Pharmaverse Podcast

Want to become a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) or take the next step into Medical Affairs leadership? What does it really take to stand out, get hired, and move into management?

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, powered by Inside MSL, host Michael Pietrack sits down with Julie Ross, PharmD, an experienced Field Medical Affairs leader with 20 years of industry experience and 10 years in clinical practice.

Julie shares practical advice for aspiring MSLs looking to break into the pharmaceutical industry and experienced Medical Science Liaisons preparing to transition into leadership.

From building relationships with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and mastering MSL interviews to developing leadership skills before earning the title, Julie explains what separates successful candidates from the competition.

In This Episode:

• Breaking into Medical Affairs: How pharmacists and other healthcare professionals can leverage clinical expertise, networking, and professional relationships to land their first MSL role.
• What MSL Hiring Managers Look For: Why interpersonal skills, presentation abilities, and clinical knowledge can matter more than clinical trial experience.
• The Reality of Being an MSL: Why the role isn't for everyone and what aspiring MSLs should understand before transitioning into industry.
• Moving From MSL to Leadership: How to demonstrate leadership potential, build cross-functional influence, and prepare for a Regional Director position.
• Common Leadership Mistakes: Why visibility alone isn't enough and why great individual contributors don't automatically become great people leaders.
• Building High-Performing Medical Affairs Teams: The importance of patience, trust, team culture, and esprit de corps when stepping into management.

Key Takeaway:
You don't need a leadership title to start acting like a leader. Whether you're pursuing your first MSL opportunity or preparing for a management role, career advancement starts with relationships, preparation, and the ability to create meaningful impact.

Chapters:

00:00 – Preview: Breaking Into Medical Affairs & Leadership
00:39 – Introduction: Meet Julie Ross, PharmD
01:28 – How to Break Into Your First MSL Role
03:12 – Networking, Speaker Bureaus & Industry Connections
04:37 – Do Clinical Trials Matter When Applying for MSL Jobs?
05:25 – Why MSL Interview Presentations Can Make or Break You
06:20 – Is the MSL Career Right for You?
06:59 – Understanding the Reality of the MSL Role
07:46 – How to Transition From MSL to Regional Director
08:10 – Start Leading Before You Have the Title
09:46 – What Aspiring MSL Leaders Get Wrong
10:57 – The Hardest Part of Moving Into Management
12:17 – How MSL Leadership Changes Your Day-to-Day Work
13:09 – Leadership Advice: Patience and Building Trust
13:31 – Creating Strong Teams Through Esprit de Corps
15:00 – Final Advice for Aspiring and Experienced MSLs

About The Pharmaverse Podcast

The Pharmaverse Podcast brings together leaders across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to share career insights, leadership strategies, and real-world experiences to help professionals grow and succeed.

Hosted by Michael Pietrack and powered by Inside MSL, the podcast explores the people, skills, and strategies shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

Learn More About Inside MSL

Inside MSL is a connected Medical Affairs ecosystem offering career training, coaching, professional development, and community for individuals, along with comprehensive Medical Affairs services for companies.

Visit: https://InsideMSL.com

🔔 Subscribe for more MSL career advice, Medical Affairs leadership insights, and conversations with pharmaceutical industry leaders.

💬 Join the conversation: What's the biggest challenge you've faced breaking into an MSL role or preparing for Medical Affairs leadership? Share your experience in the comments!

#MedicalScienceLiaison #MSLCareer #MedicalAffairs #MSLLeadership #Pharmaverse

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In this episode of Pharmaverse for MSLs, powered by Inside MSL, host Michael Pietrack speaks with Scott Conry, PharmD, about Medical Science Liaison career development, leadership readiness, and opportunities beyond people management.

Scott explains why being a top-performing MSL doesn’t automatically prepare you to lead a team. Moving into management changes your daily responsibilities, your relationship with science, and how you measure success. Before pursuing that promotion, he encourages MSLs to consider what they actually enjoy about their work.

The conversation explores how lateral moves into strategy, operations, and training can expand your skills and prepare you for future opportunities. Scott also shares what distinguishes a senior MSL, how to gain leadership experience before becoming a manager, and why meaningful career growth doesn’t always come with a new title.

