Saturday, March 4, 2017

Hotel The Lalit, Mumbai, India | 9.00 am to 4.30 pm

rd3 India Regional Conference

Insignia Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Mumbai, India

www.insigniacom.com

In iaSignSign of Distinction

Event Organizer

Industry Partners

Event Sponsors

SILVERGOLDPLATINUM

CONFERENCE BOOKLET

3

Welcome Letter

Dear CME Community,

On behalf of our steering committee, it gives us great pleasure to rd

welcome you to GAME 3 India Regional Conference.

The past GAME India Regional Conferences witnessed the presence of

speakers and delegates across CME stakeholders. During our second

conference, the panel comprising of Medical Societies, Healthcare Industry, and Medcom

Companies gave their recommendations on “How best we can contribute in structuring a

healthy CME ecosystem in India”.

To take these recommendations to the next level, we shall discuss and debate on the same and

publish it as a white paper on “Building a strong CME ecosystem in India”.

We are delighted to have your presence at our conference and would appreciate hearing your

thoughts and opinions. We look forward to your participation and contribution to form a very

strong and constructive CME forum in India under the guidance of GAME.

Warm Regards,

Vaibhav Srivastava

rdProgram Director – GAME 3 India Regional Conference

Board of Directors - GAME

Director - Insignia Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Saturday, March 4, 2017 Hotel The Lalit, Mumbai, India |

rdGAME 3 India Regional Conference

DR. RAJESH UPADHYAY, APIPast President

DR. NARENDRA SAINIPast Honorary General

Secretary, IMA & Member of DMC

DR. BANSHI SABOOSecretary, Diabetes India

DR. B. R. BANSODE

President, API

MR. JYOTISHMAN BORUAHOrganising Secretary

Head - Knowledge Management and Strategic Medical Affairs

India Region, Abbott

MR. VAIBHAV SRIVASTAVAProgram Director,

Board of Directors - GAME, Director - Insignia

Communications Pvt. Ltd.

MS. LISA SULLIVANPresident - GAME, Founder and MD,

In Vivo Communications

MR. VIJAY LOKHANDECEO, Insignia

Communications Pvt. Ltd.

MR. PRASHANT MISHRAMD, BMJ India

MS. SANGEETA BARDECo-founder and Managing Partner, Sorento Healthcare

Communications

MR. VISHWA MOHANCEO, Hansa MedCell

From Medcom (CME Providers)

DR. SURESH MENONChief Scientific Officer,

Novartis India Ltd.

MS. SWATI DALALDirector, Sales and Marketing, Abbott Healthcare Solutions

DR. JAIDEEP GOGTAYChief Medical Officer,

Cipla Ltd.

DR. VIKRAM SINGHVP, Medical Affairs

& Infectious Diseases, Janssen India

From Industry

From Medical Societies & Institutions

From GAME

5

Conference Objectives

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comprising of all types of CME

stakeholders of India

To develop a constructive CME eco-

system in India through this forum

To organize an annual conference under

GAME so as to learn from International

CME experts

To create a platform for training and

development of CME stakeholders of

India to uplift the quality of CME

To recognize and award good CME

practices and award CME providers for

their distinguished contribution

To be the face of Indian CME community

and assist decision makers to adopt

standard regulations for CME which are

appropriate for Indian learners

To create an Indian CME community

At ACCME, (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) we rdare delighted to lend our encouragement for your meeting, GAME 3

India Regional Conference.

Education is a powerful tool. It can be used to change hearts and minds,

evolve thinking, nurture teams, improve skills, and help clinicians reach

their best performance to deliver quality care. The creation of an

accreditation framework for professional education and CME expresses

our shared commitment to this power of lifelong learning to make a difference, and our

commitment to our clinician-learners that they can trust accredited education as a safe space

for learning.

In the United States, our system has evolved to ensure that the educators we accredit abide by

our principles, and design and offer activities that are relevant to the learners, are evidence-

based and balanced, are independent of commercial influence, and provide feedback to the

learner. This framework uses a trust-and-verify approach so that educators have flexibility in

their educational design and approach, while implementing processes to ensure they are

compliant with the principles of quality education. In addition to performing regular audits of

the accredited providers, responding to inquiries or complaints, and compiling and managing

data from CME providers and learners, the ACCME offers a series of educational programs for

our providers to ensure they have the tools to meet their community's rapidly evolving needs

and expectations.

We have learned a great deal during the last 30 years of operating the system, and we are happy

to share our experience as you develop a system that meets the needs and expectations of your

stakeholders.

I look forward to speaking with you and answering your questions when I join you by Skype

today.

I trust and hope you will have a very successful meeting!

With warm regards,

Graham McMahon

MD, MMSc

President and CEO

ACCME - President’s Message

6 7

Agenda Chief Guest

Mr. Jha has been CEO and Commissioner of Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) from April, 2015 to

September, 2016. As CEO, KVIC, he provided for planning, promotion, organization and implementation of

employment generation programs through KVIC's flagship schemes, like 'Prime Minister's Employment

Generation Programme' (PMEGP), Cluster Development (under SFURTI Scheme), and other programs for the

development of Khadi & Village Industries in the rural areas.

As the Director General of NIESBUD, Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India, he lead

a huge team to conduct a large number of Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs),

Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programmes (ESDPs), Management Development Programmes

(MDPs), etc., throughout the country. He also held the additional charge of the post of the Director, Indian

Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati.

Mr. Jha has a large experience of about 30 years of Civil Service in different central government departments,

autonomous bodies and Government Undertaking /organizations as an Indian Economic Service (IES) officer and

dealt with several core economic and technical issues. In a large part of his service, he has worked for industrial

development and employment generation, especially, in Micro, Small and Medium enterprises sector right from

policy framework to ground level implementation of schemes.

As a Director General of National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD),

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India for about 5 years, he has turned around

the organization by undertaking training of unemployed youths in the country on revenue model. In addition to

NIESBUD, Mr. Jha was also holding charge of Director, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Ministry of Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India (earlier under Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium

Enterprises [MSME], Government of India) for three and a half years.

He has also served as a Director on the Board of National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC), a Public Sector

Undertaking and Coir Board, a Statuary Body under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

As an officer of Indian Economic Service, Mr. Jha has undergone in-service training in apex national institutes - the

Indian Institute of Management, Administrative Staff College of India, Institute of Port Management, University

of Maryland, etc.

Shri Arun Kumar Jha MA (Economics), MSc (Finance), LLB

Economic Adviser, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India

Time Agenda Presenter

11.15 am - 11.30 am Tea Break

1.30 pm - 2.30 pm Lunch Break

4.35 pm - 5.30 pm High Tea and Networking

9.00 am - 09.30 am Registration

9.30 am - 09.35 am Inauguration and Welcome Note Mr. Jyotishman Boruah

9.35 am - 09.55 am Setting up an Agenda Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava

9.55 am - 10.15 am Chief Guest Oration Shri Arun Kumar Jha (Economic Adviser, MoHFW)

10.15 am - 10.30 am President of GAME Oration Ms. Lisa Sullivan

10.30 am - 11.15 am Session 1: Regulators Conclave - Panelists: Dr. Ajay Kumar, Dr. Vedprakash Mishra,

An Outlook of Mandatory Dr. Shivkumar S. Utture,

CME-CPD in India Dr. Narendra Saini, Dr. Kailash S. Sharma

Moderator: Dr. Jayesh Lele

11.30 am - 12.30 pm Session 2: Providers Conclave - Panelists: Dr. B. R. Bansode, Dr. Sarita Bajaj,

How to Build a Credible CME Dr. Banshi Saboo, Dr. Rajesh Upadhyay,

Ecosystem in India? Dr. A. Muruganathan

Moderator: Dr. Agam Vora

12.30 pm - 1.30pm Session 3: Industry Leaders Panelists: Mr. Sudarshan Jain, Mr. Sanjiv

Conclave - How Industry can Navangul, Mr. Daara B. Patel,

Contribute in Building a Credible Mr. D.G. Shah, Mr. Shrihari Sidhaye

CME Ecosystem in India Moderator: Mr. Susheel Umesh

2.30 pm - 3.30 pm Session 4: Global CME Experts Panelists: Mr. Eugene Pozniak, Ms. Jann Balmer,

Conclave - Adopting Good CME Ms. Kathy Chappell, Mr. Lawrence

Practice from Global Learning Sherman

Moderator: Ms. Lisa Sullivan

3.30 pm - 4.30 pm Workshop on White Paper Panelists: From Medical Societies, Industry and

Development for Building Indian Medcom

CME Ecosystem Moderator: Dr. Banshi Saboo

4.30 pm - 4.35 pm Vote of Thanks and Meeting Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava

Conclusion

8 9

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Eugene Pozniak is Managing

Director of Siyemi Learning, an

independent European CME

provider, and Program Director of

European CME Forum, a not-for-

profit organization bringing

together all stakeholder groups

with an interest in European CME.

Following his degree in Chemistry, Eugene spent

12 years working in a variety of positions in the

pharmaceutical industry, advertising and medical

communications agencies. He left the promotional

sector for good in 2000, working since then

exclusively in CME, initially devising and delivering

e-learning for the European Society of Cardiology

(“ESCed” being the first CME accredited e-learning

platform in Europe) and the Federation of European

Cancer Societies (FECS – now the European CanCer

Organization, ECCO).

He was Director of CME ex-US at Walters Kluwer

Health, before setting up Siyemi Learning in 2006 – an

independent CME provider, and a year later European

CME Forum, a not-for-profit organization, which

brings together key stakeholders in CME-CPD. Eugene

chairs the Good CME Practice Group, serves on the

Editorial Board of the Journal of European CME

(JECME), and is on the Board of the Global Alliance for

Medical Education (GAME) and the Advisory Board of

World Congress on Continuing Professional

Development.

Dr. Balmer was appointed as the

f i rst fu l l - t ime Director for

Continuing Medical Education

(CME) at the University of Virginia

School of Medicine in December

1990. Under her leadership, the

Office of CME demonstrated

significant growth in meeting the educational needs

of physicians and other healthcare professionals. Over

the past 20 years, the number of accredited CME

activities has grown to a yearly average of 220

activities. She holds faculty appointments in the

School of Medicine and Nursing and has provided

strategic direction in the creation of the School of

Nursing CE Program.

Jann Torrance Balmer served as the President, Past

President and Board Member of the Alliance for

Continuing Education in the Health Professions

(formerly Alliance for CME) from 2005 to 2012.

Dr. Balmer also serves on the Board of Directors for the

Global Alliance for CME, and as the Chair of the

Program Committee. She currently serves as the Chair

of the Commission for Accreditation of the American

Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She represented

the Alliance as a Co-Chairman for the first China

International Conference on Continuing Medical

Education. She also serves as a speaker at the Annual

Meeting of the Alliance for Continuing Education in

the Health Professions, the Association for Medical

Education in Europe (AMEE) and other continuing

meetings such as the CME Industry Task Force

Meeting, the CME Congress and other selected

organizations.

Dr. Balmer was actively involved as a volunteer for the

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical

Education from 1993-2005. She served on the

International Faculty

Mr. Eugene PozniacProgram Director,

European CME Forum

Ms. Jann BalmerDirector,

CME University of Virginia School of Medicine

Accreditation Review Committee from 1994-2000,

serving as vice chair in 1998, and chair in 1999 and

2000. Dr. Balmer was named the 2003 Willard M.

Duff, PhD Award for exemplary and long-term service

to the ACCME and also awarded the Robert

Raszkowski MD PhD ACCME Hero Award in 2007.

