The Impact of The COVID Advocacy Exchange

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Utilizing over 15 years of medical communications experience, Gary has developed a unique skill in forming, facilitating and nurturing community collaborations, in order to support mutually beneficial outcomes.

Over the years Gary has supported numerous communities in identifying common educational needs, navigating sensitivities and co-creating alliances. All initiatives are nationally neutral, yet globally inclusive, and strive to lift levels of knowledge. Gary applies his passion and scientific rigor to all partnerships and the collaborations he supports.

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Catherine is responsible for the BMS commercialization business in key markets outside the U.S., a total of 16 countries including Japan, Germany and France, and over 4000 employees. The company portfolio of innovative prescription medicines spans therapeutic areas including Oncology, Hematology, Cardiovascular, and Immunology, with many recognizable brands including OPDIVO, REVLIMID, ELIQUIS, and ORENCIA.

Previously Catherine was a senior executive at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). In her last role, she was President, Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, responsible for leading the largest single business unit within J&J. The business included 5 marketed brands, over 1000 employees, and served patients within the areas of dermatology, gastroenterology, and rheumatology. Previously, Catherine was President, Infectious Diseases where she led the U.S. commercial business in making a difference in the lives of people living with HIV. Catherine began her Johnson & Johnson career as a London-based sales representative. During her more than 25 years with J&J, she held leadership roles in Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices and Corporate Innovation in the U.K., the U.S., and global organizations. With a passion for digital connectivity, Catherine established the first North America Pharmaceuticals Digital Governance Board and digital champions’ team at Janssen and served as Digital Governance Lead for North America. She also served as the first leader of the Janssen North America Culture Team, and in her role as Diversity & Inclusion lead for North America, Catherine built the first Employee Resource Group Council.
Catherine is passionate about developing people, improving the lives of patients suffering from serious disease, and serves as a career mentor for many. In recognition of her efforts, she received the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary award in 2018, and represented J&J at Forbes ‘NexGen’ most powerful woman in Pharma.

Catherine has an Honors degree in Pharmacy from the University of Manchester and a post-graduate degree in Marketing from the University of London. She is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She lives in Pennington, NJ with her husband and two teenage daughters.

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Sandy Leung serves as legal advisor to the Board of Directors and company executives, and is responsible for shaping the company’s legal strategy. Sandy is also responsible for Environment, Health & Safety & Sustainability, Corporate Security and Philanthropy.

“The accelerating pace of science, governmental policies and regulations and overall global complexity across our industry requires us to be even more agile than ever,” says Sandy. “Our legal team brings strategic value across all aspects of our business through practical and sound counsel that guide our company in its mission to help patients.”

Sandy joined Bristol Myers Squibb in 1992 as a staff attorney in the litigation department. In 1996, she became assistant counsel and one year later, was named associate counsel. In 1999, Sandy was appointed to the position of counsel and corporate secretary. In 2006, she was appointed acting general counsel and in 2007, she was named general counsel. In 2014, Sandy was named executive vice president.

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Megan-Claire Chase, also known as Warrior Megsie, is a 4-year breast cancer survivor in Atlanta, GA. She is a sought-after influencer and blogger in the Young Adult Cancer community both nationally and internationally. Her blog, Life on the Cancer Train, is about her life post breast cancer (Stage IIA Invasive Lobular) and the struggles of being a young adult cancer patient/survivor while advocating for better treatments and resources. Megan-Claire’s writing is known for being authentic, raw, and informative with a twist of humor. It is also syndicated on Cancer Health Magazine’s website. She’s been a guest blogger for multiple cancer support sites including Lacuna Loft, SHARE Cancer Support, and Humor Beats Cancer. Her blog is syndicated on Cancer Health Magazine’s website. Megan-Claire was featured this year in The New York Times in April and People magazine in June discussing the concerns of receiving cancer treatments during COVID-19. Her cat Nathan (Natey) Edgar is her pride and joy.

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Dr. Christopher Boerner is currently the EVP & Chief Commercialization Officer at Bristol-Myers Squibb where he is accountable for the company’s global commercial activities. Prior to this, Chris has held senior roles leading both the ex-US and US commercial organizations at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He joined BMS in February 2015.