For current leaders, Scott offers practical advice on developing employees, recognizing overlooked potential, and giving teams the clarity and autonomy they need to succeed.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Exploring career paths within Medical Affairs
• Deciding whether people management is right for you
• Why scientific expertise and leadership require different skills
• Testing your leadership interest through mentoring and field rides
• Preparing for the transition from individual contributor to manager
• Using lateral moves to build strategic experience
• Understanding promotion expectations for senior MSLs
• Avoiding common mistakes when pursuing advancement
• Supporting employees’ growth—even when they leave your team
• Setting clear goals without micromanaging

CHAPTERS
00:00 Preview: The realities of MSL leadership
01:28 Introduction to Scott Conry
02:19 Career paths for MSLs
04:00 Do you really want to manage people?
05:56 Adapting your leadership style to different people
08:01 Testing leadership through mentoring and coaching
09:48 Career growth and the pressure to get promoted
13:44 Caring about employees as people
15:22 Developing talent instead of holding it back
18:07 Preparing for your first management role
20:41 What leaders look for in future managers
22:55 Why top MSLs don’t always make the best managers
25:22 How lateral moves can help you advance
28:55 Moving from MSL to senior MSL
32:17 Mistakes to avoid when seeking a promotion
34:13 Recognizing overlooked leadership potential
37:43 The impact of choosing the right people leaders
39:48 Advice for new MSL managers
42:57 Subscribe and join the conversation

What does your next career step look like: people leadership, deeper scientific expertise, or a move into strategy? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast for more conversations on MSL careers, Medical Affairs, and leadership.

Can you build an ambitious career without sacrificing the life you love? And what separates a high-performing individual contributor from someone ready to lead?

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, host Michael Pietrack speaks with Dr. Amama Sadiq about women in leadership, career growth in Medical Affairs, and building teams that help others succeed.

Amama shares how her father shaped her views on ambition and family, why meaningful careers don’t always follow a straight path, and how relationships helped guide her journey from clinical medicine to pharmaceutical leadership.

She also explains why effective leaders ask whose perspective is missing, how to evaluate candidates beyond their résumés, and what she looks for when promoting someone into a leadership role. Looking ahead, Amama discusses how AI can expand the reach of Medical Affairs while trust, scientific judgment, and human relationships remain essential.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Navigating career ambition, motherhood, and family life
• Supporting the next generation of women leaders
• Building a support system at work and at home
• Finding opportunity in a non-linear career path
• Leading through listening, clarity, and inclusion
• Choosing meaningful work that addresses unmet patient needs
• Hiring for accountability, character, and teamwork
• Demonstrating leadership readiness before a promotion
• The future of Medical Affairs in the age of AI

CHAPTERS
00:00 Career ambition and family: Do you have to choose?
01:23 Meet Dr. Amama Sadiq
01:59 The family influence behind her leadership
05:07 Advice for women and minority leaders
07:21 Navigating ambition, motherhood, and expectations
09:53 Building your village and following relationships
12:10 Inclusive leadership: Whose perspective is missing?
13:38 Finding clarity through patient impact
14:24 Choosing meaningful work and unmet need
16:24 Hiring beyond the résumé
18:24 The future of Medical Affairs, AI, and trust
20:22 What leaders look for before promoting you
21:41 A legacy of patient impact and opening doors
22:51 Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast

What do you think best demonstrates that someone is ready to lead? Share your perspective in the comments.

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast for conversations with pharmaceutical and biotech leaders on leadership, career development, and the future of the industry.

#MedicalAffairs #PharmaversePodcast #WomenInLeadership

Your MSL interview presentation reveals more than your scientific knowledge. It shows hiring managers how you communicate, handle pressure and build relationships.

In this episode of **The Pharmaverse Podcast for MSLs**, host **Michael Pietrack** speaks with medical affairs consultant **Geeta, PharmD**, about three common mistakes candidates make during their final interview presentation—and how to approach it with confidence.

Drawing on her experience interviewing candidates and leading Medical Science Liaison teams, Geeta explains why strong slides are only part of the equation. Hiring managers also assess your preparation, executive presence, adaptability and ability to make scientific information relevant to your audience.

You’ll learn how to rehearse effectively, respect the time limit, navigate difficult questions and respond honestly when you don’t know an answer. Geeta also shares practical advice for virtual interviews, including camera presence, professional presentation and why relying on AI for live answers can undermine your credibility.

