Event Overview:
📅 Wednesday, 29th April | ☕ Registration & breakfast from 8:30am | 🕢 9:30am – 4pm | 📍 The IMI, Sandyford
Key Topics:
- Metrics and data management in Medical Affairs
- Balancing field and office responsibilities
- Medical Affairs & Market Access partnerships
- Career progression in Medical Affairs
- Making an impact as an affiliate
Click here to download the agenda
Who is this masterclass designed for?
While this masterclass is open to all our members, it will be particularly relevant for Medical Science Liaisons, Medical Advisers and Medical Managers.
Speakers:
Melinda Hall, Country Medical Director – AbbVie
Melinda is the Country Medical Director at AbbVie in Ireland, where she leads the organisation’s medical affairs strategy, scientific engagement and pharmacovigilance oversight across multiple therapeutic areas. She has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning medical leadership, medical affairs and drug safety.
Prior to joining AbbVie, Melinda held several senior roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, including Head of Pharmacovigilance and Cardiovascular Medical Lead, where she led medical teams and supported the delivery of scientific and clinical programmes.
Earlier in her career, she worked in medical affairs roles at Alphapharm, gaining experience across a range of therapeutic areas. Melinda holds a Master of Medical Science in Drug Development from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Topic: From Field to Office: Navigating Priorities and Maximising Impact in Medical Affairs
Simon Walsh, Health Economics, Access Strategy and Pricing Lead – Bristol Myers Squibb
Simon is the Health Economics, Access Strategy and Pricing Lead at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in Ireland, where he leads strategy for pricing, reimbursement and health-system engagement to support patient access to innovative medicines. His work focuses on aligning clinical value with health-economic evidence to enable sustainable access to new therapies across the Irish healthcare system.
Simon has extensive experience in health economics, access strategy and payer engagement, working closely with healthcare policymakers, HTA bodies and cross-functional teams across medical, commercial and regulatory functions. Prior to his current leadership role, he held positions in health economics and access strategy within the pharmaceutical industry, including roles at Roche, where he worked on market access strategy and value demonstration for innovative medicines.
His expertise spans health technology assessment (HTA), pricing and reimbursement strategy, value dossiers and stakeholder engagement, helping to ensure that innovative treatments reach patients as quickly as possible within evolving healthcare systems.
Topic: Collate, Curate and Collaborate: Building cross-functional teams in Medical Affairs & Market Access
Kate O’Keeffe, Scientific Expert, Vaccines – Pfizer
Kate is a Scientific Expert in Vaccines at Pfizer Ireland, where she supports scientific engagement and medical education across Pfizer’s vaccine portfolio. Her role focuses on translating complex clinical data into meaningful insights for healthcare professionals and supporting evidence-based decision-making in immunisation.
Kate holds a PhD in Immunology from Trinity College Dublin, where her research focused on immune responses to infectious disease, including work investigating host immune mechanisms in Staphylococcus aureus infection. Her research has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications in the field of immunology.
Before joining Pfizer, Kate worked in academic research and scientific roles in immunology and infectious disease, developing strong expertise in cellular immunity, vaccine science and translational research. In her current position, she works closely with healthcare professionals and public-health stakeholders to support scientific understanding of vaccines and immunisation programmes.
Topic: Beyond the Data: Transforming Evidence into Insight and Impact
Lorna Jennings, Managing Director – Hanover Communications
Lorna is the Managing Director of Hanover Ireland, where she advises clients across the health sector on public affairs, policy, and communications. She has extensive experience working with pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and patient organisations, supporting engagement with government and shaping policy in areas such as access, innovation, and system reform. Lorna has a strong track record in building strategic partnerships and delivering impactful advocacy campaigns in Ireland.
Hanover is an international communications consultancy that works with organisations to navigate complex regulatory and policy environments, with a particular strength in healthcare & life sciences.
Topic: Strategic Communication in Medical Affairs: Driving Alignment, Clarity and Impact
Michael Higgins, Therapy Area Medical Lead for Vaccines and General & Specialty Medicine – MSD Ireland.
Michael is responsible for executing the medical affairs strategy across vaccines, rare diseases, cardiovascular disease, immunology and HIV. Michael leads a team of medical advisors within a fast-paced, cross-functional environment. His team manages early access programmes, provides clinical input for HTA & tender submissions, supports clinical trials, handles medical information, drives evidence-generation and external engagement with actionable insights across vaccines and general/ specialty medicine.
Chairing Discussion with Melinda Hall & Kate O’Keeffe
Please note that by registering for this event you agree to share your name and company details with the organisers and the event sponsor.
