–Written by Michael Rimler, US Connect Co-chair (2021)
Wow, are we in the throes of it now! We’ve just finished up the Paper Review Meeting in preparation for a return to face-to-face conferencing in Atlanta in May. It’s so wonderful to be in the thick of the agenda planning for such an impactful event within our industry, but it’s equally surprising that I’d just attended my first PHUSE event less than four years ago (EU Connect 2017, Edinburgh).
In Edinburgh, I met people who I respected and admired. I saw them in roles contributing to PHUSE and, professionally, felt very distant from fulfilling those same roles. Reflecting on the past four years, I often ask myself how I got here. I think it’s a combination of opportunities offered to me by colleagues and peers, and those I created through my own making. But, beyond that, it’s also what I did with those opportunities to (hopefully) help others and the PHUSE organisation.
The first opportunity was the chance to connect with former colleagues for the first time, face-to-face, in Edinburgh. For years, we were separated by an ocean and a computer screen. At the Connect, I would be able to shake their hand and make that real human connection. Admittedly, I knew little of PHUSE and its activities. During that week in Scotland, I was amazed to see all these industry professionals coming together to share knowledge, connect with one another, and genuinely enjoy the conference experience. I had been to academic conferences before – but PHUSE was different. I was hooked and knew I wanted to attend again, which I did, at the first US Connect in June 2018, in Raleigh.
The second opportunity came out of Raleigh – an offer from the US Connect 2019 (Baltimore) Chair Jenn True – to co-chair the Machine Learning Stream. Wow, was that fun! I worked with some outstanding Co-Chairs and met some wonderful experts in the ML space. It was a genuinely fabulous experience to bring the ML Stream to life in Baltimore and I learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to pull off a successful conference.
Serving as ML Stream Chair put me on the ground in Baltimore, where I connected with folks like Mike Stackhouse, Eli Miller, Gayathri Kolandaivelu and Frank Menius. Together, we launched a PHUSE Working Group project on open-source technologies in clinical research. Our vision for this materialised into the new Data Visualization and Open Source Technologies Working Group, when PHUSE restructured its Working Group activities. Now, Mike and I are actively co-leading a project within DVOST on Clinical Statistical Reporting in a Multilingual World.
When you chair a Stream at a Connect, there will be a Paper Review Meeting. This is a meeting where the full conference committee – all Stream Chairs – come together to decide which submissions are in and which are out, the objective of which is to give attendees the best portfolio of content at the conference. Pre-COVID, PRMs were held face-to-face and aligned with a Single Day Event. For the US Connect 2019, the PRM was held in Mississauga, which was also my first PHUSE SDE. Again, I was impressed! At the committee dinner, I floated an idea to Chris Hurley (Americas Director) to hold an SDE in Cincinnati, Ohio. Long story short, we held a successful SDE in October 2019 on Data Visualizations in Cincinnati, which I chaired. Take a look at my post-event write-up for more information.
Coming out of that Single Day Event, and from co-chairing the ML Stream for the US Connect Baltimore (2019) and the US Connect Virtual (2020), I was invited to become a Co-Chair for the US Connects in 2021 and 2022, which has culminated in being the Connect Chair in 2023. I had my organisation’s support, so without hesitation, I accepted. The offer to chair a large annual conference is not to be taken lightly, either by me or by those who make the offer. Capitalising on each of the previous opportunities, bringing my best self to the table, I’ve always tried to deliver and generate whatever positive impact I can to ensure success of the initiative at hand. I suppose that it’s the culmination of the various efforts to contribute to successful PHUSE events and activities which supported my nomination and eventual offer.
And now I’ve had the chance to create similar seed opportunities to others within my network. I’ve been able to invite colleagues to chair Streams at US Connects. One chaired the APAC Summer SDE 2021, on Evolving Techniques in the Design, Analysis and Reporting of Clinical Trials, and another is chairing the Americas Autumn SDE 2021, on Leveraging Multiple Programming Languages for Clinical Reporting. They’ve all taken that first step to volunteer with PHUSE and support its commitment to “sharing ideas, tools and standards with our community around data, statistical and reporting technologies to advance the future of life sciences”. You can too – and then be sure to bring your best to the table, elevate the community around you, and capitalise on the opportunities you face.
I truly hope to see you in Atlanta next year. In the meantime, get involved by checking out PHUSE’s Volunteers Board and taking that first step.
A 2023 Update...
–Written by Michael Rimler, PHUSE Open Source Technologies Director (2023)
Hello Phriends,
As I step into this new role as Open Source Technologies Director on the PHUSE Board of Directors, I have been reflecting back on my PHUSE journey. Late in 2021, I wrote the blog above on that experience and I have since re-read it carefully. I’ll be honest, serving as Chair of the 2023 US Connect in Orlando felt like the pinnacle of my PHUSE career. It was wonderful to work with such talented people, all trying to bring the best conference experience to our attendees, presenters, and exhibitors. When the big day came, I stepped out of my comfort zone to meet as many people, shake as many hands, and generate as many smiles as I could. Those that know me, would probably think this comes naturally to me, but I assure you, it does not. Being the centre of focus amongst a group of over 650 people, for 4 days, is not where I thrive! However, if this was to be my PHUSE pinnacle, I was committed to being the best Chair I knew how to be.
Shortly after, the opportunity to serve on the PHUSE Board of Directors as Open Source Technologies Director materialised and, with the support of my organisation and fellow pharmaverse council members, I did not hesitate to grasp the opportunity to extend my PHUSE career. I’ve now turned my attention ahead, to the future, hoping that I will continue to make an impact on the PHUSE community and on clinical data science in our industry. I am also looking forward to seeing you at a future PHUSE event where we can meet, shake hands, and hopefully have a smile.
