In this episode of OnPoint, Scott hosts seasoned Medical Affairs leader Paul Minne to explore one of the industry's most persistent challenges: defining and measuring impact. With over two decades of experience leading field medical teams across biotech and pharma, Paul brings bold ideas and practical solutions for how Medical Affairs teams can move from traditional activity metrics to truly influencing and measuring changes in clinical practice.

Together, they discuss:

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulminne/

OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast delivers insightfulconversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affairs professionals. Listen to stay ahead of industry trends and be inspired by leaders shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

OnPoint is available on several podcast platforms, includingthe Acceleration Point YouTube channel.

#MedicalAffairs #MedicalExcellence

00:00 – Introduction: Why Measuring Impact Still Matters

02:05 – Why Is Impact So Hard to Define in Medical Affairs?

08:00 – The Real Purpose of Medical Affairs

14:10 – Beyond Metrics: What Should We Really Measure?

18:30 – A Hybrid Model: Activity vs. Strategic Impact

26:20 – How MSL Teams Can Shift Clinical Beliefs

38:00 – AI, Alignment & the Path to the Third Pillar

Medical Excellence is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of high-performing Medical Affairs organizations—but what does it mean, and how can it be implemented in practice? In this episode, Scott Thompson is joined by two industry leaders, Michael Kahn and Chris McNabb, who bring hands-on experience in building and leading Medical Excellence functions at Spark Therapeutics and Bayer, respectively.

Together, they discuss:

• Defining Medical Excellence and how it differs from medical operations
• The role of Medical Excellence in enabling field teams and improving strategic alignment
• Key lessons learned from building and scaling Medical Excellence functions
• Balancing innovation (like AI) with foundational operations
• Organizational structure, stakeholder engagement, and team development
• The future of Medical Affairs and where Medical Excellence fits in
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Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: / kahnmichael

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: / chris-mcnabb-ph-d

OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affairs professionals. Listen to stay ahead of industry trends and be inspired by leaders shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

OnPoint is available on several podcast platforms, including the Acceleration Point YouTube channel.

#MedicalAffairs #MedicalExcellence

[00:00] – Introduction & Meet the Guests

[02:30] – Defining Medical Excellence: More Than Operations

[06:00] – Building the Function: Standardization, Scope & Strategy

[12:00] – Gaining Buy-In & Aligning Stakeholders

[20:30] – Balancing Innovation with Operational Foundations

[31:00] – Team Structure: Big vs. Small Organizations

[46:30] – The Future of Medical Affairs & Closing Thoughts

Following a standing-room-only session at the 2025 MAPS Annual Meeting, Acceleration Point CEO Scott Thompson sits down with three industry leaders who are shaping how Generative AI is being applied inside Medical Affairs today—not in theory, but in practice.Wendy Fraser (Merck), Annamaria Crisan (Pfizer), and Rishi Ohri (Astellas Pharma) share real-world examples, critical lessons, and hard-won truths from piloting Gen AI across Field Medical teams, Medical Information, HEOR, and Omnichannel. They discuss personal productivity, process improvement, clinical risks, compliance pitfalls, and how to build trust—both with your technology and your teams.If you're exploring how to scale Gen AI within a regulated environment, this is your roadmap.🔹 Key Takeaways:• Start with Low-Risk, High-Impact Use Cases• Human-in-the-Loop is Essential for Quality & Trust• Prompt Engineering is a Leadership Priority• Compliance Buy-In Starts with Demonstrating Quality• Modular, Fit-for-Purpose AI Beats “One Size Fits All”Connect with the guests on LinkedIn: Wendy Fraser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-fraser-86316710Rishi Ohri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishiohriAnnamaria Crisan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamaria-crisan-b0018a17[00:00] Why Gen AI? Why Now?[04:00] Defining the Problems to Solve[08:00] Three Buckets of Use Cases[12:00] Real Examples: What’s Working (and What’s Not)[28:00] Risks, Trust & Compliance in a Regulated World[36:00] Scaling Gen AI Without Breaking Workflow [47:00] Upskilling & What Leaders Are Learning Next