Medical Affairs Spotlight

Edition 55: MAPS Denver 2026 Recap

Medical Affairs leaders are starting to say this out loud. “Our MSLs know what to do, they’re just not doing it.” Everyone has had the lecture-style training and knows how. But this alone doesn’t drive behavior change. One-and-done training does not work. We’ve been hearing this since we f...

Mar 27, 2026

Edition 54: MAPS Insider

When it comes to Medical Affairs conferences, there are sessions you attend… And then there are sessions you experience. Patrina’s MAPS sessions fall into the 2nd category: Laptop open.Fingers pounding the keyboard, writing prompts, and building agents live on the fly. Testing ideas in real ti...

Mar 20, 2026

Edition 53: The Power of the Follow-Up

During a Medical Affairs team meeting, an MSL Director based in Chicago asked a simple question. “After your last cross-functional meeting, who sent a follow-up?” A few people raised their hands. The rest of the room was quiet. He explained why he asked. “In Medical Affairs, a lot of our work ha...

Mar 13, 2026

Edition 52: Bonuses Just Hit in Medical Affairs

The week after bonuses separates people. One MSL updates her LinkedIn. Another finally responds to the recruiter who’s been “just checking in.” A manager quietly realizes:Two of my strongest people might not be here in 2 months. Bonus season doesn’t just move money. It moves people. 1. Don’t ...

Mar 13, 2026

Edition 51: Your 90-Sec Reputation

We’re bringing a mini-barrel to a team training in Nashville this week. Yes. An actual barrel. Reply and guess what it’s for... Get it right and we’ll send you a prize. Now here’s why that matters: When we roll unexpected things into a room, people lean in. Curiosity goes up. Energy spik...

Mar 01, 2026

Edition 50: Territory Planning

Here’s a topic that comes up in almost every conversation we have with MSL managers: Territory planning. Or more accurately, the lack of it. Managers usually pretty blunt about it: → “Pssht. What territory planning?”→ Or a giant eye roll→ Or a long pause And almost every time, it traces bac...

Feb 20, 2026

Edition 49: MSL Love Languages

Valentine’s Quiz (no wrong answers, promise): When it comes to work relationships, which one are you? A) Overthinking every message before you send itB) Explaining your impact five different ways and still getting blank staresC) Nodding calmly while a KOL says something absolutely unhinged If...

Feb 20, 2026

Edition 48: Imposter Syndrome

One of Patrina’s co-presenters for an upcoming conference asked if they could meet. The conference is 2 months away. Patrina’s a last-minute gal, so her first thought was: Why are we meeting already? Then he explained. This is his first big presentation. And he was nervous. They talked...

Feb 06, 2026

Edition 47: Executive Presence

We looked at each other and thought: WHAT. THE. LITERAL. HECK. We were watching an MSL we love present. This guy has the it factor. Smart. Charismatic. Confident. Great smile. The kind of presence that makes you think, oh this is going to be good. And then he started presenting. ...

Feb 06, 2026

Edition 46: Territory Planning

There’s a big storm coming. Which means flights might cancel, calendars might implode, and at least one perfectly planned week is about to get a little… creative. And while we’re not here to talk about the weather, it is the perfect reminder of this: Territory planning isn’t a travel schedule...

Jan 26, 2026

Edition 45: New Skills Required

The average professional skill now has a half-life of ~5 years. Which means half of what made you an effective MSL in 2020 doesn’t carry the same weight today. Your science still matters.Your relationships still matter. But the way you’re expected to work?That’s changed. It’s like showing up t...

Jan 26, 2026

Edition 44: Not Showing Value Feels Bad

“Patrina, you don’t understand how crappy it feels.” Sarah exclaimed this one day when talking about the endless discussion around Medical Affairs not showing impact. She’s right. When leadership keeps talking about an inability to demonstrate value, it wears on the people doing the work. Not...

Jan 09, 2026

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