L. Maria G. Kelly

About L. Maria G. Kelly

Results-driven Senior Director and Global Patient Advocacy Leader with 25 years of experience setting and owning enterprise-level patient advocacy strategy to advance patient access and health equity across North America, Europe, SSA, and MERA. Serve as final decision-maker for global advocacy priorities, operating models, and resource allocation, overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets and high-performing, cross-regional teams.Original architect and executive sponsor of Pfizer’s Patient Affairs Liaison function, establishing a new enterprise capability that embedded patient voice into development, access, and policy decision-making. Built and led strategic alliances with 30+ patient advocacy organizations, defining partnership governance, success metrics, and compliance frameworks to scale engagement responsibly and sustainably.Exercise enterprise influence by advising and aligning senior leaders across R&D, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Policy, and Legal to translate patient access barriers into actionable strategies that inform pipeline decisions, regulatory engagement, and post-approval access planning. Designed and executed global advocacy summits and patient-centric engagement models that strengthened external trust, elevated corporate reputation, and created repeatable frameworks adopted across regions.Recognized for organizational change leadership, including building new teams, formalizing global advocacy governance, and driving adoption of data-driven engagement models that balance innovation with compliance in complex regulatory environments. Adept at integrating lived patient experience with evidence generation to support equitable access strategies.Committed to improving rare disease outcomes through scalable, patient-focused programs. Known for uniting diverse stakeholders at the intersection of science, policy, and advocacy — and for leading transformation that delivers durable, enterprise-wide impact.

Experience

1. Global Lead, Sickle Cell Disease Patient Advocacy

   Pfizer

   Jun 2023 — Present · New York, NY, US

Education

• Worcester State University

  BSN, Nursing

  1996 — 2000

Skills

• Product Launch
• Brand Development
• Employee Training
• Legislation
• Strategy Development
• Budgets
• Sales Process
• Training & Development
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Pain Management
• Budget Analysis
• Medical Devices
• Strategy
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Operations Management
• Healthcare
• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Managed Care
• Legislative Advocacy
• Pharmaceutical Sales
• Development of Teams
• Management
• Team Building
• Business Operations Management
• Market Analysis
• Patient Advocacy
• Sales Operations
• Compliance
• Budget Management
• Team Leadership