Category Archives: President’s Update
President’s Update: Looking Back & Ahead in 2013
Dear Readers,
It’s been a busy year so far here at MassBio!
We started our year with at least one major event each month. In January, we held our Annual Policy Leadership Breakfast where we convened industry leaders and honored Senate President Therese Murray as the MassBio Legislator of the Year.
In February, we hosted our second annual MA CRO/CMO Symposium as well as Rare Disease Day at the Massachusetts State House.
March brought the 2013 MassBio Annual Meeting, our scientific conference, where we were honored to host keynote speakers John Crowley and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. Josef von Rickenbach, Chairman and CEO of PAREXEL, was awarded with the Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award for his commitment and contributions to the biotechnology industry.
Last month, we brought Lifecycle Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Pavilion to the BIO International Convention in Chicago.
We’ve also been busy rolling out our new Forums structure and programming and we’re very excited about our new Adventures in Bioteching series launching this June. This process has been a great collaborative effort working closely with members to plan timely programming featuring high level speakers and panels to address a wide variety of current topics.
I also want to highlight some exciting news from our sister organization, the MassBioEd Foundation. They have revamped and re-launched the MassBioEd.org website to be the go-to resource for STEM educators, students, postdocs, and industry professionals. Take a look at the new site and get involved with corporate partnership and volunteer opportunities to support the great work they do developing the science leaders of tomorrow.
Looking ahead, here are a few events coming soon that might interest our readers:
- May 22nd - MassBio Networking mixer out in Waltham at Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, PC
- June 4th – Life Science Foundation’s Courage to Innovate: Early Lessons from Boston’s Biotech Founders (Join the wait-list)
- June 5th – Massachusetts Life Sciences Innovation (MALSI) Day
- June 5th – NEHI Annual Member Dinner & Meeting
- June 6th - Annual Job Shadow Day – Organized by MassBioEd this is an exciting day where MassBio member companies will host local students for career exploration
Also be sure to save September 6th for our annual Golf Classic to benefit MassBioEd (registration will open soon!) and September 17-19 for BioPharm America 2013. (Register before July 19, 2013 and save $200. MassBio members receive an extra $200 off of registration– be sure to mention “MassBio” in the comments field.)
Thanks to all who have helped make 2013 successful so far and I look forward to seeing you again soon at one of our events!
Until next time,
Bob Coughlin
President’s Update – MassBio in 2012: A Year in Review
Dear Readers,
As we start winding down 2012 and gear up for 2013, I want to thank you for your involvement and support and reflect on 2012 with a Year in Review highlighting our four biggest focus areas of 2012.
1. Bringing value to your bottom line
Here at MassBio we know that the battle to raise funding and keep costs down continues to be a challenge. That’s why we focused on bringing value to your bottom line in 2012, by expanding and improving our Purchasing Consortium. This year Fisher Scientific, Airgas, Linde, Alert, Stericycle, and W.B. Mason all expanded their services for MassBio members, allowing you to buy the goods and services you need at the best prices out there. We also announced two new partnerships this year to support our members: JoVE and Allsteel.
The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is a peer reviewed, PubMed indexed journal devoted to the publication of research in a cutting-edge video format. With our new Allsteel Inc partnership, MassBio members access high-quality furniture at a discount. As MassBio prepared for our office relocation in the beginning of 2012 we were 
immediately impressed by the quality of products and service that Allsteel had to offer.
Also in 2012, we put together a Small Business Program with additional savings and start-up programs from our suppliers designed specifically for our member companies with fewer than 50 employees. In 2013, we will continue to negotiate steep discounts on the products and services you need, so you can invest resources where they matter, into the research required to drive new treatments and cures.
2. Advocating for you on Beacon Hill & Capitol Hill
President’s Update: Health Care Cost Containment
Dear Readers,
Last legislative session Massachusetts legislators passed Senate Bill #2400, An Act Improving the Quality of Health Care and Reducing Costs Through Increased Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation.
The legislation is extensive—and includes provisions ranging from language to ensure patient access to breakthrough technologies, to language to include a biotechnology industry representative on the Advisory Council to the Health Policy Commission.
The law also creates a Cost Containment Commission, tasked with studying methods to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for both public and private payers, including the feasibility of bulk purchasing.
These laws and regulations will impact the life sciences industry in real and long-lasting ways.
Please join us on Monday, November 19th as we host David Seltz, Governor Patrick’s Special Adviser on Health Care Cost Containment, for a discussion on the next steps of cost containment in the Commonwealth.
David is THE go-to guy on this legislation and will share his unique perspective and insight.
This meeting is free and open to all MassBio members and NEHI members. Register for the meeting.
Read a summary of Senate Bill #2400.
Hope to see you there,
Bob Coughlin
President’s Update: MassBio’s 2013 Events – Save the Dates!
Hello Readers,
While we still have a number of events on our calendar for the rest of the year and hope to see you at one of our Committee Meetings soon, we wanted to send out a quick “Save the Date” note to ensure you mark your calendars with our Signature Events for 2013.
February 25, 2013 – MA CRO/CMO Symposium (Registration will open this Friday, October 19th!)
Designed to bring together the biopharmaceutical industry and the Massachusetts CRO/CMO cluster, this symposium will showcase the roles these types of partnerships are playing in accelerating drug development.
March 14-15, 2013 – MassBio Annual Meeting
The MassBio Annual Meeting focuses on the most timely and critical challenges facing the Massachusetts biotechnology industry. The meeting program is pulled together by a Steering Committee of leaders in the industry and the agenda encompasses keynote presentations, panel discussions, interactive working sessions, and extensive networking opportunities for all MassBio members.
Our 2013 events will expand on the successes of our 2012 events, so please save the dates!
Until next time,
Bob Coughlin
President’s Posts: The Schwartz Center – Focusing on the Human Dimension of Healthcare
Earlier this year, we introduced many of you to the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national nonprofit based at Mass General that works to strengthen the relationship between patients and their clinical caregivers.
Mark Levin of Third Rock Ventures, Schwartz Center Medical Director Beth Lown, MD, and Bob Coughlin at a May 28th MassBio event to introduce our members to the Schwartz Center
I was introduced to the Schwartz Center about a year ago by Mark Levin, and I recently agreed to co-chair its Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner November 8th at the Boston Convention Center. Here’s why:
While the development of new technologies and medicines can have tremendous benefits for patients, these benefits can only be fully realized if patients trust their caregivers and caregivers have the ability to communicate effectively with patients.
Mark Levin put it best when he said: “What the Schwartz Center is doing for the patient is teaching caregivers to listen to their patients and integrate what they learn from them into their medical solutions.” Read the rest of this entry