**In This Episode:**

- Three mistakes to avoid in your MSL interview presentation.
- What hiring managers evaluate beyond scientific content.
- How to research your audience and tailor your message.
- Why rehearsing out loud improves confidence and delivery.
- How to handle interruptions, challenging questions and unexpected changes.
- Why you should leave time for discussion and Q&A.
- How storytelling makes scientific presentations more engaging.
- Practical tips for virtual and in-person MSL interviews.

Whether you’re preparing for your first Medical Science Liaison role or pursuing your next opportunity in Medical Affairs, this episode offers practical guidance to help you demonstrate how you would perform in the field.

**Subscribe for more MSL interview tips, Medical Affairs career advice and conversations with field medical leaders.**

What’s the toughest question you’ve faced during an MSL interview? Share it in the comments.

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, host Michael Pietrack speaks with Rajat Mishra, co-founder and CEO of Present Vivo, about how AI is changing medical affairs, scientific content creation, and the future of the Medical Science Liaison (MSL) role.

Rajat explains how AI can help teams turn a single publication into presentations, posters, brochures, and other materials more quickly. But speed alone is not enough: scientific accuracy, useful context, and human review remain essential. He shares why MSLs who experiment with AI while strengthening their communication, judgment, and relationships will be better prepared for what comes next.

The conversation also moves beyond technology. Rajat reflects on overcoming a childhood stutter, the mentor who changed how he worked with others, and the leadership practices he uses to build a fully remote team.

In this episode:

How AI can accelerate medical affairs content creation while keeping experts involved

Whether AI could replace MSLs and which skills may become more valuable

A practical way to start experimenting with AI in an existing workflow

Why personalized communication starts with the audience’s preferences

How to hire for initiative and build culture across a remote team

Rajat’s leadership principles: move quickly on execution, stay patient with strategy, and remain open to changing your mind

Chapters

00:00 – Preview: AI, communication, and the future of MSLs
00:44 – Meet Rajat Mishra
01:35 – Overcoming a childhood speech impediment
03:17 – A mentor’s lesson about working with people
04:40 – AI and human review in medical affairs content
08:02 – Will AI replace the MSL role?
10:52 – Skills that matter in an AI-driven industry
11:38 – How MSLs can start experimenting with AI
14:14 – Personalizing content with a “communication fingerprint”
16:55 – Rajat’s outlook on the future of AI
20:12 – Judgment, empathy, and creativity when intelligence is widely available
22:37 – Building culture on a fully remote team
25:45 – Hiring people with initiative
28:30 – Rajat’s top leadership advice

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast for conversations with leaders across pharma and biotech, and share your thoughts in the comments: How are you using AI in medical affairs today?

Will artificial intelligence replace Medical Science Liaisons—or help them become more effective?

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, host Michael Pietrack speaks with experienced Field Medical leader Annika Swenson about how MSLs and Medical Affairs teams can use AI responsibly, improve their performance and protect the human relationships at the heart of the profession.

Annika shares practical ways MSLs can move beyond basic administrative tasks and use AI to prepare for KOL conversations, identify inaccurate medical information, practice difficult discussions and build customized workflows. She also explains why every AI-generated answer must be challenged, sourced and evaluated through human critical thinking.

The conversation explores the risks surrounding hallucinations, outdated information, copyrighted materials and proprietary data. Annika also discusses how leaders can assess AI fluency when hiring, use AI to strengthen coaching and determine whether these tools are creating meaningful improvements—or simply adding more work.

Most importantly, Annika explains why AI may expand access to medical information but cannot replace the trust, rapport and nuanced conversations that MSLs build with KOLs over time.

In This Episode
How MSLs can begin using AI today
Why identifying AI inaccuracies can improve KOL preparation
Moving beyond email summaries and administrative tasks
How agentic AI can support customized MSL workflows
Measuring whether AI actually improves Field Medical performance
AI hallucinations, outdated sources and compliance risks
Protecting proprietary and copyrighted information
Whether virtual MSLs could replace human Field Medical teams
Using AI to practice coaching and difficult conversations
Evaluating AI fluency during the hiring process
Why human trust remains the greatest advantage of an MSL

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast, powered by Inside MSL, for practical insights designed to help you break into Medical Affairs, advance your MSL career and become a more effective Field Medical leader.

