medicalcommunications

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.

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. Over the remainder of 2023, we’ll be releasing additional short form podcasts, podcast bytes, where we discuss this topic with our guests. Janet Loesberg, PharmD, SVP of Global Medical Affairs at Blueprint Medicine, is our first guest and we greatly appreciate her insights. We look forward to delving into this topic on future episodes.

Are you leading or building a Medical Affairs organization? This month Peg had a great conversation with Janet Loesberg where they discussed leadership and the barriers to success in Medical Affairs. Janet Loesberg, PharmD, Senior Vice-President of Global Medical Affairs at Blueprint Medicine, and a biotech board member, brings many years of experience, holding a variety of leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry. She delivers great advice and perspectives focused on leading in Global and US Medical Affairs, building a team with the right person matched to the right role, and ensuring communication across the team. Dr. Peg Crowley-Nowick as Head of Medical Affairs at Lumanity has worked with many teams to support leadership development. She adds her perspective and experience while facilitating this podcast.3

Defining metrics and KPIs for demonstration of value is a significant challenge for leaders in Medical Affairs. During this episode of Medical Affairs unscripted, Dr. Crowley-Nowick speaks with Dr. Randy Krauss, Head of Metrics, Analytics, & Performance in Global Clinical Operations at Merck. They discuss the key ideas, lessons learned, and recommendations that have come from Dr. Krauss’s work in clinical operations and how those ideas can be translated into the Medical Affairs space. The objective of this podcast is to stimulate discussion about measurements and value in a more effective way.

During the latest episode of our Medical Affairs unscripted podcast, Dr. Crowley-Nowick speaks with Dr. Robin Winter-Sperry, Former Global Field Based Medical Lead at Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals. The conversation covers:

- What Field Based Medical entails and the roles of Medical Science Liaisons and Field Medical Directors across the globe
- What skills are required of field based medical teams today and what the future holds
- The unique requirements of those managing a field based medical team
- How training can vary significantly across different regions
- How to measure the value of field based medical teams both internally and externally

During this episode of Medical Affairs unscripted, the roles are reversed and Dr. Crowley-Nowick speaks with guest interviewer Dennis Crowley (of The Entrepreneur's Story podcast) about Zipher continuing its journey in Medical Affairs as a part of Lumanity. They discuss Zipher’s history, the acquisition, the integration, and how Zipher, now Lumanity, fits into the larger company structure. Dr. Crowley-Nowick explains how being a part of Lumanity is beneficial to our clients while including some of the new product offerings and capabilities of the expanded team. They reflect on how smoothly and seamlessly the integration has been and discuss some of Dr. Crowley Nowick’s goals for the organization going forward.

With an extensive and influential career in Medical Affairs (MA) at Sanofi Pasteur spanning more than two decades starting in the field and now the current Senior Director of the Field Medical Team in the Vaccines therapeutic unit at Sanofi Pasteur, Christina Tankersley, PharmD has mastered the know-how of building, training, and maturing a diverse, multidisciplinary MSL team. She joins Dr. Peg Crowley-Nowick, Founder and President of Zipher Medical Affairs on this inaugural podcast of the second season of Zipher Medical Affairs Unscripted to share her invaluable experience on how to intentionally identify key diversities needed in constructing a balanced and symbiotic MSL team, and how to overcome the challenges of unifying team members across the now common virtual office settings. Dr. Crowley-Nowick also draws on Dr. Tankersley’s vast experience and innate propensity for coaching and mentoring to discuss the possible pitfalls of the industry’s current trend in condensing the onboarding experience for MSLs and potentially driving MSLs into the field prematurely and asks her to expound on her innovative approach for onboarding. Lastly, Dr. Tankersley characterizes the fundamental cornerstone of an MSL development plan and fostering actions to support that vision.

In this episode, GOLD is joined by Emma Booth, Executive Director, Global Business Process and Insights Lead, R&D Strategy and Operations at Amgen. She discusses medical affairs communication and strategy, the power of data initiatives and the roadblocks that are preventing these from reaching their full potential, plus balancing leadership with nurturing one’s own aspirations.

If you’re interested in learning more about the topic areas discussed in this episode, check out the following content: 

Fresh clarity on RWE integration https://www.emg-gold.com/post/fresh-clarity-on-rwe-integration

Standing out in a crowd of content https://www.emg-gold.com/post/standing-out-in-a-crowd-of-content

Discussing a new dawn for data https://www.emg-gold.com/post/discussing-a-new-dawn-for-data

The RWD revolution https://www.emg-gold.com/post/the-rwd-revolution

Leading Medical Affairs (MA) organizations have begun to strategically redefine their team’s requisite executional capabilities to enhance and tailor frontline engagement initiatives, to improve the impact of knowledge development (insights and evidence generation), and to further solidify their position as a vital leader rather than a support function within the biopharmaceutical industry. These executional capabilities ultimately accelerate the time to market, creating a competitive advantage as well as (and most importantly) maximizes the number of patients reached with life-saving treatments.

Dr. Tamas Suto is passionately dedicated to improving the lives of patients and public health as evidenced by his decades in not only direct patient care, but also in industry spanning the commercialization process from identification of a drug candidate through the end of the lifecycle of a compound. His extensive experience in large pharma as a global executive in MA leadership at Sanofi, Amgen, and Roche/Genentech prior to his current position as SVP., & Head of Global MA Oncology at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany underpins his well-founded and impressive vision of the critical capabilities of the MA team. Dr. Peg Crowley-Nowick, Founder and President of Zipher Medical Affairs, guides Dr. Suto in this podcast in sharing the paramount yet foundational competencies for impactful individual contributions in each of the four key elements of the MA team pursuits: insights, evidence generation, stakeholder engagement, and medical leadership. 

Our host Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, Founder & President of Zipher Medical Affairs and Muriel Siadak, PAC, Senior Medical Director at Seagen Inc., spotlight the ever-increasing value and impact of insights on product strategy, positioning, and tactics. As Medical Affairs (MA) teams are now more than ever asking deeper, multifaceted questions to gain insights about the drivers of patient and healthcare professional decisions, Ms. Siadak, shares her vast experience in MA to help us explore the importance of ensuring that insights are appropriately gathered, disseminated to and discussed with internal stakeholders, and leveraged cross functionally.

Contact Zipher at www.ziphermed.com/contact to learn how to develop a program within your organization.  

Drs. Crowley-Nowick and Keir set the stage for a successful launch as they consider the key components of a MA Team and their contributions on the road to launch and beyond, from the formation and training of the Medical Science Liaison Team (MSLs) to the early inclusion of Medical Information, to developing best practices for Scientific Communications while also engaging with Patient Advocacy groups as part of the planning process. They also address the importance of a robust Data Generation program with the Medical Director at the helm gaining insights and trends from these data which allows the organization to pivot as necessary.

In this eighth episode of Zipher’s Medical Affairs Unscripted, our host Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA, Founder & President of Zipher Medical Affairs met with Chris Keir, MD, MS. Dr. Keir’s extensive experience and understanding of the dynamic nature of the peri- and post-launch environment has lead to successful outcomes.  He was instrumental in leading the launch of the first globally, commercialized CART-T cell therapy, tisagenlecleucel-T, for Novartis.  Most recently, he built a medical affairs organization for Array BioPharma, Inc., and led the US launch of binimetinib and encorafenib in combination for advanced BRAF-mutated, unresectable, or metastatic melanoma.  During the acquisition of Array BioPharma by Pfizer, Dr. Keir was responsible for the medical transition while also preparing for a second launch for encorafenib in combination with cexutimab in BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer. Dr. Keir has recently shifted into the diagnostic space as the V.P., of MA at GRAIL, Inc., and is leading the launch of their new technology for early cancer detection.