Medical Affairs Strategic Thinking & Changing Landscape | Darshan Talks

In this episode of the DarshanTalks Podcast, host Darshan Kulkarni Pharm.D, MS, Esq. welcomes Biopharma Medical Affairs expert, Irene von Hennigs, PharmD to talk about Medical Affairs Strategy. Irene von Hennigs, Pharma D who is Vice President Medical Affairs at ChemoCentryx talks about her journey and specifically about medical affairs. She is been in the pharma industry and medical affairs for a period of 26 years. While in her consulting career she started her own company partnering with pharmaceutical companies and ChemoCentryx was one of them. From the past two years, the way people interact in a professional setting has changed drastically. Virtual meetings, interactions, and virtual building relations are now considered more comforting to the people. Pandemic has changed the scenarios of medical affairs meetings as pointed out by the expert. Her view on virtual meetings was different, the zoom meetings are formal whereas face-to-face interactions are personal and friendly which helps everyone to build connections and relations effectively. The online MSL team meeting is formal in a way that people don't always interact well and there is a human element missing from it. When the expert resumed the physical office after the pandemic she discovered the face-to-face interactions to be beneficial in many ways that online interactions couldn't offer. She emphasized the human factor that is missing nowadays from the KOL engagement and the relationship building. Perceiving the changing dynamics in medical affairs, the experts should change as explained by the guest, "the experts are the experts". Medical affairs always go to the expert to advance knowledge and awareness. The KOLs in medical affairs are primarily thought leaders who are experts in the specified areas which comes through defined criteria. Interacting in a digital world is completely a different ball game altogether. In today's time, time is also an important factor to consider in the digital world. The physicians and healthcare practitioners are very busy treating patients because of covid and other factors involving, additionally, having a shortage of staff. Hence, the busy work environment sets forth time as a crucial part along with what value you bring to the table. The medical affairs personnel need to understand and key things to consider is the preparation factor (before and after the meeting), what information can I provide to the physician or my customer, what the customer ask about, what information should I add to their knowledge, etc. Lastly, the conversation dealt with changing landscapes in medical affairs, discussion on medical affairs interviews, medical science liaison strategy, medical affairs strategy after the pandemic, and much more. Previous Podcast with Irene: Building a Medical Affairs Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Nt6M33v2U Connect with Irene von Hennigs: On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenevonhennigs/ Connect with us: Website: http://www.darshantalks.com Law Firm: http://www.kulkarnilawfirm.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/darshantalks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshankulkarni ---- Disclaimers: 1. This discussion is merely an oral discussion and should not be relied upon solely on its own to support any conclusion of law or fact. 2. The discussion does not and should not reflect any individual products status as safe, efficacious, adulterated, or misbranded or meeting or not meeting expectations at a local, state, federal, or international agency or organization. 3. The discussion should not be construed to be complete advice that is right for you and may not necessarily represent a specific product. 4. This discussion is provided for general educational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice, regulatory advice, or medical advice. 5. This does not create an attorney-client relationship.