Ms. Balmer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in

nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, Master of

Science in child health nursing from the State

University of New York at Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in

higher education administration from the University

of Pittsburgh.

Prior to accepting her present position, Ms. Balmer

served as Nurse Clinician, Division of Pediatric

Cardiology, University of Virginia Department of

Pediatrics (1985-90); Staff Nurse, Pediatric Unit,

University of Virginia Medical Center (1984-85); and

Assistant Professor of Nursing Undergraduate

Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing

(1980-83).

Kathy Chappell is Interim Chief

Officer of the American Nurse

Credentialing Center with oversight

over all credentialing programs,

i n c l u d i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n a l ,

programmatic, and individual nurse

credentialing. She is responsible for

accreditation of residency and fellowship programs.

She also directs the Institute for Credentialing

Research, analyzing outcomes related to

credentialing. She holds a Baccalaureate in Nursing

with distinction from the University of Virginia, a

Masters of Science in Advanced Clinical Nursing and a

Doctorate in Nursing from George Mason University.

She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing

and a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow in the

National Academies of Practice.

Ms. Kathy ChappellInterim Chief Officer,

American Nurses Credentialing Center

He has been involved in continuing

medical education for the past 21

years. His education and training in

medicine and adult education have

helped him to become a leader in

this profession. He has spent the

majority of this time in designing,

developing, del ivering, and

evaluating CME courses for physicians and other

healthcare professionals around the world. He is a

Fellow of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the

Health Professions, a Founding Advisor to the NC-

CME (the organization that certifies CME

professionals in the US), an Instructor at the

Emergency Medical Institute at the Center for

Learning and Innovation of the Northwell Health

System in New York, and has taught healthcare

communications at the Center for Communicating

Science at the State University of New York, Stony

Brook. He was recently appointed to the Postgraduate

Education Committee for AMEE (Association for

Medical Education in Europe). He was the original

host and creator of Lifelong Learning, a radio show

broadcast on ReachMD via internet radio in the US

and via reachmd.com and a mobile app for

smartphones worldwide.

Lastly, Lawrence frequently lectures around the world

on topics including:

Role of social networking in CME

Regulations and guidelines in CME

International/global CME and CPD

Interprofessional and team-based CME and CPD

Healthcare communication skills development

and training

Faculty development and training

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FACEHP, CHCP

Senior Vice President, Educational Strategy,

TOPEC Global

Mr. Lawrence Sherman

10

Speakers & Panelists

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Speakers & Panelists

While continuing to work across an enormous

geographical area, Lisa has returned to part time

studies as a research higher degree candidate

at the University of Queensland, Australia, where,

this year, she will complete her MPhil covering

the evaluation, the effectiveness of online,

face-to-face, and blended learning in the delivery of

CME-CPD to healthcare professionals across

Australia and Asia.

A v e t e r a n o f t h e g l o b a l

pharmaceutical and medical

communications industry, Lisa

Sullivan is the Founder and Group

Managing Director of In Vivo

Communications, an Australasian

medical communications agency

established in Sydney in 1996 and Singapore in 1999.

With more than 30 years of direct industry experience,

Lisa has fostered and galvanized her reputation as a

senior executive with proven leadership credentials

and strategic insight. She is accredited by the Royal

Australian College of General Practitioners as a

provider of Quality Improvement and Continuing

Professional Development (QI & CPD), where she has

been instrumental in the development and delivery of

numerous accredited programs to Australian Gps,

nurses, and pharmacists both face to face and online.

Lisa became President of GAME in April, 2015 and will

remain in this position until mid 2017. She is presently

working closely with various regional groups

to extend the GAME Regional network and to

continue to bring CME-CPD professionals together

and to enhance the development and delivery of

CME-CPD globally.

Ms. Lisa SullivanBbus - Marketing, MPhil (candidate)

President - GAME,

Founder and GMD - In Vivo Communications

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Outcome measurements in CME

The use of emerging technologies in medical

education

Strategic medical education

Having once been a stand-up comedian in New York,

his lectures and presentations tend to combine

humor, compelling content, and audience

involvement. He recently performed stand-up

comedy at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Medical Societies, Associations & Councils

Dr. Vora is Assisstant Honorary

Physician & in Charge, Dept. (Chest

& TB) at Dr. R. N. Cooper Municipal

Gen Hospital, Vile Parle (W). He is

associate professor, Department of

Chest & TB K. J. Somaiya Medical

College, Mumbai (Since December

1, 2009) and teaching faculty, FCPS & TDD at College

of Physician & Surgeons, Mumbai. He is also Ass. Hon.

Chest Physician since (September 1, 2014) at Sewree

TB Group of Hospitals.

He holds various positions including Assistant Editor

of JAPI for the period of 6 years from date 25 February

2015, elected as Member governing body of API for

the period of three years i.e 2016 to 2019 and elected

as managing committee member of IMA – Mumbai

West for the year 2016 – 2017.

He has numerous achievements to his credit such as

Fellowship of the Association of College of Chest

Physicians, India for Tropical Pulmonology (FCCP)

(April 30, 1998); Fellowship of Indian Academy of

Health Education (FIAHE) (May 20 1998); Fellowship

of the Society for Advanced Studies in Medical

Sciences in TB & Chest diseases (FSASMS) (April 30,

1998); Fellowship of Geriatric Society of India

(November 1, 2009); Fellowship of American College

of Chest Physicians (April 2012); Fellowship of

Association of Physicians of India (2012); and

Fellowship of National College of Chest Physicians

(India) (November 6, 2015), to name a few. Dr. Vora

Dr. Agam VoraMD (CHEST & TB), DETRD, FIAHE, FCCP, FSASMS

Member - Executive Committee, API

General Secretary - Environmental Medical

Association (EMA)

Dr. Ajay Kumar is a Member and

Advisor to the President, Medical

Council of India (since 2013);

Advisor, Confederation of Medical

Associations in Asia & Oceania

(CIMMAO); and Member, Adhoc

Committee Indian Red Cross

Society, Bihar State Branch.

He is the Council Member, World Medical Association

(WMA); Member, Ethics committee of World Medical

Association (WMA); Life Member of the management

committee of "Silver Jubilee Research Award Fund" of

Medical Council of India; Member, Screening

Committee for Entrance Examination for private

Technical Institutions of Bihar appointed by Honorary

High court, Patna; Member, Drug Technical Advisory

Committee, Government of India; and Chairman,

Association for Promotion of Creative Learning

(APCL).

He has been on board of various national and

international urology associations. Dr. Ajay Kumar has

been awarded with a Lifetime Service Award during

IMACON, 2011; B. C. Roy National Award, 2007; and

Urology Gold Medal, 2010.

Dr. Ajay KumarMBBS, FRCS (Edinburg), FIAMS (Uro), FICS (Uro)

Chairman – Grievance, Medical Council of

India (MCI)

has presented many posters, papers, and has been

invited to many national and international

conferences.

12 13

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Dr. B.R. Bansode is a physician and

cardiologist at Dr. Babasaheb

Ambedkar Memorial Hospital,

Byculla, Mumbai. He has been the

Chairman of the Sc ient i f ic

Committee – APICON 2017. Dr.

Bansode has been awarded with

GM's Award for meritorious work in Medicine and

Cardiology. He is the Secretary General of

Hypertension Society of India and Cardiology Society

of India (MB). He is also DNB Teacher for Medicine.

Dr. B. R. BansodeM.D.(Med.) FICP, FCCP, WHO Fellowship in

2D Echo-color Doppler &TEE (USA)

President, Association of Physicians of India (API)

Dr. Muruganathan has held many

important positions like past

President of Association of

Physicians of India (API); past

President of IMA Tamil Nadu State

Branch; Ex-Dean of IMA CGP; past

Rotary Governor (District); and past

Vice President of the Indian Red Cross Society, Tamil

Nadu State Branch.

Currently, Dr. Muruganathan is also the Chairman of

Shristi A. G. Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India.

Dr. B. A. MuruganathanMD, FRCP (Glasgow), FRCP (London), FACP (USA),

FPCP (Philippines), FICP

Dean - Indian College of Physicians (ICP)

President - Hypertension Society of India (HSI)

Dr. Banshi Saboo is a chief

diabetologist and Chairman of his

diabetes care center "Dia Care -

Diabetes Care & Hormone Clinic".

His current field of interest is to raise

awareness and work for the

prevention of diabetes in India.

He is doing PhD in Phenotyping and Genotyping

of Young Diabetics in the Indian Population. Also, he

is involved in various research projects i.e. Obesity in

Children, Epidemiological Study of Diabetes in

Gujarat, etc.

He is conducting a diabetes awareness project

with the support of World Diabetes Foundation

(WDF) along with Ahmedabad Municipal

Corporation (AMC).

He is involved in various epidemiological projects as a

principal investigator for Gujarat in ICMR INDIAB

study, Indian Heart Watch (IHW) study, and in the SITE

(Screening of Twin Epidemic) study.

He has presented several scientific papers in many

National and International Conferences. He is a

member of the editorial board of Journal of

Association of Physicians of India.

He is a governing body member of ISPAD, DASG, API,

RSSDI, DFSI.

He is a secretary of the All India Association for

Advancing Research in Obesity (AIAARO).

He is the founder of an NGO "Diabetes Care India".

Dr. Banshi SabooMD, MNAMS (Diabetology), FRCP (Glasgow),

PhD, FACE, FICN, MSc University of South

Wales (UK)

Secretary, Diabetes India (DI)

He is the Deputy Secretary,

Federation of Obstetrics and

Gynaecological Societies of India

(FOGSI); Secretary, Mumbai

Obstetrics and Gynaecological

Society (MOGS); Vice Chair,

Internat ional Federat ion of

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (FIGO), Working Group

for prevention of unsafe abortion; Chair, Publication

and Newsletter committee Asia Oceania Federation of

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AOFOG); Ex-Chair,

Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertil ity

Committee Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and

Gynecology (AOFOG); Ex-Chairman MTP Committee

(FOGSI) 2004 – 09; and Vice President, Forum for

Enhancement of Quality in Healthcare (FEQH).

Dr. Tank is a Consultant at Ashwini Maternity and

Surgical Hospital, Center for Endoscopy and IVF and

Dr. Jaydeep TankMD, DNB, DGO, FCPS, MICOG

Deputy Secretary, Federation of Obstetrics and

Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI)

Jupiter Hospital Fertility and IVF Clinic. He is also a

Program Director and Member of board ProFert IVF

and a visiting consultant for IVF - Akola, Jabalpur,

Jalandhar, Vasai, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Nagpur, and

Lucknow.

He is a senior family physician –

Primary Care, practicing for 37 years

in Mumbai. In the past, he has

served as the Honorary State

Secretary - IMA Maharashtra State

and adjudged as the Best State

Secretary four times.

In his honor, he has received Best President award

from IMA Maharashtra as well as from IMA National

and Lifetime Achievement awards from various

medical associations.

He is very techno savvy with keen interest in

computers, CME activities, and arranging many

medical camps.

