In anticipation of the 11th New York Health Forum (NYHF) on “Healthcare and LIfe Sciences Industry: Preparing for 2019,” here is the breakdown on everything you should know about the event scheduled for this December at the Yale Club of New York City.
About New York Health Forum
The New York Health Forum is a quarter-yearly, one-day event that attracts innovators from all areas of the global medical and life sciences industry, including prominent physicians, researchers, policymakers and financial investors. This winter, the 11th NYHF will be taking place on December 18 with a panelist lineup of various experts, from the founder of the first health records blockchain in the U.S. to the business development executive of a major South Korean drug development company.
Four times a year, the NYHF organizes discussions that examine the most pressing issues and concerns facing the healthcare industry, gathering guest speakers, executives, legislators, scientists and medical practitioners in New York City to share their ideas, expertise and knowledge.
The event—which first launched in 2014— is organized by the forum’s chairman, Dr. DoHyun Cho. Dr. Cho is also the President and CEO of the W Medical Strategy Group, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry consulting firm focused on providing solutions for the entire healthcare value chain.
NYHF Mission
The NYHF’s mission is to actively present significant agendas to the broader healthcare industry, contributing to better public health by illuminating public concerns and pushing for innovation in industry development, technology and management.
The forum, aims to be a “foundation of communication among all areas of healthcare industry,” ultimately leading to the discovery and creation of solutions that combine “the ideas of science, industry, and policy for a healthier society.” With clear slogans, discussion topics and influential attendees, the NYHF hopes that dialogue can strengthen and form healthcare partnerships while promoting the sharing of knowledge at all levels and within all areas of the healthcare landscape. Every meeting has brought together individuals from an assortment of backgrounds such as business, academia, research facilities and medical service providers.
For the final meeting of 2018, the 11th Forum has been given the theme of “Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry: Preparing for 2019.” Celebrating its continuous efforts to build on its programs and platform, the NYHF plans to provide “the setting for stimulating and informative discussions on [current] investment trends, landscapes, risks, and more,” with an expected audience of more than one hundred investors, health science professionals and representatives from biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies.
The Purpose of NYHF
NYHF was established in response to the recognition of a need; with the increasing growth and globalization of the healthcare industry, Dr. Cho believed that a platform to foster mutual collaboration and multilateral connections would be both necessary and beneficial to the greater community.
Accordingly, each meeting presents a particular theme, or slogan, under which the discourse and partnerships begin. The past two forums have focused on the following subjects: “Collaboration for Success: Multi-Regional Clinical Development” and “Creating Corporate Shared Value with Society: Supporting Water, Bee and Cancer Research.”
The upcoming 11th forum will focus on identifying and forecasting current and future healthcare and life science trends. The NYHF plans to highlight the utilization of licensing in therapeutic companies and mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry as key growth strategies. The “transformational role” of new digital health solutions in both patient care and clinical development will also be examined.
With a number of high-profile sponsors— Hanaro Medical Foundation, Holy Name Medical Center, Enzychem Lifesciences, the Center for Viral Hepatitis and Gilead, among others—supporting its initiatives and work, the NYHF promises to continue to deliver on its belief that the sharing of expert knowledge and ideas can fuel greater growth and empower health industry stakeholders in the midst of rapid change.
NYHF in Numbers
Now looking to hold its 11th conference, the NYHF attracts an increasing number of influential individuals in all fields related to healthcare; what began as an audience of 50 has quickly grown to about 200. Subsequently, the NYHF expects at least a hundred participants for its upcoming December meeting, all from diverse—and very global—backgrounds.
With a regular group of prominent attendees, the NYHF places special emphasis on the quality of its panel discussions, carefully assembling its programs of guest speakers. Some more information about the forum’s past 129 panelists is gathered as shown in the infographic below.
Moreover, at each conference, a select few individuals are honored with awards. The New York Health Forum Award recognizes “exemplary and innovative efforts in improving the human condition,” seeking to reward “those who have served humanity at large.” The event also presents the WMSG Distinguished Contribution Award to individuals or organizations who have “contributed to the advancement of the healthcare industry or the W Medical Strategy Group.”
Benefit of NYHF
By design, the NYHF is a platform through which solutions to practical needs of the healthcare industry are delivered. The event has primarily served Asian companies looking to enter or advance its position within the U.S., connecting them with investment partners, strategic consultants, potential markets and other significant resources necessary for sustained success. Unlike other healthcare industry forums, the NYHF differentiates itself by bringing together a wide spectrum of participants from different parts of the globe and the healthcare value chain. These attendees are then strongly encouraged to initiate an in-depth conversations that have often resulted in long-term collaborations. Accordingly, the NYHF has held eleven Forums in the span of four years, evidence of its continued success in forging such partnerships.
Future of NYHF
Looking to the future, the New York Health Forum aspires to accomplish three objectives. The first is to be a vital channel of communication that mobilizes the global healthcare industry’s Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) to come together to discuss major therapeutic trends, topics and dilemmas. On the same vein, the event also desires to become the gateway to address such issues and agendas, eventually helping to deliver much-needed solutions to policymakers and end users, who are usually physicians and patients. Finally, the NYHF aims to become a stage for meaningful cross-border exchange. Recognizing the lack of conferences that focus on cross-border transactions within the healthcare space, the organization distinctly offers a stage for international discussion and reflection on specific issues regarding cross-border activities. And with its forward-looking 11th Forum set for December, it appears to be on the right track.
Yisun Yuk
Director, Business Operations
W Medical Strategy Group
Yisun is director of business operations at W Medical Strategy Group. She also is an editorial staff of WKMJ and organizing executive of New York Health Forum.
Yeereum Chung, RN, BSN
Manager, Project Management
W Medical Strategy Group
Yeereum is manager of project management at W Medical Strategy Group. She also is an editorial staff of WKMJ and organizing executive of New York Health Forum.