Title: Vice President and General Manager of Breast and Women’s Cancers
Company: Novartis
Location: Valencia, California, United States
Mitchell A. Medland Jr., MHA, MBA, vice president and general manager of breast and women’s cancers at Novartis, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in pharmaceuticals.
From a young age, Mr. Medland was interested in science, initially planning to become a physician. During his undergraduate studies, though, he discovered that while he enjoyed scientific subjects, he wasn’t nearly as passionate about lab work. Shifting into the business world, Mr. Medland started his professional journey as a senior sales representative with Sprint Nextel in 2000. He would remain with Sprint for five years, developing expertise in the world of telecommunications.
Throughout his tenure at Sprint Nextel, Mr. Medland was promoted to indirect account executive, retail store manager and eventually, in 2004, district manager. This impressive trajectory actually broke records, marking him as the youngest district manager in the company’s history. In that final role, Mr. Medland managed multiple business opportunities, including retail and business sales and third-party account management. He gained a reputation for prioritizing a high level of performance and a culture of accountability.
Although he quickly showcased great talent in telecommunications, Mr. Medland felt a strong desire to make a larger impact on society in a way that he didn’t feel he could accomplish in that field. Demonstrating his flexibility and willingness to change directions, he joined Pfizer in 2005 as a district business manager. Across nearly 20 years with that organization, Mr. Medland moved through a number of titles of increasing responsibility: key account manager, senior marketing manager for Lyrica in the United States, director of U.S. oncology IBRANCE marketing, director and team lead for Tanezumab in the U.S., senior director of business operations for the hospital business unit, vice president of the U.S. specialty brands portfolio, vice president and U.S. antiviral lead, and vice president and global antiviral lead.
While at Pfizer, Mr. Medland led the company’s antiviral portfolio during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he led the commercial marketing and sales teams for Paxlovid. During this process, he collaborated with federal and state government health departments, including representatives from the Biden administration. Under Mr. Medland’s guidance, Paxlovid was given Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration and went on to treat more than 10 million COVID-19 patients in just two years, making it one of the most-used pharmaceutical products in history. He points to this high-pressure but important period as the most notable of his career so far.
Culminating his extensive experience, Mr. Medland has served as the vice president and general manager of breast and women’s cancers at Novartis since 2024. For this role, he manages daily operations, coordinates team meetings, develops project plans and monitors progress. Mr. Medland is also responsible for communicating with stakeholders both within the company and beyond. He regularly conducts training sessions and analyzes a number of performance metrics, implementing improvements in the process when needed.
Before venturing onto his vocational path, Mr. Medland established a strong academic foundation for his future, beginning with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and marketing from the University of California, Riverside. Returning to school years later, he obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2012. Subsequently, Mr. Medland earned a second master’s degree, this one in health administration, from the University of Southern California in 2014. His educational path was deeply influenced by his mother, a first-generation graduate who returned to school in her 30s and taught him the importance of continued learning.
In addition to his professional life, Mr. Medland is a loving husband and father to three children, noting that his family is the real motivation behind everything he does. His hobbies include traveling, enjoying nature and playing with his dog. When considering the future, Mr. Medland hopes to continue growing as a leader, with the overall goal of leading larger teams. He envisions advancing to the next stage of his career with Novartis and looks forward to making an even greater impact on the world wherever his journey takes him.
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