Dr. Jayesh LeleMember, Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC)

Dr. Sharma is the Dean (Academics)

Tata Memorial Centre since January

2010. He is also a Professor,

Department of Anesthesiology,

Critical Care & Pain, Tata Memorial

Centre. Dr. Sharma is Ex-Member,

Board of Governors – Medical

Council of India, New Delhi (Since May 2011 Up to

date) and Present Government of India Nominee on

Post Graduate and Superspeciality Committee,

Medical Council of India, New Delhi from

December 2013.

Prof. (Dr.) Kailash S. Sharma Dean (Academics), Tata Memorial Centre

He is a renowned orthodontist by

profession and an Elected Councilor

in the FDI council. Oral health is very

dear to his heart, and he is

committed to attaining optimal oral

health for all in the country. He has

been instrumental in promoting

several health initiatives like Oral Cancer Foundation,

National Oral Cancer Registry, Tobacco Intervention

Initiative, Child Dental Center, National Oral Health

Programme, etc., to name only a few. He has been

associated with teaching and had the distinction of

being an advisor to the Government of Maharashtra,

Department of Public Health and Medical Education.

He was also honorary research orthodontist in the

Department of Plastic Surgery at Grant Medical

College, JJ Group of Hospitals. He has been working

for the improvement of oral health in the country and

to create greater awareness of its link with general

health.

Dr. Ashok DhobleHonorary Secretary General,

Indian Dental Association (IDA)

14 15

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

He had proposed and got approval by the ministry for

three students per professor in the subject of

Oncology (Surgical, Medical and Radiation

Oncology), Anesthesia, and Forensic Medicine.

Dr. Sharma has a total experience of 31 years at Tata

Memorial Centre (under Deptartment of Atomic

Energy, Central Government of India). He is presently

appointed as Senate Member, Maharashtra University

of Health Science (MUHS), Nasik by Government of

Maharashtra.

He is a practicing consultant

physician and diabetologist. He is

also the General Secretary of Indian

College of Physicians (ICP). Dr.

Tiwaskar is also a member of ADA,

AACE, EASD, DASG, RSSDI, and

Critical Care Society.

In the past, he has served as a governing body

member, API and ex-officio member, Journal of

Association of Physicians of India (JAPI).

He has founded the Association of Dahisar Diabetics

(ADD). Dr. Tiwaskar has published 12 chapters in

various books and text books, 3 papers on diabetes,

and 1 paper on snake bites.

Dr. Mangesh TiwaskarMD (Internal Medicine), FACP, FICP, FGSI,

Diploma in Advanced Diabetology (Denmark)

General Secretary,

Association of Physicians of India (API)

Dr. Saini is the member of the

International Body of Experts for

Infectious Diseases which is

headquartered at UK. In the past,

he has served as the honorary

Secretary General, IMA; President,

Delhi Medical Association; and also

as the President, IMA.

He is the member of GOI committee constituted to fix

minimum standards in various healthcare sectors. He

is also the Principal of Pushpanjali Institute of

Paramedical Sciences.

He has received many awards to his credit, namely

British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin

(BAPIO) award, Best Branch President of IMA, roll of

honor by EDB and IMA for the last 5 years in

succession, AAPI award for infection control and

hygiene, IMA award for his distinguished services,

and Best Worker of IMA award by Delhi Medical

Association, and Dr. P. C. Bhatla Trophy for

distinguished services to the medical profession and

community.

During his tenure as Secretary of IMA, Dr. Saini had

kickstarted many programs in patient and doctor

community interest. He has been instrumental in

shaping of the program of “antimicrobial

stewardship” keeping in mind the growing

antimicrobial resistance in India.

He was the Chief Coordinator and Chairman of the

scientific committee on TB in the Indo-US health

summit held at Delhi 2007. Dr. Saini has formulated

recommendations on TB in the Indo-US health summit

to be presented to the Government of India and APPI.

He has edited a book on Rational Use of Antibiotics

and Diagnostics and published papers on various

bulletins of IMA and other Journals.

Dr. Narendra SainiMBBS, MD (Microbiology), DA, PG Course in

Hospital Administration

Board Member,

Delhi Medical Council (DMC)

Dr. Rajesh Upadhyay is a senior

consultant and head, Department

o f G a s t r o e n t e r o l o g y a n d

Hepatology at Max Super Speciality

Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi.

Dr. Upadhyay has completed MBBS

and MD educational qualifications. He has

authored/coauthored more than 60 papers, chapters,

editorials, and abstracts in national and international

journals. On a regional, national, and international

levels he has organized, participated, and delivered

more than 100 lectures in numerous conferences for

which he has been honored with several awards. He

serves on the editorial board of many books and

journals, and he also is an international advisor to the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (UK).

He is the Director of the Indian Confederation for

Healthcare Accreditation (ICHA) and past President of

the Association of Physicians of India (API). He holds a

special interest in Luminal Gastroenterology,

Alcoholic Liver, and other Liver Diseases.

Dr. Rajesh UpadhyayMBBS, MD, MRCP (UK), FRCP (Glasgow), FICP

Past President,

Association of Physicians of India (API)

Dr. Prabhoo did his Spine, Trauma,

and Advance training in Germany

and France (Prof Zielke, Holz,

Vinchow etc.) and later he did

Fellowships in Germany, France,

HongKong, USA in Trauma, Spine,

and Arthroscopy and Joints.

Dr. Ram PrabhooMS(Ortho), FICS

President,

Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA)

He has delivered many lectures, orations, and has

participated in symposias nationally and

internationally. He has held more than 160

workshops and taught more than 4,500 Orthopedic

surgeons all over the country and abroad.

He has organized many conferences namely

Golden Jubilee Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association

conference (2012), APOA 2015 Trauma and

Infection meeting (Mumbai), International Rural

Surgeons Conference (2012 and 2014), Golden

Jubilee IOACON (2005), 10 National Conferences-

WIROC, HAND, FOOT, Trauma and Oncology and

Rural Surgery and four international conferences.

He has served as the past President of Bombay

Orthopaedic Society (BOS Twice 2004–2006). He

was the chairman of the National Trauma and Foreign

Fellowship Committee of IOA, Vice President of the

Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association, Joint Secretary

of the Association of Rural Surgeons of India (ARSI),

and the trustee of the JESS Research and

Development Society (JRDS). He was a course director

of MCh (Seychelles) and convener of basic surgical

skills of FRCS (EDIN).

Dr. Prabhoo is a reviewer of JBJS and coauthored 4

books in which, “Trauma Management by JESS” has

been awarded as the author of the Best Book award in

2008; and in 2012 for "Ultrasonography of Shoulder "

by Bombay Orthopaedic Society.

He is working as the Head of Department at V N Desai

Hospital for the last 25 years, as a Medical Director

Mukund Hospital, and as a Consultant at

Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, Mumbai.

Currently, he is working on deformity correction and

development of newer and inexpensive indigenous

techniques in orthopedics.

16 17

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Dr. Bajaj is currently the Director-

Professor and Head of Medicine,

MLN Medical College, Allahabad,

India. Her major contribution is

towards studies on diabetes,

obesity, and growth. She has

almost 150 publications in peer

reviewed journals, monograms, and books. She has

been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award,

Fellowship of UP Diabetes Association, and WHO

Fellowship in Endocrinology to visit the SIU School of

Medicine, Springfield, USA.

She is holding and has held many important posts:

President RSSDI, President API (UP Chapter), President

of WENDI (Women in Endocrinology and Diabetes),

Executive Patron RSSDI-UP Chapter, Executive

member Indian Thyroid Society, Executive member

ISBMR (UP Chapter ) , Execut ive member

MP-PCOS society. She is a National Faculty PHFI for

CCEDM, CCGDM, and CCMTD. She was the Scientific

Chair for RSSDI 2015, UPDACON 2015, International

Clinical Update in Endocrinology, 2014; Organizing

Secretary for UP APICON 2016, Endocrine Update

2011, RSSDI 2011, and UP APICON 2004.

She is the editor-in-chief, ESI Manual of nd

Endocrinology 2 edition.

Dr. Sarita Bajaj has been invited as a faculty at both

national & international forums and has been

awarded several prestigious orations. Honors have

been bestowed upon her in the scientific and public

field for her yeomen contribution to the medical

fraternity and society in endocrine education and

awareness.

Dr. Sarita BajajMD, DM (Endocrinology, AIIMS) FRCP

(Glasgow), FRCP (Edinburgh)

President,

Research Society for the Study of

Diabetes in India (RSSDI)Dr. Misra is the President of the

Association of Surgeons of India.

He did his medical graduation and

postgraduation in surgery from

GSVM, Kanpur, India. He has

worked as a senior consultant

surgeon at Zahedan Medical

University, Iran; at Al Zahrawi Hospital, UAE (1985-

1994); is currently working as a senior consultant

(laparoscopic obesity) and general surgeon at

Mariampur Hospital, Kanpur, India; and he is the

pioneer of minimal access bariatric surgery in Uttar

Pradesh, India.

Dr. Misra has performed more than 15,000

laparosopic operations, with more than 1,000

laparoscopic operations last year, thus making it one

of the busiest advanced laparoscopic surgery centers

of Uttar Pradesh, India and taking minimal access

surgery (MAS) to the masses. He has been the

National Secretary (SAARC Surgical Care Society,

India, 2013-2015).

Dr. Misra has received many national and

international awards and has delivered orations in

India and abroad. He has been awarded many

Honorary Fellowships including the prestigious

fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons-England

(FRCS) and a rare honor of receiving honorary

fellowships of all 3 minimal access surgery societies of

our vast country i.e. Indian Association of

Gastrointestinal Endo Surgeons (FIAGES), Advance

Laparoscopic Surgery (FALS), International College of

Laparoscopic Surgeons (FCLS) and Lucknow College

of Surgeons (FLCS), Fellowship in Laparoscopic

Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery (FBMS), Fellowship of

Minimal Access Surgery (FMAS) of AMASI

(Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India).

Dr. Shiva K. MisraMBBS, MS, FRCS (England), FICS (USA), FAIS, FLCS

(Honorary) FIAGES(Honorary), FALS(Honorary) FBMS, FMAS

(Honorary)

President, Association of Surgeons of India (ASI)

He is a Life Member of more than 30 national and

international surgical bodies and Faculty at Centre of

Excellence for Minimal Access Surgery Training

(CEMAST) Mumbai, India.

Dr. Misra is sensitive to the weaker and deprived

section of the society and has organized many free

medical and surgery camps as a part of charity work

and has encouraged and sponsored many poor and

needy children for their education.

Dr. Utture, a genera l and

laparoscopic surgeon practicing in

Mumbai, is a Professor of Surgery

and Unit Head at JJ Hospital. He is a

member of the National Working

Group IMA HQ Delhi and Central

Working Committee, IMA HQ.

He has served as the Chairman of AKN Sinha Institute

of Medical Education & Research and Chairman of

IMA HQ. He has received many prestigious awards,

namely Best President's award from IMA Maharashtra

state and National IMA Delhi HQ, President's

Appreciation award for selfless service from IMA HQ

Delhi and IMA Maharashtra State for the past 6 years,

IMA National President's award for medical education

and research, and many more IMA awards.

He was invited to deliver multiple orations and

lectures in different medical organizations. He has

multiple papers published in both national and

international Journals and has a distinction of his

paper being on the cover page of prestigious

international journal "ENDOSCOPY".

