Current track and session postings reflect confirmed speakers only.
Session information and speakers are updated on daily basis and are subject to change.


Track Sponsors:

Promoting Cures by Building Online Patient Relationships
9:45am – 11:00am

With the emergence of consumer-driven healthcare and increasing scrutiny of direct-to-consumer advertising, there is a demand for patient education programs that deliver informative, unbiased content. There are also many questions about Health 2.0 and how companies can use blogs, communities, and interactive tools to help patients looking for support and information online. As consumers take more responsibility for managing their health and online communities of patients and patient advocates grow, companies have an opportunity to deliver real value and form lasting relationships via well-designed, coordinated educational campaigns and advertising/sponsorship programs with patient advocacy organizations. In this session, a panel of experts will discuss how to effectively build long-term trusting relationships with patients through educational and community channels and explores when and how to use Health 2.0 technologies. It will also explore how industry can benefit from web 2.0 by engaging patients, physicians and media in an open discussion that benefits all and what might happen if industry doesn't accept the challenge.

Panel Moderator:

Ben Hewett
Senior Vice President, Creative Director, Zoomedia, Inc.

Panel Speakers:

Cheya Pope
Associate Director of Patient Advocacy, Genomic Health, Inc.

Charles Renfroe
Director, Professional Alliances, LifeScan, Inc.

Maureen Sharkey
Manager, Patient Recruitment and Advocacy Relations, PDL BioPharma, Inc.

Promises and Pitfalls of Online Clinical Trial Recruitment
11:30am – 12:45pm

Clinical trials play a central role in scientific advances. Yet recruiting patients into clinical trials, and keeping them in trials once they’ve signed on, is a huge challenge that many in the industry view as daunting. About 81% of all clinical trials are delayed at least one to six months due to difficulties in patient enrollment, with another 5% postponed six months or more. Reducing the length of a clinical trial by just one month by improving patient recruitment could generate an additional $40 million in sales for an average drug. The Internet plays an increasing role in informing the general public about ongoing trials that are recruiting patients and in the publication of trial results. Patient advocacy groups are building trial awareness and social networks are provide companies with recruitment opportunities. The Internet cannot solve the myriad of issues facing clinical trial recruitment, statistics do support its use as an emerging tool in both recruiting patients, informing physicians, and as an efficient tool for investigator information distribution. A panel of experts will explore how to manage your clinical trial recruitment, while speakers from working life sciences companies will share their experiences and how they overcame obstacles they faced.

Panel Moderator:

Grant Campany
Senior Vice President, Business Development and Operations, Zoomedia, Inc.

Panel Speakers:

Scott H. Connor
Vice President, Marketing, Acurian, Inc.

Dawn Judd
Mother of Clara Judd-Donaldson, Lukemia Survivor and Clinical Trial Participant

Veronica (Ronnie) Todaro, MPH
Director of National Programs, Parkinson's Disease Foundation

New Business Models for the Changing Commercial Landscape
2:15pm – 3:30pm

An entirely new customer set beyond physicians has developed within the marketplace, requiring new marketing and sales business models to help a product’s overall commercial success. The age-old question, ‘So how many sales people do we need?’ has not just been replaced, it’s been completely phased out and, in its place, comes not one but a multitude of far more interesting challenges. A rigorous new approach is necessary to help evaluate market opportunities, select the most appropriate commercial strategies, and execute tactics that will help optimize a company’s investment spend while minimizing risks. This session will describe the major changes underway in the commercial marketplace, review alternative approaches, and present selected case studies to showcase how some biotech companies have successfully dealt with these changes.

Panel Moderator:

John Doyle
Senior Vice President, Quintiles Consulting

Panel Speakers:

James Lennertz
Vice President, Global Market Development, Innovex

The Value of Telling Others How Good You Are
3:45pm – 5:00pm

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical to corporate reputation and business performance on several levels including communications. A reputation as a good corporate citizen can go a long way in communications both internally and externally from helping during times of crisis and issues management, fostering relationships with key stakeholders to building employee loyalty. This interactive session will examine why organizations should have strong communications programs around the CSR activities they are doing. In this interactive session, you will learn: The role of CSR and reputation management; Building trust and value with stakeholders; Media viewpoints on good corporate citizens; Why internal CSR communications matters.

Panel Moderator:

Tim Marklein
General Manager, Weber Shandwick

Panel Speakers:

Helyn Dahle
Associate Director, Patient Advocacy & Community Relations, Cell Genesys, Inc.

Sreejit Mohan
Head of Public Policy & Communications, Hermatology/Cardiology, Bayer Healthcare

Luke Timmerman
Biotech Reporter, Bloomberg News

Linden Young
Executive Director, American Liver Foundation