The MM+M Podcast

The first episode of the MM+M Podcast in 2026 centers on the bright lights of Las Vegas.Like clockwork, early January in Vegas is dominated by the Consumer Electronics Showcase – which is routinely ranked as the most-attended trade show in the U.S.  While CES is, in accordance with its name, more consumer-focused in nature, the four-day bonanza always offers a healthcare hook.Alison Woo, a former CNN journalist and comms lead for pharma giants like GSK and Novartis, has been stationed in Vegas since media availability began on Sunday.You may remember Alison from the last time she was on the podcast, which was one year ago when she covered CES 2025 for us. This week, Alison and managing editor Jack O’Brien chat about all things CES: the omnipresence of AI, innovation that will actually make a difference in healthcare as well as only the most pertinent medical marketing takeaways for you the listener.And for our Trends segment, we’re discussing some of our medical marketing industry resolutions for 2026 and say goodbye to reporter Heerea Rikhraj.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2025 – what a year that was for medical marketing.So many events and developments contributed to headlines in not only MM+M but mainstream outlets as well.Chief among them was the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary, which signaled the direction that the second Trump administration would take on health policy.Not to be outdone, AI had a sizable impact, too. The momentum behind AI affected how millions consume information, do their jobs and even the ads they see on a daily basis.  Additionally, the closing of Omnicom’s takeover of IPG sent another shockwave through adland. Though medical marketing shops may be more insulated than consumer agencies, they were not spared.This week, I’m joined by editor-in-chief Jameson Fleming, editor-at-large Steve Madden, pharma editor Lecia Bushak and reporter Heerea Rikhraj so the MM+M editorial team can say ‘goodbye’ to 2025 and ‘hello’ to 2026 in our final episode of the year.And once again, in lieu of the Trends segment, we bring you an interview from our recent AI Deciphered conference, this time with health futurist John Duffield. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, HWP CEO Jani Hegarty and SVP of development operations Justin Schlemm share how Health & Wellness Partners is adopting AI internally — not as a trend, but with rigor, oversight and deep respect for the science and compliance that pharma demands. They discuss how AI is already helping HWP teams extract insights, and stay current on therapeutic trends — all within a strong framework of governance, integrity and human-in-the-loop quality control. The conversation explores how to separate novelty from necessity, and how life-science partners can confidently prepare for an AI-enabled future. Check us out at: mmm-online.com   Follow us:  YouTube: @MMM-online TikTok: @MMMnews Instagram: @MMMnewsonline Twitter/X: @MMMnews LinkedIn: MM+M   To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2026 is going to be an exciting year for the GLP-1 space – you know it and I know it.Long dominated by the likes of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, several other drugmakers are expected to challenge for market share. More drugmakers are coming in for a slice of that increasingly lucrative pie.We can never get enough conversation around GLP-1s, which is why we’re capping 2025 with one more interview about this powerful class of drugs.​Katie Chlada, managing director at M+C Saatchi North America, joins us as our final podcast guest of the year. A self-described “GLP-1 evangelist” and “nerd,” Katie spoke with managing editor Jack O’Brien about what the future holds for these drugs, the access and affordability obstacles facing patients and how medical marketers can better communicate about these medications.And for our Trends segment, we have an interview from our recent AI Deciphered conference with Ian Cohen, head of creative and content, global communications at Ford Motor Company. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Millions of Americans know what it’s like to live with inflammatory skin conditions – including Stella McDermott, the daughter of actress and author Tori Spelling.Earlier this fall, Tori spoke with People magazine about her own episodic eczema flare-ups in adulthood, how Stella has experienced bullying related to her chronic eczema and how the pair have become more confident while embarking on their respective skincare journeys.By publicly sharing their patient stories, Tori and Stella have formed the bedrock of Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ recently-launched Free to Be Me skincare campaign. The effort elevates their experiences while also drawing attention to how Arcutis’ Zoryve – a once-daily, nonsteroidal topical – offers patients with inflammatory skin conditions another effective treatment option.  This week, pharma editor Lecia Bushak speaks with Arcutis CEO Frank Watanabe about the drugmaker’s partnership with Spelling, how the effort aims to raise awareness of inflammatory skin conditions and what the drugmaker’s growth strategy looks like heading into 2026.And for our Trends segment, we’re joined by editor-in-chief Jameson Fleming to discuss the medical marketing implications from Omnicom’s takeover of IPG. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As AI becomes core to life sciences marketing, audience intelligence is evolving — quickly. This conversation unpacks what’s working, what’s being overlooked and what’s next for HCP and patient insights. Check us out at: mmm-online.com   Follow us:  YouTube: @MMM-online TikTok: @MMMnews Instagram: @MMMnewsonline Twitter/X: @MMMnews LinkedIn: MM+M   To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do you measure a year? Nearly one year after it was first announced, the Omnicom-IPG megamerger has finally closed. We already know of some of the changes at the leadership level – namely the appointment of Dana Maiman as CEO of the new Omnicom Health. Now shortly before that deal was announced late last year, another seismic event rattled the medical marketing status quo. On December 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton Midtown.His death and the subsequent arrest of Luigi Mangione – who was indicted of first-degree murder among a number of federal and state charges – caused an unprecedented, impassioned conversation about the high cost and limited access of healthcare in America.On today’s episode, reporter Heerea Rikhraj interviews Dr. Sarah Matt, a surgeon turned health technology strategist, about the upcoming release of her new book – The Borderless Healthcare Revolution – as well as her thoughts on the evolving state of the health tech landscape.Then for our Trends segment, we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and how health brands have changed how they communicate and interact with the public. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosted by MM+M, this episode brings together Cathy Eschenbach, SVP, group account director of Genicos, powered by Syneos Health, and John Kirk, SVP, group creative director of Genicos, powered by Syneos Health, for a conversation about the agency’s new positioning and its rallying cry:“It’s GO Time.”The discussion explores how Genicos helps small and midsize biopharma (SMID) companies bring breakthrough therapies to market — faster, smarter and with purpose. Eschenbach and Kirk unpack what “GO” means as an ethos, not just a tagline; why emerging biotechs are their ideal partners; and how Genicos blends scientific depth and creative firepower to accelerate launches and impact patient outcomes.  Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Justin Thomas-Copeland is the CEO of the 4As, but key aspects of his career arc are defined by leadership assignments in the world of healthcare.Before he ascended to the top spot at the ad industry’s leading trade association, Justin lived the best of both worlds in healthcare: working brandside and at an agency supporting pharma clients.In the early 2010s, he served as chief digital officer, Europe for Novartis – developing the Swiss drugmaker’s first digital strategy. From there, he rejoined the agency world as the managing director and global client lead for Team Novartis at Wunderman EMEA.At the end of the decade, he served as global CEO of OPMG Health at Omnicom Precision Marketing Group.MM+M editor-in-chief Jameson Fleming brings us an extended conversation with Justin about what his early experience as a health leader taught him about advertising and why thinks digital marketing can reimagine health brands.And for our Trends segment, we’re talking about Secretary Kennedy’s admission that he personally directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its guidance on the link between vaccines and autism.  Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you didn’t attend Haymarket Media’s second annual AI Deciphered conference last week in New York, I’ll be frank: you missed out.The daylong event featured a bevy of programming designed to help agency executives and brand-side leaders understand the evolving impact of AI on the advertising industry across all sectors.This week, pharma editor Lecia Bushak brings us a pair of interviews from the AI Deciphered conference. First up is Chris Wiggins, chief data scientist at The New York Times and an associate professor in the Data Science Institute at Columbia University. Chris headlined the conference’s keynote discussion – How Data and AI Will Change Marcomms. Additionally, Lecia had the chance to speak with  Kelly Kavanagh, senior director of integrated marketing and media at Haleon, after she appeared on my panel – The New Path to a Healthy Reputation.For Trends, managing editor Jack O’Brien and editor-at-large Steve Madden unpack medical marketing’s latest buzzword: “patient-centricity.”Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI and GLP-1s.As a healthcare reporter, we often get asked: ‘What are the top industry trends that brand and agency leaders are most focused on?’ And that’s our response: AI and GLP-1s.Luckily for you, this week’s episode provides a taste of both.Our feature interview this week is an in-person conversation between managing editor Jack O’Brien and Curtis Sparrer, principal and co-founder of Bospar PR.Curtis flew in from San Francisco to preview the MM+M tracks at Haymarket Media’s second annual AI Deciphered conference on Thursday. (Please note, last minute tickets are still available!)For Trends, pharma editor Lecia Bushak and editor-at-large Steve Madden get you up to speed on the week that was in GLP-1-land: from Pfizer muscling out Novo Nordisk for obesity drug developer Metsera, to the White House’s drug pricing deal with Novo and Eli Lilly.