The first-ever academic salon of the ISMPP China Outreach Program was held on August 23, 2019, in Shanghai, China, broadening the Society’s educational offerings in the Asia Pacific region. Over 70 attendees represented a variety of backgrounds ranging from global and local pharmaceutical companies, publishers, medical communication agencies, contract research organizations, and journals. This first academic salon was co-organized by Wiley and the Shanghai Medsci Medical Technology Co., Ltd.
The meeting started with an introduction of ISMPP and the objectives of the China Outreach Program, followed by a robust program with informative sessions and knowledgeable faculty.
- The preliminary results of a baseline survey of 53 medical publication professionals in China were shared with attendees. The survey is the first of its kind focusing on medical publication professionals in China.
- Career development of medical publication professionals was explored, including the core competency requirements of varying positions, the benefit of experience accumulation in the field, and the types of skills and capabilities needed by medical publication professionals.
- The value of professional medical writers and the increasing recognition of their contributions by colleagues in China was discussed. The involvement of third-party medical writing companies in publication development is high, and the need for high-quality publications and clinical research sharing and collaboration is important.
- Evaluation metrics, such as impact factor and journal citation reports, and their application in medical publications was examined, particularly their value for pharmaceutical companies and the potential misuses of these data.
- Open Science and its potential impact on the future of technology publishing was addressed. It was explained that Open Science is being driven by new digital solutions that allow for more scientific collaboration, experimentation, and analysis, with scientific knowledge easily accessible at any time and at any place.
- Concerns about the lack of high-quality clinical research and the lower number of reported clinical trials in China was discussed. Reasons for this trend included a lack of understanding of the importance of clinical research; capital, technology, and personnel obstacles; and investigators’ concerns about the risk of failure.
The meeting concluded with a panel discussion on how to bridge global standards and local practices in China, plus a 10th anniversary celebration of the ISMPP Certified Medical Publication Professional™ (ISMPP CMPP™) program.
A summary of the first academic salon of the China Outreach Program is available on ISMPP’s website. Thank you to Shanghai Medsci Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Wiley, and the meeting faculty for their commitment to the ISMPP China Outreach Program.
The second academic salon of the ISMPP China Outreach Program will be held November 22, 2019, in Beijing, China. Look for information about this meeting in the coming weeks!
