Medical affairs teams are becoming increasingly important to the developments of pharma companies. They are key to disseminating relevant and factual medical information to physicians and to patients who wish to be more engaged in their healthcare journey.
The medical affairs is evolving and there is much to learn from and share with fellow industry professionals, which is why conferences are so important. Plus they make for great networking opportunities.
In this post, we explore some of the major medical affairs events happening in 2020.
2nd Annual ACMA/DGE: Digital Strategy & Innovation for Medical Affairs
Philadelphia
February 25-26, 2020
The healthcare community is showing an increased need for reliable and robust scientific information. Medical affairs teams need to provide this information and to do this, must upskill. Widening skill sets will allow MA teams to optimize the new and multiple channels that consumers and patients use to access and share information.
The Digital Strategy & Innovation for Medical Affairs Conference focuses on progressive policies, patient-centricity and improved stakeholder engagement.
The conference organizers list five main reasons to attend:
- Understand how tech can lead to organizational culture change and increased collaboration.
- See how technology is changing patient habits and treatment journeys.
- Learn how to convince leadership to make digital initiatives a priority.
- Get a better handle on data and transparency.
- Secure finances to enhance MA’s digital resources.
Featured speakers include:
- Kunj Gohil, director and digital strategy lead, new engagement models at Novartis
- Tehseen Salimi, vice president of medical affairs and real world evidence at G1 Therapeutics.
- Allen Kumar, senior director of medical engagement platforms at GlaxoSmithKline
MAPS Global 2020
Miami
March 8-11, 2020
The largest gathering of medical affairs professionals will showcase the passion and importance of MA teams at MAPS Global 2020. Delegates should expect fun networking events — including the Mojito Master Class and Havana Nights themed event — along with comprehensive workshops and a dedicated MSL program.
There will be 14 practical workshops at which attendees can learn vital practical tools to apply back at the job. They can also upskill. Indeed, new for 2020 is the chance for delegates to earn CME and ACPE credits.
The MSL program will attract around 100 MSLs and MSL managers to share insights and gain new tools.
“We are at a critical juncture in Medical Affairs today. This annual conference is an important event for advancing the profession and addressing the biggest challenges that Medical faces today and in the future,” says Dr. Robin Winter-Sperry, head of global field based medical excellence at Sanofi Genzyme.
Speakers include:
- Patch Adams, Gesundheit Institute, medical doctor, clown and social activist.
- Maria Rivas, chief medical officer at biopharma business EMD Serono.
DIA Europe 2020
Brussels
March 17-19, 2020
DIA Europe 2020 is the largest neutral, multi-stakeholder healthcare conference on the continent. It addresses medical affairs, clinical development, regulatory science and operations.
Scheduled to match the start of the new EU five-year cycle, the event provides an overview of healthcare innovation in Europe. The conference will be attended by representatives of national regulators from more than 19 countries, along with HTA bodies, patient advocacy groups and other key decision-makers.
Speakers include:
- Guido Rasi, executive director, at the European Medicines Agency.
- Juan Garcia Burgos, head of public engagement at the European Medicines Agency.
Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum
Anaheim, California
March 23-25, 2020
This year’s theme at the Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum is “Navigating the Future.” Designed by medical affairs professionals for medical affairs professionals, the forum will equip delegates with vital regulatory and compliance knowledge.
Set up to host three meetings — medical communications, medical science liaisons and medical writing — the forum looks at the factors that have an impact on MA teams’ daily activities and how the profession is evolving to become more strategic.
Medical information professionals, medical writers and medical science liaisons will all gain insight into how they can fulfill their roles as key players in developing healthcare products.
Speakers include:
- Closing keynote speaker, Dr. Gautam Gulati, cofounder and CEO at Well Played, will present “How to Innovate in a World of Uncertainty.”
- Lisa Ambrosini Vadola, Ph.D., medical writer and consultant at Whitsell Innovations.
