Conference Schedule
ALL TIMES ARE IN EST
With social unrest impacting hiring practices, talent acquisition leaders need to view diversity and inclusion in a different way to eliminate biases and widen the talent pool. This session shares practical insight on how to reimagine your recruitment strategies to cultivate a more diverse & inclusive workforce.
- Reframe the way roles are described to attract a good mix of candidates from the start
- Implement diversity recruiting strategy that aligns with your organization’s overall D&I mission
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Comprehensively engage and train talent acquisition leaders
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Examine how to leverage data driven insights to find new talent and improve diversity outreach
Speakers:
What happens after diverse employees are hired? Diverse employees face additional barriers to inclusion and support in the workplace and therefore are at a higher risk for attrition. And with life sciences being a highly competitive industry, companies must have a strong retention and career development program in place to foster and maintain their diverse talent.
- Outline the difference between diversity and inclusion
- Discuss why inclusion and belonging are key to fostering and retaining employees
- Ensure that employees are well supported from the moment they are recruited and throughout their career
HR leaders may struggle to set priorities regarding D&I, and also when trying to communicate those priorities. Well-intended efforts to advance racial justice and equality in the workforce are not just about hiring more diverse employees.
- Evaluate which priorities drive diversity and inclusion
- Examine how to create a culture that values and respects the contributions of everyone
- Analyze methods to measure your D&I success
The conversation is changing and DEI is no longer solely an HR responsibility. DEI plays a role from a corporate strategy and sustainability perspective, all the way down to the functional level. Every touchpoint with the external community is an opportunity to understand our role in striving for equity.
- Outline functional examples from a Medical Affairs organization, and how to apply this approach to other functions across the organization
- Discuss how to foster an environment that prioritizes diversity of thought
- Examine the drivers for change, and why metrics isn’t the only driver
Ageism is real and is prevalent in today’s workplace. As the life sciences industry strives to become diverse and inclusive, eliminating implicit and explicit bias based on a person's age should be part of the organization’s D&I plan.
- Identify strategies to create a workplace culture where multi-generational teams can thrive
- Gain insights on how the talents of each generation can contribute to a more innovative culture
- Learn best practices on how to create an age-inclusive workplace culture
- Recognize how age inequities negatively impact a culture of belonging
Women of color often face stereotypical behavior in the workplace, resulting in a need to create psychologically safe spaces where they can network and feel free to express who they are, what they believe, and how they feel. These spaces provide tools, resource, learning and networking opportunities that can help to advance their careers.
- Recognize the importance of creating psychologically safe spaces in the workplace
- Discuss why creating a sense of belonging is at the core of D&I progress
- Identify ways networking can help women achieve equity
Employee resource groups (ERGs) are a vital part of building a sense of community and inclusion for diverse employee groups—and can yield improved network building, leadership development and communication.
- Understand the value of ERGs as D&I champions
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Learn how to use ERGs to build a sense of community across the organization
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Develop D&I strategies that ERGs can support and promote internally and externally
ALL TIMES ARE IN EST
Inclusive leadership is essential for building equitable organizations. However, the pharma and healthcare industries are lagging behind when it comes to diversity – particularly at the most senior level. Today, women in life sciences make up only 10% of boards and 20% of leadership teams. In healthcare, just nine percent of CEO positions are held by minorities. Hear what the challenges are and what it will take to make real change.
- Align vison for D&I with your strategic plan
- Explore challenges to diversity advancement, recruitment, retention and career development
- Gain practical strategies your organization can take to advance diversity in C-suite and functional leadership positions
- Review effective tools and process to measure progress
D&I drive innovation for better patient outcomes, stronger companies and industry growth. A more diverse mix of people creates a greater mix of skills, experiences, perspectives and ideas—all essential to develop the therapies and devices needed for the patient population, which, in turn, result in higher business performance and innovation—and grows the bottom line. So how can organizations build inclusive cultures where every employee can thrive—regardless of gender, race, age or disabilities?
