Transforming Medical Communications

For decades, medical and commercial teams in pharma operated in strict silos. But that model is quietly breaking down. In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Lynsey Clarke, President, Client Partnerships North America, to discuss how the relationship between medical and commercial functions has evolved and where the real opportunities for alignment now lie.


We’ll talk about:

• How to recognize where your organization sits on the medical-commercial continuum
• Why omnichannel execution demands coordinated medical and commercial planning
• The disease education sweet spot where both functions can collaborate authentically
• How intent and compliance now differentiate medical from commercial communication
  
  

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

 Medical Affairs teams face increasing pressure to deliver greater impact with limited resources. As HCPs increasingly consume information through digital channels and abbreviated formats, traditional Medical Communications approaches often fall short. But what if the solution isn’t doing more, but doing less, more strategically? In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Georgea Pasedis, Vice President, Medical Affairs at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to explore building effective Medical Communications functions with limited resources.


We’ll talk about:

• How to develop streamlined Medical Communications strategies that prioritize physician needs over traditional approaches
• Why segmenting HCP audiences into distinct groups based on their information consumption preferences leads to better engagement
• How to leverage field insights and basic data to create effective strategies without large budgets
• Why limiting tactical deployment to three to four key initiatives yields better results than trying to do everything at once
• How to build stronger cross-functional partnerships between Medical Affairs and commercial teams for greater organizational impact
  
  

 Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

 How do you turn complex clinical data into actionable insight for HCPs? In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Daniela van Eickels, Senior Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs at Kyowa Kirin, to share why great data isn’t enough, how pharma can better listen before it talks, and what it takes to truly humanize Medical Communication.


We’ll talk about:

• Why listening precedes talking in Medical Communications
• How to contextualize data without diluting it
• How Medical Communication should differ between generalists vs. specialists
  
  
  

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

In this Best of the Year episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies brings insights from some of the leading voices in Medical Communications to unpack the most pressing shifts shaping how HCPs consume scientific information today, featuring Simon Priou of bioMérieux, Kimberly Eskridge-Rose of Travere Therapeutics, Janet Davies of UCB, Erin Reineke of Sanofi, Matthew Krzywosz of Astellas Pharma, and Nishal Patel of Pfizer.


We’ll talk about:

• How to identify gaps between intended and actual content usage through rigorous metrics analysis
• Why less is more in Medical Communications requires targeted audience segmentation
• The case for proactive social media engagement in Medical Affairs to combat misinformation
• How to define Scientific Communications Platforms (SCPs) accurately as foundational strategic documents
• Why Field Medical insights must directly inform content development and how to design omnichannel strategies as dynamic, iterative cycles
• How insights-driven content iteration closes the gap between messaging intent and HCP internalization
  
  

 Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

Episode SummaryIn Medical Communications, we’ve long operated under the assumption that scientific data naturally trickles down from academic thought leaders to the wider HCP community. However, this traditional model is failing to meet the needs of modern healthcare practitioners. In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Director of Worldwide Medical Oncology in Medical Communications at Bristol Myers Squibb, Raj Patel, to discuss innovative strategies for reaching community oncologists with scientific data through non-traditional channels and digital platforms.

We’ll talk about:

• How to leverage non-peer-reviewed platforms to exponentially increase scientific content reach
  
  
• Why community HCPs consume scientific content differently from academic physicians
  
  
• A framework to leverage medical news websites while maintaining compliance
  
  
• How to optimize the journal selection strategy to increase content accessibility for community physicians
  
  
• The three-step approach to identify and engage with platforms where community HCPs already consume content

Guest at a GlanceRaj Patel serves as Director of Worldwide Medical Oncology in Medical Communications at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), bringing over a decade of experience in scientific communications and publication strategies. As an expert in data dissemination and Medical Communications, he has pioneered innovative approaches to bridging the communication gap between pharma and community healthcare professionals.

• Connect with Raj Patel on LinkedIn
  
  

Host at a Glance
Wesley Portegies is the Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of MedComms Experts, an agency specializing in effective Medical Communications strategies for pharmaceutical companies. An experienced entrepreneur, Wesley started his first company at 19 and has built multiple successful companies. With over 20 years in the Medical Industry, both on the agency and industry side, he is driven by a passion for Medical Communications. 

• Connect with Wesley Portegies on LinkedIn
  
  
• MedComms Experts Website
  
  

Hot Takes and Key Highlights

• [03:43] Meeting Community HCPs Where They Are
  
  

To effectively reach time-poor community physicians, stop reinventing the wheel. Go where they already are. Whether it’s traditional routes like clinical guidelines and Independent Medical Education (IME), or digital spaces like Medscape, LinkedIn, or even Facebook, success comes from meeting them where they are and embedding valuable content into the channels they already trust and use.

“We have to really see where they're going and try to get our content or our information onto those sites.”

• [08:31] Influencers and Editorial Committees in Scientific PR
  
  

To expand your scientific data’s reach, treat dissemination like PR. Raj highlights that it’s not just about where you publish, but who you involve and what platforms you target. By collaborating with well-connected authors, you increase the odds of being picked up by high-visibility channels like Urology Today. Rather than simply relying on big budgets or pharma-owned platforms, look for niche media already trusted by the community. Leverage their built-in audiences to organically amplify your message. Think strategically about where to publish different types of data and match the content to what those platforms are already spotlighting.

