2018 has been a great year for ISMPP meeting attendance! First, the European Meeting of ISMPP in January saw a 20% increase from 2017, with 303 attendees. Now, the 14th Annual Meeting of ISMPP flourished with 629 attendees, a 12% increase from the previous year’s 561 attendees. Both meetings set new attendance records!
While most attendees were from the US, 14% were from other countries, a similar percentage to 2017. The United Kingdom had the second highest attendance with 49 participants, and Japan came in third with 12 attendees.
First-time attendees accounted for 130 of the participants, a 30% increase from 2017. As expected, most attendees were from industry and communication agencies, at about 40% each, continuing a recent trend in attendance.
Programming Attracts Newer to Seasoned Publication Professionals
Programming for the 14th Annual Meeting, From Publication to Practice: Advancing Science Through Effective Communication, appealed to a range of medical publication professionals, from those newer to the field to seasoned professionals. Held April 30-May 2, 2018, the 14th Annual Meeting took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, in National Harbor, Maryland, USA.
Parallel sessions were spread throughout the three-day program. Attendees could choose from such topics as scientific platforms, lay summaries, real world evidence, lifecycle management and HEOR, the evolving role of the medical publication professional, a medical information benchmark study, and global copyrights. The Posters of the Future parallel session, proposed by ISMPP members, offered an interactive experience for attendees to view different poster formats and compare their impressions. A Senior Level Working Session was new to the program and focused on furthering ISMPP’s strategic imperatives.
Plenary sessions covered various cutting-edge topics, including data privacy regulations, patient involvement in medical publications, open access publishing, the role of preprints, the future of authorship credit, and enhanced digital technology at scientific congresses.
Member research was a popular aspect of this year’s program. A record 51 posters were featured at the 14th Annual Meeting, up from 38 posters in 2017! Three posters were selected for oral presentations, and four guided poster tours focused on these themes: patient engagement, communicating more effectively, practical matters and professional practices, and professional debates. The following four posters received awards at the meeting:
Best Original Research Award
Peer-reviewed publications: do physicians still actually read them?
Michael Thompson, Kieran Davey, Tanja Torbica, Hollie Robinson, and Jane Nunn
Best Practice Award
Video versus peer-reviewed publications: the battle for effective communication
Niina Nuottamo, Mirella Mels, and Marcel Meijer
Best in Visual Communication Award (tie)
Access to medical research: a survey of publication availability and utility for practicing physicians
Neil Venn, Neil Foden, Valerie Moss, and Rebekah Sensecall
Survey evidence to advance advocacy: Awareness of publication professional initiatives at the Peer Review Congress
Karen L. Woolley, Slavka Baronikova, Alice Choi, Mary Gaskarth, Anna Geraci, Mieko Hamana, Jackie Marchington, Elizabeth A. Whann, Chris C. Winchester, and Fran Young
Roundtable sessions and workshops offered opportunities to learn about topics in a smaller, more interactive environment. Roundtables included several new topics, such as altmetrics, predatory congresses, rare disease publications, globalization of publications and medical information, and a publication planning model for small pharmas and biotechs. Workshops were held pre- and post-conference, with new/updated topics addressing HEOR for the publication professional, scientific platforms, digital advances and publication planning, and statistics in publications.
Among the distinguished faculty who presented during the meeting, three keynote speakers covered significant topics in medical publications and health care.
- “Clinical Trial Transparency, Data Sharing, and the Patient Voice” – Olivia Shopshear, Senior Director, Science and Regulatory Advocacy, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
- “Preprints and the Impact on the Scientific Landscape” – Richard Sever, Assistant Director, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, and Co-Founder, bioRxiv
- “The Truth About Doctors: Global Insights from Physicians on the Future of Healthcare” – Hilary Gentile, Chief Strategy Officer, McCann Health North America
In honor of this year’s esteemed faculty, ISMPP has given a charitable donation to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
The 2018-2019 ISMPP Board of Trustees was installed during the Business Meeting. Chris Winchester assumed the role of Chair. The following individuals were elected to their positions: Catherine Skobe, Chair-Elect; Martine Docking, Asia-Pacific Trustee; and Kirsten Parr, At-Large Member. Steven Rizk assumed the final year of the Treasurer term vacated by George Samman.
Attendees also enjoyed three receptions during the meeting. The Welcome Reception on Sunday evening, sponsored by Shire, kicked off the meeting’s events. The ISMPP Member Poster Presentation & Reception, sponsored by Oxford PharmaGenesis, provided an engaging atmosphere to discuss member research with authors. The Annual Networking Reception, sponsored by Elsevier, held at The Sunset Room by Wolfgang Puck, was a delightful setting to mingle with peers and enjoy the sunset views.
If you missed the 14th Annual Meeting or would like to revisit its sessions and activities:
- The 90-minute ISMPP U webinar on June 20, 2018, at 11:00 AM EST/4:00 PM GMT, will present highlights from the 14th Annual Meeting.
- A 14th Annual Meeting Archive is available in the Member Center of the ISMPP website, which contains general session presentations and posters for personal, non-commercial use.
- The Publication Plan posted Part 1 and Part 2 summary reports of the 14th Annual Meeting on its website.
- A video montage of the 14th Annual Meeting is available on the ISMPP Channel on YouTube.
Thank You!
ISMPP expresses its heartfelt appreciation to the exhibitors, sponsors, and media partners of the 14th Annual Meeting for their generous support of the Society.
ISMPP extends an extra-special thank you to the Annual Meeting Program Committee, Global Workshop Committee, and Abstract Committee for their enthusiasm and dedication to the 14th Annual Meeting.
Looking Ahead
We invite you to join us for ISMPP’s upcoming conferences below. Mark your calendars!
- ISMPP West: October 11-12, 2018, in San Diego, California, USA (Registration is now open!)
- European Meeting of ISMPP: January 22-23, 2019, in London, UK
- 15th Annual Meeting of ISMPP: April 15-17, 2019, in National Harbor, Maryland, USA