Dr. Shivkumar S. UttureMS (Mumbai University), FICS (USA)

Executive Member and Chairman Finance Committee

- Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC)

Finance Secretary - Indian Medical Association (IMA),

Maharashtra State

He is the director of North Bombay Clinic, Mumbai

and attached to Fortis (Raheja) and Shushrusha

hospitals in Mumbai.

Dr. Utture is instrumental in starting “Dr. Shankarrao

Utture High School” a school especially for female

students imparting free education, books, and

clothes. He is also the trustee in Hiranyakeshi

Shikshan Sanstha which imparts free education to the

students.

He is the Honorary Chancellor at

Krishna Institute of Medical

Sciences University and Pro-

Chancellor-cum-Chief Advisor at

Datta Meghe Institute of Medical

Sciences (DMIMS).

He is a honorary Director, Centre for Health Policy

Planning and Education Research, at DMIMS.

He is the Co-Convener Multi Country Expert Group for

Registration and Licensing for South-East Asia Region

countries and Member, Multi-Country Expert Group

for accreditation of medical schools for South-East

Asia Region countries and Member, Multi-Country

Expert Group for competency-based medical

education model for South-East Asia Region countries.

He has participated and delivered several keynote

addresses at various international/national as well as

regional conferences on various aspects of medical

education both undergraduate and postgraduate.

Dr. Mishra is also the Chairman, Advisory Board, RTM

Nagpur University, Nagpur.

He is a member of the Governing Council Kasturba

Health Society, Sewagram, Wardha which manages

Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences,

Sewagram.

Dr. Vedprakash MishraChairman - Academic Committee,

Medical Council of India (MCI)

18 19

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

In MCI, Dr. Mishra served as a Chairman of Post

Graduate Medical Education Committee, Member of

Executive Committee, and Chairman of Finance

Committee.

He was also former Vice Chancellor, DMIMS.

Dr. Mishra has also served as a dean and member of

many renowned universities.

Dr. Pandit is the Director at Mukund

H o s p i t a l a n d H o n o r a r y

Anesthesiologist at Holy Spirit

Hospital. She is the past editor of

the GRASP, AMC. She is the coeditor

of "DOCUSMART" AMC Publication

and "Medicolegal Manual for

Police" AMC publication.

Dr. Veena PanditM. D., D. A.

President,

Association Of Medical Consultants (AMC), Mumbai

He is the professor (Skin & VD),

Baroda Medical College.

Dr. Marfatia has been a PG teacher

for more than 25 years. He is the

Chief Editor for IJSTD & AIDS

(Pubmed Indexed). He has

Fellowship in HIV Medicine,

University of South Florida, 2003.

He has been awarded “Teacher Par Excellence Award”

at DERMACON, 2015. He has been the Chairperson

(Scientific), DERMACON 2013 and National

President, Indian Association for Study of STD & AIDS,

2005. Dr. Marfatia has delivered IADVL oration at

DERMACON 2006, Hyderabad.

He has contributed chapters in: 1) IADVL textbook, 2)

IASSTD & AIDS textbook, 3) STI textbook by Elsevier, 4)

IAP textbook, 5) API Textbook and has more than 30

publications to his credit. He has delivered lectures at

numerous national level conferences.

Dr. Yogesh MarfatiaPresident, Indian Association of

Dermatologists, Venereologists & Leprologists

(IADVL)

Industry

After completion of MD in clinical

pharmacology, he worked as an

Assitant Professor in Lady Harding

Medical College, New Delhi for

about 5 years. He worked in various

I n d i a n a n d m u l t i n a t i o n a l

pharmaceutical companies for the

past 20 years in medical affairs, and clinical

development in various therapy areas including drug

discovery and biologicals.

He has participated in several national and

international medical conferences as a speaker on

several diseases and drug therapies. He is a guest

speaker in several institutions and research centres in

the areas of clinical research and drug development.

He has 35 publications in the Indian and international

medical journals. He has been awarded Vishisht

Chikitsa Medal in 1994 by Governor of Andhra

Pradesh and Rashtriya Ratan Award in 2005 by

Governor of Gujarat.

Dr. Ambrish SrivastavaVice President - Medical Affairs

Clinical Research and Regulatory,

Alkem Laboratories Limited.

Dr. Anil Kukreja has done Doctorate

in Medicine in Pharmacology before

joining the Academic institute for

teaching. He has an experience of

teaching pharmacology to medical

students for 2 years. He has

over 15 years experience in the

Dr. Anil KukrejaDirector – Medical Affairs,

Roche Pharmaceuticals

pharmaceutical industry with wide experience of

medical affairs of branded generic products and

Innovator products across therapeutic segments viz.

osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiology, psychiatry,

antibiotics, etc. marketed by the Indian pharma

industry and antiallergics, probiotics, antibiotics,

oncology, rheumatology, gastroenterology,

nephrology, etc. marketed by Innovator Multinational

corporations. His experience includes in-licensed

products & clinical development of locally developed

Bio therapeutics.

He has worked in organizations like Sanofi-Aventis

India Limited, Wockhardt Limited, RPG Life sciences,

Gufic Biosciences, and Elder Pharmaceuticals Limited

before joining Roche.

Currently, he is working as the Medical Director -

Roche Products (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.

He has developed a strong, young, dynamic team of

medical managers, clinical research, regulatory, drug

safety, quality, biomarker and medical information

professionals thus establishing a solid medical

function over the last 7 years and his responsibilities

include providing strategic leadership and taking

overall accountability for medical affairs including

medical information, scientific communication,

medical monitoring and medical writing, clinical

research, regulatory, drug safety, biomarker, KOL

management and ensuring medical compliance

through a very strong local quality function.

During his tenure in Roche, he has developed

medical function with support from Roche India

leadership team.

20 21

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Daara B. Patel is a Bachelor of

Commerce from University of

Mumbai and has a Diploma in

Materials Management from the

Indian Institute of Materials

Management (IIMM).

He has worked with multinational companies as well

as large business houses like Parke Davis (India)

Limited as Director, Purchasing; Sinar Mas Group

(Indonesia, Jakarta) as General Manager;

Procurement (Agribusiness Division); and Jet Airways

(India) Limited as General Manager, Purchase,

Properties, and Administration.

Currently, he is the Secretary General of the Indian

Drug Manufacturers' Association, an apex body of

950 plus pharmaceutical and bulk drug

manufacturers.

He is responsible for the smooth functioning of the

association as per the constitution and By-Laws. He is

known for providing prompt responses to the

members' queries and problems; organizing industry-

specific seminars, training programs and workshops;

making presentations; chairing technical sessions at

various industry events; efficient handling of pricing-

related issues, EXIM policy, regulatory affairs,

technical affairs, and industry and trade-related

issues. He also coordinates activities / issues with

other associations.

He has excellent leadership qualities and is an able

administrator. He is responsible for the smooth

functioning of the Association which includes public

relation activities, organizing and conducting training

programs, and liaising with the Government and

Ministry. He leads the association's CSR initiatives.

He has successfully led delegations of Indian

pharmaceutical companies jointly with FICCI and

Lion Daara B. PatelSecretary - General,

Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA)

Reed Exhibitions to China as well as Japan for

interactive meetings with SFDA, Ministry of

Commerce, Chinese Pharmaceuticals, API

Manufacturers, and CPIA.

He was invited by the United States Pharmacopoeia as

an Official Observer in Washington in April 2010 and

as a Delegate in April 2015. He has been bestowed

with one of the most prestigious awards, "Pharma

Professional of the Decade" by the Pharma Leaders

Group in December 2014.

His other interest lies in various social associations;

he is a very active member of Lions Clubs International

and was the District Governor of Lions Clubs

International, District 323 A1, Mumbai in 2008–2009.

Dilip G. Shah is the CEO of Vision

Consu l t i ng Group , a f i rm

specialized in strategic planning,

and he has 37 years' varied

experience in the pharmaceutical

industry.

He is the Secretary-General of the

Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), an association of

11 large research-based national companies.

Together they share 30 percent of the domestic

market, account for one third of exports, and

contribute 90 per cent of research and development

spending in the pharmaceutical industry.

Also, Dr. Shah is a member of the Management Board

of the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance

(IGPA), Co-chairman of the FICCI's Committee on

Pharmaceuticals, member of the CII's Committee on

Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, member of the Board of

Advisors of Express Pharma Pulse (Weekly) and

Pharmabiz.com (Weekly), member of the Advisory

Panel for the Business Briefing: PharmaGenerics,

UK, Editor, Asia and India, Journal of Generic

Mr. Dilip G. ShahSecretary General,

Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA)

Medicines, UK, and member of the board of directors

of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited and Zuventus

Healthcare Limited.

He is the author of the first book on "Drug Pricing in

India" and occasional contributor to business press.

He graduated from the premier business school in

India, Indian Institute of Management (IIM),

Ahmedabad, and has been a guest faculty for their

management development programs.

Dr. Jaideep A. Gogtay completed his

medical graduation (MBBS) from

Grant Medical College and Sir J J

Group of Hospitals in Mumbai. He

then completed his MD in

Pharmacology from Seth GS

Medical College and KEM Hospital.

During his post graduate days, he worked as a

lecturer in pharmacology. Since 1994 he has been

working with Cipla Ltd. and is currently Chief Medical

Officer. He has been closely involved in the

development and introduction of several drugs in

various therapeutic fields particularly HIV/AIDS,

infectious diseases and respiratory diseases, He has

worked on several clinical trials in the field of asthma

and COPD and infectious diseases.

He was involved in setting up of the Chest Research

Foundation (CRF). It is now an independent research

center dedicated to conducting research in the field of

respiratory medicine. He has participated and spoken

at several national and international forums and has

been actively involved in educational activities.

He was a member of the Association of Physicians of

India guidelines 2005 on 'Antiretroviral therapy'

and has 34 publications and over 40 presentations

at conferences. He has also participated in

research methodology workshops with academic

institutes.

Dr. Jaideep GogtayChief Medical Officer,

Cipla Ltd.

Jyotish is the Head of Knowledge

Management and Strategic

Medical Affairs for Established

Pharmaceuticals Divisions of

Abbott in India.

Jyotish has joined Abbott in 2013

with Global Integrated Health (GIH)

team. After a short stint with GIH, he moved to

Healthcare Solutions team where he was responsible

for driving scientific medico marketing for their key

strategic brands. He has launched “ APIDIAS “ - first of

a kind of initiative in the country in collaboration with

the Association of Physicians of India (API) for

improvising the standards of care at MD physicians level.

Jyotish has a rich experience in Healthcare sector,

including Pharma, KPO, Publication, and Consulting.

Prior to Abbott, he was associated with Reed Elsevier

as Head - Medical Relations for South Asia where he

had established their consulting (Solution) business

by creating local content. He was also associated Eli

Lilly, Godrej at the start of his career.

Jyotish is an agricultural engineer and an MBA from

MSM, Meerut.

Mr. Jyotishman BoruahrdOrganizing Secretary - GAME 3 India Regional

Conference,

Head - Knowledge Management and Strategic

Medical Affairs, India Region, Abbott

Dr. Mubarak Naqvi looks after

Medical Affairs, Clinical Research

and Market Access functions at

SANOFI for India and South

Asia. His role is primarily focused

on unde r s t and ing pa t i en t

requirements and developing

Dr. Mubarak NaqviSenior Director,

Medical and Regulatory Affairs,

Sanofi India

22 23

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

products, solutions and services that meet the

patients' needs.

