The FOBIP Alumni Network Executive Committee, in collaboration with NYUBA and the New York State Center for Biotechnology Present:

Regulatory Affairs Strategy:
Beyond the Formulaic Healthcare Product Development Plan

Abstract:
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields are heavily regulated industries requiring an average of 10-15 years of development to bring a new healthcare product to market. Due to the importance of governmental regulations in these industries, regulatory affairs professionals play critical roles in every stage of a products lifecycle.

Please join us for a panel discussion on Regulatory Affairs strategy for the health care industry. We have assembled a panel of leaders in the Regulatory Affairs industry with diverse backgrounds to share their insight about Regulatory Affairs strategy. The panel discussion will focus on global regulatory strategy, with an emphasis on changing strategies mid-stage in a products development and emerging trends in the regulatory affairs industry.

Panelists:
Glen Park, Sr. Director Regulatory Affairs, Target Health
Tom Ippolito, VP Regulatory Affairs, Chembio Diagnostics Systems, Inc.
Dr. Lian Lawrence He, Assistant Director of Global Regulatory Strategy, Bayer AG

Please check the FOBIP alumni site for updates on this event- http://fobip.org/alumni

Directions:

Schwartz Lecture Hall Entrance is on 30th street between 1st Avenue and FDR Drive. There will be signs for the NYU School of Medicine.  Walk down the stairs and show the guard your ID.

Schwartz E is on the left side of the lobby.

2011 Holiday Party at 1986 Wine Bar (43 West 32nd St)

You are cordially invited to the annual Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry alumni holiday party at 1986 Wine Bar. The event will begin at 7:30PM on Thursday, December 8, 2011. 1986 Wine Bar is located at 43 West 32nd St. (between 5th Ave & Broadway)  and is walking distance from Penn Station (for all the Long Island peoples!). Please RSVP using the link below. If you have an questions, please contact Mr. Patrick Finigan, VP of Alumni Affairs at patrickfinigan7@gmail.com.

Introduction by Dee Dao, President of the FOBIP Alumni Network warming up the audience at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

The event kicked off with an introduction by the moderator Sarah Webb, a journalist for the Webb of Science. She briefly touched on the issues of our new digital age, in which many people are communicating with each other in 140 characters, or less. She mentioned the issues such as freedom of speech and government regulation in the biotech/pharma industry, discussed the ways in which people interact with healthcare companies online, and gave examples of successful early adapters of online communications strategies in medicine. She asked what do customers want, as they get their information from the internet? Today 61% of people are getting their health information online, according to a Pew study. However, only 1/2 of those people are generating content i.e. posting to blogs, commenting in forums, or contributing to discussions in an online community.

This was followed by a fantastic presentation by Michelle Hoffmann, Senior Research Manager at Deloitte Research. There is alot of buzz around social networks, there was even a movie about it- it is on everyone’s agenda. Every kid is doing it, you probably do it yourself. But, is there value in it? It’s actually very hard to make money from social media. Clients asked Deloitte: If we use this, will we find value? Deloitte answered by doing research on social networks, which is actually different than social media. What should life science networks be thinking about? How can life science companies engage in this to find value? Michelle admitted that there is hype, and there is hope. Does anyone want to ‘friend’ a company? No. The system works on the premise of data collection and collaboration between administrators and users. Does social marketing improve brand? The jury is still out. She repeated the mantra “If you build it, they will not come”. Recommend that you don’t advertise- it often doesn’t work. There are many options: blogs, wiki’s, RapidFeed, i.e. microblog such as twitter. Focused communities are rising where people come together for a single interest or event. There are more people on Facebook than the entire United States. There is alot of hype. Why are Life Sciences clients interested in this? They are interested because patients are going online to find relevant information to achieve some sort of healthcare outcome, and these networks are consumer/patient driven. There are possibilities for physicians to come enter and interact, possibly for-profit operations. 60% of doctors are using social networking for professional purposes. Social networking is most commonly being used by patients and their families, especially those fighting cancer and childhood diseases. However, obesity treatment via weight loss has not seen any significant social network activity due to the “on again, off again” nature of the therapy.

There are many different methods for collecting information, so why choose social netoworks? Owning or running a social network can give the administrator a curated database of information unavailable to them from other sources or databases. Some of the strengths of using social networking include: Collect Information- Market research, competetive intelligence Communicate- Social networks rely on “pull in” information, opposed to the traditional communications strategy of “push out”

There are social networks where physicians can actually exchange information in an online community, such as Ozmosis which bills itself as “The Trusted Physician’s Network, where good doctors go to become great doctor”s). In Sermo, a “Forum to share latest medical insights for physicians”, physicians remain anonymous. 23% of physicians plan on using social networking in the next 12-18 mo. However, it does take alot of blood, sweat and tears and manpower to get a social network running and keeping it up to date. It is not like a static web page, which can just be set up and the owner walks away. Deloitte recommends to those life science companies interested in setting up social networks to hire a very experienced moderator. People use social networking for many reasons, i.e. recreational and transactional purposes. The transactional user will need a review for a product or advice in a scenario. For example, their baby has a fever, what do they do? This is where physicians and consumers can come in and interact. Deloitte has been showing their life science clients that there’s value in social networking. For example, SpineConnect allows “spine surgeons from around the world log-on to SpineConnect to share knowledge, develop novel approaches to treatment, address the top challenges in spine healthcare, and create technological solutions that address voids in the current marketplace with the underlying goal of improving patient outcomes”. Finally, Michelle stated that she felt social network’s strength was in up-to-date information on topics that are filled with uncertainty.

Thank you to our attentive and diverse audience!

Louise Clemens, a digital strategy consultant explained that pharma wants to use social networking, but are very afraid to. She focused on what is working now. Elsevier Publishing is currently using this platform to allow editors to engage in conversation, and interact directly with their advisory board. The American College for Gastroenterology, via their ACG GI Circle has set up a system where members can participate in the conversation by commenting on abstracts and following authors- a great way to cultivate information and keep the scientific discussion going past an initial meeting at a conference.

There were some very interesting topics brought up during the final discussion. It was noted that the Mayo Clinic has over 300 videos up on YouTube. The FDA represents the large unknown in this sector. While they have no official social networking guidelines in place yet for the industry, the FDA themselves is publishing alot of content online via social networks. In 2010 the FDA issued 52 warning letters to the pharmaceutical industry, but only one involved social media. That was a Google Ad for a drug, which was faulted for not providing the proper warnings and side effects for the product with its advertisement. Johnson & Johnson has been very successful in opening up dialogue with patients and customers via their social media team, which responds to the individual questions submitted via their social network online (See J&J Diabetes Institute Online Community). Remember to never launch on a Friday. And finally, the future of this field will probably lie in location based sites such as Groupon, Foursquare and MyCityWay.

The evening ended with a fun and lively networking session which had food and drinks provided by the FOBIP.

Social Media in Healthcare

Date: Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 6:30PM
Location: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Icahn Medical Institute – 1425 Madison Avenue (@ 98th St.), 1st Floor Seminar room
Agenda: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Panel Discussion (networking reception to follow)

($10 suggested donation)

Abstract

Social media is emerging as an effective tool for attracting business opportunities. Healthcare providers and patients are building online communities to help manage disease and sort through medical information. In the quest to improve outcomes, hospitals and clinics are using online social networks to discuss their medical practices and for patient outreach. The FDA is considering guidelines for the drug industry’s use of social media for drug marketing.

Dr. Michelle Hoffmann, of Deloitte Research, will be presenting a summary of a recent industry study she co-authored on the practical applications of social networks in the Life Sciences industry. Results from the study are based on interviews with executives in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as experts in the social media community. Her presentation will be followed by a panel discussion. The panel, composed of individuals experienced in the use of social media and communications, will share their thoughts on the opportunities, challenges, best practices, and value of social media for healthcare.

• Presentation 

  “To friend or not? New insights about social networks in the life sciences industry”

  • Michelle Hoffmann, PhD, Senior Research Manager, Deloitte Research.
• Panelists 
  • Bradley Jobling, MBA, Social Media Consultant, Dept. of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center.
  • Louise Clemens, JD, Consultant on Digital Strategy for the Healthcare Industry.
  • Sandra Holtzman, President and Founder, Holtzman Communications.
  • Diane Zuckerman, RPh, CEO, Evidence-Based Solutions.
• Moderator 
  • Sarah Webb, PhD, Journalist, Science Writer and Editor, Webb of Science.

Speaker’s Bios

Moderator

Sarah Webb, PhD, is a science writer and editor based in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in Discover, Science News, ScientificAmerican.com, Science Careers, Nature Biotechnology, The Scientist, Weekly Reader’s Current Health titles, and many other publications. She has a B.S. in chemistry and a B.A. in German from Furman University (Greenville, SC). After a Fulbright fellowship studying organic chemistry in Gieβen, Germany, she completed a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington. Committed to communicating science to the public, she shifted her focus from laboratory research to writing, editing, and informal science education. In 2004, she launched her writing career in New York City with internships at Discover magazine and as an AAAS Mass Media Fellow at WNBC-TV. Learn more at webbofscience.com.

Guest Speakers

Michelle Hoffmann, PhD, is a Senior Research Manager in Deloitte Research specializing in the life sciences sector. As part of Deloitte Research, Michelle keeps abreast of emerging trends and drivers that impact the rapidly changing drug and device industry. Michelle recently co-authored an industry study on the practical applications of social networks in the Life Sciences industry. Results from the study are based on interviews with executives in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as experts in Health 2.0. Prior to joining Deloitte Research, Michelle was a consultant in the Strategic Advisory group at Leerink Swann, a boutique health care investment bank where she helped clients understand how to value and leverage new therapies and technologies. She led projects on a diverse range of topics that include cell therapy opportunities, the diagnostics landscape, oncology clinical strategies, next generation sequencing, as well as numerous opportunity assessments. Her clients included start ups as well as top 5 biopharma companies. Michelle holds a Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.S. in biology from Cornell.

Bradley Jobling, MBA, created the social media program for the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Surgery. He has 15 years of experience on Internet strategy and online marketing projects. His work has involved the advertising, media and health care industries. Bradley’s additional interests include online video and entrepreneurial businesses.

Sandra Holtzman, President and Founder of Holtzman Communications, is an award-winning creative director and marketing strategist. She has over 20 years of expertise in all areas of pharmaceutical advertising (ethical, OTC, DTC), nanotech, biotech, and chemical as well as emerging and converging technologies. Her experience includes business-to-business, medical communications, and international marketing, as well as consumer marketing.

Diane Zuckerman, RPh, is the CEO of Evidence-Based Solutions, a company focused on making medical data actionable, by collecting, organizing, and turning medical information into useful solutions for healthcare providers, patients, systems and payers. Diane is an entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience building successful medical education and technology-driven companies, including PROmedica Communications and the Foundation for Better Healthcare.

Louise Clemens, JD, is currently working as a consultant on digital strategy for healthcare agencies, hospitals, non-profits, to create online community for healthcare constituents using social media platforms that provide metrics and ROI. With more than 20 years of experience in solution selling, Louise’s most recent experience was VP of Business Development for Within3, a company that builds and sustains secure online communities for formal and informal networks of healthcare professionals. Prior to joining Within3, Louise was with a medical publishing company, where she headed a multi-million dollar biomedical device magazine and quadrupled its revenue within a two-year span. In addition, to her extensive sales background, Louise has her JD from Cleveland-Marshall School of Law at Cleveland State University ensuring that the custom community solutions she develops with each customer meet the stringent regulatory and legal requirements necessary to be successful.

  ]]> http://fobip.org/alumni/social-media-healthcare-fobip-seminar/feed 1 http://fobip.org/alumni/2010-holiday-party-pegu-club http://fobip.org/alumni/2010-holiday-party-pegu-club#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:55:10 +0000 Matt http://fobip.org/alumni/?p=1336 Date: Thursday, December 16nd, 2010 at 6:30pm Location: The Pegu Club, 77 West Houston St. Accessible by subway from Penn Station (C and E trains).

