Hello Readers!
Welcome to summer heat, vacation plans, and getting outdoors to enjoy the not-so-lazy summer days! This journal edition is jam-packed with a broad array of topics to entertain and inform as you find time to lay back in a hammock, swing, or beach chair!
We are at the midway point in 2024, a year of change where we may not know where the road leads, but we are forging a path together and have no doubt the remainder of this year will deliver success as we tackle important goals! Medical Affairs continues to evolve with a focus on strategy, elevating excellence in all we do, keeping patients at the forefront of why we do what we do each day, and harnessing technology for greater efficiency and prowess with data to better understand and focus on strategic deliverables.
The role of the MSL is not an easy one; we must be smart, savvy, resilient, flexible, productive, strategic, empathic and so much more – all at once – the complete package! I am often asked what skills MSLs need today and going into the future. This question is intriguing because skills come not only from the role defined in a job description but also from behaviors and mindsets that empower us to achieve our absolute best efforts. Behaviors and mindset funnel into skills that deliver value and the actions we take that lead to impact on our goals. This should look like gears turning together in a cycle that feeds back into fine-tuning behaviors and so on.
When thinking about how you want to polish your MSL skill set, reflect on your mindset and behaviors that help you succeed in this vital field role. While one could expand this set of behaviors, I find it most helpful to focus and land on this set as a useful gauge for MSL teams:
- Are you a strategic partner? How do you balance your / others’ needs?
- Have you earned the trust of internal stakeholders to effectively collaborate?
- Are you an impactful communicator? How does your communication make a difference?
- Do you focus on solving issues, problems, and concerns? How do you move everyone toward solutions? Do you guide innovation?
- Have you mastered the science and demonstrated proficiency with technology that aids efficiencies? How are you staying current with science and technology?
As you read this summer edition of the journal, these key behaviors span across the topics from areas that consider how MSLs enhance productivity and resilience, deliver impact, employ a scientific mindset and healthy habits as well as collaboration, communication, and business acumen. We all come from various backgrounds and experiences in the MSL role and it is no surprise that we find unique ways to capitalize on our expertise. Sharing ideas, best practices and novel approaches allows us to learn together and reach new heights in this fascinating career path we are integrally involved in. After all, everyone here knows that we are so fortunate to be in the BEST position within the industry in Medical Affairs!
Enjoy summer days and before we know it, fall will be here with yet another rich edition for your learning and reading pleasure! Thank you for making time to invest in growth and development through your time to read many great articles contributed by these authors and I hope you will decide to join the author ranks if you have not yet done so! We are eagerly awaiting your contribution to the journal!
Cheers!
About the author:
Cherie Hyder, PharmD, MSL-BC
Cherie Hyder is a Syndicated National MSL Director at Syneos Health. In her previous job at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, she supported a virtual launch of Nurtec ODT for acute migraine. She has been involved in drug development for more than 30 years, working at the FDA in CDER and pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Lilly, Novartis, Solvay, and Avanir, among others. At the University of Missouri, she received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree with the intention to devote her career to pharmaceutical research. She has multiple adjunct faculty appointments and enjoys teaching opportunities.
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