PEO Series

Maysa Ghammachi of Genpharm

30/3/2021

Maysa Ghammachi's role as patient executive officer at Genpharm is a newly evolved role and very much a first for the region. Maysa provides valuable support to patient organisations and through awareness campaigns and events, works hard to break down barriers and tackle the taboos surrounding rare disease in the region

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

The role of patient engagement isn’t only fairly new at Genpharm but it is the first patient advocacy role within a pharma company in the region. However, with one of our core values being “We always put patients first”, patient engagement has always been at the centre of our day-to-day actions. As the organisation has grown with time so has our resources and networking. This has given us the possibility to tackle more projects and collaborations. With the trend of digital healthcare expanding, I can envision Genpharm joining that movement. Our future project to tackle: How can the digital health tech space be used for patient advocacy?

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

With the rare disease patient associations in the region being in their infancy, part of my role entails providing support and resources. I get in touch with our partners abroad, such as in the US and Europe, and use our networking to bring tools to them. We had the opportunity in the past to collaborate with Treat NMD. We collaborated by bringing to the region and translating their neuromuscular diseases material into Arabic. Recently diagnosed families were given the resources once diagnosis was made by their physicians. Another big aspect is to use our current social platforms and create campaigns to raise awareness of rare diseases.

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

Coming from a digital creative background, I was taught that design is not only about aesthetics, but it is about function and purpose. From there the idea of purpose evolved and led me unconsciously towards the role I hold today. My position allows me to use my creativity but with a bigger purpose. I know that with each awareness campaign, project or event we are one step closer to changing someone’s life. That is my purpose.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

Globally, there is often a predisposed prejudice attached to pharmaceutical organisations. I believe that a PEO’s role is to break this. Patients and biotech companies are closely intertwined; one needs the other. We need to take into consideration patient needs to be able to provide correct support and treatments. When we look at our region in the MENA, rare diseases are still considered taboo in many corners of our society. Part of having the role of PEO at Genpharm is to break down these barriers and obstacles. By raising awareness and educating, we are able to open the conversation.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

A simple thing that can be overlooked is the importance of listening. I feel taking the time to listen to families and their stories plays a big role in keeping patient centricity. The more you take time to understand what the family has gone through, where they currently are and what changes they need, the more likely you are able to give the support needed. From there, we are able to identify the correct platforms to give them a voice as well as guide them to support centres. An example is our recent collaboration with a Rare Revolution Magazine and MENA Spotlight Edition which includes interviews with families as well as the patient associations.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

By raising rare disease awareness and supporting our community, we aim to facilitate the knowledge and diagnosis pathway of rare disease patients and their families. It undoubtably is a wholesome alliance.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is knowing that however big the part I played, someone’s life was changed for the better. The feeling is indescribable especially once you are able to see the results and direct impact of your actions.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

My proudest moment so far in my career is being able to be a part of this journey. I am proud to be able to work in an organisation who makes promises of change and delivers them. An example is a SMA educational initiative that Genpharm launched. Its purpose was to visit local schools and educate teachers on the early signs of SMA.

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

My advice is to not think twice. Join and join now the rare disease journey. It is a long one but with committed efforts we can shorten it together.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement Officer of Genpharm, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

It is a hard question to answer as I believe my role as a PEO has been an ongoing and evolving journey. From my early beginnings, we had internally identified a need for the patients to have a dedicated voice. Filling that gap has been a natural transition but nevertheless almost predetermined.

Growing up, I always was interested in being a doctor or a lawyer. I feel by being the patient executive officer at Genpharm, I have a middle ground between both. I closely work with the health sector and by being an advocate, I am able to lend a voice to support those who need it the most.

To find out more about the work of Genpharm please visit;
www.genpharmservices.com

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Sue Krug of Soft Bones

18/3/2021

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Sue Krug, patient engagement officer of Soft Bones, knows all too well the fear that can come with a rare disease diagnosis. In her role she draws on her own lived experience with rare disease to help alleviate the fears of patients and their families and supports them throughout their rare disease journey, empowering them with knowledge and information

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

The patient engagement role has been part of the fibre of Soft Bones since it was founded more than 10 years ago. My role started as a friendly welcoming face to hypophosphatasia (HPP) for newly diagnosed and joining members. Now it has evolved to helping patients and families learn about the huge spectrum of symptoms of HPP and connecting them with other staff at Soft Bones and our various resources.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

There is no ‘typical’ week at Soft Bones, which is what I love about my job. One week, I may have a long conversation with a newly diagnosed patient who has been searching many years for an answer to all their symptoms that did not seem to connect until now. Then another day, I may help a scared parent understand what this diagnosis could mean for their unborn child. Throughout the variety of patient engagements, one constant is my role of calming their fears and helping them to know they are not alone in their journey.

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

I’m motivated to help patients from feeling lost and alone. Having a rare disease (hypophosphatasia) myself, I understand their fears about feeling like the only one in the world with a condition. My motivation to stay in this role is seeing patients grow in confidence and knowledge of their rare disease, and learning to self-advocate for themselves with their doctors.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

One of the most important roles of any patient advocacy organisation is to empower patients with information to allow them to advocate for themselves. At Soft Bones, we aren’t just here at the point of diagnosis, but we partner with patients along their entire journeys.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

By being a good listener, showing patience, and engaging in conversation. Since our HPP patients have a variety of needs, we have created eight regions in the U.S. that allow us to connect on a local level to provide more in-person opportunities to connect. Soft Bones is a nimble organisation and this flexibility allows us to re-prioritise as needed to ensure we continually provide value to our patients.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

Our approach has always been to elevate the patient voice first order of business, and we find that if you put the patient first, the operations side always seems to fall into place.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is when I see a patient, who a few months ago was filled with fear and searching for answers, transformed into an active member of the HPP community. It’s especially rewarding when I see a patient ‘paying it forward’ with knowledge that we gave them, and seeing them armed with new information and confidence where they are able to help out someone else in our community.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

It is not uncommon in my role to have situations where severe newborns can be in a life-threatening state where every minute counts. Seeing a severe newborn turn the corner and thrive because our Soft Bones team helped them to quickly connect, get a diagnosis and access to treatment is an incredible feeling. What can be better than that?!

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

A few pieces of advice I would offer to someone working in rare: first, take nothing personally. Emotions can run high as patients often feel misunderstood or have had doctors think they are faking symptoms because they haven’t been able to find a cause.

Another insight, the rare disease community is very personal and we connect by sharing experiences. So, willingness to share experiences—or to connect in some way that is similar—is very important.

Compassion and empathy, even if you have never been in their shoes, is important. We are very close with each other. Because we are small, I know almost every member of our community, and since I have developed relationships, many times I work at odd hours because I feel the need to be there for them. But even with this challenge, working with the rare community is extremely rewarding as long as you make time for self-care.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement Officer of Soft Bones, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

If I wasn’t working at Soft Bones, my Plan B was to teach computer software to seniors. I still do this as a hobby. When I was 10 years old, I wanted to be a forest ranger and smoke jumper. In many ways, I’m navigating the wild frontier of rare diseases and putting out fires every day, so I have no regrets.

To find out more about the work of Softbones please visit;
www.softbones.org

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Asya Choudry of Breaking Down Barriers

17/3/2021

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Asya Choudry is proud to focus on equality and diversity in her role as the community engagement manager for Alstrom Syndrome UK through the Breaking Down Barriers project and talks to RARE Revolution about just some of the projects she is involved with. With an unwavering passion and resolute commitment to making a difference in the rare disease space, Asya says herself, that the best is yet to come!

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

I have been the community engagement manager for Alstrom Syndrome UK (ASUK), working on the Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) project for nearly three years now. ASUK have always had a patient engagement role that was created when it was founded in 1998. My role focusses on helping our member organisations create bespoke projects using the funding provided as part of the BDB project. I support organisations to improve engagement with BAME communities, improve access to genetic services, and help them facilitate the project into fruition and evaluation.

The role has developed and includes more educational and consultancy areas, mainly working within equality and diversity and reducing health inequalities. Working for a small organisation allows you to have a lot of flexibility, working in different areas and making suggestions for which direction we can take. I really enjoy it when I can help with things that I am really passionate about and can really get stuck into.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

As I work for Breaking Down Barriers three days a week and for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK (EDS-UK) as their helpline and medical liaison manager for two days, my week is fairly action packed. On a standard week in BDB, I’m usually having meetings with our member organisations on different aspects of their projects and supporting them through any difficulties. I also provide feedback and review their action plans or evaluations. In general, it’s a very creative role as you are always having to think on your feet and suggest new ideas for the organisation considering their size, demographic and who they are trying to engage from diverse communities. Otherwise, it’s speaking at events to raise awareness of BDB or doing the background work that every organisation needs to help everything tick along.

