About

When pharmaceutical and medical device companies talk about patient advocacy, they are typically referring to the full spectrum of how a company interacts with nonprofit patient communities, activities that range from co-created educational efforts and community events to patient-focused giving and elements of government affairs.
Partnerships between patient advocacy groups and pharma companies play a unique role in assuring that available treatments meet the needs of people with diseases. To both sides, these relationships bring value.

Advocacy organizations have the potential to influence the pharmaceutical and medical device industry - particularly in the area of rare diseases - significantly contributing to the development of therapies and in the conduction of clinical trials.

Considering the growing knowledge of the drug development process and the emerging technologies such as genetic medicine and artificial intelligence, Patients have an unprecedented power to change the destiny of themselves and others. Therefore, a meaningful patient advocacy strategy is no longer a nice-to-have for pharma companies: it’s a must-have in order to ensure access to treatments and support programs which reflect the needs of the patient community.

That’s why the Patient Advocacy role in pharma is becoming every day more central and key to set the tone for the company culture of commitment and dedication to patients and their families and ensure that the patient perspective is incorporated across company departments and activities, from products’ early development to loss of exclusivity.

The goal of the training is to understand origins and present perception of Patient Advocacy role to structure a new professionalism or widen the horizon of an existing function already integrated in a pharmaceutical company, to become a champion able to significantly increase patients' power to shape their own future.

  • Patient Advocacy: origins and evolution
  • Regulatory framework
  • The role: a right balance between competences and soft skills
  • A resource for Market Access, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Medical & Clinical Research
    • Lab I: Patient Journey & Unmet Needs
  • Prepare the ground and shape the environment
    • Lab II: Co-creation
  • The patient-physician relationship: tough conversations
  • Patient Advocacy & PSPs: 2 souls that can interact and synergize
  • Patient engagement and Patient engagement in clinical studies: connect patients with trials and trials with patients
    • Lab III: Awareness Days
  • When a crisis knocks on the door
  • Narrative Based Medicine
  • Telemedicine, Digital Health, DTx

• Professionals dealing with Patient Advocacy/Medical Affairs/Community Engagement/Patient Access
• Pharma company, device producers, DTx developers employees looking for a change in role

Teaching is highly interactive. Lectures will be mixed with case discussions and role-play exercises. Testimonials from representatives of patient associations will be involved. The course will end with the design, development and planning of a co-created advocacy initiative.

Lecturers
Nicoletta Bertelli
Info

Nicoletta Bertelli

Senior Expert Patient Advocacy & Engagement Consultant

Nicoletta Bertelli is working as a consultant in Lifescience area, with a specific focus on Patient Advocacy and Partnerships. Until end of 2021, she has covered the role of Associate Director Patient Advocacy Europe at bluebird bio, a US based pharmaceutical biotech company focused on Gene Therapy to treat Beta-Thalassaemia, Sickle Cell Disease and Adrenoleukodistrophy.
After a long career in Communication in different sectors, from fashion to automotive, she joined Genzyme (Sanofi Group) and started to spontaneously apply her competencies in external relations to develop collaborative advocacy programs in collaboration with National and International Patient Groups.
Her activities vary from supporting and advancing awareness-raising, capacity-building, educational programs to advocacy initiatives in targeted disease areas. In strict collaboration with Top Management, Value & Market, Medical, she provides clear strategic focus and direction on the basis of the insights collected from patients, with the aim to build and drive strategies which improve access to treatment and care.
Never get tired to learn and expand her expertise, she’s professionally and personally committed to patient communities. In her free time, Nicoletta likes to read, craft, take care of her garden, cook and paint.


Online training – 3 modules

Module 1 | 22 November 2023 from 09:30 am to 12:30 pm CET
Module 2 | 24 November 2023 from 09:30 am to 12:30 pm CET
Module 3 | 27 November 2023 from 09:30 am to 12:00 pm CET

After the registration, you will receive all details about the connection.
The course will proceed with a minimum number of participants. Should this number not be reached the registered participants will be notified one week prior to the commencement of the course.

Early Bird:  935,00* (until 08 November 2023)

Ordinary: € 1.125,00*

Freelance – Academy – Public Administration**: € 610,00*


*
 for Italian companies: +22% VAT

**Early Bird discount not applicable to Freelance – Academy – Public Administration fee

The fee includes: tuitions, organizational office assistance, teaching materials and attendance certificate that will be sent after the training via e-mail.

Register

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Printable Version
At the end of the training, you will be able to
Risultato atteso
Understand how to interact with a Patient Representatives and which are the boundaries to be respected
Risultato atteso
Enhance ability to listen
Risultato atteso
Get onboard internal functions to share potential benefits in collaborating with Patient Advocacy Groups
Risultato atteso
Co-create projects in collaboration with Patient Advocacy Groups and develop related Communication/Policy activities potentially able to influence the health policies

<p><span>Online interactive training on Zoom platform. </span></p>
<p><em>LS Academy will provide the access link to the virtual platform a few days before the training.</em></p>

Online interactive training on Zoom platform. 

LS Academy will provide the access link to the virtual platform a few days before the training.

<p><span>Online interactive training on Zoom platform. </span></p>
<p><em>LS Academy will provide the access link to the virtual platform a few days before the training.</em></p>