2024 Program

133+

Attendees

49

Companies

22

Speakers and panelists

22

A conference put on BY marketers FOR marketers

Both the 2023 debut event and this year’s gathering have surpassed our initial expectations, igniting our enthusiasm to recreate another inspiring gathering in 2025. We invite you to peruse the meticulously curated agenda, as well as the profiles of the distinguished speakers and panelists who graced the occasion with their profound insights and expertise.

2024 Summit Agenda

View Speakers

7:45 AM

Registration, Breakfast & Networking

8:45 AM

Summit Opening Remarks

9:00 AM

The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self

Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, is a contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

Michael’s keynote talk will explore how our evolved scarcity mindset affects business and health, offering practical tips to shift to an abundance mindset.

9:40 AM

Decoding ROI in Pharma Promotion: How Promotional Spend Can Quantify Impact & Drive Greater Value

Matthew Norton, General Manager, Consulting and Technology Solutions, IQVIA (Canada)

Maria Alkadri, Principal, Consulting and Analytics, IQVIA (Canada)

Frank Fascinato, Director of Marketing, COPD, GSK

Rivka Krakofsky, Director of Marketing, Hematology, BeiGene

In an ever-evolving commercial landscape, organizations have been heading towards an orchestrated omnichannel engagement model with healthcare practitioners. As a result of this complex environment, marketers are facing heightened accountability, with potential budget reductions unless they can prove a return on marketing investment. There’s a growing need to optimize strategies and gauge the effectiveness of promotional and engagement channels. This session will illustrate a modernized approach to optimize promotional activities.

10:10 AM

An In-Depth Discussion on a Paradigm-Shifting PAAB Code Update: The New Guidance on Real-World Evidence

Jennifer Carroll, Director, Communications at PAAB

Amy Moriarty, Senior Vice President, Managing Director at the adpharm

Join panelists, Amy Moriarty and Jennifer Carroll, for a stimulating discussion on PAAB’s new guidance on the use of real-world evidence/data (RWE) in healthcare communications. Learn what these new provisions mean for the industry and how to best leverage them for your brand as Jennifer takes on some of the most frequently asked questions by marketers.

11:05 AM

AI-Powered Transformation in Pharma Marketing: Unleashing Deeper Insights and Elevating Engagement Strategies

Nishank Kanungo, Principal, ZS, San Francisco, California

Explore AI’s transformative role in redefining marketing. This session highlights the power of AI to extract actionable insights from sales and support interactions, driving stronger engagement through personalization. Witness AI’s potential through a dynamic demo, showcasing its impact on customer engagement in Pharma.

11:35 AM

Enabling Pharmacy Engagement: Navigating the Evolving Role of Pharmacists in Canada Through Patient-Centric Insights

Vito De Filippis, MBA, Senior VP, Environics Analytics

As the role of pharmacists in Canada continues to expand related to prescribing medications, by understanding the patient population we can foster better patient outcomes and improve targeting strategies. This session will describe how pharmacists’ roles are changing as well as the challenges marketers face in determining how to strategically deploy promotional investment. The presentation will highlight the importance of incorporating patient and consumer insights into pharmacy prioritization and HCP targeting as a crucial differentiator in the space.

1:00 PM

The Power of Cognitive Science: Medicine, Marketing & Memory

Jacob Braude, Principal, ZS, Charlotte, North Carolina

Dive into some of the fascinating research around how healthcare practitioners’ memory influences their perceptions and decisions, and the practical implications for Pharma marketing, sales strategies and tactics.

1:40 PM

Harnessing AI: Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Canadian Pharmaceutical Marketers

Mark Findlay, SVP, Sales & Marketing, Khure Health

Peter Doulas, CEO & Cofounder, KeyOps

Aaron Leibtag, CEO & Cofounder, Pentavere

A vendor showcase of real-world examples: How AI-powered algorithms are being used to identify patients, consolidate market research insights and improved patient outcomes.

2:15 PM

Navigating the Shifting Tides: Implications and Considerations for Pharma Marketers in the Evolving Canadian Healthcare System

Patrick Saunders-Hastings (PhD, MSc, CAPM), Senior Manager, Health Practice, Accenture

Angela Pettipiere, Director of Customer Insights, Analytics and Trade Relations & Bayer Inc.

Venessa Cocuzzoli, Head of Customer Engagement at Bayer Inc.

As the healthcare landscape undergoes transformative changes, understanding the intricacies of the evolving Canadian system is crucial for successful marketing. From new technologies to healthcare worker burnout, we will explore some of the key trends relevant to Canada’s healthcare system and workforce. In this engaging talk, we will delve into the changing external landscape of the Canadian healthcare system and explore what these dynamics could mean for pharmaceutical marketers.

