Over the 20+ years that I have attended various and sundry conferences (e.g., AACR, SxSW, HLTH, ViVE, Reuters, JPM), behind the runaround hubbub that accompanies being there lies the added perk of reuniting with colleagues and old friends, meeting with current and prospective partners, and hatching innovative new ideas to support our cohorts—the cancer patients and survivors to whom we passionately commit ourselves every day.
But there is ONE event in particular that uniquely incubates and fosters these connections and provides a space for advocacy stakeholders in the cancer world to collide — a place where industry, researchers, sites, regulatory agencies, and advocates can come together and impact the future of cancer care and research for the good of patients.
That place is the Patient Advocacy Lounge at ASCO.
As much respect and gratitude we have for those other events, none offer the confluence of influential stakeholders as well as ASCO does, especially on the exhibit floor with their nonprofit pavilion and collaboration with the Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, which grants scholarships for patients to attend the event pro bono.
In fact, no other place or event in the world can match the opportunities available at ASCO and, more specifically, the Patient Advocacy Lounge (PAL). I've greatly benefitted from this venue, both personally and professionally, in various forms and fashions, and I know I am not alone. As soon as you walk in, you see the commitment to patient engagement.
In fact, the PAL is so critical to ASCO that they’ve leveraged it as a forum to raise awareness of clinical trials, which is an incredible testament to their mission and purpose. We all know that every major stakeholder in cancer research endorses patient-focused trials, from the FDA’s PFDD Guidance down through study sponsors, CROs, and service providers.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic for ASCO to take advantage of its commitment to cancer patients by co-curating an Advocacy Master Class session in the PAL this June with us?
I think I speak for everyone when I say this is a long-overdue idea. The timing is right, the demand is there, no better venue exists, and we’d be thrilled to bring it to life collaboratively.
In my head, the topic could be "Successful Industry & Advocacy Partnerships: What Does Good Look Like?"
We’d fill the room and generate ASCO’s first standing ovation. LOL!
Who’s with me?
Do you think this is valuable, and would you attend?
Please comment below 👇