He is a physician by training and a researcher by

passion and has special interest in clinical project

management. Prior to this role, Dr. Naqvi was the

Head of Clinical Study Unit at SANOFI for India and

South Asia.

Before joining SANOFI, Dr. Naqvi worked at different

positions with Clinical Research Organizations in

geographies like North Dakota; California and New

Jersey in US; and New Delhi, in India; He has handled

large and small clinical research projects in India,

Europe, North and South America.

A MD in Pharmacology from Grant

Government Medical College and

Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai,

affiliated to the University of

Mumbai. He has more than two

decades of experience in the

pharma industry, post his MD.

He has been lucky in terms of getting opportunities to

work in small-to-large sized Indian pharma

companies as well as MNC and providing support

in the entire spectrum of medical services, medico-

marketing, regulatory, clinical research, and

pharmacovigilance.

He believes strongly in ethical, scientific promotional

strategy, backed up by an excellent KOL connect

across therapy areas, spanning the entire country.

He has been able to work very closely with commercial

teams, helping the medical teams to graduate from a

mere support function to a partner, business enabler

team, providing value-added support, ideating and

driving medical initiatives, partnering with medical

associations and institutes for the same.

Dr. Qayum MukaddamHead, Medical & Regulatory Affairs,

Galderma India Pvt. Ltd.

In addit ion to his current

responsibilities, he also handles the

South Asian markets of Sri Lanka

and Bangladesh. Prior to joining

Janssen India in August 2013, he

was the Managing Director of MSD,

Philippines.

Sanjiv has over 24 years of experience in

pharmaceutical industry across various geographies

like Europe, Asia, and India with varied experience in

business functions, such as sales, marketing, supply

chain, finance, strategy, and general management.

He was adjudged the winner of OPPI (MNC body in

India) Marketing Excellence Award for 3 years in a row

for New Product Launches in India and is also credited

with spearheading the well-known industry

firsts' initiatives and innovative Patient Support Programs.

Sanjiv holds a degree in Pharmacy and a master's

degree in Business Administration. He has been a part

of one year Executive Management program with

Harvard.

Mr. Sanjiv NavangulManaging Director,

Janssen India

Mr. Jain has a rich healthcare

business experience of over 35 years

which includes stints in Abbott,

Johnson and Johnson, and leading

Indian companies. He has got

extensive experience in the field

force management, brand building,

and overall business operations related to healthcare

field. He has been associated with over 30 brands,

Mr. Sudarshan JainManaging Director,

Abbott Healthcare Solutions

Susheel joined Abbott in December,

2016 as Managing Director and

General Manager for the Speciality

Care affiliate. He comes with over

two decades of experience from

Sanofi in various leadership

positions across the Indian Sub-

Continent, Australia, Africa, and France in marketing,

sales, business development, and commercial

excellence functions. In his last role, Susheel had the

dual responsibility as the Chairman of Kenya and as

the General Manager for Eastern and Southern Africa.

In this role, he setup a fully functional affiliate in

Nairobi spanning 14 countries and managed the

acute and chronic care product portfolio for the

organization in Africa.

Mr. Susheel UmeshManaging Director & General Manager –

HCS Specialty Care, Abbott Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

which are among the top 300 in the Indian

pharmaceutical industry. His experience covers

pharmaceutical, OTC, hospital, diagnostic and

nutrition business over the years.

Mr. Jain is the Vice President of Organization of

Pharmaceuticals Producers of India (OPPI)

representing research-based pharmaceutical

companies. He is also a Board Member of Abbott

Healthcare, member of the Board of Indian Institute

of Health Management Research, Jaipur, member of

the Advisory Board of Narsee Monjee University,

Mumbai (NMIMS), Charter Member of The Indus

Entrepreneurs, Mumbai (TiE) and is associated as

visiting faculty with various leading Management

Institutes in the country.

Mr. Jain has a BSc degree in physics from

St. Stephens College, Delhi University and an MBA

from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management

(IIM), Ahmedabad specializing in marketing and

finance management.

Prior to this role, Susheel was based at the Sanofi

headquarters in Paris as the Global Marketing lead for

Toujeo Insulin and Lantus. He managed Toujeo’s

global launch and was a member of the global team

guiding the long range diabetes business plans of key

countries. In India, as the Head of Pharmaceutical

Commercial Operations, Susheel had the overall

commercial responsibility for the India Pharmaceutical

operations, including Tier I and Tier II operations, mass

therapies as well as business excellence and strategy

for the consolidated commercial organization.

Susheel is a Master of Business Administration in

Marketing from Pune University and a Bachelor of

Pharmacy from the Mumbai University.

Dr. Suresh Menon is an alumni from

the Grant Medical College and

J.J. Group of Hospitals in Mumbai.

He has been associated with the

Indian Pharmaceutical Industry for

close to 3 decades and has worked

in a number of Indian as well as multi-national

companies (including USV, Nicholas Piramal,

Schering-Plough, and Organon).

Currently with Novartis (for the last 12 years),

heading the Medical Function as Chief Scientific Officer

(CSO).

He is well networked in the Pharma industry and, in

addition to being Co-Chair of the Medical

Committee of OPPI, is also an Executive Committee

Member of the Indian Society for Clinical Research

(ISCR). He was also a Past President of the ISCR.

Dr. Menon has more than 30 publications in peer

reviewed journals to his credit.

Dr. Suresh MenonChief Scientific Officer,

Novartis India Ltd.

24 25

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Dr. Vikram specializes in internal

medicine and, as a pharmaceutical

physician, has worked across

multiple therapeutic areas, in

mu l t i p l e emerg ing marke t

geographies like India, South Africa

and Middle-East. Dr. Vikram has led

Dr. Vikram SinghVice President, Medical Affairs & Infectious Diseases,

Janssen India

Vrishali is an MBBS from Rajiv

Gandhi Medical College and MD

(Pharmacology) from Lokmanya

Municipal Medical College, Mumbai

University. She also has a Diploma

in Business Management from

Welingkar's Institute of Management.

She started her career in the pharmaceutical industry

11 years ago with Novartis India Ltd. She joined GSK

in 2007 as a medical advisor and was promoted as

senior Medical Advisor in October, 2009 and then as

Head – Medical Affairs in April, 2012. She was the

acting Medical Director from February, 2014 and was

promoted as Medical Director, India/Sri Lanka from

February, 2015.

As a Medical Director, she is responsible for leading

the medical affairs, regulatory affairs, clinical

operations, pharmacovigilance, and medical

governance teams and for providing appropriate

guidance to the Sri Lankan Medical team.

Dr. Vrishali DesaiMedical Director,

India/Sri Lanka, GSK

Dr. Suvarna has over 18 years of

e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e I n d i a n

pharmaceutical industry, almost

eleven years of which were in Pfizer

(last position – Head, Medical

Operations providing strategic

oversight and direction to Medical

Affairs, Medical Research Specialists, Medical

Informat ion, Pharmacov ig i lance, D isease

Management, External Medical Affairs, and Clinical

Development including Non-Interventional Studies,

Outcomes Research and Investigator-Initiated Research)

He has completed his MBBS from Topiwala National

Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai

(distinctions and recipient of Dr. D. D. Variyava and Dr.

D. D. Sathe prizes in Anatomy and Pharmacology). He

has done his MD Pharmacology from Grant Medical

College and the Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai

(first in Mumbai University – recipient of Dr.

Bhalchandra Vad prize). He has done his MSc in

Pharmaceutical Medicine from Hibernia University,

Dublin (first class). He is the peer reviewer for Indian

Journal of Pharmacology and Section Editor

(Methodology) of Perspectives in Clinical Research

Dr. Viraj SuvarnaMedical Director,

Boehringer Ingelheim

Dr. Swashraya Shah graduated in

Medicine during the year 1989

and post-graduated in MD

(Pharmacology) in 1995 from one

of the premier institution of India -

Grant Medical College, Sir J. J.

Group of Hospitals, Mumbai.

He joined MSD in October, 2007 as Medical Director.

He has over twenty years of rich professional

experience both in academic and clinical arena spread

across various leading pharmaceutical companies. He

has led the team of medical affairs with creative and

innovative ideas to generate medical projects to

improve patient outcomes and also to support life

cycle management of products in ethical and

scientific manner. He provided strategic inputs to

market access for new products from medical and

regulatory perspective for successful launch of anti-

infective and oncology products in India.

In 2013, he took on a short-term assignment with

epidemiology team in Merck Research Labs in US.

During this assignment, he worked closely with the

epidemiology team with focus to assess the dengue

surveillance network for India.

In addition to his current role of Medical Affairs; he is

also Innovation Lead for MSD India. He has played a

key role in the development of innovative programs

like Antimicrobial Stewardship, SPARSH, and capacity

building program on diabetes management

(CCEBDM), which have not only helped us

differentiate in front of customers and stakeholders,

but also helped MSD gain a number of external and

internal recognition and business success.

Prior to joining MSD India, he was associated with

AstraZeneca Singapore Pte Ltd. as Area Medical

Director SEA/India. His role was to focus on

enhancing/leveraging the quality and scope of the

medical function across SEA/India as well as the

development of medical leadership to support other

parts of the organization. He was instrumental in

Dr. Swashraya ShahSr. Director, Medical Affairs, MSD

setting-up their clinical research team and involving

India in their global drug development programs

(Phase II to III trials).

Swati Dalal has a rich experience of

over 20 years in the pharmaceutical

industry and is Director of

Commercial Operations at Abbott

Healthcare Solutions overseeing

strategic marketing, business

development, and marketing

communications. Swati started her career at Wockhardt

Ltd. and has worked at Boots, Knoll and now Abbott.

Swati has worked in marketing and sales in various

therapy areas in pharmaceuticals and nutrition and

has experience in handling business development, life

cycle management, and marketing excellence. Swati

is also active with industry associations like

Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).

Swati holds a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from

K. M. Kundnani College of Pharmacy, Mumbai.

She earned her postgraduate qualification of Masters

in management studies from Mumbai's Jamnalal

Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.

Ms. Swati DalalDirector, Sales and Marketing,

Abbott Healthcare Solutions

a wide range of research, advocacy, education,

capacity building, and patient-support programs, all

directed toward ensuring optimal access to

innovative medicines. Lately, Dr. Vikram has been

focusing on Value-based medicine, real-world

evidence and innovations in CMEs. Dr. Vikram has

authored more than twenty full text/abstract

publications in peer-reviewed journals and congress

proceedings. He is also a reviewer of manuscripts of

peer-reviewed journals like Value in Health,

International Journal of Diabetes in Developing

Countries, Indian Journal of Endocrinology

and Metabolism, and Journal of Social Health and

Diabetes.

(official journal of the Indian Society for Clinical

Research or ISCR), member of Executive Council of

ISCR and ex-Chair, Investigator Council.

Dr. Suvarna is also Member of Medical and Regulatory

Committee, and Compliance Governance group of

Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India

(OPPI), ex-Chair of the EFPIA India Regulatory

Network. He is a faculty at Academy of Clinical

Excellence (ACE), Bombay College of Pharmacy, Kalina

and for a Diploma course in Clinical Research held at

St. Xavier's college, Mumbai. He is the member of the

Subject Board at the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai

tasked with curriculum development for SYBSc

Microbiology students aspiring to join the medical

department of a pharmaceutical industry and a

certified trainer in Leading Edge II, a situational

leadership program conducted by the Ken Blanchard

Group of Companies.

26 27

Speakers & PanelistsSpeakers & Panelists

Medcom

Dr. Deepa Iyer is the Head - Medical

Content for Elsevier in their Pharma

Solution team managing both local

and global Pharma projects for

Elsevier. She has an experience of

12+ years in the Pharma industry

and has a strong experience in

medical writing and project management across

the industry.

Dr. Deepa IyerHead, Content Pharma Solutions,

Elsevier

With more than 20 years of

experience in the field of Scientific

Communication, Manoj has

fostered and galvanized his

reputation as a Senior Executive

with proven leadership credentials

and strategic insight. Manoj heads

the Springer Healthcare Operations in India and is

responsible for working with large pharmaceutical

companies in designing medical communication

campaigns with science as the cornerstone of all the

campaigns.

Manoj began his career as a front-line sales executive

and then moved into Medical Communications at

IJCP Publications, where he rose to the position of

Director - Sales and marketing. Manoj was

instrumental in collaborating with various medical

associations in bringing out the Daily Medical

Conference Newsletter at various national

conferences held across India.

Mr. Manoj NambiarAssociate Director,

Springer Healthcare

(Part of the Springer Nature group)

Manoj holds an MMM (Master in Marketing

Management) degree from Chetana's Ramprasad

Khandelwal Institute of Management and Research,

Mumbai and has also done his Executive

Management in Strategy and Planning from Indian

Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Prashant joined BMJ in 2008 as

Country Manager, India. Previously,

he has worked with Elsevier and

Wolters Kluwer Health. Prashant

has been instrumental in setting up

and enhancing BMJ's base in India

and the South Asian region. He has

done his masters in Microbiology (Gold Medalist) and

management from one of the India's premier

Management Institute, IIM Lucknow. Strongly

influenced by a scientific background, he is an avid

professional in the field of healthcare publishing. He is

an expert presenter, who is a part of various panel

discussions and features as a keynote speaker in

numerous healthcare-related events.

He is extremely passionate and works relentlessly

toward improving healthcare outcomes in India. He

credits his success to his strong team of motivated

professionals, who share his beliefs in the values and

work ethics of the BMJ group.

Mr. Prashant MishraMD,

BMJ India

Sangeeta Barde is a part of one

of the India's leading Health and

W e l l n e s s M a r k e t i n g a n d

Communications company. She has

more than 20 years of experience in

the field of Marketing and

Communications. She specializes in

Ms. Sangeeta Barde Co-Founder and Managing Partner,

Sorento Healthcare Communications

A pharmacy graduate from IIT-BHU

and having master degrees in

Pharmacy and Management

(PGDBA), Vaibhav has completed

20 years in healthcare.

His first 14 years’ experience was in

Brand Management, Strategic

Marketing, and Business Development at senior

hierarchical levels in renowned pharmaceutical

companies; and later on, he founded Insignia

Communications Pvt. Ltd. in the year 2009, a Medico

Marketing Consulting Company, specialized in

Medical Education (CME-CPD), Brand Management

Consulting, and Publication Support.

Vaibhav has a strong passion and desire to contribute

his expertise in medical education in order to build a

strong CME ecosystem in India. To gain international

exposure in the CME domain, he joined Global Alliance

for Medical Education (GAME) in 2011 and was

elected as Board of Directors of GAME in June, 2015.

In the past, Vaibhav had participated and presented

papers in various international CME conferences and

also published papers in the European Journal of st

CME. In 2014, Vaibhav organized the 1 GAME India

Regional Conference with the aim of bringing all

Indian CME stakeholders under one roof and

continuing his efforts to form a strong and productive

CME forum in India under the GAME leadership.

Mr. Vaibhav SrivastavardProgram Director - GAME 3 India Regional

Conference,

Board of Directors - GAME,

Director - Insignia Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Vijay Lokhande is the Founder and

CEO of Insignia Communications

Pvt. Ltd. and Ray Adcomm Pvt. Ltd.

He is a B. Pharm, MMS graduate

from Mumbai University.

In his career spanning 18 years, he

has worked with pharma majors

such as Pfizer, Abbott, and Novartis.

CMEs as a methodology for clinicians’ practice

enhancement is his area of interest. He co-authored a

paper on “CME Schooling – Indian Perspective,” which

was presented at a global CME forum in Toronto,

Canada in 2012.

Mr. Vijay LokhandeCEO,

Insignia Communications Pvt. Ltd.

strategic planning and is focused on providing

strategic solutions to health and wellness brands and

businesses for their success. She runs a social

organization along with her associates called

Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI),

which represents a collective voice for rare diseases

in India.

Vishwa Mohan is the Chief

Operating Officer of the Healthcare

division of R K SWAMY/HANSA

Group. The Group is among the top

3 communications and marketing

services providers in the country. He

has over 30 years of experience as a

communications and marketing services professional.

He played an Entrepreneurial role in his company by

promoting the healthcare business. Within the

healthcare business, he started off by providing

communication services to pharma companies to

promote their prescription brands; he then expanded

the range of services to include scientific

communication, continuing medical education, post

graduate programs in medicine for doctors, and live

workshops. To establish the business firmly, he has

partnered with many leading medical institutions in

India and abroad like IGNOU, CMC Vellore, Johns

Hopkins, Harvard, and Cleveland.

His mantra in life is 'Innovate to succeed'.

Mr. Vishwa MohanChief Operating Officer,

Hansa Medcell

28 29

CME/CPD in the Indian Subcontinent: Proceedings from stthe 1 regional meeting of Global Alliance for Medical

Education (GAME) in Mumbai, India

Vaibhav Srivastava, Lisa Sullivan and Shwetal Sanghvi

Abstract

In today's fast paced environment, continuing medical education (CME) and continuing professional

development (CPD) play a pivotal role in enhancement of clinical practice and patient care. Getting updated with

the latest trends and practices has gained utmost importance for today's healthcare professional, be he or she a

family physician, a specialist or a super specialist. In addition, the increased awareness of different diseases among

the masses due to exposure to information from the media and Internet makes it vital for the healthcare provider

to be aware of the latest knowledge and trends so that patients may be provided with the highest quality of

treatment.

India today boasts of having the largest number of medical schools in the world with an annual student intake of

over 50,000 prospective medical professionals. CME in India is at a rudimentary stage in development, but

definitely evolving at a rapid pace. Despite the best efforts of the major stakeholders, such as the Medical Council

of India (MCI), medical societies, educational institutions and key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the field, the CME

scenario in India fails to have a systematic and integrated approach to match international standards. There is a

huge need gap because the legislation to make CME mandatory has made little progress. One of the many reasons

is that each state in India has its own individual norms, and without a federal system there exists no national

guideline for appropriate specialty learning that practising doctors require as part of CPD. There is an unmet need

for the provision of the right CME for the right doctor group at the right time to create appropriate learning levels.

Therefore CME providers in India need guidance to navigate through rough waters with a multi-modal unbiased

approach to bring together the needs of the Indian doctors and the needs of the patient population on a common

platform.

This report summarises the presentations and discussions that took place during the first regional meeting of The

Global Alliance for Medical Education (GAME) in India on 18 October 2014 in Mumbai. The predominant

participants and panel members included representatives from the MCI, medical education institutions,

pharmaceutical industries and private sector providers of CME programmes. The conference was organised with

the aim of bringing all the major CME stakeholders from India and CME global experts under one roof to discuss

the challenges and possible solutions for the expansion of CME/CPD in India.

With this motive as the primary focus of the meeting, eminent speakers and panellists attempted to identify

region-specific issues in implementing legal and regulatory frameworks for CME. The group of experts attempted

to identify ways to implement standards of good practice, so that the Indian doctor could match his/her

international peers. The role of industry and that of private medical education providers was also discussed at

length given their major presence in the country.

Keywords: CME/CPD, India, GAME, revalidation, medical education

subcontinent. He hoped that this initiative would help

to create a cohesive CME environment in India that

would improve learning and clinical practice and as a

result ensure better patient outcomes.

Maureen Doyle-Scharff (President – GAME) About

GAME

GAME, a non-profit organisation founded in 1995, is

dedicated to advancing innovation and collaboration

in CE/CME and CPD throughout the world. Today the

organisation boasts of 150 members worldwide. The

diversity of the GAME membership comprises

academia, health systems, societies, accreditation

bodies and industry, thus representing almost all

global stakeholders of CE/CME/CPD.

GAME endeavou r s to encompas s CPD ,

undergraduate and graduate medical education,

known collectively as the medical continuum. It is

engaged in a continuous pursuit to enable CPD

professionals globally to leverage the science of

learning and change, as this can help to close the

knowledge and practice gaps among healthcare

professionals. Creating a network of CPD

professionals to collaborate, innovate and elevate the

standards of need-based medical education

worldwide would ultimately lead to improved patient

care and outcomes. GAME is keen and enthusiastic to

bring its professional development programme to the

country following this first regional meeting in

Mumbai, India on October 2014.

Dr. Vedprakash Mishra (Chairman – Academic Council,

MCI)

Dr. Mishra emphasised the importance of training the

healthcare professional in India especially because of

the huge medical fraternity of which the country is

proud. He stated that India today can boast of having

404 medical schools, with an annual student intake

capacity of over 54000 candidates at the

Greetings from GAME

CME/CPD in India – vital role of medical

schools

Introduction

Vaibhav Srivastava (Programme Director, Director –

Insignia Communications, GAME member) presented

the welcome address on behalf of Global Alliance for

Medical Education (GAME) and the organising team.

He began his talk with a brief description of the

c u r r e n t c o n t i n u i n g m e d i c a l e d u c a t i o n

(CME)/continuing professional development (CPD)

scenario in the Indian subcontinent and the global

face of GAME in the field of CME and his privilege to

be a part of the organisation.

He emphasised that although the idea of CME has

taken root in the country, it continues to face troubled

waters in the implementation and integration into the

current education system, in order to encourage

voluntary participation of the target audience. Lack of

a structured and integrated medical education

curriculum, non-uniformity in rules for mandatory

CME credits, differences in standards of CME

accreditation across the states, confusion on the

recognition status of online CME and funding policies

are some of the hindrances faced in structuring

policies and executing CME programmes for the

healthcare profession.

He said the purpose of organising this meeting was to

bring all the major CME stakeholders in India on to a

common platform along with global experts to

discuss expansion of CME/CPD. Unlike other countries

such as the US and much of Europe, India fails to have

a structured methodology for CME programme

implementation and recognition in place. In addition

to major stakeholders such as the MCI, medical

societies, educational institutions and KOLs, he

highlighted the pivotal role played by the

pharmaceutical industry in helping shape the

development of the CME system in India. He said that

unlike the rest of the world, the biggest and strongest

participation in CME growth and development in

India happens to come from the pharmaceutical

industry.

He thanked first the key stakeholders for their

contribution in organising the event and secondly

GAME for having made its maiden journey to the

stProceedings of GAME 1 India Regional Conference, th18 October, 2014, Mumbai

30 31

implications because of globalisation.