- Enable diverse career paths across roles and regions
- Embed D&I in policies and practices and throughout the employee experience
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Learn the difference between an equality-based approach and an equity-based approach
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Discuss unconscious bias and strategies to eliminate it
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Shift D&I conversations to promote a workplace for all
For success at higher levels, women need people who advocate for them and are united with purpose to open doors. Male allies play a crucial role in helping women to get a seat at the table and in diversity and inclusion efforts. What are some of the practical steps you can take to encourage your male peers to be an advocate for women in the workplace? This panel of male allies will help shed light on ways they have been active in their allyship and provide insight on engaging others to do the same.
- Gain perspective on the role of men in creating gender equality at work
- Discuss the barriers preventing men from becoming effective allies to women in the workplace
- Understand how to become an ally and why men should be better allies to women
- Learn how to find male allies in your own organization
Managers are the front line embodiment of DE&I, and play a central role in hiring decisions, training, developing, and engaging with employees. If management teams are not diverse, it is unlikely that diverse employees will feel comfortable and confident that they can succeed and grow.
- Instill diversity and inclusion principles in managers across the organization
- Educate executives on the importance of instilling certain ideals in managers
- Teach managers how to create an inclusive environment where all employees feel they can succeed
The coronavirus pandemic placed clinical research on the global stage, raising public awareness of clinical trials and highlighting the need for diversity and inclusion. True change in clinical practices won’t happen unless diversity is prioritized within an organization —from the top down. So how do we close the
diversity gap? What are successful strategies for awareness, recruitment, and participant retention?
- Examine the barriers that limit participation: location, cost, time constraints
- Map out wider eligibility criteria earlier in the drug development process
- Highlight how virtual clinical trials can enable expansion to underrepresented communities
- Discuss current strategies to include more diversity in early drug development to advance discovery work
- Explain clinical research site activities that advance clinical trial diversity through community engagement
Conferences of the past continue to disproportionately impact underserved communities and have led to lasting mistrust by minority populations of the life science industry and healthcare system. Taking a community-centric approach is needed to build trust, increase awareness, enhance clinical trial diversity and advance health equity.
- Examine how patient groups, hospitals, medical education systems, patient advocacy groups can serve as a direct plug into your patient population
- Train investigators from the black and brown communities to participate in clinical trials to build trust
- Discuss the importance of working with the different stakeholders early in the drug development process
- Improve patient and community education to build underlying trust
- Review opportunities for MSLs to conduct community outreach to engage underserved populations for clinical trial participation
Speakers:
- Kemi OsundinaPharmD, Associate Director, Health Equity and New Partnerships, Health Equities Advocacy & New PartnershipsBristol Myers Squibb
- Natanya M. JenningsPharmD, MS, Medical Lead, Global Health Equity Platform, Strategic Collaborations/Medical CapabilitiesBristol Myers Squibb
- Monique PhillipsRecruitment Specialist, Clinical Trial Engagement & EnrollmentBristol-Myers Squibb
When looking at advancing DE&I, there is one critical component needed - the individual. As members of the human family, we each have a role to play in the health crisis. Crisis creates opportunity. Through the power of one person, one community, one movement, one nation, one world in one lifetime we can harness this power to remove disparities to care.
- Examine social determinants of health for breast cancer patients
- Provide tangible commitments for individuals and organizations to move from talking to transformation in healthcare.
- Examine the critical role patient advocates of color and health care professionals play to remove barriers of age, stage, and color.
While the pharma industry is said to be the leaders in DE&I initiatives, there is still a long way to go. In this closing session, presenter will share insights on what the future of DE&I look like for their organization and how the industry can achieve greater progress.
- Discuss what changes will be made to address the issues and ensure inclusivity
- Examine where progress has been made and where there are still inequities to be addressed
- Address how the pandemic has impacted DE&I progress