Dear Readers, Can anyone believe we are already beginning March?  Time is going by way too fast!  As we work at an ever faster pace, it is vital to prioritize efforts, particularly your best way to manage work and life activities.   Move towards a pace that has endurance; I call this my marathon pace! For all the runners, you know what I mean!   When you find the pace that can … [Read more...]

A 2021 survey revealed 49% of KOLs find scientific updates on new/existing drugs/updates as the most valuable data they acquire during engagements with MSLs (1). KOL engagement is one of the primary activities of an MSL. MSLs form lasting relationships with KOLs and other HCPs (health care providers) through these interactions. The goal of these engagements is to gather … [Read more...]

The term “metaverse” refers to immersive 3D virtual spaces encompassing a broad array of emerging technologies focused on social connection. Over the past three months, several leaders of a field medical science liaison (MSL) team at Syneos Health® initiated several innovative pilot programs leveraging unique components of metaverse technologies with the purpose of enhancing … [Read more...]

Salary and compensation benchmarking are essential factors that lead to successful recruitment and retention of MSL talent. Companies must have a clear understanding of MSL salary and compensation levels across different Therapeutic Areas/disease states to remain competitive. To gain a more accurate understanding of MSL salary and compensation levels globally, the MSL … [Read more...]

Work culture is the collective behavior we rely on to drive performance across an organization.  Culture, including interactions and perceptions about what it’s like to work somewhere, is extremely important for both current and prospective employees.  Recent surveys on work culture indicate nearly 90% view a healthy, positive work culture as vital for success. (1) Culture … [Read more...]

This article is to show people that one can have an idyllic life, but a major incident can turn your life upside-down, and having the right attitude can bring your life back to great things. Your incident doesn’t have to be the same as mine, you could lose a job, a life partner, a parent, a close friend, a limb even, but staying positive is the recipe for success. As a result … [Read more...]

  In recent months, ChatGPT has taken the internet by storm, leading many people to ask how it will change their industry, what it can be used for, and whether their jobs are safe. Our perspective as a company focused on rebuilding medical affairs using language models is that ChatGPT and deep learning language models broadly will have a significant impact in the … [Read more...]

Many healthcare providers today use social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn to release new research insights in real-time and create digital research communities that engage virtually. These types of thought leaders are known as Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs), and they are growing in number and importance in the healthcare space, often reaching and influencing a broader … [Read more...]

From Vision to Value: True Omnichannel in Field Medical A customer-centric approach to engagement is critical as scientific complexity grows Personalized medicines now account for more than a quarter of the new drugs approved in the past seven years(1). Oncology will be close to 20% of biopharmaceutical sales in 2024(2). Cell and gene therapies are taking center stage, … [Read more...]

How many friends do you have?  The answer is clearly dependent on how we define friends. But still, in your own definition of a friend, how many would you include on that list? If we look up any social media platform, many of us have plenty of connections.  So… how much of our social network is based on friendship? North American culture does not have many words to … [Read more...]

As Medical Affairs continues to evolve into a strategic partner within the organization, the role of the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is broadening to encompass new capabilities for scientific exchange with expanding groups of stakeholders, requiring competencies beyond clinical and scientific expertise. To better understand these changes, the Medical Affairs Professional … [Read more...]

Historically speaking the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) role has been filled by either an M.D., PharmD, or Ph.D. I think the time has come to expand the circle of excellence. Today I would like to share my personal journey to becoming a Sr. MSL. A journey I would have never imagined throughout my career as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP). After a 15-year career as an … [Read more...]

“Grumble, grumble…” So it’s come down to this. After being donated a sword by a mysterious old man living in a cave, you managed to fight off clouds of irritating bats, solved the boomerang puzzle, and spent your jewel collection on a much-needed shield, only for a giant weasel to block the only exit out of this miserable dungeon. If only I could button-mash my way through … [Read more...]

How does technology help medical affairs achieve operational excellence? Why medical affairs teams must modernize to meet the challenges of their evolving role. As the medical affairs role evolves, professionals increasingly find themselves at the center of key societal issues like patient centricity, access, and health equity. Faced with this opportunity, medical … [Read more...]

How often did we hear the following during our career: “If you want to be successful at what you do as an MSL, you will need to think differently, you will need to think outside the box, you will need to differentiate yourselves, you will need to demonstrate critical thinking”. What is particular about these short statements is that they are the foundation of what is known as … [Read more...]

In the last few years, Medical Affairs has taken on more responsibilities within the life science industry. During the pandemic, access to thought leaders (TLs) became more difficult. Subsequently, research from the MSL Society showed that TLs valued peer-to-peer engagement. This led to TLs being more accessible to medical science liaisons (MSLs). This in turn increased the … [Read more...]

Like many of you, I have been exploring the capabilities and imagining the possibilities of ChatGPT. Both amazed and frightened by the new technology, I was anxious to test it on a topic near and dear to me—my personal purpose in pharma.  I’m currently compiling a book of purpose stories from pharma leaders, many of whom are in Medical Affairs. As I’ve pulled together the … [Read more...]

As a Medical Affairs recruiter, I love a well-executed cover letter. Emphasis on the well-executed part. SO MANY cover letters end up as complete fluff and a waste of time for the reader. If a cover letter regurgitates a job description or just includes a lot of flashy buzzwords - that is pointless. It says nothing about YOU and YOUR background. Instead, help the reader put … [Read more...]