3:15 PM

Emerging Innovations in HCP Learning & Experiential Programs

Jai Sharma, VP, Medical Communications, Synapse Medcom
Brennan Smith, President, CTC Communications

Delve into the evolving landscape and innovations in medical education and practice reflectives to see how HCPs acquire and apply knowledge.

3:40 PM

Charting the Future of Pharma Sales Reps and Strategic Implications for Marketers

Jennifer Meldrum, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Peak Pharma Solutions Inc.

Andrea Schwarz, Commercial Lead Canada, Beigene

Leandra Wells, VP, Business Unit Head, General Medicines at GSK

Leticia Skeete, HBSc, MMI, CCPE, Medical Strategy and Performance Lead, GSK

Explore the evolving landscape of pharmaceutical sales with our expert panel, as we analyze the future role of sales representatives and the strategic implications for marketers. Our panel of industry thought leaders will discuss the changing responsibilities of sales reps, the integration of technology, and the pivotal role marketers will play in adapting their representative delivered tactics. Gain strategic insights into aligning marketing efforts with the changing role of sales reps, ensuring a harmonized approach that maximizes impact in the dynamic pharmaceutical sales ecosystem.

4:05 PM

Why Patient Experience Matters in Marketing

Erinn McQueen, Pharma Professional, Full-Time Patient, Part-Time Advocate

Gain insight into the journey of a patient grappling with a chronic disease, navigating the complexities of the healthcare system, and providing support for patients through pharmaceutical resources.

4:15

Closing Remarks

4:30

Close

2024 Session Speakers & Panelists

The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self

Michael Easter, Author

Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis, a contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). His work has appeared in over sixty countries and can also be found in Men’s Journal, New York, Vice, Scientific American, Esquire, and others. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Public Communications Institute, a think tank at UNLV that conducts science communications research and helps public and private organizations adapt complex messaging for a general audience. He’s spoken to or consulted for various top-tier universities, medical schools, Fortune-500 companies, government agencies, and some of the country’s largest non-profits. He lives in Las Vegas on the edge of the desert with his wife and two dogs.

Decoding ROI in Pharma Promotion: How Promotional Spend Can Quantify Impact & Drive Greater Value

Matthew Norton, General Manager, Consulting and Technology Solutions, IQVIA, Canada

Maria Alkadri, Principal, Consulting and Analytics, IQVIA, Canada

Frank Fascinato, Director of Marketing, COPD, GSK

Rivka Krakofsky, Director of Marketing, Hematology, BeiGene

An In-Depth Discussion on A Paradigm-Shifting PAAB Code Update: The New Guidance on Real-World Evidence

Jennifer Carroll, Director, Communications at PAAB

Jennifer is the Director of Communications at PAAB. She has a degree in Biology and Pharmacology from McMaster University. She has been in the pharmaceutical industry for over 15 years with time in Medical Information and Health Outcomes and Pricing before transitioning to PAAB. She has chaired several industry committees including the recent RWE committee. Outside her role at PAAB, she is an active member on the OPMA board and working towards a Global Executive MBA in Health and Life Science at Rotman School of Management.

Amy Moriarty, Senior Vice President, Managing Director at the adpharm

Amy Moriarty is a strategic marketer with over 2 decades of experience in healthcare communications, spanning both commercial marketing strategy and medical communications. She has acquired vast experience in launching products in specialty therapeutic areas, including hematology, oncology, dermatology, neurology, and rare diseases to name a few. She knows that all strategic thinking starts with strategic listening – and her ability to exceed her clients’ needs shows her engagement and unwavering dedication from the word go.

AI-Powered Transformation in Pharma Marketing: Unleashing Deeper Insights and Elevating Engagement Strategies

Nishank Kanungo, Principal, ZS, San Francisco, California

Nishank is a Principal in ZS’ San Francisco office and leads ZS’ work with a portfolio of healthcare clients. He is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, where he has adeptly navigated the evolution from classical analytics to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Enabling Pharmacy Engagement: Navigating the Evolving Role of Pharmacists in Canada Through Patient-Centric Insights

Vito De Filippis, MBA, Senior VP, Environics Analytics

Vito De Filippis brings a background in marketing, consulting and analytics to his role as Senior Vice President at Environics Analytics. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he’s helped hundreds of clients get the most out of data and analytics and has provided guidance on how to leverage strategic insights on their customers and markets to meet their goals.

