AI-Powered Centers of Excellence (CoE): What are They? 

Pharma and life sciences companies are producing more digital content than ever — and managing it all is becoming a challenge of its own. As campaigns expand across channels, markets, and formats, it’s clear that scaling content isn’t just about volume. It’s about consistency, adaptability, and smart coordination. 

In the first episode of Pharma Talks podcast, CEO Nataliya Andreychuk sat down with Krishna Venugopal, Product Manager at eWizard, to unpack a timely question: how can pharma teams build the kind of internal infrastructure that not only supports global strategy and omnichannel strategy but also keeps pace with change? 

Their conversation centered around one solution that’s gaining momentum — AI-powered centers of excellence in healthcare. Done right, these hubs become more than a team or a department, they become the engine behind seamless, effective content strategy across the entire organization. 

How Pharma’s Tech Stack Evolved and Where AI Fits In 

With more than 15 years of experience in CRM and CLM, Krishna has seen the evolution from on-premise tools to cloud platforms, and now to widespread AI integration. While each stage has brought new capabilities, it has also raised expectations — especially in the way pharma organizations manage and deliver content. 

Today’s audiences, both HCPs and patients, have adopted the behaviors shaped by social media — quick, seamless, and channel-agnostic. “From a user’s perspective, switching between platforms is just a continuation of the same experience”, Krishna noted. This means the burden is on pharma marketers to ensure consistency and personalization across an increasingly fragmented ecosystem. 

More Channels, More Content — Now What? 

With digital transformation pushing the limits of traditional marketing, organizational efficiency becomes a top priority. Pharma companies not only need more content — they need content that’s modular, reusable, compliant, and locally adaptable. That’s a tall order. 

Nataliya recalled the days when large agencies handled content creation at scale, often working separately for each channel or CRM system. Now we must think beyond simply scaling — we must think about process optimization. The rise of do-it-yourself tools, the integration of AI, and the proliferation of internal “content factories” are reshaping how content is produced and managed. Krishna agreed that it’s not about choosing between DIY, agencies, or AI — it’s about knowing when and how to use each effectively.  

This is where the centers of excellence model becomes essential. By bringing together the people, tools, and processes under a single umbrella, organizations can ensure that content production is not only efficient but also aligned with brand, regulatory, and strategic objectives. 

AI plays a key role in this model. Rather than replacing human input, it acts as a force multiplier — helping teams generate content faster, ensure compliance, and support localization. AI becomes an assistant in the room, offering insight and support, while human teams focus on strategic decision-making and oversight. 

The Case for Centers of Excellence in Healthcare 

So, what is a CoE in healthcare exactly? It’s more than a team or a title. A Center of Excellence serves as a dedicated hub for operational excellence, offering strategic oversight, technical guidance, and continuous improvement for critical areas like content management, campaign orchestration, and market execution. 

These structures enable better market adaptation, allowing global campaigns to be localized efficiently — not just translated, but reworked to fit regulatory standards, audience expectations, and platform specifics in each region. With the right framework, even highly decentralized teams can maintain alignment with broader brand goals. 

In pharma, where different CRMs may be used in different regions, a CoE pharma function ensures that content can be created once and adapted many times over, without losing impact or compliance. It also reduces redundancy, streamlines workflows, and ensures that resources are being used effectively. 

Building the Bridge Between Global and Local 

The phrase may be old, but its relevance remains: “Think global, act local.” Nataliya and Krishna emphasized that success lies in creating data-driven decision-making frameworks with built-in localization pathways. That means involving local champions — the “ambassadors” who can both disseminate global vision and bring back local insights to refine it. 

This isn’t just about deployment. It’s about fostering two-way communication. Innovation doesn’t need to originate from the center, Krishna said, It can come from anywhere — the key is having open channels that allow new ideas to flow, be evaluated, and if effective, be scaled. That’s the core of any effective innovation centers of excellence setup. 

AI’s Role in the CoE: Your New Team Member 

So where does AI fit into all this? Both speakers agreed: AI is not a silver bullet — but it’s an invaluable team member. Krishna described AI as “a peer who joins your meetings, offers ideas, and helps execute them faster and smarter”. Rather than replacing humans, AI allows organizations to scale without massively expanding headcount — a major benefit when aiming for business scalability. 

“Think of AI as your assistant, your accelerator,” Nataliya added. It helps you cover hundreds of markets more efficiently — as long as there’s human supervision and strategic direction. 

But building a center of excellence isn’t easy, even with AI’s help. It requires experience, structure, and a willingness to transform deeply embedded processes. That’s why, as Nataliya pointed out, organizations often need external partners — not to take over the vision, but to help implement it effectively at scale. 

Culture, Risk, and the Path to Innovation 

Transformation is not just technical — it’s cultural. “What’s your company’s definition of risk?” Krishna asked. “How do you treat failure?” In an era where AI is developing at breakneck speed and shiny new tools appear daily, the ability to experiment, fail fast, and pivot is critical. 

He made a compelling case for treating the center of excellence healthcare function like an internal R&D unit. “It’s where you test new approaches before scaling them. Just like in pharma drug development — you need a space for research, experimentation, and iteration”. 

Empowering people within the CoE to try, fail, and try again is what ultimately leads to innovation leadership. But that takes trust — and an organizational culture that values learning as much as results. 

Final Thoughts 

The value of centers of excellence in healthcare will only grow as AI becomes more embedded in everyday workflows. With the right oversight, AI allows organizations to scale faster, reduce manual workloads, and expand into new markets — all while staying compliant and on-brand. 

But as Krishna noted, AI is just a tool. Success still depends on how well people use it — and whether the organization gives them the structure and freedom to innovate. When done right, a CoE becomes not only the operational hub but the heartbeat of transformation. 

 For pharma companies serious about long-term change, the question isn’t what are centers of excellence — it’s how fast can you build one that’s ready for the future? 

And if you want more insights like this, go follow Viseven’s YouTube channel and tune into the Pharma Talks podcast — where human voices meet industry insights. Dive into engaging conversations with thought leaders across pharma and life sciences as they explore the latest trends in pharma marketing, digital transformation, and AI-driven solutions. Don’t miss out on the ideas shaping the future of the industry. 

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