S2BN Waterloo: Market Access in Canada: Navigating the Reimbursement Landscape From a Patient Perspe

On July 21, 2020, the S2BN Waterloo Chapter held a virtual event with renowned figures in the Market Access world. Guest speakers James LeBrocq, Martine Elias and Allison Wills shared their experience and knowledge navigating different reimbursement landscapes. They provided insight on market access certification, patient support programs and so much more. Here’s a bit about our speakers and insights they gave.

James LeBrocq, the Vice President of the Canadian Association of Healthcare Reimbursement (CAHR), spoke briefly about market access and noted that their members benefit from discounted Market Access courses, educational events, networking opportunities, and news and information relevant to the reimbursement environment in Canada. He emphasized just how much the CAHR can help a student learn more about Market Access, and from what I can gather - it has a lot to offer!

Martine Elias, the Executive Director of Myeloma Canada, emphasized just how important the connection between patients and industry is. She, alongside many others in her field, is an asset to industry and patients alike, and hope to involve patients in the pharmaceutical industry process even more in the future.

Allison Wills, a Partner and Consultant at 20Sense, a Specialty Pharmaceutical Consulting group, aims to support clients by bringing clarity to complex challenges in the Canadian specialty pharmaceutical space and delivering best-in-class solutions for patients. She spoke about the ever-increasing need of her services, and well as for those of Patient Support Groups in general.

All three speakers seem to have great careers in the Market Access space. A question that came to the mind of some was, "Well, how did they get there?". All three of their paths were very different, some even working internationally in fields that one would think are quite unrelated. They noted that experience speaks volumes, and that being open to career changes and new opportunities while just starting off is a good mindset to have. Once again, a screen recording of the entire session is attached in case you missed it!