The role of the medical science liaison (MSL) has continued to expand. Previously, MSLs served as the link between their respective organizations and key opinion leaders (KOLs). As subject matter experts, MSLs convey product information to educate the KOL, then relay information back to their own organization. While this has not changed, MSLs are now taking on a more hybrid role, encompassing account/relationship management responsibilities in addition to interacting with clinical and business teams. To maintain the expanding list of responsibilities, MSLs need to be continuously trained and assessed for regulatory compliance and other various roles.

Accompanying the growth of the MSL role, data indicates that KOLs and physicians increasingly prefer to work with MSLs instead of sales or account managers.

The MSL Best Practices track will focus on the MSL’s growing duties and on the exchange of MSL training and evaluation techniques in both small and large organizations.

This conference is designed for representatives from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organizations with responsibilities in the following areas:

• Medical Science Liaisons
• Medical Science
• Medical Strategy
• Scientific Communication
• Medical Education
• Key Opinion Leadership/Thought Leadership/Opinion Leader Relationships

Medical affairs teams are involved in nearly all aspects of communication in a pharmaceutical/biotechnology/medical device organization. Their scope and authority can vary depending on the size of the business. One of the biggest issues medical affairs teams have faced in recent years has been the need to establish standard operating procedures and quality control measures for social media posts. With Twitter, Facebook and other networks in use by virtually all employees, medical affairs teams need to pinpoint who regulates company posts, what information is released and how posts should be edited.

This track will address the management and communication concerns internal teams face as well as how to best improve current processes in order to comply with new regulations and the instant access to information.

This conference is designed for representatives from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organizations with responsibilities in the following areas:

• Medical Affairs/Field Medical Affairs
• Medical Science/Field Medical Science
• Clinical/Scientific Affairs
• Medical Strategy/Communications
• Key Opinion Leadership/Thought Leadership/Opinion Leader Relationships
• Research and Development
• Medical Education
• Publication Planning
• Scientific Communication
• Program Management
• Quality Assurance
• Scientific Engagements
• Medical Science Liaisons

Research collaborations play a vital role in the discovery of new drug indications and the treatment of unmet medical needs. The growing collaboration between industry and academic investigators has led to increased funding and opened the doors to achieving promising clinical outcomes. Medical affairs professionals, MSLs, clinical operations and external research parties all work closely with investigators to achieve successful trials that can lead to new milestones in drug development. This collaboration between medical affairs, MSLs and clinical research teams is the backbone for successfully cultivating and communicating the value of treatments.

Standardization of terms, policies and procedures will help with vendor interactions and pave the way to more efficiently defining the lines of what is truly an investigator-initiated trial and what is a research collaboration.

The Research Collaboration and Investigator-Initiated Trials track covers all aspects of conducting trials — including ways in which investigators can efficiently reach out to industry professionals to foster supportive relationships — and addresses how industry optimizes and standardizes the discussion of clinical research to improve trial support and oversight. It also examines quality measures in detail to ensure compliance throughout the product life cycle.

This conference is designed for representatives from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device organizations with responsibilities in the following areas:

• Investigator-Initiated Research (IIR)
• Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS)
• Investigator-Initiated Trials (IIT)
• Investigator-Sponsored Trials (IST)
• Research Collaborations
• Medical Affairs/Global Medical Affairs
• Medical/Clinical Operations
• Clinical Project Management
• Clinical Medical Affairs
• Clinical Trial Monitoring
• Research Grants
• Clinical Outcomes and Publications
• Regulatory Affairs

Call centers (also referred to as contact centers) are another source of external medical and scientific communication. With the evolution of MSL and medical professionals' roles and responsibilities, companies are looking to streamline their medical information and communication processes. Pharmaceutical organizations have set up call centers where healthcare personnel, physicians and other stakeholders can call a company to learn more about a product, speak to a specialist about pharmaceutical specifics or report an adverse event.

At MASS West, the Medical Information and Call Center Management track will examine the organization of pharmaceutical call centers. During sessions, case studies and panels, key industry leaders will compare the benefits and disadvantages of in-house call centers and outsourced call centers, examine compliant communication strategies with patients, discuss the chain of custody of information in issue management, illustrate the benefits of monitoring externally published information, and strategize medical information communication through multiple mediums.

This conference is designed for representatives from pharmaceutical companies with responsibilities in the following areas:

• Patient Education
• Call Center Operations
• Call Center Management
• Patient Support
• Data Management (Call Centers)
• Call Center Training
• Call Center Contracting
• Patient Communication
• Call Center Compliance
• Telemedicine
• Information Management
• Patient Services
• Patient Access