How is the Medical Affairs role changing now that HCPs are getting their initial answers from AI? If you don’t know what physicians and other stakeholders expect, your outreach will fail. MSLs typically don’t begin with specific insights on where HCPs get their data or what their needs and preferences are. The traditional medical affairs approach of providing publications is simply not going to keep their attention anymore.

• Determine whether HCPs prefer short-form videos, podcasts, or trusted social media
• Prep your teams to counter HCP preconceptions they learned through Google summaries and LLMs
• Make a clear rationale for leadership to prioritize digital tools

Transformation rarely moves in a straight line, and any pilot program needs to be supported by the investments and skill sets that allow for upscaling. By identifying in advance exactly what critical success factors would look like, you can prove your concepts and keep transformations going ahead even if results weren’t exactly what you anticipated.

• Determine when pilots need to be redesigned or are ready to be upscaled
• Mindshift your colleagues to expect to build on worthwhile elements instead of judging the entire pilot to be a failure
• Anticipate waves of iterative changes that will need their own funding

Digital tool development must come from open, cross-functional discussions. When tasked with overcoming friction in face-to-face engagement with HCPs, the key approach is to start with the problem – yet management may be enamored with certain new technologies and will expect you to start from their favored solution and then work backwards.

• Keep leadership aware of communication and engagement gaps
• Avoid the temptation to rely on brand-new solutions every time you address a problem
• Identify and call out excessive reliance on top-down, one-way approaches

Digital engagement is a constantly evolving field, and several key areas are essential for effectively engaging patients and creating a standout strategy. From producing video content and leveraging social media to personalizing campaigns, these are crucial components to consider. Is your team equipped to develop a plan tailored to your patient demographic?

• Explore different options to enhance your digital engagement strategy
• Dive into the challenges encountered during personalization
• Map out the importance of social media in your outreach strategies

AI and emerging technologies can significantly enhance workplace efficiency, but successful integration requires more than just tools—it requires people. Building a culture of psychological safety is critical to ensuring employees view AI as an opportunity rather than a threat. When individuals feel safe to experiment, learn, and share ideas, organizations can fully leverage technology without resistance, enabling smoother adoption and long-term success.

• Understand the role of psychological safety in enabling successful AI and technology adoption
• Explore ways to address resistance and build trust around AI tools
• Examine case studies of organizations that have successfully implemented AI through a culture of safety

Not all organizations mandate that medical affairs teams learn agent-building at all; management may be unsure whether they need to invest the time required. In fact, your teams need more time to learn and evaluate agent behavior, so you would do well to prioritize this and to help agree on the most useful KPIs up-front.

• Map out the different requirements for creating agents or evaluating those you procure externally
• Structure the best communications with teams who create agents for you
• Identify areas that are lacking and promote functional SME perspectives to improve them
• Envision KPIs around key basics such as efficiency, headcount reduction, and innovation