Practical Strategies for MSLs, Aspiring MSLs, and Medical Affairs Leaders

Updated April 2026 | Originally published March 2025

By Sarah Snyder

The Problem: MSL Training Is Stuck in the Past 

Picture this: A new MSL sits at their desk, surrounded by stacks of scientific articles and slide decks, diligently highlighting and taking notes. This has been the standard tra...

By Patrina Pellett & Sarah Snyder

We're Obsessed With NotebookLM and You Should Be Too
NotebookLM comes up a lot in our world. We talk about NotebookLM all the time. Like all the time. It’s just so powerful and fun. 

We love it. Not just as AI nerds (guilty), but as longtime Medical Affairs profess...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD

 Visibility is the secret sauce to presenting better and most people are avoiding it. Here are 3 ways to see what you can’t unsee about your communication skills.

Tom Caravela didn’t always sound like a confident presenter. Back when he launched MSL Talk, listening to hi...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

When you think of “presentation skills,” what comes to mind? Probably a big, formal event with a polished PowerPoint and an audience full of bigwigs, right? But here’s the truth: it’s not just the big moments that shape your career.

It’s the everyday...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

We’ve all sat through (or delivered) those presentations. You know the ones I’m talking about. Slide after slide of data with numbers that blur together until you’re left with nothing but a vague sense of, well, something. But there’s one simple wa...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Here's a big secret of mine: I used to have a serious "um" problem. While watching videos of myself presenting, I was shocked by how often I said it. It was so cringey! Recognizing this was a huge step, and I worked hard to eliminate "um" from my p...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Virtual presentations are here to stay, especially in pharma and biotech. They’ve become an everyday part of our professional toolkit. Check out the chart below from a recent LinkedIn poll! Everyone is in several hours of virtual meetings per week....

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Imagine this: The room fills with quiet anticipation. There’s a buzz, but the atmosphere is calm. The audience settles in, ready for what’s to come. You glance around, noticing how people are leaning forward, already engaged before the presentation...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

You know that moment when you’re presenting amazing data, and all of a sudden, you realize… you've lost them. Blank stares. Eyes rolling into the back of heads. And you’re like, Great, I’m killing it. Except you’re not.

In pharma and biotech, pres...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

There's no way around it. No matter what role you have in Medical Affairs or any role in pharma or biotech, presentation skills are critical. And they are often the most challenging part of the job.

In the Aspire MSL program, refining presentation...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

You know that feeling when you absolutely crush a presentation? You walk out of the room or hit 'Leave Meeting' feeling like a million bucks.

There are several presentations in my career where I know I just CRUSHED it. One was in person at a lab a...

By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Imagine this: You’re an aspiring professional in the pharma or biotech industry preparing to give a presentation for a job interview, working in clin dev presenting new trial data, or a leader presenting to cross-functional partners. You’ve spent w...