Being heard and understood. And most importantly, valued.

We had a couple of excellent days when MAPS (the Medical Affairs Professional Society) came to town recently. Across a range of insightful sessions in sunny London, we connected with familiar faces and new ones alike to explore the evolving role of Medical Affairs and its priorities for the future. 

Here are a few things we took away: 

The more things change, the more they stay the same: there was an understandable focus on emerging digital tools to boost efficiency and effectiveness. But this also raised a long-standing issue: how Medical Affairs is perceived within the wider organisation. For us, as communication specialists, it always comes back to not just being heard – but being understood. You can read more on how to achieve this here. 

Clarity beats complexity: in a field grounded in data and science, the ability to communicate with clarity and impact is still undervalued. We heard again how the best teams are those that translate complexity into relevance – for internal stakeholders, HCPs, and patients alike. 

Data alone doesn’t drive decisions: what stood out was how successful teams are elevating their influence by connecting the science to strategy through stronger narratives – building trust, promoting alignment, and making Medical Affairs more central to business value. 

Here at Dialogue, we’ve spent the last decade helping Medical Affairs (and other pharma) teams communicate the value of their work and we’d love to be working with you too.