Before concluding, he expressed his confidence that

the galaxy of personalities present at the meeting

would arrive at a conclusion on the way to proceed

and decide on a road map to achieve the goal of

setting up effective CME/CPD protocols for the Indian

doctor.

Sudarshan Jain (MD, Abbott Healthcare)

Education is the backbone of the healthcare system

not only for the doctors, but also for the patients. It

helps in improving skills of the healthcare practitioner

and also increases awareness among the patients,

there by ensuring better dissemination of scientific

and medical knowledge. CME is a powerful tool and

inc ludes t reatment approaches , pat ient

management, new drug delivery, therapy shaping

and diagnosis.

This session highlighted the role of the

pharmaceutical industry in establishing a good CME

ecosystem in the Indian subcontinent. The expansion

of Indian companies beyond Indian borders has led to

a significant build-up in the accessibility and

acceptability of the Indian pharma market which has

also resulted in increased awareness of medical

education and awareness.

The role of the pharmaceutical industry in this field is a

critical one (Table 1).

Establishing a good CME ecosystem in India

– role of the pharmaceutical industry

recent innovations taking place across the globe. But

at the same time, we must understand that the

modus operandi which is executed and operated in

the western world cannot easily be implemented in

India because of its great diversity. Different

modalities of approach are essential, as there is a vast

variation ranging from a sector of family physicians to

a sector of super specialists in the era of telemedicine.

As an example, every time there is an innovation in

endoscopic surgery, it is not essential for the family

physician to know each and every aspect of this

technique or procedure. But at least he/she must be

well aware of what is going on in the world, so as to

inform his/her patient that these newer avenues are

available for consideration. For the super specialists, it

is like an ocean where one has to face the tidal waves

before they get the very precious pearl at the bottom

of the sea. Therefore, the whole concept is different

for a super specialist.

Therefore, CME needs to be fragmented in two

aspects: it should help the poor family physician cater

for the needs of the poorest of the poor in the country

and guide the patient to make use of the benefits of

affordable, accessible and competent medical services.

In CME, he emphasised that communication is

paramount. In the past, doctors were treated as

Gods, whereas today a professional approach is

expected. Adding to the various challenges is the lack

of trust between the patient and the doctor. It is

therefore of the highest importance to incorporate

into the syllabus the art of communicating with the

patient together with understanding all the legal

undergraduate level (the highest in the world). This is

in addition to around 26000 vacancies that are

available on an annual basis at the postgraduate level.

India in his opinion occupies a significant place in the

global healthcare system.

In his opinion, health today does not remain just a

human right. It has been converted to a constitutional

right. What matters currently in the world is how this

right is extended to the citizens across the globe. One

of the significant parameters that will be responsible

for the formation of effective global healthcare

systems will be the generation of well-trained

manpower. The objectives for higher education

including medical education ought to be fourfold. It is

mandatory that it should incorporate teaching,

training, research, and sustainable development for

the society. However, it is saddening to see that the

current curriculum seems to have lost sight of these

significant landmarks.

The main source for the generation of trained health

manpower is the medical schools that impart

knowledge that is calibrated and updated. Medical

education in and around the medical school must

lead on to CME that is essential for CPD. There is a

need for a competency-based curriculum

incorporating distinct domains with a view to

strengthening of clinical and problem solving skills.

Medical schools could be a complementary

mechanism for the purpose of CME-CPD. Further, MCI

has directed and is ensuring that medical schools

undertake the responsibility for CME as a

supplementary mechanism.

He emphasised that it is not enough to produce a

classic graduate or an absolutely laudable super

specialist. What is needed is the continued lifelong

learning of the graduate and not just for the sole

purpose of recertification or revalidation. CME is a

human exercise in which each one is required to

update himself or herself in all possible domains. He

told the audience that in 2009, the MCI evolved the

concept of a national faculty development

programme. This charted the methodology of

structured networks for basic medical education

technology workshops in the form of recognised

medical education centres (regional and nodal).

In India, the number of medical doctors with the

Indian medical council has about one million

registered practitioners at any time. When we talk of

CME for this huge number, we are considering not

only delivery of education programmes, but the

associated revalidation and recertification for all. The

extent of responsibility required is huge, gigantic and

unimaginable, as it involves management of medical

practitioners from family physicians and surgeons to

specialists and super specialists.

There are huge challenges in implementing newer

programmes in a country such as India given its great

diversity and huge registry. Global guidelines based

on accepted principles have to be incorporated in an

integrated manner involving the Indian medical

associations, regulatory bodies and medical schools.

How these various issues can be transformed into

practice depends on the unified participation of the

various stakeholders, playing their respective roles to

their utmost capacity. The MCI is making an effort to

establish standards for CME across the country and

will work with all major stakeholders to make this

possible.

Medical education – continued learning

Dr. Jitendra Patel (President – Indian Medical

Association)

Dr. Patel introduced his talk by stating the well-known

doctrine that learning is a continuous process which

starts the moment you are born and continues until

you die. The young graduate of yesterday stops

learning today and becomes uneducated tomorrow.

What is considered a gold standard today will become

obsolete tomorrow. Given these truths, he asked the

audience the very relevant question which provides

the answer to the need for CME: What can be more

dynamic than the human body and the science of

medicine?

It is thereby imperative that all stakeholders must

work towards keeping medical graduates apprised of

Table 1. Pharmaceutical industry and CME.

Standard CME Playing a collaborative role in Identifying unmet educational need

enabling standard CME

High-quality therapy shaping Spearheading of new quality of Local & regional programmes addressing

programmes Living up to the medical learning Collaboration with specific need Using digital platform in

standard of compliance education providers & institutions to bridging the gap

achieve common goals

environment-OPPI*, MCI Global collaboration

*Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India.

stProceedings of GAME 1 India Regional Conference, th18 October, 2014, Mumbai

32 33

standards of healthcare comparable to the West. In

these countries, a range of 10–50 hours of CME/CPD

activities must be fulfilled every year not only by the

practising physician and surgeon, but also by dentists,

pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

Lisa Sullivan (President Elect – GAME)

Continuing education and professional development

(CEPD) is now mandatory for physicians across all

countries except Japan. It is also mandatory for nurses

and pharmacists in China, Australia, Indonesia and

Korea and is recommended for nurses and

pharmacists in Japan. In India, there is no formal rule

in place for CEPD for physicians, nurses or

pharmacists. A common issue faced by Asia and

CEPD in Asia and Australia

The European CME environment:

integrating an approach

Eugene Pozniak (European CME Forum, UK, GAME

Board member)

Pozniak started by looking at the geographical

continent of Europe pointing out that the disparity

between the numerous countries of the continent is

probably more fragmented than the states in India

and with smaller populations. He outlined the

development of CME in Europe, from its modern

origins in 1999, through its development and the

recent challenges it now faces. Over the short decade

and a half of development, the environment has been

evolving, highlighting many lessons along the way,

with numerous factors coming into play that effect

the way CME is carried out on both national and pan-

European levels.

Factors he identified that have recently been

introduced and that are shaping CME in Europe

include regulatory and legal obligations, such as the

anti-bribery legislation calling for transparency of the

flow of funding, the European Federation of

Pharmaceutical Industries Association (EFPIA)

developments regarding “Responsible Transparency”

and opening the discussion of approving

independently developed education. The European

Commission supports a national structure for CME-

CPD systems and emphasises the importance of

disclosure of financial relationships in order to identify

and manage possible conflicts of interest. Europe

must also recognise developments in the US such as

the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, the Foreign

Corrupt Practices Act and the recent announcement

that the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) is

now considering accrediting providers from

anywhere in the world. Added to this is the rise in

patient and media awareness of CME and ongoing

education of healthcare professionals.

With these challenges, Pozniak described how there is

an increasing desire for more clarity and direction,

especially when it comes to the role of product

marketing, industry controlled education and

independently developed education. In summary, he

hoped that the European experience can provide

possible positive lessons for India and that the

experience in Europe is only a small piece of a global

jigsaw of developments in CME, one where all parties

can share experiences and learn from each other.

CME requirements for medical practitioners

in the Middle East

Prof. Gita Ashok Raj (Provost. Gulf Medical University,

Ajman, UAE)

CME has always been a vital component of the

scholarly activities in the Middle East. There is an ever-

increasing voluntary participation of private

practitioners in these events, wishing to update their

professional knowledge and expertise. CME in this

region is either fostered by academia, promoted by

professional bodies or is imparted as lectures from

eminent scholars.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have a

great disadvantage of large migrant healthcare

workforces of heterogeneous education and practice.

Given this diverse group of healthcare workers, these

countries face difficult challenges in maintaining the

quality of patient safety and healthcare. Although

many live and some online local/national/

international CME/CPD events accredited by the

health regulatory bodies are being organised to

overcome this problem, participation of the

healthcare worker remains voluntary.

The Health Ministers’ Council for GCC states was

established in 1976 for development of health

services to achieve the highest possible standards of

health for the citizens of the Council members. Their

activities include the organisation of conferences,

seminars and training courses. While Kuwait offers a

voluntary option for CPD participation, the United

Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

(KSA) have mandatory CME/CPD activities which are

linked to re-registration. This approach has given the

latter countries a head start among others in the

Middle East in attaining and maintaining high

Table 2. Current issues with CEPD (Asia & Australia).

Bad news

Major discrepancies between urban and rural education/availability (common issue).

Formal needs

assessments rarely

done within country,

e.g. decisions based

on expertise of the

societies/states

(Asia)

Predominant

ly based on

skills &

knowledge

only, e.g.

little QI or PI

(Asia)

CME

terminology

rather than

CPD still the

key concept

(Asia)

Vast differences in

delivery across

countries (face-to-

face vs. online &

blended (Asia

much less online

that Australia))

Focus on QI

rather than PI

(Australia)

Too much

editorial control

from Pharma

(Regionally)

Figure 1. CEPD trend in Asia.

Australia with CEPD is that formal needs assessments

are rarely done. Also, there exist major discrepancies

between urban and rural education and availability

(Table 2).

The WHO has documented that the major challenge

faced with implementation of CEPD in these regions is

the lack of motivation, absence of need-based

accredited programmes, incentives and legal

bindings. There is a need to design high-quality

tailored courses to meet specific needs.

Where is the field going in Asia?

There is a greater move towards mandatory CEPD for

all healthcare professionals with the increased

international interest in Asia bringing forth skills,

funding and teaching (Figure 1).

Where is the field going?

Asia

stProceedings of GAME 1 India Regional Conference, th18 October, 2014, Mumbai

34 35

focuses on people and the important parameter of

patient satisfaction (Figure 2).

Challenges faced in implementing CME/CPD in India

• Needs to be made mandatory nationally

• Programmes to have a wider reach in rural and

semiurban areas

• Need-based CME defined by professional bodies

• Unbiased industry involvement expected

• Expectation of MCI to have a bigger role in

funding rural CME

• Need to increase e-learning and webcasts

• Review on the credibility of independent CME

providers

An ideal scenario for CEPD development in Asia would

be the establishment of a truly regional think tank to

share resources, develop cross border accreditation,

improve teaching, use a common language

(preferably English), create better equality among the

healthcare professionals and finally to increase the

funding.