The Power of Cognitive Science: Medicine, Marketing & Memory

Jacob Braude, Principal, ZS, Charlotte, North Carolina

Jacob leads the COGNITIVE by ZS expertise center, a diverse team focused on developing and scaling commercial solutions grounded in cognitive and behavioral science. Currently COGNITIVE solutions span marketing, health decision science, clinical trial recruiting and change enablement / transformation. Jacob has over 20 years of experience in brand and marketing strategy. For the past several years he has been one of the leading voices on how companies can bring understanding of the cognitive and affective factors influencing decision making into the way they think about designing experiences and communications, navigating organizational transformations and fielding clinical trials research.

Harnessing AI: Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Canadian Pharmaceutical Marketers

Mark Findlay, SVP, Sales & Marketing, Khure Health

Mark has more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry with a career path that has taken him from the bench to the boardroom and experience across sales, marketing, government affairs and market access within Canada & the US. Having launched 7 blockbuster drugs and led a >$1B portfolio, Mark has a broad perspective of the importance of understanding and influencing critical elements of the patient journey to ensure access to the best possible medical care including the latest medical innovations. Mark has recently joined Khure Health with a mission to improve the identification of patients with rare, complex and chronic diseases and accelerate their journey to improved care and health outcomes.Mark holds a BSc in Biochemistry from McMaster University.

Peter Doulas, CEO & Cofounder, KeyOps

Peter Doulas is a founding team member and CEO of KeyOps, an innovative platform that delivers HCP insights as a service to pharmaceutical marketing teams. As CEO of KeyOps, Peter is dedicated to driving innovation, delivering value, and empowering pharma marketers to optimize their brand plans with insights from HCPs, accelerate strategy decision making and measure marketing ROI. Drawing upon over two decades of experience in business and software leadership, Peter has expertise in how to build practical AI solutions that drive real value for customers. Prior to his role at KeyOps, Peter held executive positions at several leading technology firms including Microsoft and Fiix Software. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University and an MBA from MIT.

Aaron Leibtag, CEO and Cofounder, Pentavere

Aaron Leibtag is the cofounder and CEO of Pentavere, a globally recognized and award-winning AI digital health company that has built a best-in-class AI platform to identify patients that are eligible for approved medications or interventions, to improve outcomes for patients and help drive therapy growth and penetration. Under Aaron’s leadership, Pentavere has delivered impactful AI-solutions to the healthcare industry, established vital partnerships, and secured data-access agreements with major hospital networks in Canada and the United States, solidifying its position as a leader in the industry.

Aaron is on the board of directors of Exactis Innovation (Exactis) a Canadian not-for-profit focused on improving cancer survivorship by empowering the healthcare ecosystem to make more timely data-driven decisions through real-world data.

Navigating the Shifting Tides: Implications and Considerations for Pharma Marketers in the Evolving Canadian Healthcare System

Patrick Saunders-Hastings, PhD, MSc, CAPM, Senior Manager, Health Practice, Accenture

Angela Pettipiere, Director of Customer Insights, Analytics and Trade Relations & Bayer Inc.

Venessa Cocuzzoli, Head of Customer Engagement at Bayer Inc.

Emerging Innovations in HCP Learning & Experiential Programs

Jai Sharma, VP, Medical Communications, Synapse Medcom

Jai Sharma is VP of Medical Communications at Synapse MedCom and is a seasoned medical education professional with over 15 years of industry experience. He prides himself on his ability to develop strong connections with brands through medical education and challenges his team and clients to think differently when it comes to communicating new information to the medical community. His background as a biochemist and natural curiosity blend together to provide a unique mix of science and creativity that help brands deliver education offerings that stand out from the pack.

Brennan Smith, President, CTC Communications

Brennan is the President at CTC Communications, a 3-decade old Canadian medical communications agency. Brennan has had a well-rounded career in the medical communications space, having led account management and medical strategy for the company over the years. He now translates this experience into leading strategic discussions with CTC’s pharmaceutical and healthcare clients, alongside his team of medical, digital and project management experts. His educational background includes a B.Sc in Human Kinetics, an M.Sc in Prostate Cancer, and a PhD in Physiology. He was also a CIHR post-doctoral fellow at McMaster University. Brennan’s formative years reflect in the foundation he has created for CTC Communications – Strength in science, and Innovation for high impact. Lastly, Brennan embodies the core values that reverberate through CTC, that of being Supportive, Resourceful, Driven and Transparent.

Charting the Future of Pharma Sales Reps and Strategic Implications for Marketers

Jennifer Meldrum, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Peak Pharma Solutions Inc.

Andrea Schwarz, Commercial Lead, BeiGene (Canada) ULC

Leandra Wells, VP, Business Unit Head, General Medicines at GSK

Leticia Skeete, HBSc, MMI, CCPE, Medical Strategy and Performance Lead, GSK

Why Patient Experience Matters in Marketing

Erinn McQueen, Pharma professional, Full-time patient, Part time advocate