Medical affairs is emerging as a central strategic business driver for life sciences organizations, shaping how evidence, insight and scientific engagement inform decisions across the enterprise. As science accelerates and healthcare professionals gain faster access to information, the function is being asked to connect clinical evidence, field insight and commercial strategy with greater speed and clarity.
The barrier is not the amount of data available. It's the ability to turn it into needle moving intelligence. In this episode, Josh Schwartz, Vice President of Medical Affairs, North America at BeOne Medicines, a global oncology company, and Jalpa Shah, who leads the medical and evidence practice at ZS, discuss how disconnected systems, fragmented insights and uneven feedback loops can slow decision-making and dilute impact. Leading organizations are moving toward a more integrated view of intelligence that connects field observations with real-world evidence and clinical signals.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help accelerate that shift by surfacing trends, synthesizing insights and supporting more tailored engagement. But technology alone will not define the next era of medical affairs. The differentiator will be an operating model that enables teams to act on intelligence into action in real time, align around shared priorities and deliver scientific exchange that is timely, relevant and measurable.
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| Jalpa Shah, Principal, at ZSJalpa is a principal at ZS, where she leads the medical and evidence practice for small and midsize pharma organizations. She focuses on helping medical leaders create and deliver differentiated medical value through tailored strategies that strengthen scientific impact and patient outcomes.Jalpa brings deep expertise across medical affairs strategy, integrated evidence generation planning, scientific communication and engagement, medical operating model and organizational design, capability building, launch and life cycle support, medical data strategy and analytics.Before joining ZS in 2015, Jalpa worked as a preclinical drug development scientist at organizations including GlaxoSmithKline, the National Cancer Institute and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, where she built a strong foundation in translational science and early-stage research. |
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| Josh Schwartz, M.D., M.B.A., Vice President, Medical Affairs – North America at BeOne MedicinesJosh Schwartz, M.D., M.B.A., is Vice President of Medical Affairs for North America at BeOne Medicines, a global oncology company - driven by scientific excellence and exceptional speed - to reach more patients than ever before. He leads the U.S. and Canadian medical affairs organizations across the company's hematology and solid tumor portfolios and serves on both the Global Medical Affairs Leadership Team and the Core North America Leadership Team.Josh joined BeOne Medicines in 2022 after serving as Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs at TG Therapeutics, where he built and led the global medical affairs organization across hematology, immunology, and all medical functions, while serving on the company's Commercialization Senior Leadership Team. Previously, Josh spent seven years at Bristol Myers Squibb in medical affairs leadership roles of increasing responsibility. He built and led the Health System Liaison and Pathology Diagnostic Liaison teams, supporting more than 20 oncology product launches, before leading the U.S. Medical Affairs Cardiovascular and Established Brands organization and serving on the Medical Affairs Senior Leadership Team.Josh earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received both his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration degrees from Wake Forest University.He lives in Montgomery, New Jersey, with his wife, Melanie, an OB/GYN, and their two daughters. Outside of work, Josh enjoys coaching youth basketball, cheering on his daughters at sporting events and dance recitals, training for triathlons, playing golf, reading, and supporting both Wake Forest and UNC athletics. |