10th EMWA Symposium

Communicating with the public - what has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us?
Thursday 5 May 2022

The 10th EMWA one-day symposium will focus on the rapidly developing field of communicating with the public. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the demand and desperate need for clear, unbiased and accurate scientific information for the public. However, it was also clear during the pandemic that when fit-for-purpose information was not available, any gaps were rapidly filled by supposition, conspiracy theory, and ‘fake news’. This symposium will examine communication with the public in general, with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic and other examples to illustrate relevant points. 

In this symposium, speakers and panelists will present and discuss:
• Safety communication and the challenges of clearly and accurately communicating benefit/risk ratios
• The importance of social media and how to write responsibly
• The regulators’ view
• Viewpoints from industry, scientists, academia
• Fake news and how it was evident during the pandemic
• Patients – what they need and want
• The importance of the language we use and how we use it

The symposium will have a well-paced mix of presentations and panel discussions, with free-flowing dialogue between speakers and panellists and ample opportunity for delegates to raise questions.

There is the option to join the Symposium online. 

• 9:00 AM
  to
  9:20 AM
  

  Introduction and welcome
  Lisa Chamberlain James Tiziana von Bruchhausen


• 9:20 AM
  to
  9:55 AM
  

  Fake news and data misreporting in the COVID-19 pandemic
  John Kerr


• 9:55 AM
  to
  10:30 AM
  

  EMA’s reaction and communication initiatives throughout the pandemic - COVID-19 vaccines as an example
  Morgane De Verdiere


• 10:30 AM
  to
  10:50 AM
  

  Refreshment break
  


• 10:50 AM
  to
  11:05 AM
  

  The importance of visualisation
  Carole Krause


• 11:05 AM
  to
  11:20 AM
  

  Presentation of a checklist for writing in Social Media channels
  Nicole Bezuidenhout


• 11:20 AM
  to
  12:00 PM
  

  Panel Session
  


• 12:00 PM
  to
  1:00 PM
  

  Lunch and exhibition viewing and poster presentations
  


• 1:00 PM
  to
  1:05 PM
  

  Summary of the morning session
  Lisa Chamberlain James


• 1:05 PM
  to
  1:40 PM
  

  How even the regulators can get it wrong
  Jason Karlawish


• 1:40 PM
  to
  2:15 PM
  

  Why the public needs medical writers
  Mitchell Silva


• 2:15 PM
  to
  2:45 PM
  

  Presentation of a new plain language glossary from the MRCT Center to support research understanding, access and inclusion across the clinical research community. Co-developed with patients and participants
  Art Gertel


• 2:45 PM
  to
  3:20 PM
  

  Communicating science and medicine to the public through literature
  Mike Lemonick


• 3:20 PM
  to
  3:40 PM
  

  Refreshment break
  


• 3:40 PM
  to
  4:05 PM
  

  Safety communication for the general public – how do we determine and then communicate benefit/risk?
  Larry Liberti


• 4:05 PM
  to
  4:25 PM
  

  Safety communication for the general public – an industry perspective
  Larry Liberti


• 4:25 PM
  to
  4:55 PM
  

  Panel Discussion
  


• 4:55 PM
  to
  5:00 PM
  

  Summary and conclusions
  Lisa Chamberlain James

Symposium Media Partner:

The Publication Plan is a free central online resource delivering up-to-date news on key issues for everyone in the medical publications industry. Every week, we curate and deliver the latest industry updates via our website, email alerts, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Our dedicated global readership already includes medical writers, publication planners, researchers, pharmaceutical industry members, medical journal editors and publishers.