Day 1: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 - ET (Eastern Time, GMT-05:00)
- Allie Spica - Senior Conference Producer, Informa Connect
- Callie Mertel - Portfolio Manager, Access and Channel, Informa Connect
Join Jimmy Choi, Parkinson’s advocate, American Ninja Warrior and global inspiration, as he shares his extraordinary journey of resilience and advocacy. Diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s at 27, Jimmy has defied expectations, completing marathons, breaking records and inspiring millions worldwide. In this keynote, explore the critical themes of patient affordability and access, offering a unique perspective on the challenges faced by patients navigating rare diseases and chronic conditions. Through his personal story, Jimmy highlights the importance of empowering patients, fostering community support and driving innovation in patient support programs.
Embrace possibility in the face of life-altering diagnoses
Champion access, affordability and systemic change
Build solutions through partnerships in healthcare
Redefine what’s possible for patients and caregivers
- Jimmy Choi - Endurance Athlete, 3-time World Record Holder, Parkinson’s Advocate
What are patients with chronic conditions experiencing when it comes to affordability and access? This session shares new national-level research capturing the perspectives of thousands of individuals with chronic illnesses. Explore the latest insights into how financial pressures and healthcare policy reforms are shaping the future of patient access and affordability.
- Kevin L. Hagan - President and CEO, PAN Foundation
- Amy Niles - Chief Mission Officer, PAN Foundation
In this exclusive roundtable, industry leaders will dive deep into how patient access needs are being assessed and the critical role affordability plays in shaping healthcare decisions. With a focus on real-world strategies and emerging trends, explore how data-driven insights are informing policy, operational changes, and innovative approaches to patient support.
- Geoff Fisher - Senior Director, Patient Access Programs Foundation, Patient Assistance Programs, GSK
- Wael Alkhalil - Head of Patient Access, Brand Strategy & Operations - Plasma Derived Therapies, Takeda
- Diana Basamula - Associate Director, Patient Affordability Programs, Sanofi
Understand how federal policy changes—both legislative and regulatory—will continue to shape the healthcare landscape, focusing on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Inflation Reduction Act, Most Favored Nation, PBM reform, and more
Gain insight into how these policy changes will affect patient access and your patient support programs
Review a roadmap for how your patient support program should plan for these major changes and incorporate these trends in your strategic planning
- Max Bronstein - President, MGB Consulting
- Bob Rossilli - Chief Commercial Officer, Kedrion Biopharma
This session addresses the unique challenges of data scarcity in rare diseases and provides strategies for maximizing available information and best practices in data acquisition and utilization.
Explore innovative data sets and partnerships that can help identify and understand rare disease patients
Learn techniques for processing and linking disparate data sources in a commercial environment
Understand the legal and ethical considerations around de-identified versus non-de-identified patient data
Discover how to leverage data for patient identification, market sizing and commercial strategy development
- David Du - Senior Manager, Market Access, Rare Diseases, Chiesi Group
This case study will showcase a multistakeholder collaboration to capture and understand disease impact on people’s lives. It demonstrates a multifaceted approach to disseminate learnings and helping shape more effective communication frameworks between physicians and patients. Learn how targeted research can bridge communication gaps and create lasting improvements in patient care.
- Jennifer Helfer - Senior Director, Patient Advocacy & Engagement, Corporate Affairs, Viridian Therapeutics, Inc.
- Christine Gustafson - Executive Director and CEO, TED Community Organization
This session explores strategic approaches for engaging payers and health technology assessment bodies early in the rare disease development process. Learn how to build compelling value narratives, generate appropriate evidence and establish productive dialogues that pave the way for successful market access in challenging rare disease environments.
Master techniques for initiating payer conversations during early clinical development that shape favorable assessment frameworks
Discover how to design evidence generation plans that satisfy both regulatory requirements and payer value thresholds specific to rare diseases
Learn strategies for leveraging patient-reported outcomes and real-world evidence to strengthen economic arguments in ultra-rare conditions
- Kelley Allison - U.S. Market Access and Patient Services Executive, Avidity Biosciences, Inc.
This session addresses the critical need for integrated approaches across stakeholder groups in rare disease. Learn strategies for fostering collaboration that drive results.
Discover frameworks for closer integration among patients, medical specialists and regulators
Learn approaches for developing new endpoints and tools through collaborative efforts
Explore communication strategies that bridge gaps between patients, physicians, and manufacturers
Understand how to navigate compliance considerations while building effective relationship
- Marsha Pelletier - Global Pipeline and BD Commercial Strategy, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
During this session, take a deep dive into the critical pain points that patients face during their treatment journey. Combine storytelling and science to enhance collaboration, improve adherence and deliver patient-centered innovation
Analyze real time patient data to understand how manufacturers can identify and address key challenges across the treatment continuum
Discover practical frameworks for integrating patient-reported experiences into your commercial strategy
- Marcella Debidda - President, Bionews, Inc.
- Ethan Ash - Executive Vice President, Business Development, Bionews, Inc.
