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Insight Drop: Why AI Fluency is the One Skill Medical Affairs Can’t Ignore in 2025

by Wesley Portegies on

Episode Summary

In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by AI strategist Subir Roy to discuss why mastering AI is no longer optional for leaders in Medical Affairs, but a competitive necessity. Learn how to eliminate inefficient processes, spot AI “hallucinations,” and leverage human expertise to make smarter, faster decisions. AI can save you hours every day, but only if you know how to use it. 

We’ll talk about how to:

  • Eliminate low-value busywork and reclaim time for strategic impact.
  • Detect AI hallucinations and why human critical thinking matters more than ever.
  • Build personalized, adaptive content ecosystems that serve your learners.
  • Develop the essential leadership skill for 2025: prompt engineering.

Guest at a Glance

Subir Roy leads Medical Excellence and Scientific Training initiatives at Takeda Global Medical Affairs, specializing in integrating generative AI solutions into day-to-day Medical Affairs workflows. A forward-thinking strategist, he’s passionate about equipping teams with practical AI skills while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human expertise in the age of automation.

Host at a Glance

Wesley Portegies is the Chief Strategy Officer and Founder of Medical Communications Experts, an agency specializing in effective Medical Communication strategies for pharmaceutical companies. An experienced entrepreneur, Wesley started his first company at 19 and has built multiple successful companies. With over 20 years in the Medical Industry, both on the agency and industry side, he is driven by a passion for Medical Communications. 

  • Connect with Wesley Portegies on LinkedIn

Hot Takes and Key Highlights

  • 02:10 – Master AI or Fall Behind

    Mastering generative AI is no longer optional for Medical Affairs leaders; it’s foundational. Those who embrace AI now will outpace those who cling to traditional workflows and manual processes. Just as Excel mastery once separated high performers, AI competence will define tomorrow’s Medical Affairs leaders. Falling behind means slower execution, weaker insights, and lost influence. The leaders who act now will set the pace for the industry’s next era.

“If you do not know generative AI, then it’s a major handicap, and you need to really learn and make sure that it’s a part and parcel of your daily work.”

  • 05:05 – Automate the Mundane. Focus on Strategy

    Medical Affairs professionals were hired for scientific expertise, not inbox management. Yet, too much time is still wasted manually sorting, flagging, and drafting emails. AI-powered tools now enable Medical Affairs teams to automate communication workflows, surface critical action items, and prepare more strategically for meetings. Those who automate early will unlock more time for high-value strategic work, and those who don’t will find themselves overwhelmed and left behind. Strategic focus is no longer a luxury; it’s a competitive requirement.

“Earlier, we would spend almost around 30 to 40% of our time writing emails. And this is a simple task, but it’s a mundane task. So now we use generative AI to compose emails.”

  • 07:45 – Conquer AI Hallucinations Before They Derail You

    AI is powerful, but it’s not infallible. Systems based on probability models can and do hallucinate, creating seemingly credible outputs that are fundamentally wrong. In Medical Affairs, where precision and scientific credibility are non-negotiable, blind trust in AI is a direct threat to organizational integrity. Leaders must integrate rigorous human review into every AI-supported workflow. AI is an accelerator, not a replacement for expertise, and knowing when to challenge the machine is now a core leadership skill. Expertise, not automation, remains your strongest asset.

“Some of the part of those content might be a lie, might be a hallucination, and you need to be an expert to figure out where those lies are, where those hallucinations are.”

  • 10:50 – Deliver Adaptive Learning, Not One-Size-Fits-All

    Static, generic training is obsolete. AI allows organizations to deliver dynamic, personalized learning experiences tailored to each individual’s needs, goals, and even mood. In a field where scientific knowledge gaps directly impact performance, adaptive learning offers a critical advantage. Organizations that embrace adaptive learning will onboard faster, perform stronger, and develop deeper scientific expertise, while competitors struggle with outdated, rigid programs. Those who stick to generic, one-size-fits-all programs will fall behind.

“The entire system can be, I won’t say replaced, but I would say augmented by AI in such a way that the entire learning system is completely customized to that particular person, catered to his or her needs.”

  • 14:40 – Turn Conference Overload into Strategic Advantage

    The old way of gathering conference intelligence—manually capturing photos, writing reports, and waiting weeks for agency summaries—is dead weight. AI can process, summarize, and structure hundreds of posters, sessions, and insights in hours, not months. Teams that adopt this approach will turn information overload into a strategic advantage, delivering near-instant insights to the field. In an era where speed drives influence, slow teams will simply be overlooked.

“Instead of spending weeks sorting through conference materials, AI now enables us to instantly extract key insights and deliver them straight to the field. Information overload becomes a strategic advantage when AI accelerates the process.”

  • 19:15 – Lead by Commanding AI with Precision Prompts

    In the AI era, leadership is about knowing how to communicate clearly with both machines and people. Writing powerful prompts isn’t an extra skill; it’s becoming a professional competency that shapes the quality of outputs, insights, and results. Poor prompts lead to vague, useless responses; strategic prompts drive precision and creativity. Leaders who master prompt engineering will use AI as an extension of their team, gaining an immediate performance edge.

“This is an intern who does not understand anything. But if you instruct that intern correctly, he’s going to do the research well and give you the right answer.”

  • 22:05 – Deep Expertise: The New Currency of Medical Affairs

    As AI automates basic tasks, shallow knowledge will become worthless, but deep expertise will become priceless. Medical Affairs needs real subject matter experts who can critically assess, correct, and strategically leverage AI outputs, not just execute them blindly. Those who invest in building true scientific expertise now will define the strategic direction of their organizations tomorrow. Expertise isn’t being replaced; it’s being revalued at a premium.

“We need experts right now who are going to use AI and then collaborate with AI to make the world a better place.”

YouTube Chapters

  • [00:00] Intro
  • [02:00] Why AI Literacy is Mandatory in Medical Affairs
  • [05:00] Automating Routine Tasks to Focus on Strategy
  • [07:30] Critical Thinking vs AI Hallucinations
  • [10:40] Personalized Learning with AI
  • [14:20] Accelerating Conference Insights Extraction
  • [19:00] Mastering Prompt Writing for Better Results
  • [22:00] The Role of Expertise in the AI Era
  • [23:00] Final Thoughts


The host of Transforming Medical Communications

Wesley Portegies
CEO and Founder of MedComms Experts

Hi there,

I am the host of the Transforming Medical Communications podcast.

Our field is being left in the dust by the cutting-edge communication methods and practices in other industries. We’re going to change that. On Transforming Medical Communications we talk to the biggest and brightest names in Medical Affairs & Communications to find out what they’re doing to push our industry forward and define the future.

If you are interested in participating in an interview, please reach out to us.

Yes, I’d like to participate