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Good morning and welcome to the final edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly for 2022. We wish all of our readers a safe and happy holiday. May this holiday season be everything you wish for and more. NPC Healthbiz Weekly will return on Jan. 10, 2023.

A highlight of the 16th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress (NPC), held in Mississauga, Ont. on Nov. 2, was the session on ‘Diverse Voices’ about the importance of an inclusive approach in the pharma industry.

The session was presented by Specialty Health Network by Shoppers and moderated by Aliya Tharani [pictured below], Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Partnerships at Shoppers Drug Mart and Specialty Health Network, and featured presentations about the importance of an inclusive approach in the industry.

During her introduction, Tharani described how diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and life sciences are so important to her personally as a member of a visible minority. She also spoke about the importance of sponsorship and mentorship in providing specific guidance and development opportunities to all employees.

Tharani also pointed out the importance of organizations celebrating diversity and committing to equity. In a follow-up email interview, she mentioned that Shoppers Drug Mart has colleague resource groups to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are a priority within the organization.

“We have established measurable representation goals to improve gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in our leadership teams and actively work toward reducing bias in our hiring and business decisions,” she said.

During the first six weeks of 2023, starting Jan. 10, 2023, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will summarize each of the presentations by the “Diverse Voice” panel.

These presentations include:

The keynote, “A Physician Perspective,” was presented by Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Head of Critical Care Department at The Ottawa Hospital. Dr. Kyeremanteg documented his experiences as a Black physician in Canada and emphasized the importance of diversity in education.
Zal Press, Vice Chair and Patient and Community Advisory Committee at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, presented on the patient perspective. He highlighted the importance of advocating for patients’ rights and the benefits of an inclusive approach to patient care.
Danielle Portnik, Regional Business Director, International at Ambry Genetics, presented on the female perspective. Her talk addressed the struggles and challenges that women still face in the pharmaceutical industry.
Niki Papaioannou, founder of Niki Inc., a Toronto-based publicity firm, talked on the “Rise of the Lay Health Influencer.” Papaioannou discussed the rise of medical influencers, how social media and the health sciences are now more connected than ever, and that the industry could benefit from catching up to the new trends.
Angelina Brathwaite, Senior Client Partner Staffing and Strategic Alliance at Brunel. Her talk “Implementing DE&I Culture” highlighted the importance of creating a company culture that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Peter Brenders, General Manager at BeiCene Canada. Brenders’ presentation provided insight into the current state of DE&I in the Life Sciences industry and how leaders can challenge themselves to improve the industry and lead without bias.

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THIS WEEK 12/13/22

Bayshore HealthCare and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) have received a Clinical Award Lectureship from the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology for the CareChart Digital by Bayshore. CareChart is an after-hours oncology and toxicity management support program that reduces the number of emergency department visits by allowing cancer and palliative patients and their caretakers to connect with a specialized nurse using a mobile app or a desktop computer.
Rigel Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Rezlidhia (olutasidenib) for treating relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 mutation in adult patients.
Seagen Canada’s Tukysa (tucatinib) will now be reimbursed in British Columbia for treating adult patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-Positive breast cancer.
Novavax announced that Health Canada has approved a supplement to a New Drug Submission for Nuvaxovid (Covid-19 Vaccine) for active immunization to Covid-19 in teenagers.

LISTEN NOW

In season eight of the NPC Podcast, Angelina Brathwaite, Senior Client Partner, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Leader for the Americas at Brunel, talks about women's leadership in the pharma industry, community advocacy, and the true takeaways of formal education. Hear her in conversation with podcast hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain.

CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME

The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our vocation and inspire others.

More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee’s view, they represent a cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honoree each week.

2002 Inductee
Sylvia Vogel
St. Laurent, Que.

This is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame, and for the next few issues, we will be revisiting the inaugural class of inductees.

Sylvia Vogel has vivid memories of her early days working in the basement of her Montreal home. It was there in the late ‘50s that she learned to juggle the demands of a new baby with the exhausting task of launching a fledgling drug distribution business. “One moment I will never forget was sitting in the basement with a little carpet under my feet because the floor was cold–it wasn't a finished floor–and working at two in the morning and thinking, 'If this ever works, people will say we are lucky,” she muses.

“I have a lot of stamina, and I think that is what got me through it,” says Vogel of the gruelling days and sleepless nights that led to the successful launch of Trans Canaderm Inc.

Vogel admits to developing an interest in business and an appreciation of her own independence at an early age. By 14, she had already landed a part-time job at five and dime “so I didn’t have to ask my parents for money.” Later, as a successful businesswoman, she admits that being a female in the business world has had its ups and downs. “I was always seen as giving my husband a hand, and people probably thought, ‘oh, a woman who works with her husband is probably a pain in the neck, and he is doing her a favour by letting her come to work,” she says. One of her fondest memories, however, is of the day that the Trans Canaderm national sales staff presented plaques to Vogel and her husband Lou, his with the title President and hers aptly inscribed, The Boss.

Despite her entrepreneurial success, the founder and CEO of Canderm Pharmacal has never lost sight of the importance of family and home. “The company,” she maintains, “is like my home,” and Vogel has instilled her brand of family values into the day-to-day workings of Canderm. No personal assistant or secretary is allowed to serve coffee in the office-” People are people, and they have to be respected,” she insists.

Vogel credits the fact that she is a “people person” first for her competitive edge in business. Her proudest moment was convincing the creators of the skin-rejuvenating product Neostrata to award exclusive distribution rights to a small Canadian company. Her knack for sincerity also proved helpful in early marketing strategies when Vogel chose the novel approach of writing personalized letters to doctors rather than sending routine detailing materials. She concedes that her tactics may have alarmed senior marketing staff which was known to say, “‘You’re not really going to do that,’ but it was okay,” she laughs. She proudly remembers when she and Lou featured themselves in swimsuits in the promotional materials for a new sunscreen, Pabanol. Pabanol became “the highest prescribed sunscreen in Canada,” says Vogel, recalling the refreshing but daring approach. Her advice to anyone going into business: “Be sincere and service your customers regardless of who they are and plug away at it. It has to work.”

NEXT WEEK

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Mitchell Shannon, Publisher; R. Allan Ryan, Editorial Director; John Evans, Kylie Rebernik, Jeremy Visser, Editors; Cristela Tello Ruiz, New Business Development; Catherine Dusome, Operations Manager

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