Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum

Field Medical is operating in an increasingly complex healthcare environment. The pace of scientific innovation is accelerating, treatment decisions are becoming more specialized and data-driven, and healthcare professionals must navigate a rapidly expanding volume of evidence across therapies, diagnostics, real-world data, and evolving standards of care. Innovation is also shifting toward increasingly sophisticated modalities, including cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, multispecific antibodies, and precision medicines. In oncology alone, more than 2,000 clinical trials started in 2023, highlighting the growing scientific complexity facing clinicians.

At the same time, AI is fundamentally changing how healthcare professionals access, synthesize, and interact with scientific information. According to the AMA 2026 Physician Survey on Augmented Intelligence, more than 80% of physicians surveyed now use AI professionally, more than double the proportion reported in 2023. Nearly 40% are already using AI to summarize medical research and standards of care. Scientific engagement is therefore moving beyond traditional channels toward an environment in which HCPs can increasingly obtain information on demand through AI-enabled tools and workflows.

These shifts create an important inflection point for Field Medical. If information itself becomes increasingly ubiquitous and AI-assisted, the value of the MSL must extend beyond delivering scientific information. MSLs will need to bring greater scientific depth, contextualize increasingly complex evidence, uncover and synthesize meaningful insights, navigate emerging AI-enabled channels, and become more valuable partners in scientific exchange. Field Medical organizations, in turn, will need to rethink the technologies, data foundations, operating models, talent strategies, and measures of impact that enable this evolution.

In this panel discussion, three Field Medical leaders will share their perspectives on how the function must evolve and how they are preparing their organizations for the future. The discussion will explore the external shifts having the greatest impact on Field Medical; the emerging competencies and capabilities MSLs will need; how AI and new technologies are changing scientific engagement; and the tools, operating models, and organizational changes required to build a future-ready Field Medical organization.