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Passion for Health Hanna Maertens

Passion for Health: Hanna Maertens

Strategic Account Manager Hanna Maertens establishes Strategic Partnerships with hospitals and universities. The goal? Combining forces to increase the positive impact on patients’ lives. That is what Hanna is committed to every day, together with her colleagues.  

A focus on healthcare

Hanna’s career in the healthcare sector started with her studies to become a physiotherapist. She quickly joined the pharmaceutical sector. Hanna has 20 years of active service in the sector under her belt. Four years ago, she moved from Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices to the newly created Janssen ‘Strategic Partnerships’ team.

Strategic Partnerships

The team consists of colleagues with very different professional backgrounds who complement each other. “This allows the team to quickly respond to developments in today's innovative healthcare world," according to Hanna. "Our partnerships are established on the same principle: creating a positive effect for all partners and better care for the patient,” she continues.

That is why Hanna visits hospital executives and chief pharmacists to examine how mutually beneficial added value can be created from co-creation. As a large healthcare company with an extensive portfolio, Janssen can offer many different solutions throughout the value-chain. Potential partners therefore are open-minded and open for dialogue, according to Hanna. “For example, when discussing the packaging of one of our new products with different chief pharmacists, we learned that our new packaging did not fit the pharmacy robot,” Hanna adds. “This feedback is very relevant for our supply chain division in the pre-launch phase.”

Creating solutions with added value through co-creation

Conversation as a starting point

Hanna and her colleagues have been able to establish some promising partnerships. The strengths have been combined with the large Belgian universities and university hospitals, such as Liege, Ghent and Leuven. Furthermore, the ties with other hospitals have been deepened. For example, projects were started together with several hospitals to improve the quality of healthcare based on the experience of the patient. “The care process of the patient is evaluated in targeted workshops,” says Hanna. “For example, during one of these workshops we identified how the information flow towards patients who are referred from one hospital department to another could be optimized. We then work closely together to achieve these positive changes.”

There is also an intensive cooperation on specific themes, such as Big Data, talent development and biomarkers. With regard to Value Based Healthcare, we cooperated to create a model that maps the personal health experience of a patient. This allows healthcare programs to be catered based on unique experiences, which allows for a more personal and efficient healthcare.

Hanna and her colleagues primarily focus on the Belgian market, but Janssen is also actively establishing partnerships in The Netherlands. Her Dutch colleagues recently reached a cooperation agreement with the Dutch University Hospital Radboudumc and Radboud University in Nijmegen. Because the saying ‘alone you might go fast, but together you will go far’ applies in The Netherlands as well.

Vision for the future

Only after Hanna and the partners have defined certain action areas where a win-win situation and a potential positive patient outcome are possible, does the project start. Hanna explains: “After this, the execution is closely monitored and adjusted where needed according to the ever-evolving trends”.

 “I believe we can be proud of the results we have achieved so far,” Hanna says. “In the coming years the successes resulting from our partnerships will become even clearer. That is something I am looking forward to.”

Patient outcome is central to all strategic partnerships

Healthy working days

For Hanna, every working day is different and challenging. She not only has to work together with external, but also with internal partners. Furthermore, she also needs to keep up-to-date on the latest developments in the healthcare industry: the latest opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence, the innovation potential of personalized health care, the latest trends of Value Based Healthcare, and so on. That is why she stresses the importance of a proper balance between her work and her personal life. ”I am conscious about food, exercising and sleep. Fortunately, Janssen supports its employees, for example with the Healthforce 2020 program,” she says. Within the remit of the program a lot of emphasis is placed on healthy eating, a healthy spirit and healthy exercise. “The care for patients, but also for employees is anchored in the company’s Credo,” according to Hanna. “This is what makes Janssen a great company to work for.”