Associate Director, Patient Advocacy Liaison

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Medical Affairs, the Associate Director, Patient Advocacy Liaison (PAL) serves as a key patient-facing educator and advocate, bridging the gap between complex scientific information and patient/caregiver understanding. This role supports patients, families, caregivers, and patient advocacy groups (PAGs) by delivering personalized education, facilitating access to resources. The PAL will support patients across disease states and therapeutic programs, including both clinical stage and approved products, through non-promotional education and resource navigation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Patient & Caregiver Education

• Develop and provide clear, and customized education to patients, families, and caregivers about disease states and investigational or approved therapies within Disc Medicine’s pipeline.
• Translate scientific/medical concepts into accessible language tailored to varied health literacy levels.
• Present approved materials at virtual webinars and in-person PAG meetings on behalf of Disc across therapeutic areas including EPP, MF, PV, IBD, and SCD.  

Resource Navigation & Support

• Connect patients and caregivers to internal and external support resources, including PAGs, financial assistance programs, and supportive care networks.
• Respond to patient/caregiver questions regarding disease, treatment expectations, and supportive tools (non-medical advice).

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with in-house Advocacy, broader Medical Affairs team, Clinical, and Patient Support/Access to align education efforts with program goals.
• Share insights and feedback from patient interactions to inform program design, educational materials, and engagement strategies.
• Support development of Disc’s Advocacy Engagement Plan across and inform overall strategy.

Documentation & Insights

• Maintain accurate documentation of patient interactions and educational activities in CRM tools and dashboards.
• Track emerging trends, unmet needs, and opportunities to improve patient experience.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing (RN), Health Education, Public Health, or related field (clinical background preferred).
• 10-12 years’ experience in patient education, care coordination, community outreach, or related roles in healthcare/biotech.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills with ability to engage diverse populations.
• Aptitude for translating complex biomedical information into patient-friendly language.
• Travel >30% of the time.

Preferred:

• Experience working with rare disease or chronic care populations.
• Demonstrated cultural competency and commitment to inclusive patient engagement.
• Experience with electronic CRM or patient support platforms.
• Deep understanding of GPP, medical/regulatory review, and compliance environments.
• Experience launching products or scaling Medical Affairs in high-growth settings.
• Excellent collaboration, written, and verbal communications skills
• Clinical, technical, and scientific knowledge and aptitude in complex disease states