2013-01-21 07:02:01 - Michael Scott, Chairman of the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) will give a keynote presentation at the inaugural Orphan Drugs Research and Commercialization Conference to be held in Boston, MA on May 8-10, 2013, by GTC.

In an effort to utilize scientific and technological advances to better diagnose and treat patients with rare diseases, NORD is currently completing a new major strategic planning process. Michael will discuss both NORD’s current and proposed new scientific- and policy-related initiatives at the meeting.

Michael will also highlight the relevance of rare disease research to the medical world as a whole, and emphasize why broader public awareness is needed of rare diseases and orphan drugs.

Michael became the Board Chair for the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) in late 2011. For the past 40 years he has been involved in scientific, medical, and health-care-related communications through activities as an editor and publisher, a self-employed communications consultant, and the owner of an

independent healthcare-specific communications group of companies. He now acts as a strategic adviser and communications strategist for a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare-related companies and organizations.

In addition to his current position with NORD, Michael is the Executive Vice President at Integrated HealthCom Strategies Group, Inc. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also serves as a board member of the International Myeloma Foundation and of another (non-rare) cancer foundation, Prostrate Cancer International, Inc. He is an associate member of the American Urological Association (AUA) and the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a member of the American Society for Hematology (ASH) and the Drug Information Association (DIA).

GTC’s inaugural Orphan Drugs Research and Commercialization Conference brings together leaders in industry, academia, government, and patient groups to dialogue about strategies to improve orphan drug research, pricing, access, and other key topics.

The conference is part of the Drug Discovery Summit 2013, and will run parallel with three other exciting conferences:

3rd Epigenetics in Drug Discovery
6th Imaging in Drug Discovery and Development
7th Drug Design and Medicinal Chemistry

For more information, please visit www.gtcbio.com.