Medical Affairs Launch Readiness: Building, Planning & Execution with Chris Keir, MD, MS

Curiosity, empathy, authenticity, strength. Good leaders express many key characteristics and come in all shapes and sizes. In this special International Women’s Day episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, President of Medical Affairs Consulting at Lumanity, Aree Cheshire, PhD, VP of Client Strategy in UK Communications at Lumanity, and Amber Gilbert, MBA, Global Practice Lead for Value, Access & Outcomes at Lumanity, meet to discuss excellence in leadership. During their conversation they touch on whether good leadership qualities are innate or learned, how to balance being a leader versus a “do-er”, and how to approach leadership differently during challenging times. Other areas of focus include how strategic thinking plays into leadership, and what types of skills or knowledge are required to succeed as a leader. Finally, they discuss how women in leadership roles today can help pave the way for the next generation of strong female leaders.  

Now, more than ever, the patient voice is being heard by the pharmaceutical industry.  In this episode, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, President of Medical Affairs Consulting at Lumanity, and Len Lichtenfeld, MD, MACP meet to discuss the ways patients are providing advisement in drug development and valuation.  After hearing about Len’s extensive experience, they delve into the new regulatory changes coming to pharma and biotech that will require the patient experience to be taken into consideration during the drug development process. They conclude by discussing how the patient experience is having an impact on the valuation of new drugs.

Having a clinical trial that is properly supported and engaged is no easy feat, but accomplishing this can greatly improve the success of your asset. In this episode, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, President of Medical Affairs Consulting at Lumanity, and Dan Hennessy PhD, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Merus N.V., meet for a second time to discuss MSL and stakeholder engagement. They delve more specifically into the key role that Medical Affairs plays in accelerating and improving clinical trial enrollment and highlight how to use MSLs and a Field Medical team in different ways to ensure that you get the most value from the team, both from a US and a Global perspective. As they conclude, they explore what kinds of skills are required of a well-prepared Field Medical team and how to ensure they are properly prepared.

Medical Affairs is going through a digital transformation. What this means, what it will look like, and what value it will bring to pharmaceutical and biotech companies is still unknown. In this third episode of our short form podcast series, we discuss this topic with Christian Dimaano, PhD, MPH.  As the VP, Head of Medical Affairs at Kinnate Biopharma, he has a wealth of Medical Affairs experience and insights. This conversation brings us further along in trying to understand the changes that are coming to the industry.

Social media listening is an area with great untapped potential in the pharmaceutical industry. In this episode, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, President of Medical Affairs Consulting at Lumanity, and Damian Eade, Managing Director, Social Analytics, Insight at Lumanity, discuss how a Medical Affairs team approaches social media listening differently than a commercial team. They review the differences between traditional key opinion leaders and digital thought leaders as well as discuss the impact these “digital influencers” have in the social media landscape. They talk through insight collection and learning about the patient experience through social media and how these insights can be leveraged for patient-focused drug development. Finally, Damian and Peg explore sentiment analysis and how it can be measured and used in social media.  With all of the advancements being made in the digital landscape, staying at the forefront of social media listening can be a powerful tool for Medical Affairs teams.

A thoughtfully and carefully built Medical Affairs team, and in particular, a Field Medical team can enhance study enrollment and serve as a foundation for future commercialization. In this episode, Peg and Christian Dimaano, PhD, MPH, VP, Head of Medical Affairs at Kinnate Biopharma, discuss the differences between building a Medical Affairs team in the US compared to building teams in the EU or Asia PAC, and the ideal timing for bringing field medical onboard. They review the pros and cons of outsourcing a field team versus building internally and highlight the different skill sets needed for teams at different stages of the product lifecycle.

An effective learning and development program can be transformative for a Medical Affairs organization. In this discussion, Peg, Adeola Davis, PHD, MPA, Director of Learning Development at Arcadia Pharmaceuticals, and Mary Winkles, PharmD, Global Director, Medical Affairs Training and Capability at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, break down what it takes to build a successful learning and development program and how to measure its success. They highlight when organizations should build a learning and development program and how to think about scalability. Additionally, they discuss how effective and efficient training can greatly increase employee retention as well as help an organization speak with a unified voice. Medical Affairs professionals who value a curious mindset and believe in encouraging growth within their teams will find valuable insights from these industry experts.

Medical Affairs is going through a digital transformation. What this means, what it will look like, and what value it will bring to pharmaceutical and biotech companies is still unknown. In this second episode of our short form podcast series, we discuss this topic with Dr. John Yee.  As the former CMO at Sobi, Dr. Yee has a wealth of Medical Affairs experience and insights. This conversation brings us further along in trying to understand the changes that are coming to the industry.

In this special episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD interviews three of Lumanity Medical Affairs Consulting PharmDs, Stephanie Wong, George Shyu, and Chris Maclafferty. They discuss the different paths they took from earning their degree to joining the pharmaceutical industry as well as the additional training and knowledge they felt were required to be successful in Medical Affairs. They breakdown the skills and expertise that PharmDs can bring to a Medical Affairs organization and how they chose to work in a consulting role rather than in a more typical role as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) or Medical Information Specialist. They wrap up by describing the different types of consulting work they find most fulfilling and how they “stay curious” and grow their careers.

Whether your drug is in an early development phase or in the lifecycle management phase, it is important to know when and how to invest in Medical Affairs. In their discussion this month, Peg and John Yee, MD, MPH and former CMO at Sobi, focus on the value of and the critical need to invest in Medical Affairs. They see Medical Affairs as the “bridge” across all functions and that it sits at the intersection of medicine, science, and business. They highlight the need to communicate and engage with the commercial side of the organization while building a Medical Affairs team and Dr. Yee describes how each team member should be a “triple threat” in the areas of scientific excellence, business acumen, and emotional intelligence. He provides first-hand experience and advice on all of these topics, and we believe that CMOs will find a wealth of Medical Affairs knowledge in this podcast.