Dive into the latest edition of ISPE Matters from the Delaware Valley Chapter.
From the President's Desk
As my term as DVC president comes to an end, I am looking back with a critical eye on the successful activities that we have undertaken along with the opportunities for improvement. Of these observations there are a few that are worth noting specifically.
The education committee tried a new format for their sessions this year with a presentation conducted outside of the standard lecture hall setting. This allowed for informative knowledge sharing alongside interactive engagement with the subject matter. An event this past fall was held at a supplier site which offered a physical tour of the equipment and technology that was the focus of the presentation session. Look for more of this novel approach to delivery of education content in the coming year.
Membership management both in terms of retention of existing members and attraction of new members is a constant topic of discussion across the ISPE affiliate and chapter leadership network. Within the DVC we find no exception to this. It is incumbent upon us as chapter leaders to constantly evaluate the activities that we undertake, staying aware of the direction of advancement in our industry, the topics that are most relevant to the challenges our members (and non-members) face and how ISPE can best respond in those areas. This is something that is recognized at the highest levels of the organization and some interesting announcements will be coming in the year ahead to address these concerns.
Locally we have assembled a promotional “Membership Roadshow” that communicates the services that ISPE offers and value of belonging to our organization. This effort is a simple table display that can be taken to industry related events or even company sites, along with some key membership committee representatives, to provide a basic education on the society and recruit new members. If you would be interested in having us come to your company site please contact any of the board members through the chapter webpage.
We did experience some growing pains around the Symposium & Exhibition event from which we underwent a comprehensive after action review and evaluation. There are a number of areas that we identified, or that were identified for us, where there is opportunity to improve the way we deliver this signature annual event. The first of which you will have noticed in the Chapter Board election. We have established a new committee dedicated to planning and execution of the Symposium event. I believe this will provide expanded authority to the team and is an opportunity to focus on improvement of the appeal of this event to our membership as well as the delivery of value to the sponsors and vendors critical to the continued success of our chapter.
As John Bournas and I announced at the Symposium & Exhibition event this past February, the ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo is returning to Philadelphia in November 2018. As the local host chapter, the DVC has already begun engagement with the planning committee for this event and is working to make this conference even more successful than the last one held in Philadelphia in 2015.
I hope you, our valued DVC members, have had a rewarding and productive year as I have. I plan to stay involved as our chapter continues to grow and fulfill the role the industry asks of us. Thanks for the opportunity to lead that charge for the past year and thanks to all those volunteers who worked hard to deliver on our vision.
Matt Snyder
Inside this Issue
- Habitat for Humanity
On Friday, June 9, the Delaware Valley Chapter of ISPE lent their services to the Bucks County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The DVC has been volunteering for this non-profit organization for many years.
With excellent weather, the volunteers enjoyed a good workday. The team consisted of four ISPE DVC volunteers, three Habitat supervisors, and one of the future homeowners. It is HFH policy that each future homeowner put in a certain number of “sweat equity” hours building their future home. The four ISPE volunteers were Eric Dierks, Naushil (Nash) Mehta, Toby Faber, all from The Mace Group, and myself. Download newsletter to read more.
- Student Chapter Engagement
DVC engages with active student chapters at the following institutions:
- University of Delaware
- Rowan University
- Villanova University
- Lehigh University
- And work through the student chapter of AIChE at Drexel University
Benefits and activities of engaging student chapters:
- Students receive notices relevant to all Chapter activities that they can participate in such as the Vendors’ Expo and the Career Fair. They are also invited to events to which students received free admission such as the annual Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Society symposium
- Career advising via email with members of the student chapters
- Over the past academic year, talks were given at University of Delaware and Rowan University
- Members participated in a “resume review” at Drexel University for Chemical Engineering students. DVC also supported students through Future Cities, Montgomery County Annual Science Fair and Delaware Valley Science Fair.
- 2017 Fall Look Ahead
DVC is well into planning exciting program and education events for our membership in the coming months. Keep an eye out for more information on what’s to come!
Program:
- October 12, Flex Lab Presentation and Tour
- November, Joint Event with Women in Pharma
- December, Annual Holiday Celebration….DVC’s 30th Anniversary!
Education:
- November, Robotics
Other Industry Events:
- AIChE Oktoberfest, September 28
- PA Conference for Women, October 3 – Stop by and visit the ISPE DVC Table!
