Over the past 12 months, as medical communicators we have been at the centre of two conflicting, developing dynamics. The pandemic has stifled opportunities for pharmaceutical clients to engage with their customers in a meaningful way, but at the same time it has forced us to increase the reach, frequency, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of medical education activities.

In parallel to this, away from the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a societal shift gathering impetus. We have seen a long overdue global focus on equality and inclusion – whether it’s based on gender, race, physical ability or sexual orientation.

A question then is: do the emerging COVID-19-driven dynamics afford us a ‘moment in time’-style opportunity to address an endemic lack of equality and inclusivity in our industry? Maybe the virtual disruption is exactly what the pharmaceutical industry and scientific community need to reset biases and inequalities that have developed over time. Consider the inequity of access created by holding congresses in the US and Europe; the difficulties faced by physicians in rural areas; those caring for young or elderly relatives, or those with mobility issues who want to attend events or collaborate with colleagues in person. How about the institutional bias against women and people of minority ethnic backgrounds in clinical trial settings? Could a virtual or hybrid world begin to help us address these issues?

This is not to suggest medical communications can solve these endemic societal issues, but if healthcare professional and patient engagement opportunities reach broader geographies, languages, ethnicities, time zones, parents, carers and those with mobility constraints, then we open up the middle and top tables of scientific exchange to a far more diverse group of thinkers. And diversity of thought has been shown to directly correlate with innovation. When gathering insight from patients, can we embrace virtual forums and clinical trials to get a timely, true-world view?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us online and kick-started a revolution of sorts, but the hard work of embracing this opportunity and facilitating broader access to, and engagement in, scientific advancement is still to come. It is our role as communicators to support our clients to glean insight from a wider group of experts across various clinical practice settings and use new methodologies to collect input in a more equitable manner. We must not be reliant upon the usual dominant voices.

Our role as partners with our pharmaceutical clients is to think further and help them embrace these contradictions by developing smart, non-traditional solutions, breaking norms and finding yet more ways to increase engagement with healthcare stakeholders far and wide.