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Broadcasting from the Convene in midtown Manhattan, managing editor Jack O’Brien hosts the morning keynote session with Reddit's Jess Calef and R/nursing moderator Meg Dunning from the 2025 MM+M Media Summit.The pair underscore why the 20-year-old social media platform is having a moment among the medical marketing community and how health brands can maximize their ad dollars there. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI Deciphered is back for a second year!On Thursday, November 13, three Haymarket Media publications – PRWeek, Campaign and MM+M – will reunite for a daylong conference focused on the ongoing AI revolution.Attendees will get to hear from leaders across a variety of industries and sectors about how AI is impacting their work and what the future holds for these innovations.The opening keynote will feature the chief data scientist at The New York Times and the closing keynote speaker will be the global head of generative AI at The Coca-Cola Company.To preview the second annual AI Deciphered conference are the three editorial leads from Haymarket Media: PRWeek editorial director Steve Barrett, Campaign editor-in-chief Luz Corona and MM+M editor-in-chief Jameson Fleming.Register here for tickets to the 2025 AI Deciphered conference. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join speakers from IQVIA Digital and IQVIA Applied AI Science as they discuss DTC marketing and governance as we head into 2026. Check us out at: mmm-online.com   Follow us:  YouTube: @MMM-online TikTok: @MMMnews Instagram: @MMMnewsonline Twitter/X: @MMMnews LinkedIn: MM+M   To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How many MM+M Podcast listeners are currently growing mustaches?This is our first episode of November, also known as Movember, the annual monthlong event raising awareness of men’s health.The most well-known aspect of Movember is growing a mustache in a bid to elevate the profile of some highly stigmatized health topics like prostate cancer, infertility or behavioral issues.Yet for all the progress achieved and charity dollars raised, the Movember Foundation is always looking for more brands to step forward and support the cause.On this week’s episode, managing editor Jack O’Brien speaks with BBD Perfect Storm Health managing partner Nick Dutnall about how brands need to step up their efforts around men’s health – not only during Movember but throughout the rest of the year.Plus, we have a few live hits from the 2025 MM+M Media Summit.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reporter Heerea Rikhraj talks with Sommer Bazuro, PhD, chief medical officer at IPG Health, Ricki Fairley, CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance and Dr. Adriana Kahn, Yale School of Medicine about why women receiving breast cancer diagnoses at a younger age in 2025, and how campaigns and education efforts need to evolve to prevent these diagnoses for younger women. Check us out at: mmm-online.comFollow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+MTo read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosted by MM+M, this episode brings together Oliver Nelson, managing director at Evolvics, powered by Syneos Health, and Chris Tuleya, EVP of media at Evolvics, for a candid conversation on why most brands are getting media reporting wrong. Too often, marketers focus on vanity metrics such as clicks and impressions, numbers that look good on a dashboard but fail to connect with real business outcomes. Nelson and Tuleya will unpack why traditional reporting falls short, how interactive, real-time approaches are reshaping decision-making and what it means to go beyond dashboards and PowerPoints to create truly integrated performance intelligence.   Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The 2025 MM+M Media Summit is back!As such, our focus for this week’s episode is the state of health media.To help us navigate an industry in flux, at a crossroads, under a microscope – whatever your analogy of choice – is Bill Veltre, head of media at Deerfield Group.Leading media operations for a 2025 MM+M Agency 100 honoree, Veltre walks us through the obstacles posed by a growing amount of regulatory changes as well as the evolving role of AI in the industry.For the Trends segment, we discuss the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against Kenvue over claims it “deceptively” marketed Tylenol. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reporter Heerea Rikhraj chats with journalist and author Tamsen Fadal about her book, How to Menopause, her menopause documentary The M Factor and how health marketers can bridge the gap between knowledge and awareness of the condition.  Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, we explore how the consumerization of healthcare has pharma thinking more like retailers. RVO Health’s Suzy Jackson joins us to talk about its new digital health division and what “direct-to-patient” really means for the patient experience. Plus, who’s driving this shift inside pharma, and the one piece of advice every brand should take into 2026. Check us out at: mmm-online.com   Follow us:  YouTube: @MMM-online TikTok: @MMMnews Instagram: @MMMnewsonline Twitter/X: @MMMnews LinkedIn: MM+M   To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here. Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.