15 Years of the NSF Journal

Communication is not an art or a science, it is a straightforward understanding of the needs of the reader or listener. The person communicating should, ideally, possess the innate ability to use simple, easily understood terms and language to get the message across to the recipient. The NSF Journal continues to communicate simple messages and key learnings to readers 15 years on!

The Journal was born out of a desire to provide a more regular and valuable service to our clients.

In particular, we wanted to do three things:

• Explain and provide expert advice on technical and regulatory issues which we knew were causing confusion and concern in the industry
• Provide busy health science professionals with a regular update on new and impending regulatory legislation and guidance, but, more importantly, to explain the rationale behind them and provide practical advice on how best to comply in a scientifically sound and cost-effective way
• Give our clients the opportunity to get to know us better as people by providing short features on our team; their hobbies, interests and achievements outside of the professional environment

Since the very first issue, clients from all over the world regularly contact us to tell us how much they appreciate the technical articles, the sound advice and how they appreciate being a part of “our family.”

Along with helping to develop our Qualified Person training program, I regard launching the Journal as the proudest and most satisfying achievement of my professional career.

While the Pharma industry changes and adapts to the business environment, the patient’s needs and expectations remain fairly unchanged. Working on the Journal gave me a chance to see how our immensely knowledgeable experts were able to cut through the noise and provide good, solid, science-based advice, support and solutions to those working in the varied and challenging environments that make up the industry. I was proud to be part of the team and contribute to making the Journal available across the globe.

Despite it being 16 years ago, I still remember presenting the initial layouts of the Journal to Bob Pietrowski and discussing the content for the first issue. I doubt either of us would have envisaged the enormous success this modest publication would bring.

Over time we have given the Journal some design facelifts, but the fundamental content -- in terms of industry and legislation updates and company insight -- has remained pretty much the same throughout its life.

I think it’s fair to say that since Wish was founded in 2003, there has not been one publication that has had such longevity and success as the Journal, and certainly nothing that gives us such pride.

I’ve worked on the Journal for as long as I’ve worked at Wish! It really is a highlight in my working year. I would liken it to an excellent puzzle, getting all the content to fit into the allotted pages, making sure everything lines up, selecting imagery and getting to work closely with the NSF team throughout the years.

I love designing each Journal. I’m not sure anyone really realizes how much fun it is and how very proud I am to have been part of this great publication.

Bob Pietrowski pitched the idea of the Journal at my first management strategy meeting in the spring of 2005. We all thought it was a great idea and the Journal was launched later that year. I have written the Industry News/EU Legal Update section for every edition since the launch, as well as several Tech Talk pieces and other contributions.

It was nearly 15 years ago while working in a biologics facility in Massachusetts that I would receive the Journal by post (snail mail). The letters “DBA” – our former name -- would stand out on my desk cluttered with release documents and protocols to be reviewed. The Journal offered an easy read, keeping me abreast of industry regulatory trends and often providing a fresh perspective on a topic relevant to my work. The banner “DBA” has been replaced with “NSF” but I believe the read is still easy and the perspective is still fresh. I sincerely hope that those of you on the “sharp” end today, working to keep supply chains moving, are as appreciative as I was years ago.

The last eight years of being involved with the Journal have truly been an honor to have the opportunity to serve, educate and share my passion for quality with my NSF colleagues and pharma biotech industry friends.

What a longstanding and successful publication this has turned out to be! From its early roots at David Begg Associates and DBA through to NSF, Issue 48 is as in demand and popular as its predecessors! I have been involved with both the proofreading and worldwide distribution since the very first edition in 2005. Our audience has continued to grow over the years, and I am pleased to have been an integral part of the Journal team which ensures quality remains at the forefront of everything we do.

I have been responsible, along with my colleague Sally Simpson, for the distribution of our Journal since its very first issue back in the Autumn of 2005. I have seen over the years its popularity grow, with useful promotional materials, insights into the industry, ours and our customers’ successes plus much more.

We take great pride in the distribution of our Journal and ensure it gets delivered to you, wherever in the world that might be! As we move to a digital publication, I hope you enjoy reading the new format.