The PMI’s medical affairs master class will take place on Thursday May 2nd at the IMI campus in Sandyford.
This highly anticipated one-day masterclass will build on the inaugural masterclass held last year. With a changing healthcare landscape placing new demands on medical affairs, our panel of expert speakers will discuss the future landscape of Medical affairs, how best to navigate this future landscape – as well as examining what this future will look like.
The masterclasses are designed to be a highly immersive and interactive learning tool. Numbers are kept small to allow for engagement and discussions. There will be a mix of expert speakers and a panel discussion which will bring together the Medical Directors from a number of key pharma companies to share their insights, experience and knowledge with the room. This masterclass will also provide an excellent opportunity to share best practices and discuss ideas with fellow Medical Managers and Medical Advisors/MSLs in other companies allowing you to build a strong professional network with peers.
Who should attend?
This one-day masterclass is designed for those working within the medical affairs area. It will be best suited to Medical Managers, Medical Advisors and MSLs.
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Our speakers for the masterclass are:
Prof John Crown, Consultant Medical Oncologist – St Vincent’s Medical Group. Professor of Medicine – University College Dublin & Thomas Baldwin Chair in Translational Cancer Research at Dublin City University.
Prof Crown graduated Medicine and Science from University College Dublin, trained in general medicine in London and Dublin, and in Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Centre New York and Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Centre.
He subsequently served at the faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and Cornell Medical School where he was an Assistant Professor.
He is the founder of The Irish Clinical Oncology Research group, and has authored and co-authored over 300 manuscripts in the field of cancer research. He is a member of The Royal Irish Academy and served in Seanad Eireann and representing The National University of Ireland constituency from 2011 to 2016. During his time in The Seanad, he served under the Oireachtas Health Committee and The British
Irish Parliamentary Association and was the author of legislation which resulted in a ban on smoking
in cars where children are present.
Prof Crown was awarded the Irish Association for Cancer Research Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Medicine & Research Award for his cancer research in February 2024.
Agron Hasani, Head of Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer – Novartis
Agron qualified as a physician in Rijeka, Croatia and shortly after that moved to Ireland. He has been with Novartis Ireland for 17 years and his experience ranges from Medical Information, PV, Clinical Trials and Risk Management. For the past 12 years he has been involved in Medical Affairs firstly as a Medical Advisor covering Infectious Disease, Respiratory and Cardiology. He was appointed as Medical Director in December 2021 and his current role is Head of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer.
Aoife Callan, Head of Market Access & External Engagement – Takeda
bio to follow
Clare Cushen, Regional Portfolio Medical Head, European Medical Director – Chiesi Group
Dr Clare Cushen works as a European Medical Director, with over 12 years of comprehensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout her career, she has worked across a diverse range of therapy areas, notably specializing in infectious diseases (HIV and Hepatitis C), cardiovascular health, diabetes management, and presently Rare Diseases. Dr Cushen has navigated roles in both large pharmaceutical corporations and small biotechnology firms, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and a deep understanding of the intricacies within the healthcare landscape.
As a European Medical Director, Dr Cushen has successfully managed cross-functional teams spanning multiple countries across Europe. Her leadership style is characterized by a strong emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. She is known for fostering a culture of inclusivity and empowerment, allowing her teams to thrive and deliver impactful results.
Passionate about making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives, Dr Cushen is particularly dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by individuals with Rare Diseases. She firmly believes in the importance of facilitating access to life-changing medicines for these underserved populations and has been instrumental in advocating for improved access and awareness initiatives.
Caroline Kelly, Managing Director – Pharma Integrity
Caroline is an experienced pharmaceutical compliance professional with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. Holding qualifications in BSc Molecular and Cellular Biology and MSc Pharmaceutical Medicine, she worked in a number of Commercial and Medical roles in small, medium and large pharmaceutical companies before embarking solely on Compliance leadership roles from 2010. She has expertise in a spectrum of prescription medicines from mega brands to products for rare and orphan diseases. As one of the first cohorts in the development of Healthcare Compliance as a responsibility in the industry, Caroline has had the opportunity to represent companies at the EFPIA Compliance Committee, has held roles in working groups run by the ABPI, PMCPA and IPHA, and frequently leads syndicate groups for the PMCPA. She is a former panellist of the IPHA Code Council.
Caroline has a real passion for the pharmaceutical industry and is driven to secure the optimum for patients, healthcare professionals and the public. Her depth and breadth of experience in the industry supports a genuine understanding of clients’ needs and allows for the development of innovative, meaningful custom solutions.
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In addition, we’ll have a panel discussion with Medical Directors who will discuss how we can develop the optimal landscape for Medical Affairs in Ireland. Our panel discussion will be made up of:
Abdul al Khateeb, Country Medical Director – Roche
Abdul is Head of Medical Expertise at Roche Ireland. He joined the team in 2021 and leads the medical and license to operate groups covering a wide range of activities in Ireland, such as medical affairs, clinical operations, safety and quality. Abdul is passionate about working hard to improve outcomes for patients in Ireland, in partnership with a range of stakeholders at the
leading edge of clinical practice.
Abdul has spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Roche Ireland, Abdul worked in Medical Communications agencies in the UK, followed by the Global Medical Affairs Teams at Novartis and then Roche. Abdul graduated from The University of Manchester with an MPhil in Cell Biology.
Eavan Daly, Country Medical Director – GSK
Eavan joined GSK in 2004 and has held several roles in Medical Affairs and Corporate Affairs within the local operating company over the past 20 years.
She has been responsible for building, leading and managing a medical affairs and medical governance team with an evolving specialty and vaccines product portfolio. Eavan graduated from UCD with a BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry and PhD in Medicine. She has completed further part time study over the years leading to a Specialist Diploma in Management Practices (NUIG) and a Diploma in Public Health (King’s College London).
Emer O’Shaughnessy, Country Medical Director – MSD Ireland
Emer graduated with honours from UCD Medical School in 2006. As a post-graduate, she became a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners in 2013 and also of the Faculty of pharmaceutical medicine in UK after achieving her Diploma in pharmaceutical medicine in Cardiff university in 2016. Since joining industry over 10 years ago, Emer has worked in roles in 4 different pharmaceutical companies in both UK and Ireland across varied therapy areas. She has enjoyed understanding different healthcare systems, different market dynamics as well as compliance codes and has applied this varied knowledge and perspective to her roles. She recently returned to MSD as Country Medical Director after previously working there as a medical advisor. She feels this is a great example of how you can ‘boomerang’ back to organisations while pursuing career development. As Country Medical Director ins MSD, Emer is passionate about medical affairs, the valued role it plays in organisations as well as focussing on its evolution to ensure medical affairs remain a key and valued stakeholder into the future.