DIA EuroMeeting Fellowship programme
DIA EUROMEETING 2012 in Copenhagen on March 26-28
47 fellowships are available for patients’ representatives to participate in this high-level congress bringing together representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, academia and public health authorities.
You will learn more about regulatory affairs, clinical trials, latest drug developments, innovative therapies and meet with many different stakeholders.
The patients will also have a dedicated booth.
Application deadline: 25 November 2011 Apply here
EUROMEETING 2011 in Geneva 28-30 March, the DIA celebrated its 6th Patient Fellowship Programme.
Twenty seven patient fellows including nine speakers from non-profit patient organisations participated in this congress. They represented a diverse range of diseases (both rare and non-rare) from different European countries, including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.
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2011 Session summaries by DIA patient fellows
Patient organisations represent at the DIA EuroMeeting 2011 |
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Fostering the inclusion of patients' representatives in DIA meetings
The DIA EuroMeeting represents a great opportunity for patient advocates to increase their knowledge on latest drug development issues and regulatory affairs, as well as to network with high-level healthcare stakeholders from pharmaceutical industry, biotech, academia and representatives from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Commission and national competent authorities.
Since its implementation in 2006, this DIA Patient fellowship programme has been assessed by the recipients of fellowships and healthcare stakeholders as a real success in enabling the participation of patients' representatives in annual DIA EuroMeetings.
Over one hundred twenty-five patient advocates have participated to date. The fellowship recipients are selected based on their advocacy track records, knowledge of clinical trials and activities at the European level.
An important shift: The patient fellows have happily noticed that their experience and views are of value for healthcare professionals. A real exchange and dialogue takes place with the patients who are increasingly recognised as experts and equal partners.
The DIA is engaged in fostering the inclusion of patients' representatives in its conferences. Initially proposed by Yann Le Cam, EURORDIS CEO, and Dr Yves Juillet, DIA Board member and current President Elect, this Patient Fellowship Programme has received the full support of DIA immediate past and current Presidents, Dr Jeffrey Sherman and Dr Richard Day, DIA Worldwide Executive Director, Mr Paul Pomerantz, and the Director of DIA Europe, Dr Brigitte Franke-Bray.
Ms Maureen McGahan and Mr Dermot Ryan efficiently execute this programme at the DIA Europe Branch.
In the United-Sates, a similar Patient Advocacy Fellowship Programme is being implemented this year for the first time at the 47th DIA Annual Meeting, June 19-23, 2011, Chicago.
More about the DIA EuroMeeting
The DIA EuroMeeting attracts each year well over 3,000 participants as well as exhibitors from Contract Research Organisations (CROs), consulting and recruiting companies. During this three-day conference, sessions are organised around 15 themes and stand-alone sessions covering hot topics such as innovation, patient safety, clinical endpoints, Health Technology Assessments, e-health, biotech-derived medicines.
For more information: www.diahome.org
Increasing the visibility of patients' representatives: A dedicated booth
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This Booth serves as a networking place for patient fellows to meet with other attendees and make contacts. It is well located, near the DIA and the European Medicines Agency booths. The names of the patient organisations represented by the DIA fellows are displayed.
Many participants are interested in learning more about the DIA patient fellowship programme and interacting with patients' representatives in order to exchange views on some specific issues.
Highlights from previous two EuroMeetings
The DIA makes every effort to promote the participation of patients' representatives through various networking meetings organised during the EuroMeetings.
2011: DIA EuroMeeting, 28-30 March 2011, Geneva
The patient fellows were invited to the "Connect Reception" on the second day of the EuroMeeting, hosted by Interpharm, the trade association for research-based pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland. This reception enabled networking and discussions in a convivial setting with DIA Board members, theme leaders as well as representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, national competent authorities, the European Medicines Agency and the European Commission.
The "Patient Representatives & Patient Speakers' Working Lunch" was chaired by Dr Mary Baker, President of the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA) and President of the European Brain Council. The discussion focused on challenging times in Europe for patient groups and how can they help each other to promote the quality of life of patients they represent by working together and sharing experiences. Yann Le Cam was also present and contributed his views on the concept of the "professionalised" patient representative.
2010: DIA EuroMeeting 8-10 March 2010 Monaco
At the Patient Fellowship Welcome Reception, Dr Jeffrey Sherman spoke about maintaining DIA's support. During the plenary session, Dr Brigitte Franke-Bray highlighted the 5th anniversary of the DIA patient fellowship programme and made a kind tribute to Mr Yann Le Cam and Ms Ariane Weinman for their involvement and invaluable contribution to this programme.
For the first time, DIA patient fellows reported on sessions relevant for them in order to share their views as patients' experts and to enhance their role as participants to DIA EuroMeeting. Ms Greetje Goossens also wrote a testimony on her experience of the entire meeting as a DIA fellowship recipient.
DIA patient fellow Greetje Goossens' account of EuroMeeting 2010
2010 Session summaries by DIA patient fellows