- Hanady Elhadidy, Pharm.D., medical customer engagement lead at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
20th Annual Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Sciences Congress
March 30-31, 2020
Osaka, Japan
Delegates at the 20th Annual Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Sciences Congress can expect a packed program of workshops, plenary sessions and debates. This year’s theme is “Challenges and New Ideas in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Sciences” and the event will focus on the entirety of the patient journey.
Of particular interest to MA teams will be Track 5, the pharmacovigilance segment of the conference. During this track, attendees will consider issues related to all topics drug safety. They will identify best practices to monitor newly licensed drugs especially in order to identify and assess previously unreported adverse drug reactions.
Speakers are to be announced.
EYEFORPHARMA BARCELONA 2020
Barcelona
March 31 - April 2, 2020
The theme of EyeForPharma Barcelona 2020 is ‘Where Pharma Comes to Life.’
The commercial pharma event attracts a broad mixture of pharma professionals — executives from marketing, commercial, sales, market access, medical affairs, patient engagement, RWE, IT and clinical.
It focuses on the significant shift in the industry and how best pharma teams can navigate a new direction. Moving from a sales mindset to one focused on authenticity and engagement, delegates will understand the value of being digitally equipped, data-driven and value-based.
Four key focus areas are: authentic leadership; reaching commercial goals; preventing rather than curing; and digital evidence.
Speakers include:
- Charlotte Kremer, president of MAPS and EVP, head of medical affairs at Astellas.
- Michael Seewald, VP global evidence, medical biopharmaceuticals at AstraZeneca.
- Stefani Klaskow, industry lead at Google.
Medical Affairs Strategic Summit East
New Brunswick, New Jersey
April 14-16, 2020
MASS East celebrates the role of MA teams in communicating with external experts and clinicians, identifying unmet medical needs, informing physicians and providing feedback to improve development strategies.
The summit provides an educational platform to help position MA teams as strategic functions in the organization. They can achieve this through directing relevant stakeholders to create a unified brand strategy, partnering with PAGs, using tech to provide support channels to customers and drive engagement.
Speakers include:
- Jill Culiner, director of global medical affairs strategy at medical technology company BD.
- Rashonda Burkett, medical science liaison lead at Novartis.
- Lai H. Jen, M.D., executive director at Merck.
Medical Affairs Conference
Boston, MA
May 12-14, 2020
Delegates will hear about new strategies to improve medical science communications and how to enhance engagement with key opinion leaders. Key focus points will be maintaining compliance and achieving excellence.
With a holistic look at the MA landscape, the Medical Affairs Congress will address:
- How to build a successful investigator initiated sponsored research initiative.
- How to create effective expanded access programs.
- Strategies to improve medical publications and communications.
Speakers are to be announced.
Regulatory Affairs Strategy Meeting
Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 2, 2020
Join the annual Regulatory Affairs Strategy Meeting and meet with global thought leaders and experienced practitioners to discuss regulatory affairs strategies. The discussion will address shared challenges, opportunities and insights into matters that concern pharmacovigilance, medical and regulatory affairs and compliance, in addition to robust research-based solutions to meet these challenges.
Delegates will come from a broad range of disciplines, including pharmacovigilance, risk management, drug, medical and post-authorization safety, safety surveillance, clinical and patient safety, medical and regulatory affairs, and compliance.
Pharmacovigilance USA 2020
Boston, MA
August 25-26, 2020
Industry experts and regulators will gather at Pharmacovigilance USA 2020 to debate legislation and how it affects operational requirements and processes. They will also discuss global risk management plans, and the use of IT and social media to align pharmacovigilance among different regulatory bodies.
Key themes to be addressed include meeting compliance, preparing for audits, implementing risk management and safety surveillance programs, and the efficacy of outsourcing. Delegates will gain from the event by learning how to improve safety data quality and managing changing regulatory environments.
Speakers are to be announced and proposals are being considered.
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