Why do some leaders immediately earn trust while others struggle to make an impact?

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, host Michael Pietrack speaks with bestselling author and influence expert Christian Hansen about the psychology of influential communication—and how leaders can become the obvious choice without dominating the conversation or sounding “salesy.”

Christian explains why influence is not simply about expertise, credentials or having the best solution. It is about how other people perceive your value and how they feel when they interact with you.

The conversation explores why our own brains often get in the way of genuine communication, how stronger listening creates meaningful connection and why leaders should stop trying to become the hero in every situation. Instead, Christian encourages leaders to become the guide who helps employees, colleagues and clients recognize their own capabilities.

You’ll also hear how small changes in language can help people feel understood, supported and confident—and why connection may become the most valuable currency in an increasingly competitive and AI-driven professional landscape.

Christian is the author of The Influence Mindset and The Influence Mindset for Sales Acceleration: The 7 EQ Brain Hacks That Get People to Choose You. His work focuses on helping professionals communicate their value, influence decision-makers and become the obvious choice. Learn more about Christian Hansen and his work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why expertise alone does not make someone influential
How perception shapes whether people choose you
What separates master communicators from average communicators
Why listening requires overcoming your own internal dialogue
How to make another person feel genuinely heard
The difference between being the hero and being the guide
How emotional language creates stronger connections than facts alone
Why leaders should praise character attributes—not only behaviors
How language can change the story people tell about themselves
Why connection is becoming a competitive advantage
Practical phrases leaders can use to build confidence and trust
How stronger relationships can improve retention and performance

Whether you lead a pharmaceutical team, work in biotech, manage client relationships or want to communicate your value more effectively, this episode offers practical strategies you can apply immediately.

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse Podcast for more conversations with influential leaders across pharma, biotech, medical affairs and the wider life sciences industry.

Watch the full episode, share your biggest takeaway in the comments and tell us: What makes someone truly influential?

#Leadership #Influence #CommunicationSkills #PharmaLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #PersonalBrand #BiotechLeadership #ThePharmaverse #ChristianHansen

What separates a good MSL from a trusted scientific partner?

In this episode of The Pharmaverse Podcast, Michael Pietrack sits down with Gerard Diesenroth, PharmD, a field medical leader with experience building high-performing MSL teams, leading MSL training, and supporting multiple drug launches.

Gerard breaks down six common mistakes Medical Science Liaisons make—in KOL engagements, at medical conferences, and within their own organizations—and shares practical ways to improve.

You’ll learn why MSLs should avoid the “data dump,” how to build long-term KOL relationships, how to approach conferences with a clear strategy, and why timely insight-sharing can help shape medical strategy across pharma and biotech.

Key topics include:

•  Why field medical’s real currency is insight, not airtime 
•  How to make KOL conversations more valuable and peer-to-peer 
•  The importance of consistent, non-transactional relationship building 
•  How MSLs can prepare strategically for medical congresses 
•  Capturing and quickly sharing insights after conferences 
•  Collaborating compliantly with medical, commercial, clinical, and R&D teams 
•  Why MSLs are a critical feedback loop between physicians and headquarters 
•  How aspiring and current MSLs can grow into strategic leaders 

Whether you are breaking into medical affairs, developing as an MSL, or leading a field medical team, this conversation offers practical guidance for creating stronger relationships, better insights, and greater impact.

Subscribe to The Pharmaverse for more conversations with the leaders shaping pharma, biotech, and medical affairs.

Catch the latest Pharmaverse Podcast episode for expert insights on the pharmaceutical industry. Get clear perspectives on current trends.

This episode features a focused discussion on key developments within the pharmaceutical sector. If you are looking for professional commentary and industry analysis, this conversation provides a direct look at the topics shaping the field today. We bring together experienced voices to break down complex subjects into understandable points for anyone tracking these changes.

Whether you are a professional or simply interested in the business of medicine, this episode offers valuable context. We explore the Pharmaverse Podcast topics through candid interviews, ensuring you walk away with a better grasp of the current landscape. Each segment is designed to clarify the nuances of the industry without unnecessary jargon.

Subscribe for weekly pharma industry insights and comment below with which future topics you want us to cover next.