The "Elevate" by MAPS Podcast

Medical Affairs is evolving faster than ever. It demands not only execution, but imagination. In fact, innovation in Medical Affairs isn't just needed. It's already happening, and we have the responsibility to guide it with intention.

In today's podcast episode, our speakers explore the foundations of innovation and how having an innovative mindset can help fuel a curious and collaborative Medical Affairs organization to reach new goals.

Join us for a fun look back at the top publications of 2025 — and info your publications team can use to find success beyond only impact factor and citations in 2026.

In this podcast, lead by members of the MAPS Business Knowledge Domain, our experts will:

1. Recognize marketing terminology and implications for Medical Affairs activities
2. Identify the relevance of market analysis for business decision-making
3. Define the importance of competitor analysis and forecasting in marketing and sales
4. Recall the value of cross-functional perspectives in decision-making
5. Outline the consequences of non-compliance in pharmaceutical activities
6. Provide a perspective on how Medical Affairs can bring value to marketing and sales organizations

This three-part podcast explores how Medical Affairs leaders can navigate and lead through disruption with clarity, structure, and resilience.

We explore how to construct and lead an agile, cross-functional crisis team. From defining roles to ensuring aligned decision-making across Medical, Regulatory, and Commercial functions, this episode emphasizes rapid coordination, internal trust, and shared accountability under pressure.

In Part 1 of this 3-part series, experts from the MAPS Leadership and Management Domain discuss understanding change. How does it impact our teams, and how can our leaders guide their teams through change?

Through this episode, leaders and independent contributors may gain a better understanding of why change feels so hard right now and learn about what we can do to support each other and really thrive during these times of uncertainty.

As Medical Affairs leaders, we are tasked with optimizing MA operations and talent through an increasingly multi-generational workforce. Several authors have addressed this issue. This podcast will discuss some of the common issues we are noticing around this topic, and bring relevant applications and examples to the Medical Affairs world, with the aim of understanding and optimizing the skills and contributions of all MA professionals.

References & Resources

1. Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce by Megan Gerhardt
2. TEDx Talk: Why I Love Millennials (and Why You Should Too) by Megan Gerhardt 
3. Amy Edmonson on Psychological Safety 
4. Google’s re:Work – tools for psychological safety and team dynamics
5. TED Talk: Good Leaders Make People Feel Safe by Simon Sinek
6. TED Talk: The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
7. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
8. Brené Brown — Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead. Vermilion. https://brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/
9. Simon Sinek’s TED Talk: Good Leaders Make People Feel Safe

Go to https://medicalaffairs.org/knowledge-center/ for every reference in today's episode!

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, leadership in the pharmaceutical industry is entering a new era—one defined by innovation, agility, and purpose-driven impact. This transformation is especially visible in Medical Affairs, where the role is shifting from traditional scientific support to becoming a strategic driver of patient-centered value, cross-functional collaboration, and real-world evidence generation. In this special series, Bagrat Lalayan sits down with prominent industry leaders to explore how modern leaders are navigating global challenges, embracing digital transformation, and redefining success in a more complex and regulated environment. Together, they’ll discuss the skills, mindsets, and strategies required to lead with vision, foster trust, and accelerate innovation—while keeping patient outcomes at the heart of every decision.

What does it actually look like to implement a GenAI solution in a Medical Information department? What are the risks? The benefits? And what should others learn from those who’ve already tested the waters? 

In today's "Elevate" episode, our speaker panel, lead by Jennifer Riggins and Steve Casey of the MAPS Digital Strategy FAWG, dives into a topic at the cutting edge of medical information: the use of Generative AI for content creation.

You’re not alone if a strong publication didn’t land. More often than not, the problem isn’t the paper - it’s the data behind your target selection. In this episode, scientific communication expert Mike Cashman (Mavens) and data expert Mike Taylor (Altmetric) share how publications teams are using smarter data to guide journal selection and improve impact.

Learn how real-world signals like citations, clinical uptake, and policy mentions from Dimensions and Altmetric help teams prioritize journals, plan effectively, and track downstream influence. You’ll also hear how this data gets embedded directly into planning workflows, so teams can make confident decisions right where they work.

This is a practical, clear look at how to simplify complex planning, cut through the noise, and make smarter, faster decisions. Whether you’re refining strategy or proving value post-publication, it’s time your tools work as hard as you do. 

This three-part podcast explores how Medical Affairs leaders can navigate and lead through disruption with clarity, structure, and resilience.

This episode defines crisis management as a structured, cyclical process: preparedness, response, recovery, and reflection. We discuss how Medical Affairs plays a unique role in translating uncertainty into strategy, maintaining scientific clarity, and protecting external trust through transparent communication.