As COVID-19 remains prevalent around the world, "everyday heroes" throughout Amgen are inspiring their colleagues by showing commitment to Amgen’s mission and values. Here are a few such examples from China, where staff members are going above and beyond to serve healthcare professionals and patients, support each other, and maintain essential business operations during this challenging time.
Grace Chen, Medical Affairs Advisor
Sponsoring Medical Education Lectures
As the COVID-19 epidemic picked up steam in China, Grace Chen began thinking of innovative ways in which Amgen medical staff could engage remotely with the medical community. Working with the Chinese Cardiovascular Association (CCA), Chen arranged an Amgen sponsorship of a new series of CCA online medical education lectures focusing on management of heart disease in the context of COVID-19. Entitled “Let’s Talk Coronary Heart Disease (CHD),” the series enabled the Association’s cardiovascular disease experts to convey important information virtually to more than 4,000 healthcare professionals on the prevention and treatment of CHD. “Grace’s innovative thinking and leadership, combined with vital support from a large cross-functional group of colleagues, made it possible to turn this training program from idea to reality in just two weeks,” noted Amgen China Medical Director Amy Zhu.
Yun Gao, District Commercial Manager
Online Purchasing Information for Patients
In Hubei Province, District Commercial Manager Yun Gao found that patients were having difficulty gaining access to needed medicines. She reached out proactively to other member companies of a local R&D-based pharmaceutical association committee and worked with them to develop a solution. Gao volunteered to build a new system for providing online purchasing information to patients about innovative medicines for chronic diseases. “It was a very busy time,” she observed, “but I felt a duty to do everything I could to serve patients by helping them obtain the medicines they needed.”
“Gao’s work demonstrates her selflessness, her concern for the community, and her sense of mission,” commented District Commercial Senior Manager Wei Peng. “She has inspired our whole team, and we are very proud of her.”
Luke Zhuang, Supply Chain Manger
Urgent Face Mask Purchases
As the coronavirus spread across China, Luke Zhuang realized that Amgen China’s staff needed an adequate supply of face masks in order to avoid infection. With strong support from the Leadership Committee and Incident Management Team, Zhuang quickly engaged with global and regional Amgen teams to arrange the emergency purchase of various types of face masks from countries across the world and distribute them to Amgen China employees. He worked through the Chinese New Year holidays to ensure rapid placement of purchase orders and speedy distribution of the newly purchased face masks to Amgen China employees. "I feel honored to have been able to play a part in this team effort showing how much Amgen cares for its employees,” Zhuang commented.
Xiang Lan, Information Systems Manager
Tech Support Tips
When most Amgen China offices implemented voluntary attendance policies and recommended that staff members work from home, Information Systems Manager Xiang Lan moved quickly to implement the Information Systems team’s “Smart at Home” program, which provided useful tips for colleagues in resolving technical issues at home. He and the other IS support team members made themselves available to help colleagues with all sorts of online and field technical support – including help in resolving connectivity problems, understanding and applying guidelines for remote working, debugging information systems, and solving other technical problems. Thanks to the efforts of Lan and his colleagues, Amgen staff were able to maintain normal business operations with minimal disruption.
Elaine Mao, Facility Associate
Working to Keep Facilities Safe
Elaine Mao, Lena Lu, and Yuanyuan Zhou went to great lengths as a team to maintain a safe work environment for their colleagues by monitoring employees’ body temperature at office entrances, delivering masks and hand sanitizers nationwide, tracking employee sign-in and sign-out at Amgen offices in Shanghai and Beijing, and cleaning and sanitizing the office frequently every day. They spared no effort to make sure that employees who chose to work at Amgen’s offices were kept as fully protected from the virus as possible. “Providing a safe and comfortable working environment for our co-workers is our responsibility. It was very important to Lena, Yuanyuan and me to do everything possible to make our colleagues feel safe and protected,” Mao commented.
Dake Shao (left) and Nick Qiu (right), Human Resources Manager and Senior Manager
Attending to Physical and Mental Health
Human Resources managers Nick Qiu and Dake Shao understood that Amgen China staff had a wide variety of physical, emotional, and financial needs resulting from COVID-19 that the company could help satisfy. Qiu, Shao, and their HR colleagues took care of everyone’s physical and mental health, providing encouraging and hopeful messages to staff and organizing special counseling services for Hubei-based colleagues. “It’s important that all of us take care of our mental health in these challenging times,” Qiu commented. “By helping our colleagues maintain their emotional equilibrium, we in Human Resources can help them quickly adapt to changing circumstances and accept life’s uncertainties.”
