Like every other aspect of medical/pharmaceutical meetings, speakers in this realm are a highly specialized breed whose messages must engage, educate and otherwise enlighten a most diverse and discerning group of attendees. The following is a sampling of notable presenters whose message might be just the right prescription for your next meeting.
A real go-to guy when it comes to U.S. health-care issues, Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., is a bioethicist, oncologist, author and political activist who chairs the Department of Bioethics at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. He also recently served as senior counselor to the White House Office of Management and Budget on health policy. Prior to that, he was on President Bill Clinton's Health Care Task Force.
Emanuel's areas of expertise include ethics in relation to clinical research, international research and health-care policy; health-care reform; the physician-patient relationship, and euthanasia. Emanuel also has published three books and contributed articles to The Atlantic, the New York Times and others. Some of his popular keynote speeches include "Beyond Band-Aids: Curing the Sick American Health Care System" and "Ethics and Access to Health Care."
Contact: BigSpeak, (805) 965-1400
Yes, he's that Patch Adams, the real person behind
the character played by Robin Williams in the eponymously named 1998
movie. Both a doctor and a clown, Adams also is a social activist who
has worked for 30 years to reform the U.S. health-care system, which he
has called expensive and elitist. He stresses the importance of humor,
happiness and creativity in medical treatment.
His favorite
topics are health-care reform, alternative medicine, the future of
health care and humor in medicine. Time magazine says Adams exhibits a
"zestful exuberance" that underscores a deep wisdom and understanding of
both physician and patient.
Contact: BigSpeak, (805) 965-1400
John W. Anderson has seen a number
of important women in his life suffer through breast cancer. (including
his wife, Sharon, shown in photo at right with John during her
chemotherapy). His book, Stand by Her: A Breast Cancer Guide for Men
(Amacom), details his experiences as a caregiver, with relevant advice
for both individuals and the medical community.
Anderson shares
his story with audiences in the wellness, medical and pharmaceutical
realms. His heartfelt talk resonates with both men and women on a very
personal level. As he notes, "If every man has a mom, gets married at
least once, has a sister and so forth, breast cancer affects the lives
of one in every
three men."
He also talks about a new model
for patient care involving caregivers that he is developing with a group
of doctors: "You hear a lot about health-care reform, but maybe there's
a new way for doctors to participate more closely with caregivers --
typically a spouse or family member -- for the benefit of the patient."
Contact: Rave Speakers, (310) 275-4178
This New York City-based physician, columnist,
author, TV reporter and former CEO of Reuters Health Information Inc.
offers more than 20 years of experience speaking on topics such as
medicine and the media, consumer health trends on the Internet, general
health and wellness, and women's health (she coined the term
"womenfluence," which refers to the impact and role of women on health
and well-being).
One of Atkinson's most popular business
keynotes is "Trends Among the Gatekeepers: Womenfluence in the
Marketplace," while some of her best-received consumer keynotes include
"The 5 Keys to Your Best Health" and "Women, Stress and Fatigue: Best
Solutions." She also is an avid human-rights activist and has served in
the past as president of Physicians for Human Rights, an organization
that shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.
Contact: Healthcare Speakers Network/Tiller Group, (800)222-1556
Planners looking to inject some humor into
their medical or pharmaceutical gatherings would do well to consider a
keynote by Steve Bedwell, M.D. The Dallas-based physician (and former
magician) blends the credibility of a true industry insider (among
other credentials, he has an M.D. from Southampton University in
Hampshire, U.K., and seven years' teaching experience at the Royal
London Hospital) with the ability to tickle his audiences' funnybones.
Bedwell
speaks on topics such as avoiding tactical mistakes in administration,
dealing with rapid shifts in strategy or reorganization, and more. He
often incorporates audience participation into his zany, riveting
presentations (he promises "a huge laugh every 12 seconds"), and
attendees can earn Continuing Medical Education credits in the process.
Contact: (972) 352-6622; stevebedwell.com