Prior to joining BMS, Chris served as the Executive Vice President of Commercial for Seattle Genetics, Inc., where he led all commercial activities for the company. Previously, he was its Senior Vice President of Commercial and its Vice President of Marketing. Before joining Seattle Genetics, Chris was with Dendreon Corporation, where he led the marketing team. From 2002 to 2010, he was with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, where he served in a variety of commercial roles, including Director of Marketing on Avastin, Director of Avastin franchise strategy and Associate Director of Oncology Market Development. Prior to Genentech, he was with McKinsey & Company, a global strategic management consulting firm, where he served global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

Chris received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds an A.B. in Economics and History from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Dr. Sirisha Mohan is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. She serves as the Telehealth Lead for the department and is Interim Associate Program Director of the Keck Medicine of USC Family Medicine Residency program. Upon graduating from medical school at the University of Lublin and finishing at the Western Reserve Health Education Family Medicine Residency Program in 2014, Dr. Mohan completed a fellowship in Women’s Health at Florida Hospital. She began her career in academic medicine at the University of California in San Francisco where she served as the women’s health director and started clinical services in telemedicine in 2016. She joined the Keck School of Medicine in 2018 where she is Director of the Women’s Health Elective, lecturer and preceptor to the Family Medicine Clerkship and Senior Advisor to those students applying into Family Medicine. Her areas of clinical specialty include telemedicine, family planning and contraception, management of abnormal pap smears and abnormal uterine bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, hormone replacement therapy, weight management, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety.

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Wayne Eskridge, an electrical engineer from the University of Idaho, worked in software and electronics through a 50 year professional career. He served in many technical and managerial roles beginning as a computer programmer, through multiple levels of technical and managerial positions in businesses of all sizes. He held executive positions in both public and private corporations with worldwide responsibilities, and from startups to Fortune 500 firms. He was recently appointed as a member of the AASLD Patient Advisory Group, which represents the patient community to the medical professional society.

Eskridge was first diagnosed with liver disease in 2010 and, as a result of his own experiences, he became aware of an acute need for an educational resource from a patient perspective. At the core of his motivation is the fact that an estimated 100 million Americans already have fatty liver disease and are unaware of it. While there is currently no medical treatment for NAFLD/NASH, lifestyle changes can be effective. Prevention through education is the only practical solution today. His desire to help others avoid his experiences led him to the decision to become a patient advocate and to create the Fatty Liver Foundation

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Trudie Lobban MBE, FRCP Edin, established STARS (Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures) charity following the diagnosis of her daughter with RAS and at the request of her paediatric neurologist in 1993. STARS has developed into an international non-profit organisation and Trudie is recognised worldwide as a patient expert on syncope and unexplained loss of consciousness.

Trudie was instrumental in organising and campaigning to introduce new standards in the UK for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death with the successful launch of an extra chapter in the National Service Framework on Coronary Heart Disease by the government and Department of Health in the UK in 2004/5. Trudie went on to establish the Arrhythmia Alliance - The Heart Rhythm Charity®: working together to improve the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for all those affected by arrhythmias.

A-A is a coalition of charities, patient groups, patients, carers, medical groups, policy makers, politicians, government officials and allied professionals. Although these groups remain independent, they work together under the A-A umbrella to promote timely and effective diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias.

In 2007, due to the high demand for information and resources on atrial fibrillation, Trudie launched the AF Association.

Trudie has provided a unique partnership between healthcare professionals, politicians, policy makers, patients and caregivers and allied professionals. Trudie was recognized for her Services to Healthcare when being made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2009.

The Charities Commission has congratulated her on providing such a service. All three charities are now international and established in more than 40 countries; Trudie is President/Chair internationally.

She was recognised for her contribution to medicine when she was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.

Trudie continues to bring together and facilitates individuals and groups to ensure best practice is identified and shared and reducing duplication of work. Such an example is the establishment of the Heart Rhythm Congress www.heartrhythmcongress.org which is unique in the world as it brings together patients and healthcare professionals, politicians, policy makers and industry over a four-day period to share and present latest research and treatment options.

Trudie is Chair or member of numerous Advisory Boards both nationally and internationally and is author/co-author of numerous publications and research projects. She sits on many committees – NICE, NHS, PHE, NICOR, NIHR, NHS SCIP, NCSPLC, AF Screen, BHRS & BCS Council, and numerous research committees – the only non-medical person to do so. Her services are called upon globally where she presents or contributes on the importance of patient involvement and HCP education to improve outcomes in the patient care pathways and delivery of health services. She is also an author and co-author of numerous medical papers relating to cardiac arrhythmias.

Trudie has personal experience of living with arrhythmias – first her youngest daughter suffering with RAS, followed by the death of her husband in 2008 from sudden cardiac death. Both her parents have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF). Trudie is called upon globally to provide expert advice and opinion from not only the patient perspective on living with health conditions but also from a policy and medical viewpoint – thereby improving services, reducing costs and ensuring the patient care pathway provides the optimal outcome. Trudie has presented and participated regionally, nationally and internationally at medical congresses and patient/carer meetings, including the European Society of Cardiology Syncope Taskforce, British Heart Rhythm Society, Cardiac Society of Australia & New Zealand, United Arab Emirates Cardiac Society, Heart Rhythm Society (USA), Cardiac Society of South Africa, European Heart Rhythm Society, Uruguayan Cardiac Society, Latin American Cardiac Society, Canadian Cardiac Society, International Association of Patient Organisations (IAPO), the All Party Parliamentary Medical Group on Devices, the Labour Party Conference Health Forum, Patient Link Programme and European Federation Neurological Society. She is a regular speaker at the annual Heart Rhythm Congress in the UK where she is Chair and organiser. Trudie also co-Chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on AF where AF Association acts as secretariat, and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arrhythmias.

STARS www.stars-international.org celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 and launched ‘Take Fainting to Heart - there is no such thing as a simple faint’. Arrhythmia Alliance www.heartrhythmalliance.org has placed over 3000 automated external defibrillators through its ‘Defibs Dave Lives’ campaign www.defibssavelives.org including in police cars in the USA. Trudie was asked to present to the FBI to raise awareness and education its members on the importance of knowing CPR and the use of an AED. AF Association www.afa-international.org has led various international initiatives including the ‘Know Your Pulse’ campaign www.knowyourpulse.org.

Trudie has authored and co-authored numerous papers, appeared in many journals, written a chapter for ‘Cardiology Clinics’ as well as involvement in countless media outlets. She has been interviewed on numerous TV and radio in the UK and globally including Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy and media tours of USA talking on syncope, AF and arrhythmias. Trudie regularly meets with government officials, ambassadors, health ministers, royalty and Prime Ministers as well as Members of the European Parliament to highlight the need for improved services for people with cardiac arrhythmias and those delivering the service.

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Samit Hirawat, M.D., joined Bristol Myers Squibb in June 2019 as Chief Medical Officer, Global Drug Development.

Samit is a highly collaborative leader who brings extensive drug development experience to the role. Prior to joining Bristol Myers Squibb, Samit most recently served as Executive Vice President and Head of Oncology Global Development at Novartis. Samit also led clinical development programs in multiple indications at PTC Therapeutics and Pfizer/Pharmacia Corporation.

Samit received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B; B.S.) from the Sawai Man Singh Medical College in India and completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Oncology Training at North Shore University Hospital, New York. He is an author of several manuscripts and abstracts published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at major conferences. Samit is a recipient of several government grants, academic and corporate awards.

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Dave Craig is a two-time cancer survivor, oncology researcher, and patient experience champion. He is CEO and co-founder of GRYT (“grit”) Health, a digital health company that connects individuals with similar experiences and engages them to inform, support, and facilitate improved disease management and patient well-being.

Through GRYT’s global oncology platform and work with the top healthcare organizations, we help advance the treatment, care, and experience of those affected by cancer. We do this through research, marketing, and clinical trial services that put people and caregivers first, integrating the patient experience – from early-stage treatments through long-term survivorship – to ultimately improve health outcomes.

In his recent TED Talk, Dave describes how he has catalyzed personal adversity, patient experience research, and digital technology to create a platform to connect, empower, and transform the living-with-cancer experience.