May 16, 2019 — Exactly how do laws get crafted or regulations finalized in Washington in the year 2019? Kay Holcombe—who has been an FDA official, a key staffer in both the Senate and the House, and Senior VP of BIO—will share her informed perspective on “how the sausage gets made” at this year’s Rising Leaders Conference on Healthcare Policy, sponsored by the Coalition for Healthcare Communication.

This fourth annual conference will be held at the National Press Club in Washington on May 21 (6 pm reception and dinner) and May 22 (program 8:30-3:30). It is a unique program zeroing in on how data privacy, promotional regulation, taxation of marketing expenses, and other policy issues affect our industry, and is designed specifically for executives and rising stars in advertising, marketing, med comms, publishing and digital media.

Jim Davidson—a lawyer, chair of the Advertising Coalition, an entertaining speaker, and according to Reuters “one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington”—will be the keynote speaker at the Tuesday dinner, discussing the “marketing tax” threat. Other speakers on Wednesday include Kate Rawson (health policy overview), Alison Pepper (what new regulation of data privacy will look like), Dr. Kathryn Aikin (on the FDA’s research program to inform guidances on promotional messages), Nancy Bradish Myers (on the FDA in the post-Gottlieb era), Dan Jaffe (on compelled speech and other threats to DTC), Jon Bigelow (key policy priorities for the coming year), and a special panel featuring Violet Aldaia, Wendy Blackburn, Pam Jenkins, and Dr. Karsten Risch (on how what happens in Washington matters to our daily work). Tuition is $700 for staff of Coalition member companies, $750 for others (includes dinner, breakfast, and lunch). To register, contact jbigelow@cohealthcom.org.