My other position within EDS-UK is to manage their national helpline supporting those living with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The helpline is not only used by patients looking for support but is also used by professionals hoping to understand more about their patients. I also train healthcare professionals on how to manage patients with EDS and host webinars with medical professionals who are experts in EDS to help educate the community on specific areas of the condition.

One Project I can speak about is the ‘Let’s Talk Diversity’ campaign we are doing as part of BDB. It is something I am very passionate about and I am so happy that it is finally in full swing. The campaign is about interviewing professionals and patients to discuss what diversity means to them. Any professional or person with lived experience who is either from a BAME background or works in the diversity sector, we would love to hear from you! It’s all about exploring their personal experiences growing up, why they chose to work in this field and what changes organisations can make to improve inclusivity. It’s real conversations with real people. I believe it is through these stories that we can impact change of behaviour in our work culture to become more inclusive internally and externally within the diverse communities we serve.

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

I had a brother who passed away at the age of six from a genetic condition. My mum had a bad experience with the health professionals at the time and felt she was blamed for her son’s condition. This stopped her from seeking support. This motivated me to learn about genetics and how to communicate the chance of inheritance effectively. No-one should be made to feel how my mum felt, hence why the need for cultural competency amongst health professionals is paramount, as it can be the difference between families feeling heard, supported and engaged.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

I would say it is important because I’m the point of contact for our member organisations when it comes to their issues, needs or cultural understanding. Alongside help with facilitating their BDB project. We are here to keep things on track and to help make sure BAME communities needs are addressed and services are adjusted adequately to support them. We are supporting organisations who are working in patient engagement roles to ensure the support they offer is inclusive and helping them to develop the skills needed to support diverse communities.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

I think this is not isolated to my role, but it is part of the ethos of the organisations I work for. At ASUK and within BDB, we have patients that are part of our advisory board and trustee board, which keeps the patient voice at the central heart of our projects and our learning. We also have patient advocates who are always invited to be a part of our events, conferences and webinars. We always ask each member organisation at the start of their journey how they know a certain project is needed within their organisation and how their members are involved in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects. BDB collates examples of good practice from the projects that we fund, and we always encourage quotes and feedback from the communities they serve to form parts of their evaluation so that we can monitor impact.

It is the people and communities that we are all doing this for. They are the ones that determine the success or learning from each project and they help inform how we adjust our projects and funding activities. Patient voice/involvement is and always will be a key priority for ASUK and BDB. My other role within EDS-UK also incorporates these ideas by having patient representatives as ambassadors and volunteers running the support groups in all represented regions.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

At ASUK we have worked hard to establish a representative and diverse board of trustees in terms of demographics and lived experience. We also conduct a skills audit to ensure we have a positive combination of people and skills to help drive the charity forward and succeed. The needs of our members will always be a key priority and the only way we can determine need is by listening to individual and collective voices and using this to shape our organisational strategy and the services we provide.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

Oh there are far too many to note, so I will do my best! As I mentioned I have a personal passion and volition to working in this field so I am far too biased as it is. I love the variety of conditions that I work with and having the continuous challenge of creating new projects and engaging new communities.

I love learning about new faiths, cultures, celebrations and practices. We recently did a social media campaign called ‘share your colours, share your culture’ for Rare Disease Day, where we had patients, professionals and patient organisation representatives take part in talking about what their culture means to them. I also love the fact that I get to use my lived experience as a British Pakistani Muslim who speaks some of the South Asian languages, to help guide cultural understanding and education.

The best part of my job is knowing that you are making a difference to people’s lives in so many ways. Either through improving services or ease of access, or just by giving communities confidence to uptake what the charities are offering. Every family or community that has children who are living with a genetic condition have a lot of hardship in numerous areas of life, if we can improve even one aspect for them, that’s a life well lived. I am also thankful to have amazing colleagues, who trust and support each other, it is this respect that helps us to be productive with our aims of wanting to help people and improve services.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

I am proud of all the organisations that we support, and the hard work and determination that they have put in. I feel proud of their success and achievements. I am also proud of the charity that my family run called Mushtaq Welfare Trust, which offers a UK standard of education to orphaned girls in a village in Pakistan.

I feel that the proudest moment of my career hasn’t happened yet, so watch this space! I have big dreams, so I’m hoping to continue working hard to do some good, and I have faith that the best is yet to come.

