COVID-19 changed everything, especially paradigms around clinical development. Forced to pivot to a digital-first environment and under intense pressure to deliver diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutic solutions, life sciences companies embraced innovation and a new level of collaboration — and they delivered with unprecedented speed and success.
Now, as the industry looks toward a new normal, join SmartBrief and a panel of life sciences industry experts as we take stock of the progress and the ways in which the clinical development landscape might be forever changed. We’ll cover:
- Lessons learned from clinical trials in a pandemic
- Progress and next steps for digital transformation
- How the regulatory environment was affected by the pandemic
- Predictions for the future of R&D
Speakers
Phyllis Arthur
Vice President of Infectious Diseases & Diagnostics Policy
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
In her role at BIO, Ms. Arthur is responsible for working with member companies in vaccines, molecular diagnostics and bio-defense on policy, legislative and regulatory issues. Ms. Arthur joined BIO in July 2009 as the Director of Healthcare Regulatory Affairs. Prior to joining BIO, she worked in numerous marketing and sales positions for Merck & Co., Inc. in their Vaccine Division. Over her 16 year career in vaccines Ms. Arthur launched several exciting new vaccines in the United States and internationally, including the first HPV vaccine GARDASIL. During her years in Marketing she worked closely with clinical and academic thought leaders in infectious diseases, oncology and public health. In addition, Ms. Arthur also led a large vaccine sales organization of over 75 representatives and managers covering 14 states. Before graduate school, Ms. Arthur worked as a research assistant for two economists at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. There she conducted economic analyses related to savings and investment policies for the OECD countries. Ms. Arthur received her B.A. in 1987 in Economics and International Politics from Goucher College and her MBA in 1991 from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kristin Schneeman
Director
FasterCures, a center of the Milken Institute
Kristin Schneeman joined FasterCures in April 2005 as director of programs, with primary responsibility for its innovation portfolio of projects and activities, focused on best practices in the funding and conduct of medical research and innovative collaborations among players in the research enterprise. Among other initiatives, she runs the TRAIN (The Research Acceleration and Innovation Network) program, which provides a platform for knowledge sharing and relationship building to support the growth of venture philanthropy in medical research.
Kristin brings to FasterCures more than 25 years’ experience in public policy, politics, academia, and the media. Schneeman served for three years as a senior adviser and policy director to a gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts, as a policy aide to a U.S. Congressman, and for four years as the front-line manager and chief-of-staff for a senior adviser to Vice President Al Gore. At Harvard University she directed research projects on future challenges facing governments, and on complex negotiations in business, politics, and international relations. Schneeman began her career as a producer of documentary films, for which she was the recipient of an Emmy Award in 1990.
Ted Feldman, M.D., FESC, FACC, MSCAI
Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Transcatheter Mitral
and Tricuspid Therapies, Edwards Life Sciences
Ted Feldman, M.D., joined Edwards Lifesciences in 2019 as vice president of global medical affairs for Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT), where he leads medical affairs strategy including leadership over professional education, scientific communication and clinical trial design across the portfolio. Dr. Feldman received his undergraduate and medical training at Indiana University and completed his medical residency at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago. Prior to Edwards, Dr. Feldman was Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of Chicago Medical School and held the Walgreen Chair in Interventional Cardiology at Evanston Hospital. He completed a cardiology fellowship at the University of Chicago where he worked as Professor of Medicine. Highly regarded as a leader in interventional cardiology, he has performed thousands of catheter procedures spanning the fields of coronary, vascular, structural and valvular interventions. He has authored more than 700 manuscripts, chapters, abstracts, and editorials, edited or co-edited several books, and served on numerous journal editorial boards. He is past president and Master Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) where he also chaired the Annual Scientific Sessions and Fellows Course. He has served as the global principal investigator for several ground-breaking clinical trials involving transcatheter mitral and tricuspid therapies.
Moderator
Melissa Turner
Director of Content, Health Care and Life Sciences
SmartBrief
Melissa Turner is the director of content for health care and life sciences at SmartBrief, where she manages both editorial content and content marketing spanning the health insurance, health care provider, life sciences, and lab sciences industries.