A scientific bent

Centocor Research and Development Inc. in Horsham, Pennsylvania, is a J&J pharmaceutical company that creates medicines to reduce symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. It's not uncommon for the IT staff to work in close proximity to scientists and their laboratories. And technology staffers often come through the IT door with science backgrounds that come in handy when they are put to work on biochemistry projects.

Eric Perakslis, CIO at Centocor R&D, was already interested in the scientific component of the industry when he took the job. Now he's completing a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering.

In all phases of drug development, IT's role has become increasingly crucial. IT staffers working on data warehousing collaborate with drug discovery scientists to gain access to structured and unstructured databases in the most efficient way possible, says Barbano. "These scientists are more productive now," he says, "and we, together in partnership, are able to deliver significant value."

As the competition gets stiffer in a global market, the IT division must share the company's vision and understand how it fits into that vision.