“Rather than you trying to build something yourself, it's much easier to leverage that. It's going to drive a lot more views and interest than you trying to get people to come to a pharmaceutical company site.”

• [22:37] 3-Step Plan to Reach Community HCPs
  
  

If you’re looking to break away from traditional publication channels in Medical Communications, Raj offers a clear, actionable roadmap: start by deeply understanding your audience and researching where and how they consume information. Then, explore potential partnerships with the platforms they already trust, either directly or by positioning your content for discovery. Finally, align early with your commercial team on the core messaging and target audience to ensure consistency across all touchpoints, even when working independently.

“The first step is to very clearly identify your audience. And then, based on that, do a lot of research into where and how they're looking for information.”

• [25:20] Using AI in Field Medical to Map Content Habits
  
  

To effectively reach HCPs in the community, don’t overthink it; just ask. Raj suggests starting with your Field Medical teams: have them directly ask HCPs where they consume content and where they’d go to find answers. From there, use AI tools to track how and where scientific content is being cited across media channels, and tap into your commercial team’s market research to uncover high-traffic platforms. Add in some good old-fashioned investigation: search online, look at metrics from IME programs, and talk to thought leaders.

“AI is a very useful place. You can basically ask it, Can you tell me where you see citations of this appearing on other non-peer-reviewed sites?”

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

You’ve invested heavily in clinical resources and HCP engagement initiatives. Your content is scientifically rigorous, expertly reviewed, and strategically valuable. Yet when HCPs search for answers, your platform doesn't appear on the first page, or maybe not at all.


In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Janna Crabb, Director of Digital Communications Strategy at MedComms Experts, to unpack the real strategy behind SEO in Medical Affairs and actionable insights for turning your HCP engagement platform into a search engine favorite.


We’ll talk about:

• How to conduct keyword research that aligns your content language with actual HCP search behavior
• The three pillars of SEO strategy
• Why Google prioritizes content authority
• How to structure your HCP engagement platform so search engine crawlers can easily navigate and index your content
• The role of content syndication

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

 What if you could blend journalism techniques with Medical Communications to create more engaging scientific content? In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Christan Thomas, a Director of Oncology Scientific Communications at Pfizer, to delve into her journey from journalism to pharmaceutical communications, how she applies journalistic storytelling techniques to data dissemination, and her innovative approach to creating scientific content in oncology.


We’ll talk about:

• Capturing HCP attention instantly by applying the journalist's "hook" to your scientific presentations
• Transforming your content strategy by building every communication around one simple question: "Why should your audience care?"
• Why combining patient perspectives with clinical data creates more compelling scientific narratives
• How to balance scientific rigor with engaging storytelling in regulated environments
  
  

 Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

With social media and digital platforms dominating the conversation, email marketing might seem like yesterday's news. However, for Medical Affairs professionals seeking to engage HCPs, email remains one of the most significant yet underutilized channels in their communication strategies.


In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Janna Crabb, Director of Digital Communications Strategy at MedComms Experts, to break down how pharma teams build effective, compliant, and engaging email strategies to reach without spamming or getting ignored.


We’ll talk about:

• How to build a quality HCP email database through organic acquisition vs. purchased lists
• Why email should be integrated into your broader omnichannel medical communications strategy
• The optimal email frequency framework
• How to structure email campaigns around key events like congress presentations and data releases
• The three critical metrics for measuring email success
• Why A/B testing subject lines and content can significantly improve engagement metrics

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

 The traditional approach to Medical Communications often follows a top-down model: strategy flows from leadership teams to Field Medical, with content created based on broad objectives rather than real-world feedback. However, this misses a crucial opportunity to tap into the wealth of knowledge gathered by Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) during their daily interactions with HCPs. In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by the Director of Global Scientific Communications for Immunology at Sanofi, Erin Reineke, to share the importance of making field medical insights the backbone of content creation.


\We’ll talk about:

• How to integrate field medical insights into content development to ensure messages resonate with target audiences
• Why involving MSLs in content creation leads to more effective and practical field resources
• The "adoption ladder" approach to tailoring content based on HCP knowledge levels and need
  
  

 Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers. 

When 80% of HCPs find pharma content irrelevant to their needs, we have a problem. Omnichannel strategy in Medical Affairs requires a fundamental shift from pushing content through multiple channels to delivering targeted, audience-centric scientific communications that solve real healthcare challenges. In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by the Omnichannel Lead of Global Scientific Communications Oncology at Pfizer, Nishal Patel, to unpack what omnichannel really means and how Medical Affairs can move beyond the buzzword to implement meaningful, measurable omnichannel strategies.


We’ll talk about:

• How to differentiate between multichannel and omnichannel approaches
• Why successful omnichannel requires starting with audience research before selecting channels or creating content
• How to interpret engagement metrics beyond surface-level numbers to drive strategy optimization
• Why change management and mindset shifts are crucial for successful omnichannel implementation
• How to future-proof Medical Communications by embracing emerging technologies and shifting from traditional content dissemination models
  
  

Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.

Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.

This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.

If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.

 Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy

Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
• Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
• The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact

Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers.