Dani Johnson of Taylor & Francis introduces keynote speaker Doug Long
Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Community (PHT) members and vendors were delighted to gather in-person after a two-year pandemic postponement of the yearly PHT meeting. A total of 134 people attended the 35th annual event in Philadelphia, October 9-11, 2022. This year also marked the 75th anniversary of PHT's founding in 1947.
PHT has enjoyed enduring vendor sponsorship and for this event it continued -- there were 28 vendor booths. As in previous years, between that support and registration fees, this was a self-funded event.
The conference kicked off with a dinner to open the exhibits hall. Past PHT Chairs joined the planner of the first-ever PHT Meeting, Kerry Kushinka, and current PHT President Susie Corbett (and this meeting's planner) to cut the 35th anniversary cake. A looping slide show of photos from past PHT Meetings documented history.
Sessions
The opening keynote address on "US Pharmaceutical Trends, Issues and Outlook," by Doug Long, of IQVIA, a popular repeat speaker, provided data and observations related to major trends affecting the pharma industry -- COVID; market leanings; patients & adherence; opioids; cough, cold and flu; generics and biosimilars; and product launches.
Another keynote, "Vendor Negotiations from Both Side of the Table," took the form of an interview between Richard Huffine, chief of the library, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Michael Gruenberg, author of the book, Buying and Selling Information: A Guide for Information Professionals and Salespeople to Build Mutual Success.
A best practices session, "Surfing the Pipeline: What's the Value in Searching More than One Drug Pipeline Database?" was presented by Matt Eberle and Diane Webb of BizInt Solutions, which provides visualization tools for data from multiple databases.
L-R: Caren Torrey, Susan Keckler, Mark Haythorn and Susie Corbett spoke on hybrid working
A panel of PHT info pros discussed real world "Hybrid Best Practices" about the dichotomy of working at home and in the office -- from identifying job candidates' location work requirements, to changing jobs while still sitting at the same familiar desk at home.
PHT member Andrea Oliver of Exelixis spoke of the changes and challenges she is experiencing in her job transition "From Large Pharma to Growing Biopharma." She is now a solo info pro, learning the ropes of her new company, while enjoying strong support from management.
Best Practices, a research firm, presented the results of its latest benchmarking survey of pharma information centers, which helped the audience see where their info centers stand in comparison.
The session, "AI in the Age of Information Overload: How Knowledge Professionals Can Combine Technology with Human Insight to Manage the Data Deluge," took the form of a conversation between Francesco Marconi, the co-founder of Applied XL. and Kate Sheridan, a reporter for STATNews. They drove home the importance of questioning algorithms and data sets in artificial intelligence.
SLA President Catherine Lavallee Welch virtually addressed the 35th PHT Meeting in Philadelphia 2022
SLA President Catherine Lavallee Welch remotely congratulated PHT on its milestone anniversaries, provided an update on SLA, and took questions.
PHT Membership Chair Susan Gleckner presented PHT meeting history, current PHT priorities, and planning for PHT's future. One outcome was a lively discussion on the need to promote corporate librarianship as a career option in ischools. Breakout sessions followed regarding what members look for in a professional association, volunteering, and SLA's outlook.
There were plenty of networking opportunities, including a visit to the Franklin Institute with dinner. One attendee noted that "It was wonderful to bring people together again. The meeting's networking quality was terrific."
Overall, feedback for PHT's post-pandemic meeting was very positive with energized attendees looking forward to the 36th. Comments included:
- "I have already spoken with my manager about the value of this conference above all others for the future."
- "Thank you so much for hosting a wonderful conference. This was the first conference I've attended, and it was a truly expansive experience. I left feeling refreshed and inspired. It was a pleasure to meet and learn from so many lovely people. I can't wait to attend again next year!"
------------------------------
Susan Gleckner
(908) 672-1535
------------------------------