Programme overview
Introduction:
Medical affairs and medical science liaison training on KOL engagement and medical plans is a 5-day course for MSLs, medical advisers and medical affairs managers in pharma and medtech companies that ends with a Medical Affairs Plan and MSL Engagement Plan for a case product launch. Launches lose credibility when field visits drift towards promotion, opinion leaders are chosen by habit, advisory boards yield no usable advice and field insights never reach the medical strategy. Nominees already hold scientific roles and work through case studies built on launch and insight records. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this medical affairs course.
Course Objectives:
- Define the medical affairs contribution at each stage of the product lifecycle and separate non-promotional scientific exchange from promotional activity in field interactions
- Identify, tier and map key opinion leaders and build an MSL territory plan with engagement priorities and scientific objectives
- Conduct reactive and proactive scientific presentations, peer discussions and medical information responses within industry codes of practice
- Plan and run advisory boards, and capture, grade and report field medical insights that inform medical strategy
- Assess investigator-initiated study proposals, outline a real-world evidence plan and apply grant criteria for medical education support
- Draft a medical plan with KPIs for engagement quality and insight impact, and produce an MSL engagement plan for a product launch
Target Audience:
- Field medical staff who hold scientific discussions with physicians, pharmacists and researchers in an assigned territory
- Medical advisory staff who review promotional materials, answer medical information enquiries and support brand teams with scientific input
- Medical affairs leads responsible for the medical plan, field medical KPIs and cross-functional launch readiness
- Evidence generation staff who assess investigator-initiated studies and coordinate real-world evidence activities
- Medical education and grants staff who review funding requests and keep support independent of commercial influence
Course Outline:
Day 1: Medical Affairs Across the Product Lifecycle and Field Medical Baseline
- Medical Affairs Lifecycle Map From Late Development to Maturity
- Medical, Commercial and Clinical Operations Role Boundary Matrix
- MSL Role Profile, Scientific Credentials and Therapeutic Area Expertise
- Scientific Exchange Versus Promotion Decision Tree for Field Interactions
- Field Medical Team Current-State Review of Reach and Insights
Day 2: KOL Mapping, Territory Planning and Engagement Models
- KOL Identification Criteria Using Publications, Trials and Guideline Authorship
- KOL Influence Mapping With Network Analysis and Tiering Grids
- Digital Opinion Leader Screening and Disclosure of Paid Relationships
- MSL Territory Plan With Institution Priorities and Visit Frequency
- KOL Engagement Plan Template With Scientific Objectives and Touchpoints
Day 3: Scientific Exchange, Advisory Boards and Medical Information in Practice
- Reactive and Proactive Scientific Slide Deck Approval Routes
- Peer-to-Peer Scientific Discussion Using Open Questions and Data Limitations
- Advisory Board Charter, Fair Market Value Fees and Agenda Design
- Medical Information Enquiry Handling, Standard Response Letters and Off-Label Requests
- Medical Insight Capture Form and Insight Quality Criteria
Day 4: Evidence Generation, Medical Education Grants and Ethical Risk
- Investigator-Initiated Study Proposal Review and Funding Decision Committee
- Real-World Evidence Plan With Registries, Claims Data and Endpoints
- Medical Education Grant Criteria and Commercial Firewall Controls
- Industry Code of Practice Rules for Consultancy and Hospitality
- Medical Affairs KPI Set for Engagement Quality and Insight Impact
Day 5: Case Study on a Product Launch Medical Affairs Plan
- Case Product Launch Brief, Unmet Need and Evidence Gaps
- Medical Plan Strategic Imperatives and Tactical Workstreams for Launch
- MSL Engagement Plan for Priority KOLs and Institutions
- Insight Report and KPI Dashboard for Launch Medical Activities
- Medical Affairs Plan and MSL Engagement Plan Peer Defence
Skills You Will Gain:
- Scientific Exchange Governance
- Opinion Leader Tiering
- Field Medical Territory Planning
- Advisory Board Management
- Medical Information Response Writing
- Medical Insight Grading
- Evidence Generation Planning
- Medical Plan Authoring
Why Attend This Course:
- Present a Medical Affairs Plan and MSL Engagement Plan for a case product launch to the medical director and the launch team for approval
- Judge whether a field request, slide deck or meeting counts as scientific exchange or promotion, and which opinion leaders merit priority engagement
- Prevent promotional drift, unbalanced advisory board fees and grant decisions influenced by sales teams that expose the company to code breaches
- Hand colleagues insight capture forms, opinion leader tiering grids, advisory board charters and medical KPI definitions for routine use
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant hands the medical director and the cross-functional launch team a Medical Affairs Plan and MSL Engagement Plan that sets medical imperatives, evidence generation priorities, opinion leader engagement and field medical KPIs. The medical director uses it to approve MSL deployment, advisory board and grant budgets and real-world evidence studies before launch. After the first quarter of field activity, the medical team should review engagement quality, insight volume and grading, and which insights changed medical or launch decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before the medical affairs and medical science liaison training?
Participants should already hold a scientific degree and work in or alongside a medical affairs team, reading clinical papers with confidence. Bringing an anonymised field report, opinion leader list or medical plan extract lets them apply the case work to their own therapeutic area.
How does medical affairs and medical science liaison training differ from pharmaceutical sales training?
It trains non-promotional roles: scientific exchange, opinion leader engagement, insights, evidence generation and the medical plan. Sales training covers prescriber targeting, detailing, call cycles and account management, which this course touches only to draw the boundary between medical and commercial activity.
What counts as a medical insight in medical affairs and medical science liaison work?
A medical insight is a new understanding, gathered from scientific exchange, that could change medical strategy or decisions. A single opinion or a known fact is not an insight. Insights are graded for novelty, relevance and actionability, then reported so the medical plan can respond.
What do participants take back from the medical affairs and medical science liaison training on KOL engagement?
Participants take back a Medical Affairs Plan and MSL Engagement Plan for a case product launch, plus an opinion leader tiering grid, an advisory board charter, an insight capture form and a set of medical affairs KPIs to adapt.