Back-to-School = Busy Schedules

photo by State Farm

I don’t know how this happens.

 I haven’t been formally in school for 25 years, but my calendar seems totally unable to shake the habit of “getting ready” for the next academic year.    

And the same seems to be true for Salem Oaks!  We have so much planned for the fall that we thought we better share it with you.

We are launching a podcast called Improbable Developments

Improbable Developments (@ImDevPodcast) will showcase the human stories behind every medicine you have ever taken.  We’ll even talk about some that never made it to the pharmacy.  Each month we will be talking to scientists, patients, physicians and others who work to bring new medicines to patients around the world.  The introductory episode is available now and the first full guest interview will be published on Monday, September 9th.  Our first guest is David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, FCPP.  Dr. Fajgenbaum will discuss his personal battle with Castleman’s Disease, how he repurposed an approved drug, and his upcoming book Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action

DISORDER:
The Rare Disease Film Festival

Jamie and Kevin will be heading up to Boston on September 12 for this evening of moving films about and for patients with Rare Diseases. DISORDER is part of Biotech Week Boston. If you are in the Boston area, these short films are well worth the price of admission.

On Track to Launch “On Track”

Our line-up of online learning modules continues to grow.  We took a bit of a pause over the summer, but the next module focused on Clinical Trial planning decisions will be launched soon.

Global Genes RARE Patient Advocacy Summit

We are really looking forward to making the trip out to San Diego for the 2019 Global Genes RARE Patient Advocacy Summit, September 18-20.  This is one of the best conferences of the year.  We’ll be in Booth 137 and hope you will stop by to say hello.  Also, watch for our tweets of the action #2019GGSummit

Westchester Biotech Project

On September 24, Kevin will be attending the WBP Rare Disease Symposium.  Last year, this event sparked a lot of activity and created many new connections for Salem Oaks.

A weekend with FARA (Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance)

We definitely have a soft spot for people with FA.  In preparation for working more closely in the future, we are attending the big FARA weekend near Philadelphia (October 12-14). We will be attending Ambassador Training as guests and observers to get to know these very motivated people better.  Kevin will be pedaling for 25 miles in rideAtaxia Philadelphia.  He sure could use your support and donations!  And lastly, we will be attending the 12th Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia FA Symposium.

Society for Participatory Medicine

Salem Oaks feels a strong alignment with the values and goals of S4PM.  So much so that we are sponsoring the upcoming 3rd Annual SPM Conference in Boston, MA (October 15).  The theme of the conference is Time 4 Change.  This organization brings together physicians, patients, other healthcare providers, and caregivers who want to see healthcare become a team sport including the team captain – the patient.  The goal of the conference is to give attendees suggestions for concrete action to reach this goal.  #S4PM2019

Connected Health

While we are in Boston, Heather and Kevin will be staying to attend the ConnectedHealth Conference organized by HIMMS (October 16-18).  The Connected Health Conference convenes the people and resources necessary to drive systemic transformation to implement the full power of connected health technology. We are going to learn and to meet new people.  For those of you paying attention, yes, we will be on the road for 8 straight days! #Connect2Health

WCG’s Fall 2019 Patient Advocacy Forum

The next week, on October 23,  Kevin will be traveling to Washington for WCG’s Patient Advocacy Forum.  The agenda looks very promising.

marcus evans Training Program

On November 12-13, Kevin will be leading a course titled Creating Value for Patients with Patients+.  The audience for this course is professionals from biopharma and healthcare centers.  The course is meant to share all that I have learned since stepping through the looking glass from industry to the world of patients+.  The goal is to help pharma leaders do a better job of reaching out to patients+.  What do we mean by patients+?  It’s the idea that when we think about “patient engagement” we really need to think about the patient, caregiver, other family members, and advocate can engage with the company, practice, or healthcare center. 

Time to Buckle Down

Yes, back-to-school time remains a busy time.  But it is also a time of great excitement and anticipation.  We really look forward to making friends, learning new things, and finding new ways to serve all stakeholders in health. Look for us on the road or visit us at http://salemoaks.com  Either way, let us know how we might be able to help you.

Posted by Kevin Freiert

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Kevin Freiert

Kevin is the CEO of Salem Oaks Enterprises, LLC. Committed to working with patients, their advocates, biopharmaceutical companies, regulators and other stakeholders to develop educational tools that help patients bridge the gap between themselves and Biopharma R&D.

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