Why Global Medical Affairs Struggles to Make Science Relevant
August 13, 2026
Medical Affairs teams often design scientific communications from headquarters, assuming that what works in one market will work everywhere. However, a physician in rural India faces entirely different realities than one in Tokyo or Mexico City.
In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Babak Abbaszadeh, Vice President of Global Medical General Medicine at Amgen, to discuss why global Medical Communications so often miss the mark and what it takes to fix that.
Medical Affairs teams often design scientific communications from headquarters, assuming that what works in one market will work everywhere. However, a physician in rural India faces entirely different realities than one in Tokyo or Mexico City.
In this episode of Transforming Medical Communications, Wesley Portegies is joined by Babak Abbaszadeh, Vice President of Global Medical General Medicine at Amgen, to discuss why global Medical Communications so often miss the mark and what it takes to fix that.
Babak Abbaszadeh is Vice President of Global Medical General Medicine at Amgen, bringing over twenty years of medical and pharmaceutical expertise spanning emergency medicine, global medical affairs, commercial leadership, and international market strategy. A former physician with Doctors Without Borders, Babak has spent his career bridging the critical gap between headquarters-driven scientific communication and the real-world realities of physicians and patients across diverse healthcare systems in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and beyond.
We’ll talk about:
- Why the biggest blind spot in global Medical Communications is assuming scientific evidence translates uniformly
- How to stress-test the “so what” before production
- The case for modular communication design
- How to measure impact before scaling globally
Cut Through the Noise. Elevate Your Strategy.
Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.
Guiding Medical Affairs strategy across Medical Communications, Field Medical, or Medical Affairs Training? Wesley Portegies, host of Transforming Medical Communications, is opening up a few exclusive 30-minute consultancy sessions.
This is a candid, insight-rich opportunity to step back from the day-to-day, pressure-test your approach, and explore fresh solutions to complex MedComms challenges—from scientific engagement to operational alignment.
If you’re shaping the future of Medical Affairs at your organization, this conversation is for you.
Reserve your session → Schedule now https://mce.global/consultancy
Previous guests include: Sissy Easo-Joseph at GSK, Barbara Bish at Janssen, Drew Provan at Queen Mary University, Rebecca McCracken at Agios Pharmaceuticals
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- From Event to Strategy: Making Congresses More Impactful
- Building a Medical Affairs Powerhouse Without a Big Pharma Budget
- The SCP Playbook: Turning Strategy into Real-World Impact
Transforming Medical Communications is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the guest are their own and do not represent any past or current employers.