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

I would say to keep an open mind and to always remember that there is more that connects us than divides us. Working in rare disease is all about kindness, understanding of others situations and helping improve your little area of work for others, to offer equal access to all. It is important to consider that your staff and organisation should reflect the community that it serves, as this in-house understanding will be beneficial to staff as well as members.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement Officer of Breaking Down Barriers, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

I went through quite a few phases before I decided on genetics when I was 16 years old. When I was a little, maybe seven or eight years old, I wanted to be Ricki lake, a chat show host, and help people with their life problems. I was very committed to this idea as I’d walk up and down the windowsill with my plastic microphone (that was actually a pencil case) and give my advice to help people with their marital problems.

In my early teens I then wanted to work in the police force as a criminal profiler, because I liked a detectives’ job in a television show called ‘The Bill.’ Otherwise, I was mostly interested in advertising and marketing. My friends and family would always say that I could sell ice to an Eskimo, and I was always coming up with creative ideas and jingles.

Projecting forward, my end goal would be to work in reducing health inequalities and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, maybe even for the WHO or UN and here’s to dreaming, becoming Health Secretary!

To find out more about the work of Breaking Down Barriers please visit;
www.breaking-down-barriers.org.uk
If you would like to contact Asya about any of the projects she is involved in, or to learn more, please contact;
Asya.choudry@alstrom.org.uk

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Mileva Repasky of CDCN

10/3/2021

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Mileva Repasky started out on her rare disease journey when her daughter was diagnosed with Castleman disease. With a long-held desire to help others, she is dedicated not only to helping her daughter but others like her and their families, through her tireless work and commitment to the CDCN

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

The patient engagement role has existed in some capacity since the CDCN’s inception in 2012. Over the last seven years I have served as the chief patient officer and proudly advocated for our community. Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and as an organisation we strive to support, empower, and educate those affected by Castleman disease (CD) through both in-person and online resources to battle their CD, but also have a voice in their fight.

The CDCN has spearheaded a revolutionary approach to rare disease research with an eight-step model, where the patient community is prioritised when it comes to setting the research agenda. We recently launched the All In Movement, which is an initiative to crowdsource and prioritise high-impact questions from our community of patients, loved ones, physicians, and researchers to guide the next generation of studies on Castleman disease. This type of collaboration will be increasingly important going forward. In order to continue being the best resource for patients I also want to continuously gain a better understanding of our patients’ needs and experiences so that I can advocate for our community to the best of my ability.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

A typical week for me consists of 30+ hours addressing the needs of our patients and their families, engaging with various stakeholders in our community, and working alongside our team on various projects to drive forward our life-saving research. This takes the form of answering emails and phone calls when patients and love ones reach out to the CDCN for help. I’m always so glad that they find us and are then connected with a group that can make a difference to help their situation. Sometimes it’s about finding the closest specialist/physician to a patient, gaining insight on published literature on treatments and diagnosis to share with their doctors, and connecting for emotional support.

We have a partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to advance drug repurposing for rare diseases. I am serving as the patient engagement lead to ensure that the voice of our patients are at the centre of all we do, as we work to share the lessons we have learned while navigating the repurposing landscape with other rare disease organisations by creating a guide for others to follow.

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

When my daughter Katie was around 18 months old, we started down a road of so many unknowns to find a diagnosis for what she was battling. We received the diagnosis of Castleman disease before her second birthday. I had no idea what the road ahead would be but what I did know was that I would fight beside her to find a cure–and that led me to finding the CDCN.

Over the past eight years we have watched her endure more than any child ever should, all while feeling like we are in the dark with so many questions and so few answers. With the diagnosis I knew that I had to dedicate my life to doing my part, which is helping patients and their loved ones who are going down the same road we were on. I will continue to dedicate my life to support our patients, their loved ones, and fight alongside them and our amazing team. I know that we will find a cure in my daughter’s lifetime!

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

This role is so important to our organisation as patients are truly at the heart of everything we do. The patient perspective is a vital piece of the puzzle of Castleman disease. This role allows me to advocate the needs of our patients while also facilitating the needs of the organisation allowing our patients to have a voice in all that we do.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

My role gives me the ability to connect with our community and create meaningful change that will continue to benefit them. I am constantly in communication with our patients and their families, to provide them with the resources they need to fight their battle while also sharing new published papers, research updates, and ways they can join in the fight.

