Unified Brainz is resolute in presenting and celebrating the exemplary careers of some of the most stalwart personalities whose fortitude, assiduousness and willpower have made them claim the highest level of glory. This year again, we are proud to present one more limited edition of the unique dark mode Coffee Table Book, “Who’s Who of The Industry”, which is marked in the World Book of Records, London, where we have handpicked the success stories of individuals who have made an inedible mark in their respective industries and emerged as victorious leaders.
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, with her parents and elder brother, Cynthia Pointer was instilled with the belief that she could become anything she chose to be. Women were not endowed with as many opportunities as men and were treated quite differently back in the 80’s. Women were not viewed as a robust workforce and their strengths correlated to taking care of their home and family. Cynthia exclaims, “I believed I could become anything I wanted to be and was confident enough to take risks, especially in the corporate world. It wasn’t easy, and I made mistakes along the way, but every single time I got torn down, it validated my desire to keep trying.”
She shares her rather interesting journey where she went to school with the desire to become a psychologist but on her way to fulfilling that dream, she took a pit stop at a consulting firm where she worked on a hotline trying to obtain payer coverage for a new oncology drug. This was the beginning of her career in Market Access, and she realises now that obtaining her graduate degree in Psychology only served to strengthen her career, as it has provided her with a foundation to communicate with all types of individuals.
Trusting her instincts and being able to design and execute a strategy with great precision helps Cynthia stand out in a crowd. She claims that working with payers to obtain coverage for devices and diagnostics is challenging as they have different requirements and it is up to her to help the manufacturer determine the best path forward. “I always have a plan, but I also understand the importance of having a contingency plan with the need to flex should the first path be blocked” Having four children was challenging for Cynthia at times, as it was never easy to put family first when her work commitments were forced to take priority. Subsequently, she expresses that “the feelings of guilt that come with making those decisions was difficult. Those feelings inspired me to take a risk on myself eventually. I recently opened a consulting firm that now allows me to schedule accordingly, and have a much more manageable work/life balance.”
The driving passion for Cynthia is her love for her work, even though she is fully aware of the challenges she will face. That passion makes her work harder and determined to find a solution even if it takes a while for her to figure it out! Her job involves putting together coding, coverage, and reimbursement strategies for novel technologies, such as diagnostic testing for solid tumours and haematological cancers. “I am especially passionate about Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing. Recurrence is something I strive to help identify early as I believe this could have saved my father, who passed away from cancer that had recurred, but there was little to no MRD testing at that time.”
Cynthia wants to share with all women that they possess the required strength and power to accomplish what they set out to do. She has previously worked in companies where she was treated poorly but knowing and believing that she deserved respect helped her guide through those tough times and challenges. Wanting to help people was the reason why Cynthia originally wanted to become a Psychologist. “I often wonder if my next adventure is becoming a life coach for women. I love the idea of women standing up for women and sharing their struggles and successes. Whether in business or at home, I want to help all women share their voices and encourage them to trust their instincts and never give up on their dreams,” she shares lastly. To know more about Cynthia, check https://whoswho.world/ or to nominate email, [email protected]
[Partner Content]
