A Conversation with Medical Affairs Leader Jan Lewis

OnPoint: The Mentor Sessions, hosted by Linda Traylor, VP of Medical Excellence at Acceleration Point, is inspired by The Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss. Each episode follows a consistent set of reflective questions designed to uncover the mindsets, habits, and leadership lessons of exceptional Medical Affairs leaders.

Jan Lewis began his career as a hospital pharmacist in oncology before crossing into the pharmaceutical industry at AstraZeneca, where he helped launch some of the earliest targeted lung cancer therapies. That clinical grounding shaped a career built on a simple realization: the smartest person in the room isn't always the most valuable one. In this conversation, Jan talks with Linda about the shift from having answers to asking better questions, why good science alone doesn't win, and what curiosity, humility, and courage actually look like in Medical Affairs leadership. If you're rethinking what it means to lead in this profession, this conversation is one to sit with.

Key Takeaways:

• Value doesn't come from having all the answers. Jan describes the early-career pull toward being technically right, and the shift toward asking better questions and helping teams think more clearly instead.
• Good science doesn't automatically win. Evidence has to be communicated to the right people, in the right context, or it doesn't move anything forward.
• Curiosity, humility, and courage separate good leaders from exceptional ones. Jan names all three as distinct qualities, with courage in particular tied to being willing to be seen and to lead from the front.
• Success is measured by what you leave behind in people, not job titles. Jan reframed success around whether he left a person or team more capable than when he found them.
• Getting out of your lane builds an enterprise mindset. Time in commercial, market access, or clinical roles gives Medical Affairs leaders a fuller view of how decisions actually get made.
• Regular time away from work sharpens judgment. Jan credits a recent sabbatical, and the discipline of sketching, with changing how he listens and notices things as a leader.

Books and Resources Mentioned

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, recommended by Jan Lewis: a framework for understanding how emotional responses and cognitive biases like loss aversion shape decisions in Medical Affairs, even among evidence-driven teams.

The Patient Doctor by Dr. Ben Bravery, recommended by Jan Lewis: a memoir by a former zoologist turned physician after a stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis, which Jan cites for its perspective on the emotional side of the patient experience that clinical training alone doesn't teach.

About Our Guest

Jan Lewis began his career as a hospital pharmacist specializing in oncology before moving into the pharmaceutical industry, first at AstraZeneca, where he worked on the launch of targeted therapies in lung cancer. Over the course of his career he has worked across local and global Medical Affairs roles, gaining experience across commercial, market access, and clinical functions. He serves as Company Secretary and volunteer mentor with the Medical Affairs Professional Association (MAPA) in Australia and New Zealand, currently on sabbatical from that role while spending time with family and pursuing portrait painting.

Connect with Jan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-lewis-16a9b42/

FAQ

What mindset shift does Jan Lewis say most improved his Medical Affairs career?
Jan points to realizing his value didn't come from having all the answers, but from asking better questions and helping teams think through problems together, a shift he describes as learning metacognition from watching other leaders.

Why doesn't good science automatically succeed, according to Jan Lewis?
Jan explains that evidence has to be communicated clearly and adapted to the audience receiving it. Scientific strength is the entry ticket, not the differentiator, and stakeholders need the right context before evidence becomes compelling.

What three qualities does Jan Lewis say separate exceptional Medical Affairs leaders from good ones?
Curiosity, humility, and courage. Jan describes curiosity as a driver of continuous learning, humility as a reminder that no one owns the whole picture, and courage as the willingness to be seen and to speak up in matrixed environments without formal authority.

How does Jan Lewis define success in Medical Affairs?
Jan measures success by whether the people and teams he's worked with are more capable than when he arrived, rather than by promotions, titles, or team size.

What does Jan Lewis see as the biggest shift ahead for Medical Affairs?
Jan expects Medical Affairs to move further upstream into strategy conversations, driven by AI literacy, enterprise thinking, storytelling, and judgment, rather than staying focused solely on scientific excellence.

About OnPoint: The Mentor Sessions Podcast

OnPoint: The Mentor Sessions Podcast delivers engaging conversations with Medical Affairs and Field Medical leaders on the power of mentorship and coaching. Hosted by Linda Traylor, each podcast uncovers practical strategies, personal stories, and lessons to inspire and prepare the next generation of medical leaders.

OnPoint is available on several podcast platforms, including the Acceleration Point YouTube channel. Listen on:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTXapuvAJzWZdDrMJFj-3FDz42Z3uJYAu
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/onpoint-the-mentor-sessions/id1884316384
• Spotify: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/8cquOM3Mg1b

Have questions? Reach out to our team: https://www.accelerationpoint.com/contact/