We have a Warrior community that connects virtually throughout the year and in person each summer at our Patient and Loved One Summit (although we have done this virtually in 2020 and 2021). We have an amazing group of patients that are also dedicated to contributing to a cure, however they can–and it looks a bit different for everyone! Some patients contribute blood and tissue samples for research, some register in our natural history study, others fundraise and spread awareness, and some do it all!

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

Our operational business needs are one and the same as helping our patients and their families. We exist to do the research that will cure Castleman disease and help patients live full lives. We can’t do this high-impact research without patients donating their samples, medical history, and perspectives to shape the agenda.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is the ability to help patients and their families on their journey with Castleman disease. The feeling I had when my daughter was diagnosed with Castleman disease was awful–the medical unknowns and overwhelming lack of information was crippling. Now having the opportunity to support patients and their families so they do not have to experience that same feeling brings so much joy and purpose to my life.

I meet so many patients and their families in person and get regular updates on how they are doing which is also so wonderful. I love to hear treatment success stories and when things are going well. But the low points also continue to drive me to continue this mission–there is always more work to do.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

This is a difficult question as there have been so many moments in my career that I am proud of, but all revolve around our patients and the success of our team. A few of my favourite are attending the first Patient and Loved One Summit (after I was in this role) and being able to hug all the people I spent the year talking to and helping. Successfully engaging a group of our patients to fundraise enough money to fund a study. Working alongside the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to expand our collaborative approach to other rare disease and also our new project on drug repurposing. And being a part of the CORONA project and doing my part to aid in the fight against COVID when the pandemic hit!

One of my proudest patient related moments involved working alongside our team to help a paediatric family whose child was battling idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease with TAFRO (a variant of CD) to get a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. Having the ability to support them in the hospital and provide resources to them within hours of hearing about this case was so special to me. I remember the moment when I walked into his hospital room and hugged his parents, I could feel their devastation and it just was a very real reminder of why I am doing this!! He is now doing amazing and on the same treatment that my daughter Katie is on!

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

Patients and their families battling a rare disease need organisations to give them a voice and stand beside them. Working in the rare disease space is such a privilege and requires hard work, passion, and dedication to the cause, but it is so rewarding and such an honour.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement Officer of CDCN, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

For as long as I can remember I have had this innate desire to help people. I received my bachelors and master’s degree in psychology with the intention of becoming a psychologist. When my daughter was diagnosed, I was able to take my passion and my education and use it to help others suffering with the same disease. It has become the most rewarding job I have ever had as it is allowing me to fight alongside an amazing group of people working every day to find a cure to save my daughter and so many others.

To find out more about the work of the CDCN please visit;
www.cdcn.org

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Juliet Hulse of Illingworth Research Group

4/3/2021

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With a background in nursing, Juliet Hulse followed her passion for research and is the patient engagement officer for Illingworth Research Group. She discusses her responsibility to ensuring a patient centric approach, her commitment to patient groups and the importance of the patient voice in the success of a trial

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

The role is relatively new, however as a patient centric solutions organisation, Illingworth Research Group has always had the patient at the centre of the clinical study they are involved in. My current role now means I can encourage a patient centric process within the planning, design and delivery of a research trial and apply meaningful solutions for patients.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

My week starts with a review of current Requests for Proposals (RFP). Some protocols may already mention a remote decentralised approach with off-site visits included in the schedule, however other protocols may need further discussion on remote visits to be included within the patient program. It may be a rare disease indication where a collaborative approach is necessary involving not only mobile research nursing but also our concierge service PatientGo, medical imaging or some technology input.

I oversee a team who will work together to suggest areas where the indication and trial may benefit from the inclusion of decentralised remote visits. Reaching out to patient groups to understand the patient population is imperative. We are working on several Duchenne muscular dystrophy studies currently, and I will often ask the project managers on these studies about how they are progressing and any challenges they may be facing, collecting feedback from advocacy groups to apply to lessons learned. We gain very rewarding feedback from families impacted by our nurses' visits and this is always encouraging to share!

The current pandemic has had a significant impact on patients and their families who are taking part in research trials but who may be shielding and vulnerable. The need to find solutions to enable studies to continue has encouraged regulatory authorities to rethink the design of studies integrating remote visits and telemedicine into studies. I often find myself working across various time zones with several colleagues around the world as far as Australia!