Click Here to RSVP

]]> You are cordially invited to the annual Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry alumni holiday party at the exclusive Pegu Club. The event will begin at 6:30PM on Thursday, December 16, 2010. Light food will be served. Pegu Club is located at 77 West Houston St. and is accessible by subway from Penn Station (C and E trains). Please RSVP using this link by Tuesday, Dec. 14. If you have an questions, please contact Mr. Matthew Engel, VP of Alumni Affairs at alumni@fobip.org.

RSVP HERE

We hope to see you all there!

2010 Alumni Network Executive Committee

Join Naturejobs at The Nature Network New York Pub Night
Explore local educational and career opportunities in style!

Location: Klimat Bar and Restaurant
77 E 7th St (Between 2nd & 1st Ave.)
New York, NY 10003
Date: Wednesday July 28th, 2010

Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm

Explore local education and career opportunities at the Nature Network New York Pub Night – Co-sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the Center for Biotechnology’s Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program. Hear from working scientists, hiring managers and other professionals on taking those critical next steps in your life sciences careers. Expect an informative evening where undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and science professionals can ask questions and get first-hand accounts of how to advance their careers. Experts will be on hand to answer questions and give advice on taking those next crucial steps.

Space is limited so don’t miss out – RSVP for Nature Network New York Pub Night today! We’ll see you there!

Register Here: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=205915

Completing graduate school is a major step in your career path which can provide opportunities and open doors to future employment. For many graduate students who are focused on their classes, research, or teaching responsibilities, building a professional network can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. The fact is the vast majority of jobs are found through networking. Therefore, overlooking this important facet of communication while transforming your graduate education into a career can be extremely counterproductive. Even without prior work experience directly related to your field you can implement the following clear cut strategies to increase the value of your existing connections, expand your network and jumpstart your career.

Motivate Yourself

Many graduate students expect their university to help place them in a job prior to graduation. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, as most career centers focus the majority of their efforts on undergraduates. As frustrating as this may be, don’t let it deter you. Instead, prepare yourself for your own job search by clearly defining what you want to do with your career and which roles best suit your individual skill sets. Next, research, create, and continually maintain a list of employers that offer the types of positions you are looking to fill. You should also research alumni from your university who are currently working for an employer you are interested in. This preliminary research should motivate you by helping you think of new ways to meet people who can be influential in your professional growth.

Set Goals

Setting goals is extremely important to building a solid professional network. Without goals, you can become unfocused which can negatively affect your job search. Here are a few examples of goals you may want to set:

1. Devote a set number of hours per week to building your network and preparing for your job search. Even if you aren’t currently looking for a job, you should still be laying the foundation for your future job search now. If you’ve already graduated, you should be working on this full-time.
2. Ask friends, family, classmates and professors for five new introductions per week. Don’t ask for random introductions – express interest in meeting individuals that are directly related to your career choice.
3. Attend a minimum of at least two networking events per month. These are the absolute best places to meet new people who can help you expand and strengthen your network. Don’t be shy, ask questions and politely request others to introduce you to individuals who can be influential in your job search. Always be sure to return the favor by offering your assistance in introducing them to someone in your own network.

Brand Yourself

In order to brand yourself properly, you need to really know who you are. Write down your strengths and weaknesses and most importantly, what you want out of your career. Once you have a firm grasp on this, prepare an elevator pitch about yourself. An elevator pitch is a thirty second overview (typically under 130 words) that describes who you are and what you have to offer. Essentially, the elevator pitch should be designed to sell yourself and tailored to the individual you are speaking with. This will come in handy at networking events, job interviews and even more casual situations.

Next, tighten up your resume or CV. This document should create a story and paint a picture of who you are as opposed to a list of facts about previous employment and achievements. You want to stand out from the competition, as typically, you have thirty seconds to make a lasting impression before your resume is discarded. Before submitting your resume or CV have it reviewed by at least ten people including your university career center, professors, industry professionals you trust and alumni already working in the field. When you are in academia, it is acceptable to submit your CV to an industry position, though it should be streamlined to contain only those elements essential to the position you are applying for.

