OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott sits down with Nandini Sabharwal, Field Medical Director at Pfizer, to explore how Medical Affairs teams can move past the hype and start building real, practical AI skills. Drawing from her experience as a clinical pharmacist and MSL, Nandini shares how using AI first in everyday life creates confidence, fluency, and momentum that directly translate i...

In this episode, Scott sits down with Nick Taylor, Head of Gilead’s IT Innovation Lab, to unpack how he has led enterprise-wide adoption of Copilot and built AI solutions now used by nearly 30,000 employees. Nick shares the mindset, methods, and practical realities of teaching teams to use AI well, from personal productivity to enterprise-scale agents. Together, they discuss: • How Nick moved from...

2025 wasn’t just another year of progress for Medical Affairs. It was a year of transformation. In this special OnPoint: Medical Excellence Podcast episode, Scott Thompson looks back across the conversations, leaders, and moments that defined the past year and distills them into six themes that are reshaping how Medical Affairs teams operate, lead, and create impact. This is not a rewind. It’s a s...

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott sits down with Joyce Lo, Director of Medical Omnichannel Strategy at Blueprint Medicines. Joyce shares her perspective on modernizing Medical Affairs engagement through digital and customer-centric channels. Together, they explore how omnichannel can expand reach, personalize education, and deliver measurable impact across the Medical Affairs landscape...

In this OnPoint Podcast episode, Joe Giuliano joins Acceleration Point CEO Scott Thompson to reflect on his nine-year journey leading Medical Affairs at Amicus Therapeutics—and the bold transformation he spearheaded before his recent retirement.  From rethinking Medical Affairs’ role to building belief-driven strategies and enabling digital capabilities, Joe shares hard-earned lessons and practica...

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 influ...

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. Toge...

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...

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott Thompson welcomes Teri Michelini of Sanofi and Parker Richardson of Astellas Pharma to explore the evolving relationship between Medical Affairs and Commercial teams in pharma. As traditional silos and firewalls give way to transparency and strategic orchestration, what does true collaboration look like—and you get there without compromising compliance...

In this episode, Scott Thompson sits down with Rachel Couchenour, a seasoned medical affairs leader with deep experience navigating the unique challenges of small and emerging biotech companies. Together, they dive into what it really means to be a team of one—or a small team—in a resource-constrained organization. Rachel shares wisdom from her journey transitioning from big pharma to startups, hi...

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott Thompson sits down with Vicky Jones, Global Head of Field Medical at Annexon Biosciences. With a ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-jones-dvm-36707119/⁠   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...

In this OnPoint podcast episode, host Scott invites Brant, Head of Field Medical at Mallinckrodt, to discuss the complexities of Insights Generation in medical affairs. Brent emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, collaboration, and the evolving role of AI in gathering, analyzing, and reporting insights. Key topics include the necessity of having a dedicated Insights Lead, the significan...

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott interviews Wendy Fraser about her experiences and insights in scaling the Medical Excellence function at Merck. They discuss the scope of responsibilities, the complexities of managing global medical affairs, and the innovative practices that enable scientific exchange excellence. Wendy shares the importance of building cross-functional relationships,...

In this episode of the OnPoint Podcast, Scott interviews Matt Nelson, Head of Global Medical Excellence and Innovation at Amicus Therapeutics. Matt shares his journey in leading change within organizations, starting from his tenure at Biogen, to his current role at Amicus. They discuss the importance of establishing foundational systems and procedures before implementing broader strategic initiati...

Pascal Vande Gucht, Medical Affairs Digital Lead at UCB, joins Scott Thompson to discuss the critical steps Medical Affairs teams must take to stay ahead by 2030. Pascal shares his vision on leveraging digital technologies, data analytics, and insights to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and improve patient outcomes. Learn how Medical Affairs can implement omnichannel strategies...

Omnichannel expert Justin Kulovsek joins Scott Thompson and shares how Medical Affairs teams can simplify their approach when it comes to Omnichannel. Learn how to effectively engage HCPs, KOLs, and other key audiences without overcomplicating your efforts.   Justin shares practical tips on leveraging existing tools and creating personalized, impactful content across channels like email, CRM, soci...

Blueprint Medicines' Kjersten Teeter and Scott Thompson discuss the power of operational and strategic reporting in Medical Affairs. Discover how to go beyond the basics of metrics and create impactful narratives that align data with organizational goals. Kjersten shares her expertise on improving operational efficiency, measuring true impact, and driving organizational excellence with insights on...

Scott speaks to Shruthi Menon and Akansha Kumar from Acceleration Point's Social Listening and analytics team about their groundbreaking research on using social media to map patient journeys in rare diseases. They discuss their ISPOR poster presentation on Cushing's Syndrome, highlighting the power of Social Listening in uncovering patient insights that traditional methods might miss. Connect wit...

Scott speaks to Stacey Gorski, Head of Medical Excellence, U.S. Oncology, at AstraZeneca. They discuss key aspects of onboarding new team members and why it’s so crucial for Medical Affairs teams to master. Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-gorski/ OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast, delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Med...

Scott speaks to Michael Kahn, Senior Director, Medical Affairs Operations Leader, at Spark Therapeutics. Their conversation focused on Medical Operations, Medical Excellence, change management and mentoring as a component of leadership.  ⁠ Read The First 90 Days ⁠ (recommended by Michael) Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahnmichael/ OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Pod...

Scott speaks to Michelle Warner, an Independent Consultant and former Director at GSK for over 25 years. They discussed how Medical Affairs teams have a lot to gain by bringing patient insights to the forefront. Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-warner-5b172420/⁠ OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast, delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing i...

Scott speaks to Lori Long, US Field Medical Excellence Lead, Specialty Care, at Sanofi. They discussed creating harmony and coordination across field teams and scaling processes across the organization. Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-long-pharmd-95349218 OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast, delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing to...

Scott speaks to Donna Holder, Executive Director, Head of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Daiichi Sankyo. They discussed the role of Digital, criteria working with a technology partner, using AI for analysis and key skills needed to get into Medical Affairs leadership. OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast, delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affai...