What makes a good medical science liaison?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

To be a good medical science liaison, a person needs to have a combination of scientific expertise, good communication, and people skills. Medical science liaisons act as a bridge between healthcare companies and physicians; therefore, they need to be both medical experts and good communicators.

Medical science liaisons are scientific professionals who provide information about their employer's products, such as medical devices, drugs, and treatments.

They typically represent their employer to decision-makers in the medical community, also known as "key opinion leaders" (KOLs), as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies.

For any medical science liaison to be successful, they need to communicate well with various stakeholders at different levels of a company to ensure that everyone has the information needed to make an informed decision.

Good medical science liaisons are able to adapt to change and handle ambiguity. What was a company directive today may be something completely different tomorrow? Good medical science liaisons must be able to recognize this, work smart, and start working in a new direction.

Since medical science liaisons act as consultants for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, imparting information gathered from thought leaders in the field of biotechnology, they must have excellent interpersonal skills. This allows them to successfully navigate the many personalities that they may encounter in their role.