- Delaware BIO Women in Stem, October 18
- SMPS, The “Real” in Pharma Real Estate, October 19
- ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, San Diego CA, October 29-November 1
- 28th Annual Symposium & Exhibition, February 1, 2018
- Night at the Phillies
On April 27, the Young Professional committee sponsored “ISPE Night at the Phillies.” The event was open to not only young professionals, but also students, members, and non-members of the Delaware Valley Chapter. In appreciation for their efforts, folks who had volunteered their time over the course of the past year were invited to attend the event with a plus-one for free.
Festivities kicked off with a 90-minute happy hour at the High & Insider Pub, an eatery inside Citizen’s Bank Park that was reserved for the private party. Young professionals and students from local universities were provided with an opportunity to network with more seasoned industry professionals over light fare and an open bar. The evening then culminated with an evening baseball game versus the Miami Marlins to which attendees received a 300-level, 1st-baseline ticket.
In the bottom of the third inning, fans were treated to a grand slam by Maikel Franco, and the Phillies posted a win in dominate fashion to conclude a highly successful networking event.
- DVC 24th Annual Golf Classic
This golf outing marks the Delaware Valley Chapter’s 24th Annual Golf Classic held at the Philmont Country Club in Huntingdon Valley, PA. We had a beautiful day at Philmont, thanks to the Golf Gods who have smiled upon us this year.
Once again, our golfers were treated to a door prize with a new twist. Our Philmont Golf Pro, Mickey Sokalski and his staff, hand delivered each one of them to everyone out on the course due to a slight glitch with FedEx. Thank you, Mickey.
Prior to our shotgun start, golfers were able to enjoy the Philmont’s lunch buffet. The practice areas were also available to those who allowed enough time to get warmed up and work out the kinks a bit at the driving range and putting areas to prepare for the challenges that lied ahead out on the Philmont North Course. Download newsletter to read more.
- Panel Discussion: A Biosimilar Snapshot, Current Issues & Challenges
ISPE DVC and PA Life Sciences put on a joint event with a panel of industry experts to discuss current issues and challenges for biosimilar products. The panel consisted of Hillell Cohen, PhD – Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals; Dave Picard – AmerisourceBergen; Michiel Ultee - Ulteemit BioConsulting; with Dennis Gross – PA Drug Discovery Institute as Moderator. The presentation started with a brief introductory overview that addressed basic facts and common questions on the biosimilar industry. The panel then went into discussing the current state of the biosimilars markets with a look at what companies and products are currently in the marketplace and the barriers to launching a biosimilar product. The challenges faced due to the infancy of policy, regulatory rules, and the education of doctors and patients. The team concluded that they see a bright future for biosimilars and are excited to see what lies ahead. Download newsletter to read more.
- 27th Annual Symposium & Exhibition
For the second year the Symposium & Exhibition, hosted by The Delaware Valley Chapter of ISPE, was held at Lincoln Financial Field.
In its 27th year, the Chapter still continues to see annual growth. As we always look to add more value for our members, vendors and attendees, a few changes and additions were incorporated; a full Career Fair, increased the overall event time, added more education options and an After Party.
We enjoyed great weather, as February tends to be risky in Philadelphia. Attendance was consistent with the previous year, while we increased our exhibitors to over 120! Download newsletter to read more.
- Save the Date: 28th Annual Symposium & Exhibition
Thursday, February 1, 2018 | Lincoln Financial Field
Please join us for the 28th Annual Symposium & Exhibition on Thursday, 01 February 2018. We moved the date up a week because our friends at the stadium are confident the Eagles are going to the Super Bowl this year and wouldn’t want our event to conflict with the celebrations!
We are proud to host the oldest vendor exhibition event in the ISPE community.
Please visit our website here for updated information as we get closer to the date.
- DVC & NJ Joint Program: A Shutdown Case Study
ISPE DVC and NJ Chapter put on a joint event in June. Joseph Tyska, HCM Facilities Associate Manager at BMS in Hopewell, New Jersey, gave a presentation on a recent shutdown case study. Download newsletter to read more.
- DVC goes to INTERPHEX
On March 22, 2017, the ISPE DVC chapter invited members to take advantage of free transportation to the INTERPHEX conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Download newsletter to read more.
- Member Milestone Anniversaries
As of August 4, 2017
- New Members
As of August 4, 2017