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 happens in conversations - field insights, scientific discussions, strategy meetings. But if no one follows up, those conversations often stop.”
MSLs who consistently build strong relationships across teams do one simple thing:
They follow up.
Not with long emails. Not with formal reports.
Just clear messages that keep the conversation moving.
Inside this issue: three situations where follow-up strengthens relationships in Medical Affairs.
1. The Interview Follow-Up That Shows You Were Listening
A Senior Director of Medical Affairs in the Southwest shared something she looks for after interviews.
Not a long thank-you email. Just one detail that shows you are listening.
Patrina recently shared several real examples of networking messages that actually got responses and why they worked.
If you're preparing for interviews or transitioning into Medical Affairs, we’re breaking down how to write these kinds of follow-ups in our workshop next Tuesday.
Join the Aspiring MSL Workshop: Writing Interview Follow-Ups That Stand Out
2. When a Message From Sales Comes in… Frustrated
An MSL Director in the Southeast shared a situation many teams recognize.
After a KOL meeting, a sales colleague sent a message criticizing how something had been communicated. The tone was blunt. Irritable.
Instead of reacting defensively, the MSL followed up with a quick note:
“Thanks for raising this. Can you share what the physician asked and what you heard so we can make sure we're aligned?”
The tone of the conversation shifted immediately. What started as frustration turned into a discussion about the physician’s questions and how the teams could approach similar situations going forward.
We’ll be discussing how to navigate moments like this in our MSL Leader workshop this Tuesday.
Join the MSL Leader Workshop: Strengthening Cross-Functional Collaboration
3. The Follow-Up Skill Most MSL Teams Never Train
A Regional MSL leader overseeing a team in California shared something surprising during a leadership discussion.
“We train extensively on science, compliance, and insights,” she said.
“But we’ve never formally trained our team on follow-up communication.”
Yet many important moments in Medical Affairs depend on it:
- After cross-functional meetings
- After physician discussions
- After difficult internal conversations
That’s why we developed a 4-step follow-up framework that helps MSL teams.
It’s a practical approach that helps teams maintain alignment while strengthening relationships across Medical Affairs.
Reply FOLLOW-UP for more information on this workshop for your team.
If you want to go deeper on the communication skills behind these moments, we recently wrote about this concept as Relationship IQ for MSLs.
Using Mira to Practice High-Relationship Communication
Sometimes the hardest part of follow-up is finding the right tone. especially after a tense conversation.
You can use Mira to help refine those messages before sending them.
Try a prompt like:
“Help me rewrite this follow-up message so it sounds collaborative, professional, and solution-focused for a cross-functional Medical Affairs colleague.”
It’s a simple way to strengthen communication while keeping messages clear and professional.
TL;DR – Quick Wins
- Strong interview follow-ups reference something meaningful you heard.
- Thoughtful responses can't turn tense cross-functional moments into collaboration.
- Structured follow-ups help MSL teams strengthen relationships across Medical Affairs.
The meeting starts the interaction.
But the follow-up is where relationships are built.
In your corner always,
Patrina, Sarah & Ralph
P.S. What’s your fave follow-up trick?
Upcoming MSL Mastery Events:
- MAPS - Masterclass Field Medical (Denver) - Mar 22, 2026
- Speaker: Patrina Pellett, PhD
- Focus: AI in Action: Transforming How Medical Affairs Teams Learn
- MAPS - America's Meeting - Mar 24, 2026
- American Pharmacists Association - APhA Annual Meeting (LA) - Mar 30, 2026
- Speaker: Sarah Snyder
- Focus: Say It with Strategy: The Industry Edition
- DIA Course (Virtual) - Apr 29, 2026
- Speaker: Patrina Pellett, PhD & Sarah Snyder
- Theme: Integrating AI across Medical Affairs
- Outcome: Boost efficiency, clarity & impact.
For Individuals:
- Aspire MSL Practice - Mar 16, 2026
- The MSL Interview Thank-You Note Playbook (Free for Aspire and RISE members or register here) - Mar 17, 2026 at 5 PM CT
- The Crossfire Conversation: Strategic Cross-Functional Collaboration for Medical Affairs Leaders (Free for LEAP and RISE members or register here) - Mar 17, 2026 at 6 PM CT
- Aspire MSL Office Hours - Mar 18, 2026
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