Elevate Medical Affairs Podcast Channel

Continuing Medical Education (CME) is transitioning from in-person, day-long seminars to bite-sized, virtual, learn-at-your-own pace courses. Here we talk with experts from Wiley and the world of consulting about new directions in CME — and how to address the continuing need for social learning and perceived authority even as we make information more consumable. 

Many of us think about machine learning and AI as a way for an audience to get information: We ask ChatGPT a question and it provides the answer. Here we explore machine learning as a way to get information about an audience — both audience segments/personas and individuals within these groups. We also discuss the limitations and data privacy concerns that distinguish what we "could" know from what we "should" discover. And it turns out machine learning is not just a tool for mining he external environment, but also a way to make sense of a company's internal data to discover hidden experts and resources within the company.

Join Matt Lewis, a generative AI expert, as he explores the transformative impact of AI on medical communications. He dives deep into prompt engineering, emphasizing its critical role in shaping AI outputs. The conversation unpacks challenges like bias, misinformation, and ethical concerns, urging interdisciplinary collaboration for better results. Matt also discusses the creative applications of AI, and the importance of training teams to recognize and mitigate hallucinations in generative AI, ensuring trustworthy and effective communication in healthcare.

In this podcast, we delve into the world of omnichannel strategies in Medical Affairs, where understanding your audience's educational needs and communication preferences is pivotal for delivering relevant and engaging data dissemination. Join us as we explore how to develop effective communications by leveraging various sources of audience understanding, and how to translate information into actionable insights. Discuss what the gold standard for insights could look like and highlight practical suggestions for how to yield robust insights while navigating common challenges often associated with using insights. This podcast provides an overview into the multifaceted process of understanding your audience and explains the complexities and opportunities within the Medical Affairs space to ensure that your communications resonate with your audience, and ultimately, support their educational goals.

Sonal Bhatia, Chief Medical Officer for rare disease at Pfizer, shares her insights on the groundbreaking role of AI in medical affairs. She discusses how AI tools are revolutionizing clinical practices and transforming patient outcomes by enhancing diagnostic accuracy and streamlining workflows. The conversation delves into AI's potential in drug development and clinical trials, highlighting its ability to identify rare disease patients and improve collaboration across medical teams. Get ready for an enlightening exploration of AI's future in healthcare!

Sharon Winton, CEO of Lymphoma Australia and a passionate patient advocate, joins forces with industry leader Liz de Somer to dive into patient engagement. They discuss the urgent need for collaboration across healthcare, especially post-COVID-19. The conversation highlights how advancements in treatment options are empowering patients, while also addressing the complexities of engagement in the Australian pharmaceutical landscape. Winton emphasizes the importance of early patient involvement in clinical trials, ensuring patient values are at the forefront of care.

Andres Quintero, the Global Medical Affairs Director at Pfizer, shares his expertise on leveraging data to identify unmet medical needs in healthcare. He discusses the shift from anecdotal evidence to data-driven insights, highlighting the importance of longitudinal patient data. The conversation delves into how identifying key opinion leaders and implementing innovative strategies can enhance patient outcomes. Quintero emphasizes that field medical teams play a crucial role in influencing treatment decisions, backed by data that validates their impact on healthcare.

Amit Lalwani, the omnichannel lead and executive committee member of Medical Affairs Professionals of Australasia, dives into the transformative role of AI in medical affairs. He discusses how digital tools can break down silos, enhancing cross-departmental collaboration. Resistance to change is a key topic, as he encourages a shift from traditional methods to embrace innovative strategies. Anand shares insights on the importance of human oversight over AI data to ensure accuracy, emphasizing that a collaborative mindset is essential for superior healthcare outcomes.

When we look at AI, and in particular natural language processing, we think about how we can use these new tools in the medical information space. How do we see the new generative AI models changing what medical information has been doing, especially in the context of chatbots and information dissemination? In this podcast, we interview Matt Lewis, Chief AI Officer at Inizio Medical,  a well-regarded expert in data analytics and augmented intelligence. 

At MAPS Global 2023, “omnichannel in Medical Affairs” was a hot topic across numerous sessions. As part of the Field Medical track, Rosie Humphreys, Senior Director at OPEN Health, Donnie Wooten Jr., Global Head of Strategic Medical Content & Omnichannel at Organon and Kelly Lo, Field Medical Excellence, Global and Japan and Asia Pacific at Amgen conducted an interactive workshop, entitled “Optimize your Field Medical Team for the Omnichannel World”. Over 180 attendees, across two sessions, learned how an omnichannel approach is integral to maximizing Field Medical engagement with HCPs. This podcast will discuss the outcomes and insights of that workshop and how Field Medical can build skills and garner support to effectively implement omnichannel strategies.