PharmaCertify is a proud sponsor of the 4th Annual Life Science Ethics & Compliance Training Conference scheduled for June 5th and 6th in Chicago. As someone who has spent the last 12 years in the field of life sciences compliance training, I find the focus of this annual conference especially compelling as industry leaders and consultants share ideas, tips, and experiences for reducing risk through innovative training. It’s an exciting and energized group of presenters every year. Below are some of the presentations I find to be of note this year. You can learn more about the conference and download a full agenda at https://www.q1productions.com/compliancetraining/. Contact us about our sponsor discount if you are interested in registering.
Day 1: Wednesday, June 5
Day 1 will be chaired by PharmaCertify’s own Dan O’Connor, and after the opening ice-breaker, the conference begins in earnest with a keynote panel titled, Assessing Risk Tolerance & Company Culture as a Driver for Ethics and Compliance Education. Kudos to the conference organizers for scheduling a great kickoff session. Building an effective compliance training curriculum begins with a thorough risk assessment and I am looking forward to hearing the details of each presenter’s process for “shaping training based on tolerance, and conveying liabilities to ultimately create a culture of compliant and ethical behavior…”
Following the keynote panel, a multi-part session from 10:00 AM to Noon begins with the Legal Interpretation of Enforcement Trends & Areas of Inspection presentation. The talking points on the agenda include the first official reference to the new and trending topic of patient assistance programs. That theme continues later in the day with a case study from Catherine Starks of Sidley Austin, Risk Evaluation & Training Approaches for Compliant Patient Assistance Programs. With PAPs and PSPs programs being the focus of recent corporate integrity agreements, any discussion of the associated risks and the best practices for conducting compliant programs is worthwhile.
The first session after the lunch break, Developing a Compliance Training Cadence Based on Risk & Needs of Business caught my if for only one word: cadence. The rhythm and pace at which compliance training is launched across a life sciences company is critical to the success of that training. Microlearning is all the rage lately and effective microlearning is more about the frequency and schedule at which training is delivered than it is about the length of the individual learning components. In this session, the presenter will discuss the factors affecting that cadence, including establishing a “cadence to coincide with business agendas and timetables to inform stakeholders at optimal moments.”
Two case studies on the topic of “measuring training effectiveness and risk reduction” are scheduled for the afternoon and I am excited to hear the speakers from Exsurco and Gilead detail their strategies for tracking retention and engagement, and as described in the agenda, “translating the data into actionable strategy.”
Day 2: Thursday, June 6
Day 2 kicks off with one of the more intriguingly-titled sessions from this or any conference: Masterclass: Effectively Maintaining Training Priorities Upon Exiting a Corporate Integrity Agreement. The end of a CIA presents a great opportunity for companies to incorporate the lessons learned during the term of the CIA, when training schedules and the modules were under the demands of the agreement and create a curriculum even more dynamic in terms of scope and levels of engagement. I look forward to hearing Maureen Mason of AstraZeneca discuss her philosophy and suggestions for maintaining the diligence of a strict curriculum while expanding and enhancing the company’s compliance curriculum.
“Cadence” isn’t the only word that jumped off the screen when I initially reviewed the conference agenda. The sessions scheduled after the 10:00 AM coffee and networking break (don’t forget to visit us at the PharmaCertify booth to see demos of our newest training products), Multi-Part Case Study: Contextual Compliance Risk Evaluation in Prioritizing Training caught my eye for the use of one word: contextual. In our 15th year developing compliance training for life sciences, the team at PharmaCertify has worked with compliance departments ranging from an “n of 1”, to those that have a full team of internal resources. And while context does matter, ultimately results are what count no matter the number of resources. In this case, the large corporation perspective will be provided by Abbvie, the mid-sized by a speaker from Convatec, and the “limited resources” perspective by Otsuka.
After the lunch break, two breakout groups are divided by industry, in sessions titled, Compliance Considerations Specific to Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Organizations. I am glad to see the focus on the medical device industry, which too often is not as well represented at conferences. Two speakers from Teleflex will provide the me device experience and their talking points include updates to the AdvaMed Code of Conduct; compliant interactions & “no touch;” and the EU General Data Protection Regulation.
The afternoon of Day 2 includes a session on third-party vendors: Managing Distributor Partner Compliance Training. The intricacies of doing business through third-party vendors hold the potential for increased risks compliance violations. It’s a critical topic and any opportunity to hear tips and suggestions related to training, tracking and managing global vendors is worthwhile and valuable.
Discounted Conference Registration
The 4th Annual Life Science Ethics & Compliance Training Conference is scheduled for June 5-6, in Chicago, Illinois and if you’re interested in hearing industry leaders share their experiences and best practices, there is still time to register. Contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com to take advantage of our discount registration rate. I can’t recommend this conference more highly!
Thanks for reading!
Sean Murphy
Product and Marketing Manager
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions