As a direct and sole result of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and due to circumstances beyond our control, DIA announced last week that it has decided to change the format of the upcoming Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications meeting from “face-to-face” (in-person) to entirely virtual.

Originally scheduled March 23-25, DIA’s Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum WILL continue on its new dates May 6-7 in an entirely virtual meeting format, with both speakers and attendees participating remotely via a digital platform.

Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum will remain an interactive, multi-day event that brings together professionals from around the world to discuss how medical information managers, medical writers, and MSLs can best respond to the changing global regulatory and compliance environments. This year, DIA will accomplish that goal via a live, digital platform. Additional details for speakers, attendees, and exhibitors are forthcoming. For more information, please review the list of Frequently Asked Questions.

**PLEASE NOTE**

Primer Registrants: The Medical Communications Primer: The Fundamentals of Medical Communications will still be held virtually as scheduled on Sunday, March 22 starting at 8:30am PDT/11:30am EDT. Participants of this Primer will be notified separately about this virtual session.

Short Course Registrants: You will receive a separate communication shortly about how Short Courses will be handled in this new format.

DIA’s mission – to work across the healthcare continuum to ensure patients receive the therapies they need – is more essential than ever during times like these. DIA acknowledges the time and effort that has gone into speaker and attendee planning and preparing for DIA’s Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum, and trusts that everyone will understand the need to respond to current, evolving health concerns in a responsible manner. These precautions are being taken to ensure the health and safety of our entire, global DIA family.

DIA is committed to exploring all possible avenues to provide a productive setting where stakeholders can engage with the latest technology, hear from key thought leaders and make the connections that drive the health care ecosystem forward. We look forward to providing you with a fulfilling virtual meeting experience and appreciate your patience as we work through technical requirements and any potential challenges.

Thank you for your continued support of DIA and our global mission.

*Primer requires separate registration

Healthcare professionals and patients look to medical communication and medical information professionals to provide essential, accurate, and unbiased drug information, therefore making medical communications an integral part of the healthcare industry. Because we work in the second most regulated industry, pharmacy professionals who provide these services need to have a comprehensive understanding of not only the medical content, but also the regulatory and compliance environment which directly affects their daily activities.

This primer will address many of the common responsibilities of medical communications staff and dig deeper into challenging aspects of each role. This activity is specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals new to biopharmaceutical industry-based medical communications. Many times, their understanding is limited to only their own companies’ SOPs and “way of doing things.” In this activity, you will learn and discuss important skill sets that provide value to both internal and external customers and compare these across companies. These include activities such as identifying the critical steps that a medical communications professional should take when receiving an inquiry, evaluating the sources of information/data, and the importance of fair balance and documenting responses. Topics will also include important elements of writing a standard response letter (formulary dossier communications), promotional review committee best practices, and activities at scientific congresses. Role playing and mock examples will be used to re-enforce principles that emphasize the importance of our role to the industry and to the customers we serve.

You will be presented with real-life scenarios that represent challenges that are common to our roles; groups will be asked to discuss and share their responses to the situations. You will gain a better understanding of best practices within their job function and a broader awareness of the regulatory environment. You’ll also learn how to work better as part of interdisciplinary teams, practice evidence-based medicine evaluation, and effectively use technology.