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

Quite simply it was my desire to ensure that all patients should have the ability to take part in clinical trials, and to guarantee that we make their journey as straightforward as possible during a study. Paediatric studies are particularly important, roughly 50 percent of rare diseases affect children, 30 percent of whom do not survive past their fifth birthday.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

Ensuring Illingworth understands patient engagement and why patient engagement really matters is fundamental to our culture and growth. Engaged patients are more likely to adhere to study requirements, increasing study retention.

Patient engagement is also a strong feature of the professional standards for clinicians enshrined in the International conference of harmonisation – good clinical practice (ICH GCP).

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

Listening to patients, ensuring their involvement in decisions, providing information to patients with explanation and empathy are fundamental.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

I feel it is important to focus on measurable success from the studies perspective by incorporating the patient into the trial design from the start. The patient voice can contribute to many key areas, and overall improve the delivery of care in the future. Greater recognition of the value of the patient voice will allow a redirection of clinical practice to ensure the priorities of CROs and biotechs are aligned to the needs of those experiencing the disease.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

Feeling that we are really making a difference to a patient who is taking part in a study, listening to their challenges and needs and being able to offer solutions that mitigate some of those challenges.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

Apart from achieving my initial nursing qualifications, speaking at conferences in the US and Sydney gives me a sense of pride.

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

Although hugely challenging at times, working in this area is also very rewarding. Obtaining a deep understanding of the rare disease process can be difficult, families often go through a diagnostic minefield given the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of rare disease. Commitment to patient communities and collaboration within multidisciplinary teams are a driving force behind drug development and provide crucial insight for biotech. Every single patient counts!

10.

If you weren’t a Patient Engagement Officer of Illingworth, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self-want to do as a job?

Obviously the 10-year-old me wanted to be a nurse! I used to wrap up my teddy bears and dolls with bandages and steal my brothers Action man to perform operations on!

I have been fortunate enough to enjoy every aspect of my career from the first day I started my training to my current role. I initially worked on a busy coronary care unit and cardiology ward, but over the years realised my interest lay in research, initially in cardiology trials.

I have been privileged to be able to travel extensively and understand aspects of off-site research nursing globally, including Egypt and Australia. Maybe a travel writer….

To find out more about the work of Illingworth Research Group please visit;
www.illingworthresearch.com

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Dijana Krafcsik of Vifor Pharma

22/2/2021

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Dijana Krafcsik became interested in the development of medicines at a very young age. Coupled with her desire to help others, she is now the External Engagement Director for Vifor Pharma Orphan Diseases. She talks to RARE Revolution about some of the projects she has been involved in to support those with ANCA-associated vasculitis and how she ensures the patient remains at the heart of everything they do

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

Vifor Pharma puts the patient at the core and incorporates the patient voice along the entire lifecycle of our products from Research & Development, to Patient Access, Disease Awareness and Patient Support Programmes. We strive to understand their needs and support them in the best way possible. We seek to understand how we can provide meaningful support to patients by engaging directly with them and learning how to develop solutions that will make a difference. For example, last year Vifor Pharma introduced specific questions in the recruitment of new employees to ensure they would live up to our patient-focused commitment. Our Patient advocacy and policy department supports our ambition that everyone in the company, irrespective of their function, understands patients’ experience to contribute to better healthcare solutions for them.

My role has evolved within Vifor Pharma thanks to some pioneering projects within our work in Rare Disease, where the exchange with the community is of particularly high importance. I am now the External Engagement Director for Vifor Pharma Orphan Diseases, focused on partnering with the ANCA-associated Vasculitis (AAV) community. There is excellent support internally at Vifor Pharma to support me in this critical area and colleagues are regularly reaching out to us to learn and share experiences.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

Dijana and Catherine representing the SEE ME. HEAR ME. initiative

With our community, we distinguish between annual projects across EU and national/local projects. Our EU projects include the “SEE ME. HEAR ME.” co-creative initiative, as well as the development of the myancavasculitis.com digital platform. We also partnered with the Rare Revolution Magazine (RRM) team to launch a special edition about AAV that was produced in multiple languages.
National projects include support for local workshops, previously held face-to-face and now virtual. We’re just kicking off another great pan-EU initiative that we will co-create with the AAV community so watch this space!

