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
• 
  

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

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?

Teri and Parker draw from decades of experience to share real-world strategies for harmonizing roles, aligning messaging, and leveraging omnichannel innovations. From cross-functional planning and trust-building to creating scalable, tech-driven journeys for HCPs, this episode offers powerful insights for any medical leader looking to bridge the gap.

🔹 Key Takeaways:

• Why compliance shouldn’t mean silence

• Practical frameworks for strategic alignment

• Real-world examples of collaborative success

• Reframing trust, risk, and accountability

• How omnichannel strategy unifies—not divides—teams

Connect with Teri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-michelini-aaa9204

Connect with Parker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerrichardson

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] Breaking Down the Firewalls

[06:00] Redefining Collaboration with Guardrails

[12:00] Strategy Before Execution

[20:00] From Ownership to Orchestration

[30:00] Enabling the Shift: Mindsets, Metrics & Micro-steps

[38:00] Personal Growth to Lead the Change