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There’s an expression in the Jewish tradition -- Le-dor va-dor -- which means “from generation to generation.” It captures something profoundly human: the responsibility not only to advance ourselves, but to ensure that knowledge, culture, and wisdom are passed along to those who follow.
In pharmaceutical marketing research, we are at an inflection point where this passing of the torch has become critical. For decades, professionals entering the field were immersed in training programs that provided both structure and rigor. Companies routinely sent their new marketing researchers -- often former sales representatives on commercial rotations -- into seminars where they learned the fundamentals: how to moderate a focus group, craft a discussion guide, interpret qualitative learnings, analyze quantitative patterns, and, perhaps most importantly, how to listen to the voice of the customer.
Today, those kinds of industry-specific training opportunities are largely absent. Universities like Rutgers, the University of Georgia, Saint Joseph's University, Penn, and Fairleigh Dickinson do an admirable job of incorporating pharmaceutical marketing research into their academic curricula. Yet for those already working inside the industry -- new hires, junior researchers, and even those rotating in from commercial roles -- the gap in practical training has grown wide.
At ThinkGen, we see it as part of our mission to close that gap.
What universities teach well are the frameworks: the history, the theories, the regulatory context, and the business models. What often goes missing are the practical craft skills -- the subtle but critical abilities that make a researcher not just competent, but trusted.
Skills such as:
These abilities are not learned from textbooks. They are honed through exposure, mentorship, and practice. In the past, seminars filled that role. Today, too many young researchers are left to learn these lessons the hard way -- by trial and error, often under pressure.
We at ThinkGen are committed to filling this void. Our approach has been to build accessible, practical training experiences and share them openly with our clients and colleagues across the industry.
My colleague, Bart Weiner, who brings nearly 40 years of experience across the pharma marketing research landscape, has developed a series of training decks and seminars designed precisely for this purpose. These sessions are offered gratis to clients who wish to provide structured training to their teams.
The materials -- two of which I’ll briefly summarize here -- focus on bridging that critical gap between knowledge and practice.
The first seminar walks learners through the principles of primary research across the pharmaceutical product lifecycle. It contrasts qualitative and quantitative methods, not in abstract, but in terms of when each is most effective. Participants learn why qualitative research excels at uncovering the “why” behind HCP or patient choices, while quantitative methods deliver the “what” and “how many” needed to support forecasts and segmentation.
The training also demystifies project anatomy: how to craft an RFP, align with vendors, design materials, recruit respondents, and analyze findings. By embedding real case studies, it shows not just theory, but the lived process of a project -- from the kick-off meeting through to executive presentation.
The second seminar extends the focus into emerging trends and advanced applications. It covers demand studies, market entry forecasting, clinical trial optimization, and segmentation approaches, along with the growing importance of privacy, compliance, and pharmacovigilance. Participants are also introduced to the role of AI in research synthesis -- highlighting how tools can accelerate, but never replace, the researcher’s interpretive role.
Both sessions share a common philosophy: that marketing research is part art, part science. Methodologies matter, but so does the ability to frame a question, earn the trust of respondents, and tell/sell a compelling story back to stakeholders.
Building on these foundations, Bart has teamed up with our colleague Nipa Clayton to design a new wave of training modules. These focus specifically on the intricacies of quantitative primary marketing research -- a domain where even experienced professionals can feel on uncertain ground.
Topics include the practical elements of:
Bart and Nipa are, quite frankly, Jedi-level practitioners of these techniques. Their ability to not only apply these methods, but to teach them in a clear, approachable way, is what sets these modules apart. And again: these trainings are not fee-based. We offer them freely to clients and non-clients alike, because the goal is bigger than any single engagement. It is about ensuring that these Jedi skills are passed to the next generation.
We are also working to extend these contributions to the broader industry through a forthcoming book: The Practical Handbook of Pharmaceutical Marketing Research. Co-authored and co-edited by Bart, myself, and several other experts, this volume will provide a comprehensive yet practice-focused guide to the discipline.
Our goal is not to produce another academic tome. Rather, we aim to create a resource that sits on the desks of working researchers -- something you can flip open before moderating your first physician interview, or while preparing to present segmentation insights to senior management.
Some may ask: why does training matter so much in an era when insights are increasingly automated, when dashboards and analytics are readily available at the click of a button?
The answer is simple: while tools evolve, the judgment of skilled researchers remains irreplaceable.
Every commercial, insights, and analytics professional knows that the stakes of these decisions are immense: whether a life-changing therapy reaches patients, whether investment flows to the right pipeline opportunities, whether marketing strategies resonate or fall flat. For these reasons, the training of researchers is not a “nice to have.” It is mission-critical.
The work we are doing at ThinkGen -- through seminars, through mentorship, through advanced training modules, and soon through our book -- is not proprietary. In fact, it is the opposite. We believe this knowledge belongs to the industry, and to the generations that will carry it forward.
So here is our open invitation: if your company, whether in pharma, biotech, or medtech, wishes to strengthen the practical skills of your insights and analytics teams, we would be glad to help. These trainings can be delivered virtually or in person, tailored to the specific needs of your teams, and adapted for different levels of experience. And whether or not you are a client, we will be glad to share these resources, free of charge.
When I think about the future of pharmaceutical marketing research, I am optimistic. Not because the challenges are diminishing -- they are not -- but because of the talent I see among the rising generation. What they need are tools, guidance, and structured opportunities to learn.
Le-dor va-dor. From generation to generation.
It is our responsibility, and our privilege, to ensure that the wisdom of practice does not fade, but flourishes.
