This year, we had our inaugural Catalyst Advocacy Scholars Summit (CASS), an event dedicated to attracting the best minds to the biopharmaceutical industry and increasing the patient focus. Twelve scholars from the University of Notre Dame (ND) arrived with eager questions, passionate minds, and a dedication to learning more about patient advocacy.
During the week, the scholars got the opportunity to listen to different people from Catalyst, ranging from Marketing, Patient Services, and even our President and CEO, Rich Daly. They heard everyone’s different roles at Catalyst and how everything centers around one focus–the patient. As they learned from numerous people, they came up with their own ideas as to how to remain patient-focused since they are all aspiring healthcare industry workers.
“CASS has been a great opportunity to grow as a scholar and learn about the science behind life-changing medication,” said Sophia, ND 2026 CASS student, future medical professional.
We hope they left the week with helpful knowledge as they pursue their future careers, and we are confident that if this is the state of our future healthcare providers, it is in good hands.
“We are proud to have hosted the Notre Dame students in this first-of-its-kind program, giving them an inside look at how patient advocacy influences every phase of drug development and commercialization. Our hope is that they left inspired, with understanding that behind every decision is a patient, a family, and a community counting on us to listen and act with purpose”, says Amy Grover, our Executive Director of Patient Advocacy.
Watch the recap video to see how the students spent their week, and check back in next year for CASS 2027!
For a daily agenda, see below:
Day one began with a welcome from Rich Daly, getting the opportunity to hear directly from two of our Ambassadors, a patient and a caregiver, and the presentations concluded with insights from two of our Medical Science Liaisons.
On day two, the scholars then broke into their respective capstone project teams, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). After additional presentations from Legal, Digital, and one of our Patient Access Liaisons, they had the opportunity to hear from our partners at Cure Duchenne, where the CEO & Founder, Debra Miller, detailed the journey of how the organization was created. Luke Rosen, Co‑Founder of KIF1A.org, Inc. and Founder of Rescue 7 Firefighters for Patients, along with Andra Statton, Chief Advisor, Board Member, and Co-Founder of Lipodystrophy United, also spoke with the scholars about the origins and motivations behind their organizations.
Day three, they listened to our Patient Services team and Chief Medical Officer, and they gradually became more comfortable with each other. Later in the day, they brainstormed ideas for their upcoming capstone presentations. The day ended with a meaningful opportunity to serve families at the Ronald McDonald House.
On day four, our partners at BIO, Michele Oshman, Chief Patient Advocate and Senior Vice President, and Sarah Alspach, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, delivered additional presentations, giving our students a behind-the-scenes look into the work they do there, followed by podcast recording sessions with the students for our podcast, Catalyst Convos. Both the DMD and LEMS teams dedicated the afternoon to refining their capstones to ensure they’re fully prepared for tomorrow.
The final day consisted of the two teams presenting their capstone projects with refreshing ideas, such as Community Health Workers to train and educate, and cutting down on the diagnostic process for healthcare providers. Following those, they received feedback from our entire Executive Leadership Team.
