Up close and personal: The Thomas D ’Hooghe story

While his friends were easing into retirement, Thomas D ’Hooghe MD, 55, was sleepless with excitement at the thought of reinventing himself by jumping from academia to pharma.   It is a move he would recommend to anyone. “It was the best thing I ever did,” says the Vice-President and Head Global Medical Affairs, Fertility at Merck, sitting down with me and sharing his thoughts about passion, purpose, leading people and making a difference.  Origins Working in healthcare was always in his blood. In high school it was never a question; D ’Hooghe would study medicine. It was an ideal way to combine his interests in science, languages, art and philosophy. He embraces discussions about the meaning of life, spirituality and religion and practices a combination of Christian and Buddhist meditation.  His musician father toured the world as Director of the Royal Music Conservatory in Brussels. His mother studied religions and meditation. D ’Hooghe fondly remembers returning to the nurturing environment of home from university to gather with his older sister, two younger brothers and their parents, to discuss art, religion, music, philosophy and meditation.   His father ’s success was inspirational and it was from him that D’Hooghe learned to follow ones’ interests and that whatever you do, do it well. Seeing his father’s success was highly inspirational for him. His parents were also role models of global citizenship, impressing on him the value both of sh...
Source: EyeForPharma - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news