How Medical Affairs leaders can move their organizations from a supporting role to a strategic driver—through accountability, insight translation, and the smart use of AI.
In this episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley-Nowick speaks with Greg Carpenter, Global Medical Strategy Leader in General Medicine at Sanofi, for a candid conversation on how Medical Affairs must evolve to remain relevant—and indispensable—in a rapidly changing industry. The discussion focuses on how Medical Affairs leaders can increase their strategic impact across pharma and biopharma organizations. Drawing on experience across commercial, quality, and Medical Affairs functions, Carpenter outlines why broader career paths, business acumen, and accountability are essential to creating Medical Affairs value.
The conversation examines how Medical Affairs can move beyond data delivery to translate medical insights into strategy, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and better support physicians and patients. The episode concludes with a practical discussion on AI in Medical Affairs, including how AI is being used today to improve insights, content development, and efficiency—while reinforcing the importance of human judgment and leadership.
“I think what medical affairs is learning is that they need to come to the table, just like commercial does, and they need to fight for resources, and they need to be bold. They need to have courage, and they need to stand up for what they know was right, and what’s right for the patients.
And I think that’s also been a key evolution in a medical affairs, is that different mindset of moving from being a supporting function, to being a strategic lever within the organization, and being on the same level as commercial American access, and as R&D.”
– Greg Carpenter, MBA
Episode guest
Greg Carpenter, MBA
Global Medical Strategy Leader,
General Medicine, Sanofi