Dijana with participants in the SEE ME. HEAR ME. initiative

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

I have always been interested in working closely with patient associations, but my current role evolved, rather than something I applied for. How can you learn best about the disease? Well, I think you learn most by talking directly to the community and the people affected by the disease, as well as their treating physicians. However this is not a one-way street where we only take information, instead we work together to identify common goals—in our case it’s about raising awareness of AAV.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

The framework for how pharmaceutical companies can liaise with patient associations is strictly regulated on a European and national level. These regulations must be followed to the letter. It is also important that the community is not overwhelmed by too many requests from different areas of the organisation. Therefore, a Patient Engagement role can help to facilitate between the organisation and the community to define and achieve their joint goals.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

Within my role I have the opportunity to discuss with our community how we can create meaningful change within AAV, building on the great work they are already doing. We are constantly in communication with the patient groups and we share new educational materials with the community for input and validation as part of our standard development process.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

Creating awareness for a rare, severe, autoimmune disease such as AAV is something that a pharmaceutical organisation has in common with the community—a true win-win.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

Patient Association heads are often affected by the disease because either themselves or a loved one is a patient. I admire the passion and dedication they put into their work and I realise their work is often taken for granted. These individuals often provide very positive feedback to me and our team—this fuels our passion at Vifor Pharma and makes us even more determined to support them in making meaningful change in AAV.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

Our CEO asked us to update him on the latest projects we were working on with our community. He and the whole senior management team closely follow what we do and everybody across the company has been very positive and encouraging of our work. This was a great moment, receiving recognition for work that is truly patient focused and making a difference to patient’s lives.

I am so proud to see all we have achieved and are continuing to achieve through the “SEE ME. HEAR ME.” campaign, all based on our close collaboration with the AAV community. Looking back at the campaign, it struck me how far we’ve come—reaching over 60,000 people with myancavasculitis.com (available in seven languages), 50,000 on Facebook and over 6 million through national media. Feedback from everyone both internally and externally has been very encouraging and we stay true to our mission at Vifor Pharma—to help patients around the world live better, healthier lives. This is not just a tagline for us, it’s our goal every day we come to work.

Dijana with participants from the SEE ME. HEAR ME. initiative, and Vifor Pharma CEO Stefan Schulze

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

Firstly, I would congratulate them on their choice as the work is very meaningful and secondly, I would encourage them to learn about the disease from the community.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement/External Engagement Director at Vifor Pharma what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

When I was seven years old, I went to pick up medicines from the pharmacy for my family. I watched the staff advise and help people picking up their medicine. It was a mixture of wanting to help people and the curiosity of how a medicine is developed that got me where I am today. It was a topic where I had a huge discussion with my father. He felt a woman was better suited to the banking or financial sector due to better working hours. I disagreed and followed my own path. Today he is very proud. I tell my kids, do what you love so you can be happy. If you are happy and it is your passion then you will be successful.

To find out more about the work of Vifor Pharma please visit;
www.viforpharma.com/en-gb

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Debi Crist of Rare Patient Voice

17/2/2021

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Debi Crist's role at Rare Patient Voice came from a need to make a difference, born out of her personal experience as a caregiver to her son. She talks to RARE Revolution about just some of the projects her organisation is involved in, how she reaches out to patients, and about the sense of empowerment her role gives her

PEO series: meeting the beating hearts behind the rare brands

1.	How new is the patient engagement role in your organisation, how has it evolved and what are your hopes for the role in the future?

We have been engaging with patients from the start at Rare Patient Voice. We began by attending patient healthcare events such as conferences, walks, and symposia. Through our network of 50+ patient advocates, we were able to attend hundreds of events a year. At the same time, we knew that we could not reach all of the patients we wanted to by attending these events, so we began to engage patients online as well. I began connecting with online support group admins, advocacy groups, and smaller non-profits. It allowed us to reach patients and caregivers on a larger scale. Now that we are in the world of COVID-19, in-person events haven’t been an option, so the online engagement has become essential for our business. In the future, I hope to build a Team of Outreach Specialists to help reach even more patients and caregivers.

2.	What does a typical week entail for you, and are there any specific projects you can tell us about?

When we have a project that needs additional participants, that’s where I come in. I reach out to current connections I’ve made with support group leaders, advocacy groups, and foundations. Each one has a different way of reaching their community members and I help them come up with a game plan to reach as many patients and caregivers as possible. This also gives me an opportunity to find new connections and build our growing partnerships.

In a typical week, I may reach out to 50 of our patient advocacy and support groups and recruit hundreds of patients to participate in research. For a recent project, I was tasked with finding patients with Breast Cancer to participate in a 20 minute online survey and compensation was $50. I contacted 12 groups and created advertisements to get the word out about this study. By the end of the week, I had identified 151 patients and the study was a success!