Branding yourself online is another critical aspect of networking and finding a job. Publicly available websites such as LinkedIn and inDegree offer a valuable platform for enhancing your personal ‘brand’. Professional webpages about you hosted by universities and companies can also go a long way in solidifying your professional identity. Use these websites to your advantage by including past work and education experience in your profiles. Employers can view this information online, so make sure you are representing yourself in the very best way possible. Highlight professional accomplishments and achievements to help you stand out from the competition.

Ask For Guidance

Whether you think so or not, you’ve already formed a strong network while in graduate school. Your classmates and especially your professors can be a huge asset to your career. Many professors have real world experience and valuable connections you can tap into. Along the same lines, fellow students may have connections you may be able to benefit from as well. Most importantly, let everyone know you are looking to build your network and find a job. If nobody realizes you are looking, they won’t know to help you.

Build Your Network

There are two primary methods for adding connections to your network: in person and online. Meeting people in person is still the tried-and-true best approach for making a lasting impression. You should take advantage of networking opportunities by reaching out and building relationships with faculty, administrators, students, alumni, guest lecturers from academia and industry, and professionals in the fields you are most interested in. This can be accomplished by introducing yourself to new people at seminars, conferences, and meetings in person and following up immediately online. Conferences provide a huge opportunity for you to associate a face with your name and make a strong positive impression by communicating effectively, being respectful, displaying a positive attitude, and appearing motivated. The best time to network at these events is between sessions or during the social hour. It is during this critical window that you should be shaking hands, introducing yourself, talking about your interests, and exchanging business cards. Communicating with individuals on the web is the optimal way to follow up with these new connections. You can send them an email referencing the conversation you had in person. This is a great way to help them remember who you were, and put a face to your email. In addition, you should look to expand your digital network by adding these connections to your profiles on websites such as LinkedIn and inDegree.  LinkedIn is a very useful tool for reading the resumes, accomplishments, goals, and recommendations of others who have obtained a career you are interested in pursuing. InDegree allows you to network with graduate students and simultaneously search directly for jobs in your field online. In addition, depending on your areas of expertise, here are a few websites you may want to check out to help you get started:

• doostang.com
• xing.com
• visualcv.com
• jobsboard.biocareercenter.com
• bio-link.org
• fobip.org/alumni.

Sustain Your Network

Just because you’ve found a job, doesn’t mean you’ll have that job forever, especially in the current labor market. Make sure you follow up with your most valuable connections at least once a month. Some ways to reconnect with a contact are by sending them an article that they may find interesting or relevant, asking for career advice, or sending a holiday greeting.

There are many benefits to having a wide network. However, the quantity of your connections is not nearly as important as the quality and depth of your relationship with each individual. Ideally, you should offer to assist your contacts in a meaningful way – however, if you do not know how you can assist them now, you should still ask. This will go far in showing them that you are motivated in helping them, which adds value to your relationship. In return, a strong connection could potentially open doors for you by writing a recommendation (online or hardcopy), act as a mentor, or potentially hire you in the long run.

Overall, Networking is critical to your long term success. It is known that most jobs are actually unadvertised, and that these positions are filled by people who have built relationships with an employer or their representatives. Having a strong network with will help you find out about these positions and get hired.

About the Authors

Matthew A. Engel is a PhD candidate at Stony Brook University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering pursuing interests in intellectual property and management consulting. Alexander Miningham, founder and CEO of inDegree, is an entrepreneur focused on advancing career opportunities for graduate students.

]]> http://fobip.org/alumni/holiday-party-2009/feed 1 http://fobip.org/alumni/nyba-dog-days-of-summer-a-great-success http://fobip.org/alumni/nyba-dog-days-of-summer-a-great-success#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:46:50 +0000 Matt http://fobip.org/alumni/?p=58 August 12, 2009 – The 2009 NYBA Dog Days of Summer Networking event held at the Time Hotel in Manhattan last night was both extremely popular and successful! There were at least 75 individuals in attendance, with a very diverse…