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Refreshing Return to Intellus “Where Great Minds Meet”

KJT’s Tim Brewer Recaps the 2022 Intellus Institute September 14-15 

“Refreshing” is the word that comes to mind after attending the long awaited Intellus Institute event last week in New Brunswick, NJ. The past two years have brought many challenges to all of us across our industry and forced us to adapt the ways in which we learn, grow, and connect with our colleagues and partners. While I must admit, it initially felt a bit awkward to be back at an in-person conference as soon as the event got underway it’s as if we had never skipped a beat.  

The focus of the Intellus Institute remains “Where Great Minds Meet”, which was certainly validated by the themes and presentations at this year’s educational summit.  It didn’t disappoint. I was reinvigorated by discussions around what we as an industry can do for patients in need and the future potential that exists across the healthcare segments. From the initial keynote (exploring going beyond the standard order of entry models currently used) to the closing remarks focused on data visualization and storytelling, all the presentations hit home and gave pause on the current ways our industry works and the changes we can make for the better. 

A few additional points that resonated with me that I wanted to share: 

  • Primary research for publication is continuing to grow across our industry. This has been proven to move the needle for HCPs and is an area of growing focus and investment. While much more in-depth and regimented than a typical proprietary study, the time and investment is well spent to bring real-world evidence and insights to a new audience and giving the work we do a life outside our organizations. 
  • Bringing patients into the research process is critical. Don’t underestimate the impact a patient or caregiver can have into the design process of a research study. They are not only the audience we’re engaging with in our surveys and helping with the results, but also those that know more about life with their condition than we ever could. 
  • We’re all fatigued with text and data-heavy slides. Let our work tell a story but let’s not become infatuated with crowded slides and mountains of data. This is why appendices were invented. Pulling data that matters and crafting that data into impactful insights are why we do what we do. 

Lastly congratulations are due to this year’s award winners – Paul Gorman of PTC Therapeutics honored with the Clement-Fordyce Award; The Intellus Clear Health Communications Committee with the Advocacy Impact Award; Matt Walmsley of Survey Healthcare Global with the Community Impact Award; and Xuandai Nguyen of Forma Therapeutics with the Professional Development Impact Award. 

This was one of the more memorable and impactful meetings in recent memory and I hope to see everyone again in the Spring at the Intellus Summit in Philadelphia.