3.	What were your personal motivations to taking up a role in patient engagement?

My son has Crohn’s Disease and I joined Rare Patient Voice as a caregiver so I could contribute my voice to research. I was hired as a patient advocate and attended the in-person events. I enjoyed sharing my voice and my experiences as a caregiver directly with the companies who are creating new products, treatments, and resources. It’s incredibly empowering and I felt that I was actually making a difference.
As a Mother, I am a fixer. I couldn’t fix this devastating diagnosis for my child. I felt so helpless. Rare Patient Voice empowered me and gave me a voice. Even though I could not fix or cure my child’s condition, I could be a part of the big picture and felt I was actually making a difference.

4.	What makes the role of patient engagement officer important to your organisation?

This role is one of the most important parts of our business. Without the patients and caregivers, we wouldn’t be able to do the research and meet our client’s needs. There is nothing more important to our organisation and everything we do is focused on our patients.

5.	In your role, how do you ensure the patient voice remains central?

Patients are the heart of Rare Patient Voice and by constantly connecting with new support and advocacy groups I help patients to share their expertise! The more patient groups I connect with gives patients opportunities to share their experiences and contribute to new products and services.

6.	How do you reconcile operational business needs with elevating the patient voice?

Since our business is focused on patients, all operational business needs revolve around finding patients and connecting them with research opportunities.

7.	What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?

Empowering patients and caregivers. Giving them a voice is truly the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

8.	What is your proudest moment in your career thus far?

We have created a referral program. Although anyone qualifies to participate in our referral program, it’s been amazing to help increase donations to these smaller ‘mom and pop’ advocacy groups and non-profits. They don’t have the reach and support that larger foundations have for fundraising. We enable them to offer their community the opportunity to have a voice, participate in research that directly affects their conditions all while getting paid $100 per hour. For every person that joins Rare Patient Voice through their group or organisation, we donate $5 to the organisation. It can add up quickly! It’s been a wonderful fundraising opportunity with little effort and no cost at their end. When I started at Rare Patient Voice, we had four referral partners and we now have over 800. This is most definitely my greatest achievement in this role to date.

9.	What advice would you give someone considering working in the rare disease space?

You must be passionate about giving patients and caregivers a voice and a home. When you are Rare and even non-Rare, it can be difficult to find your people, your home, and a safe and understanding place. Working in this space is an honour and a privilege, and it is essential that you are dedicated to making a difference for this community.

10.

If you weren’t Patient Engagement Officer of Rare Patient Voice, what was Plan B? What did your 10-year-old self want to do as a job?

I majored in business but put my career on hold to raise my two children. I always planned on getting back to the workforce, but life had a different plan. My son was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at age nine. My world revolved around managing his medical needs and getting him into remission. If my path were different, I could see myself in a business development role having something to do with real estate.

To find out more about the work of Rare Patient Voice please visit;
www.rarepatientvoice.com

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PEO
Series

Maysa Ghammachi of Genpharm

Sue Krug of Soft Bones

Asya Choudry of Breaking Down Barriers

Mileva Repasky of CDCN

Juliet Hulse of Illingworth Research Group

Dijana Krafcsik of Vifor Pharma

Debi Crist of Rare Patient Voice

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3.

6.

Author

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Rare Revolution is published by NRG Collective, a not-for-profit media company specialising in rare disease content
Contact Us
Editor: editor@rarerevolutionmagazine.com
Advertising: rstewart@rarerevolutionmagazine.com

PEO​Series

Maysa Ghammachi of Genpharm

Sue Krug of Soft Bones

Asya Choudry of Breaking Down Barriers

Mileva Repasky of CDCN

Juliet Hulse of Illingworth Research Group

Dijana Krafcsik of Vifor Pharma

Debi Crist of Rare Patient Voice

2.

3.

6.

Author

Archives

Categories

Rare Revolution is published by NRG Collective, a not-for-profit media company specialising in rare disease contentContact UsEditor: editor@rarerevolutionmagazine.com​Advertising: rstewart@rarerevolutionmagazine.com

PEO
Series

Rare Revolution is published by NRG Collective, a not-for-profit media company specialising in rare disease content
Contact Us
Editor: editor@rarerevolutionmagazine.com
Advertising: rstewart@rarerevolutionmagazine.com