Keri McDonough 
Lead, Advocacy and Patient Relations 
Syneos Health Communications 
Keri attended the 8th Annual Life Science Strengthening Patient Advocacy Engagement Conference.

What was it about the program that stood out for you and made you want to participate?

The level of knowledge and discussion at this conference excites me. Just as patient advocates are becoming more sophisticated in their approaches, so is our industry’s recognition of the complex challenges and varying strategies fueling patient advocacy. For so long, the advocacy function has been making the case for why we need a seat at the table. Those days have passed within most organizations and there are growing proof points around advocacy’s unique power to bridge the clinical-commercial divide and identify opportunities and solutions for addressing the needs of community and internal stakeholders.

Can you name a few of the major takeaways you received from the conference?

I was deeply encouraged by attendees’ willingness to share specifics around their personal best practices – whether tied to collaborating with regulatory or legal colleagues, providing data and regulatory updates to patient communities or honing in on metrics that matter most.

While conferences by nature exist to promote the exchange of ideas, the openness at this conference was unique. The challenges we face as an industry — and take on within the advocacy space — are far-reaching and demand a “lift all boats” approach to how we engage with patient communities. It was encouraging to see this in action.