The National Tay-Sachs and Allied Disease Association (NTSAD) held their "Building Our Future" event on November 10 at Genzyme Center.  I attended the event with my colleague Lauren Celano and we were happy to support the organization and connect with colleagues, friends, and NTSAD members.  The evening included a silent auction to benefit NTSAD, updates on the organization and relevant research programs, as well as a personal reflection by a grandfather on the impact of having a grandchild with Tay-Sachs.   NTSAD is an organization that is dedicated to advancing efforts to treat and cure Tay-Sachs, Canavan and related genetic diseases, as well as providing support for affected families and individuals.  I've had the privilege of attending a number of NTSAD events, going back to 2004 when I worked at Genzyme, and I came away from this meeting energized.  In the last five years there has been progress made in research that was once not thought possible.  The lives of people who suffer from these genetic conditions, as well as those who love and care for them, are still extraordinarily difficult but there is more hope now for treatments that will slow, reverse and even cure the underlying disease processes.  I spoke to a number of people who can remember meetings when the purpose was largely support among affected families and updates from researchers where the news was encouraging but the impact on treatment seemed remote.  Organizations like NTSAD are tireless in their pursuit of breakthroughs in the treatment and understanding of conditions that were once thought, in the not so distant past, to be untreatable and even beyond our understanding.  I can attest to the impact that NTSAD has had on parents who thought they were alone, and that they would never speak to another parent with a child suffering with the same condition.  The power of those relationships cannot be understated, and they have also forged relationships with companies like Genzyme in order to facilitate the development of research programs that have not typically garnered the attention of biopharmaceutical companies.  Genzyme certainly is the pioneer in demonstrating that therapies for ultra-orphan diseases can be successfully developed and commercialized, but organizations like NTSAD have done just as much to bring attention and understanding for the conditions that they seeks cures for.  It is not surprising that an increasing number of large and small bio-pharma companies are pursuing therapies for rare disease indications.  To see more details about this area, see link.  I find this encouraging and it makes being part of the life science industry rewarding.   If you know Propel Careers, you know that we are huge advocates of networking and making new connections.  As you explore events that you will attend, consider attending benefits for NTSAD and similar organizations: you can support worthy causes and make new connections at the same time. 

Profiling Emily Anderson, Communications Consultant for Propel Careers

Propel Careers recently started working with communications consultant Emily Anderson in an effort to better define and shape our messaging and corporate brand strategy.  Even at this early stage in our collaboration, Emily has been a tremendously helpful partner to Propel and I'd like to take this opportunity to give her our personal endorsement and highlight her as a resource for companies in our network.

Emily has core expertise in the following areas:

-  Integrated communications strategy & campaign 

   development

-  Public relations planning and implementation

-  Corporate and product messaging and positioning

-  Branding and marketing communications

-  Executive training and sales enablement

Emily founded E. Anderson Life Science Communications, LLC in May 2010.   She specializes in marketing and corporate communications strategy and execution for medical device, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as the agenciesthat serve them. Emily  has nearly 15 years of experience developing strategic communications programs within the healthcare industry. She has developed and implemented numerous campaigns that have addressed a diversity of key audiences and stakeholders, including consumers, patient advocates, clinicians, government, professional societies, media and investors. Throughout her career she has successfully launched disruptive technologies in the market and has provided strategic communications counsel to senior management during times of significant revenue growth and in times of crisis. Her work has covered a range of therapeutic areas, including anesthesia, critical care, pediatric, psychiatric, neuroscience and infectious diseases. Most recently, Emily served as director of corporate and marketing communications for Aspect Medical Systems. Her previous work experience includes account management roles at leading PR firms where she supported clients in the healthcare and high technology sectors. Emily graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts with a B.B.A. in Management and has completed coursework toward her MBA at Boston College. She can be reached at emily.anderson8@me.com