Journal of the MSL Society
Dear Readers, Thank you for coming back to read each quarterly edition of The MSL Journal! As we banded together through the pandemic, we are now beginning to see light at the end with more clinics, academic centers, and KOLs, in general, are again opening to in-person engagement! Most of us continue to wear […]Continue Reading
The Synopsis This is a tale about a physician researcher’s career path and transition from clinical to non-clinical. Everything she did in life was about her positive mindset. Her ideas became thoughts, thoughts led to action and action led to results. She recounts how coming from academia and transitioning to industry or going from the […]Continue Reading
The MSL Society’s recent issue, March 2021, was focused on diversity and inclusion (D&I). For my sustainability and corporate social responsibility course in Spring 2020, I pondered on some of these sustainability, diversity, and inclusion issues within the medical science liaison and medical affairs career. The course was taught by Dr. Reynold Byers, a supply […]Continue Reading
Nutrition is science often clouded by opinion, dogma, and trends. Nutrients and diet patterns certainly affect health outcomes but the ideal dietary rubric for significantly better outcomes is hotly contended. Popular media amplifies confusion with sound bites and quick fixes that over-simplify highly nuanced information. An evaluation of scientific publications or recommendations from nutrition experts […]Continue Reading
Following the inception of the medical science liaison (MSL) role by Upjohn Pharmaceuticals in 1967, growing demand for MSLs in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic, and medical device companies has persisted.1 One of the core responsibilities of any MSL is to serve as an important public resource of scientific and clinical knowledge for their employers.2 To this […]Continue Reading
Strategic KOL engagement planning is essential for pharmaceutical companies to ensure an effective, efficient and sustainable relationship with KOLs. Considering the increasing complexity of the pharmaceutical environment and company organizations are essential to plan and organize the interactions with KOLs. Thus, pharmaceutical companies should develop KOL engagement strategy plans as a best practice to ensure […]Continue Reading
The covid 19 pandemic may seem like it began ages ago, yet it was just about 16 months since the pandemic began to shut down MSL travel and led us to sequester in our homes until we could find a way to get through this contagion period. As we now move toward re-opening of […]Continue Reading
MSL Performance Metrics have been a dilemma for the last decade or so. Many studies have been conducted to rethink the evaluation of the Medical Science Liaison function, I’ve personally conducted one on “The relation between the tracking/reporting system for MSLs in medical affairs departments in pharmaceutical companies located within the MENA region and its […]Continue Reading
Why do we need regional medical plans? The role of an MSL is to establish and maintain strong peer-to-peer relationships with leading, influential healthcare providers, referred to as Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) within a given therapeutic area with the intent to provide ongoing medical support, education, and resources that benefit patients. The MSL role has […]Continue Reading
The MSL role has gained significant importance in the life science industry and is becoming -critical in terms of KOL engagement. However, the value of field medical activities has not always been easily quantifiable in terms of traditional business impact due to the primary focus on scientific and clinical exchange with target physicians. We can take […]Continue Reading
Work-life balance is something that frequently is discussed in the pharmaceutical industry. With the rapid development of therapies and constantly evolving research across therapeutic areas, it becomes easy, almost addictive, to “burn the candle at both ends.” Over time, this will just result in burn out which doesn’t do your company or yourself any good. […]Continue Reading
Scientific conferences are an essential tool for any Medical Science Liaison. They offer a convenient and efficient way to engage with KOLs and provide an influx of new data for insight generation. But the nature of these events has changed drastically in the last year. As we look with hope to the post-pandemic future, what […]Continue Reading
As the world witnessed a global change with the Covid-19 pandemic, Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) saw their role evolve beyond its more traditional definition and scope. When countries went into complete lockdown and pharmaceutical industries needed to find new ways to keep interacting and engaging with their customers, MSLs, as the experts in everything science […]Continue Reading
Medical Affairs teams have been challenged in the last year with the demise of face-to-face meetings as well as the inability to engage with their healthcare providers (HCPs) and key opinion leaders (KOLs) at scientific congresses. In addition, they have had to adapt to remote interactions and adopt new digital technologies to be able to […]Continue Reading
The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly had a profound impact on Field Medical Affairs. Has the Medical Science Liaison role changed forever? What new titles, trends, and opportunities might emerge as a result of the new age for Field Medical and the evolution of the Medical Science Liaison? Is virtual engagement truly here to stay? While […]Continue Reading
Before the pandemic, remote work for you was largely intentional. After all, when you choose a position that allows you to travel and work from home, you can build remote work around the rest of your life—and vice versa. However, suddenly you had to contend with all kinds of new circumstances. Whether it was kids […]Continue Reading
It is hot. No, not the summer heat but the MSL/Medical Affairs job market. The value of the MSL role was highlighted during the stay-at-home orders of the pandemic when MSLs were able to gain and maintain access to physicians. Despite the pandemic, physicians still had patients to treat and still needed the latest scientific […]Continue Reading
To educate and to inform. In modern society, those are the pillars of the Medical Science Liaison’s objectives. MSLs keep the Key Opinion Leaders apprised of what is emerging in the drug development pipeline. They also answer any questions that may arise. MSLs strive to obtain key information from KOLs and HCPs, but they also […]Continue Reading
The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a 180 degrees’ flip in the way professional relationships are approached between the Pharma industry and HCPs. Consequently, the MSL role has inevitably been impacted by this change of scenario, which has challenged the capacity of self-transformation and adaptation of the ones occupying this position. Especially, the relationships with KOLs […]Continue Reading
As the pandemic drags on, many of us have chosen to move on. Whether out of choice or out of necessity, we’ve taken on new opportunities and moved our MSL careers forward despite the limitations of being virtual. Engaging with health care providers (HCPs) is the “bread and butter” of the MSL, and lots of […]Continue Reading
Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) have evolved to become a critical component of the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts in product awareness, acceptance, and adoption. Although the measures of success continue to evolve, MSLs continue to have a significant impact on internal and external stakeholders through their expert knowledge of the clinical landscape. Why have MSLs evolved into […]Continue Reading
Due to the nature of field medical teams being spread across the country, Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) were already accustomed to working virtually with field colleagues and headquarters. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the boundaries of the virtual environment to now include virtual engagements with external thought leaders. Now with over a year of virtual […]Continue Reading
