romano-Barrera and Christine Bolaños
Exemplifying visionary leadership in health and technology related fields,
highlighted here are two Latinas who take pride in their work and continue to
impact the lives of many, including the company they work for.
Geraldine Massuh, MPH
Research Associate, Global Real-World Evidence, Pfizer
Board Member - National Association of Hispanic
Healthcare Executives (NAHHE)
A bilingual, first-generation daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, growing up in
the inner city of Jamaica, Queens in New York incited Massuh to question the
health system in the community at an early age. From long waiting times to see
a physician, to being surrounded by fast-food restaurants, she noticed that her
neighborhood’s health, including her own, was being burdened by disparities.
“By the time I was in a specialized health professions high school, I learned
that health cannot be understood from simply a biological standpoint,” she shares.
“But it is situated within a framework of political, economic, and social aspects. At
the same, new technologies were rapidly advancing and I became interested in
how they could be used to improve the drug development process and improving
patient outcomes - because these are also
an integral part of a holistic health system.”
As a Research Associate at Pfizer in
Patient and Health Impact, Massuh is
responsible for work streams to improve
efficiencies regarding market access and
health economics outcome research
(HEOR). She also manages projects for
enterprise use of real-world data/evidence
and launch preparation. Her role at
Pfizer impacts the lives of patients and
collaboratively with her team, she works
to ensure patients receive access to
medicines that are safe, effective, and
affordable.
“Technology is rapidly advancing the
use of real-world evidence (data captured
outside of traditional clinical research settings, including electronic medical records,
registries, and mobile applications among others), which can have an impact on
the speed in which vital drugs reach patients in need,” she states. “My greatest
accomplishment thus far was spearheading the procurement of a technology
platform to provide colleagues with efficient access to internal real-world evidence
resources and data tools.”
Massuh believes there is room for more diversity especially for Boards
and health executive positions. “It is important to have diversity of thought and
identities to better understand patient needs and improve the health of all,” she
shares. “More focused programs and resources are needed to retain and continue
developing diverse employees to become executives and key decision-makers.
Working with a diversity of colleagues towards purpose-driven growth to impact
patients’ lives. I enjoy Pfizer’s dynamic inclusive environment and the many
opportunities to grow.”
She is a Board Member for the National Association of Hispanic Healthcare
Executives. In this capacity, she lead initiatives such as the Health Professions
Mentorship Program (HPMP), developing students to become healthcare and
STEM leaders. She is also responsible for sponsor/partner relations, strategy and
marketing, and Editor-in-Chief for the monthly Healthcare Newsbrief. She is an
Advisory Board Member for the Hunter College Center for Cancer Health
Disparities Research, fostering community engagement in cancer research as part
of the Temple University/Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunter College Regional
Comprehensive Cancer Health Disparities Partnership.
Before completing her Master’s in Public Health in management and policy
at Columbia University, she was leading community-based research programs
using technology, including telehealth, at Weill Cornell Medicine. She has also
consulted on nationwide projects regarding cultural competence in the health
workforce. She founded LatinXHealth, a curated platform to learn about local
health-related and STEM opportunities, programs, and scholarships with a focus
on diverse communities.
Massuh is proud to have learned the meaning of integrity from her parents.
As a professional, she’s motivated by her parent’s tenacity to succeed in a new
country without having resources and without knowing the language.
10 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 25, No. 3, 2019
9
Latinas Rising
in Health and Technology
Panel on Talent Retention & Recruitment in Health Professions.
Geraldine Massuh.
/www.latinastyle.com