OnMedica Aimee Brinzer (MD, Wilmington Healthcare)

Revalidation in the UK has been established since

December 2012 for doctors in all sectors with an aim

to increase quality in healthcare and provide

reassurance for patients and employers. The process

involves review of the annual appraisal of doctors by a

responsible officer before recommendation to the

General Medical Council (GMC) for revalidation.

Revalidation is required every 5 years. This system is

under the control of the GMC and the 20 or so Royal

Colleges and Faculties of the individual specialties.

With a growing trend towards making CME

compulsory, the doctors are in need of easy tools to

track their CME and reflection. Companies such as

OnMedica PDF tracker meet the need of integrating

these tools into CME platforms.

Doctor revalidation in UK

CME environment in India – a snapshot

Dr. Rajesh Upadhyay – President Elect – Association of

Physicians of India (API)

In the existing CME/CPD global ecosystem, CME is

compulsory in North America, Europe and

Australasia. There are more than 800,000 qualified

doctors in India. More than 70% are private

practitioners and see patients at the primary care

level. However, fewer than 30% are part of various

professional associations engaged in CME for practice

enhancement. Practice enhancement among Indian

doctors occurs mostly through experience, practice,

international publications or conferences, knowledge

update information provided by medical sales

representatives and CME programmes that may or

may not be biased. The Indian CME ecosystem is

depicted in Table 3.

CME regulators in India

MCI is a statutory body with the responsibility of

establishing and maintaining a high standard of

medical education and recognition of medical

qualifications in India. In April 2011, MCI passed a

resolution on CME as – Other CME regulators are

shown in Table 4.

Table 3. Indian CME ecosystem.

CME regulators

• MCI is the national

governing body

• Supported by 26

State Medical

councils

• Made CME

acceptable in India

before it becomes

mandatory

CME facilitators CME seekers CME providers

• IMA (Indian Medical

Association) is the

largest voluntary

organisation in India

helping doctors to meet

MCI CME criteria

• Indian doctors

organisations (including

API) – responsible for

research, knowledge

update, publications,

organising conference,

etc.

• Doctors and nurses

• Most of whom are not

motivated for CME

• No seriousness in CME,

as not mandatory

• No such recognition as CME

Providers in India

• Most of the Medical Education

companies deliver CME

programmes in India

• Major focus is on brand

promotion rather than

independent unbiased

education

Table 4. CME regulators.

State Medical Council

Indian Medical Association

All state councils follow MCI CME standards but only four of them have made it

compulsory. Only live CME is recognised.

More than 1700 branches

Organises monthly live class room

CME with local speakers sponsored by Pharma companies

CME credits awarded by state council but unstructured & unorganised

APICON – Research, latest in therapy/technology, update, controversies, debates, post-

graduate CME, workshops

Medicine Update Book every year distributed free to all members

Association of Physicians

of India & Individual

Certification Programs

APICON: Annual Conference of the Association of Physicians of India.

“Mandatory for all doctors to attend 30 hrs of CME in every 5 yrs. If they fail to attend, their registration to practice would

be suspended”

CME Credit points can be gained by-

• As a co-author / author in indexed national/International medical journal

• Dr. pursuing PG course –like Diploma, MD, MS, DNB & DM (4 points/year)

• Dept. & Institutional activities like journal club meeting, mortality conference etc.

................................................................................................................ONLY 20% Drs falls under MCI regulations

Public private partnership (PPP) in health

education

Dr. Narendra Saini (General Secretary – IMA)

Public–private partnership in health care mainly

Figure 2. CEPD trend in Asia.

How PPP helps:

stProceedings of GAME 1 India Regional Conference, th18 October, 2014, Mumbai

36 37

Emphasis was laid on the need to form robust,

commercially productive partnerships with more

associations, societies and other organisations. The

ultimate goal should be to deliver content in the ways

that the consumer wants, so as to lead to better

healthcare outcomes.

The first regional meeting of GAME in Mumbai

involved sessions and lively debate among the

committee members of GAME, Indian doctors,

pharma representatives and experts from medical

education companies. The participants from India

and over the globe highlighted issues pertaining to

the current scenario of CME in the Indian

subcontinent. They discussed methods and

approaches to overcome these challenges and how to

ensure best practice and improve the quality of CME

programmes. The role of the various stakeholders in

CME for India, such as medical societies and industry

was a key point of discussion during the meeting,

with some clear directions emerging for future

dialogue and discussion.

Summary

Industry support for CME is crucial in the light of

uncertainty in funding of the programmes from other

private and government sources.

However, doubts are raised on the credibility of

industrysponsored CME with respect to quality of

content and biased emphasis on brands or products

rather than targeting unmet needs in disease

management. There is also no clarity on the

recognition of this CME for the award of credits.

As the old adage goes, “Transparency is the key to

success,” and so industry-sponsored CME must be

free from commercial bias, and use generic names

whenever possible. The therapeutic options discussed

in an activity should be objective and balanced.

Industry should make voluntary disclosures about

educational grants and honoraria.

The way forward

The session concluded with some introspection

around endeavours to ensure CME is successful at the

present time while developing further programmes

with a more global application in the future.

The main objectives of PPP include improving access

and quality of essential services, exchange of

expertise, improving efficiency and increasing scope

and scale of services. Potential benefits of PPP include

cost-effectiveness, higher productivity, accelerated

delivery, shift in focus from service inputs to outputs

and enhanced social service.

Challenges faced in PPP in healthcare include:

• Cost containment

• Effective use of private resources

• Logical diversion of public resources

• Synergy to reduce duplication

• Resource mobilisation

Dr. Saurabh Jain (Vice President – Multi-Channel

Marketing, Patient Enablement Service and China

Business Unit; Indegene Lifesystems)

This session highlighted the role of medical education

companies in promoting and developing CME in

India.

Globally, it has been seen that medical education

companies have maximum reach and high

acceptance. Medical education companies make the

investments required to develop multiple platforms of

delivery while also employing dedicated skilled

Role of medical education companies in India

resources to enable the development of interactive

and interesting CME programmes. They are best

positioned to develop programmes, which

amalgamate related expertise from different sources

– faculty from different institutions, presentations of

doctors of different specialties and from different

conferences to create more comprehensive CME

programmes. They are best equipped to arrange the

commercial support required to develop and

administer CME programmes. Unlike hospitals and

medical associations, CME is the core activity of third

party CME providers – the only one that pays the bills.

However, parallel to these advantages, it is also of vital

importance to ensure that CME developed by medical

education providers is not influenced by sponsors’

commercial interest. Additionally, the CME developed

can fill the knowledge gaps in the target audience

with allocation of credit points to the right healthcare

professional with right measurements.

CME ecosystem in India – What is needed? (Table 5).

Alok Khettry (Sr. Director – Sanofi)

The pharmaceutical industry is proud to play a leading

role in sponsoring medical education for physicians.

This is a collaborative effort that serves the mutual

interest wherein the physician is informed of the latest

medical development and the patient benefits by

receiving the most up-to-date and appropriate care.

CME as a bridge to quality

Table 5. CME ecosystem: needs in India.

Regulatory bodies

Medical Council of India

CME provider Commercial sponsors

1. Medical schools

2. Teaching hospitals

3. Medical associations

4. Medical education companies

Strictly follow framework of

regulatory body

1. Pharmaceutical companies

2. Diagnostics companies

3. Medical equipment companies

Identify mechanism to ensure funding

that is not influencing CME content

• Needs comprehensive

framework of need assessment,

development, accreditation and

credit point allocation

• Guidelines for CME providers

and commercial sponsorship

stProceedings of GAME 1 India Regional Conference, th18 October, 2014, Mumbai

38 39

Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) course itself is of 4.5

years, which is bound to leave an educational lag. This

limitation is not manual, rather procedural. Hence, he

strongly felt that academic updates should not be at

the mercy of the Government of India; and even if the

government's approval is necessary, the matter should

be cleared within 90 days. He appreciated the fact

that GAME has accepted the onus of helping to

improve the CME ecosystem in India and declared

that all the stakeholders together can certainly make a

positive difference.

Mr. Sudarshan Jain (Vice-President – Organisation of

Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI); Managing

Director, Healthcare Solutions – Abbott Healthcare)

started his presentation with some appalling

statistics. He revealed that with the number of

specialists being limited and that of generalists being

high in India, there is a need for interventions that

facilitate an education cascade from generalists to

specialists through the agency of CME.

He added that by the end of 2020, the disease-related

mortality in developing countries is expected to mimic

that of the developed nations. Thus, ischaemic heart

disease, diabetes mellitus and depressive disorders

will be the major killers, while gastrointestinal

diseases with diarrhoea and respiratory conditions

such as tuberculosis and chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease will no longer top the charts.

Mr. Jain advised, There is a need to build a patient

funnel. The prevalence of diseases can be reduced by

driving patient awareness using multiple

touchpoints. Accessibility to a larger pool of medical

practitioners will help to reach more patients for

better diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Facilitation of guideline development and

dissemination will definitely raise treatment

standards.

He affirmed that the pharmaceutical industry will play

a key role in establishing the CME ecosystem by

identifying unmet educational needs and

Role of the OPPI in supporting the Indian

CME ecosystem

the joint efforts of the key opinion leaders, state

medical councils, Indian medical associations, CME

providers, and the pharmaceutical industry. I am glad

that the guests of honour who were present in the

first event are here again.

Dr. Vedprakash Mishra (Chairman – Academic

Committee, MCI; Guest of Honour) methodically

explained the role of the Medical Council of India

(MCI) as a regulatory body. He pragmatically declared

that standards are not set for cosmetic purposes, or

just because a constitutional mandate exists. Dr.

Mishra emphasised the need for uniform standards

and central enactment, as he disclosed the current

endeavours of the Council in trying to make doctors

confident, concerned, competent and compliant. The

minimum requirements for medical institutions have

been chalked out in terms of infrastructure, personnel

and approaches. Furthermore, the curriculum design

and updating process are also in place with well-

developed teaching and learning strategies. The

Council also has a major role to play in postgraduate

education.

He added that a competency-based integrated

curriculum has been advanced, which is learner-

centric, technically as well as technologically sound,

and replete with assessment modules. Such a

curriculum would be current plus futuristic, with the

imperatives being in relation to the happenings in the

past 20 years. He proudly announced, “India is the

largest producer of trained healthcare manpower;

and according to the World Health Organisation,

India will lead in global healthcare delivery by the year

2050. Thus, Indian graduates will have to shoulder

these responsibilities worldwide.” He mentioned that

the need of the hour is specialty discussions that are

timely and wellreasoned. However, the time frame of

an update has to be taken into consideration. Shared

experiences need to be put across early for the benefit

of the medical fraternity. Unfortunately, a gestational

period of nearly 5 years has been observed between

medical updates, while the Bachelor of Medicine and

Roles and plans of the Medical Council of

India for medical education

Proceedings of second Indian GAME conference,Mumbai, February, 2016

Vaibhav Srivastava, Robin Stevenson and Shwetal Sanghvi

Abstract

The second Indian Global Alliance for Medical Education (GAME) conference on continuing medical education-

continuing professional development (CME-CPD) was held in Mumbai in February 2016. The main aim of the

meeting was to create a blueprint for further development of CME in India based on best practices from around

the world. To that end, delegates had been invited from the USA, the UK and Australasia, who engaged in

productive discussions with the major stakeholders of the CME community in India. The latter included clinicians,

medical communications representatives and delegates from the pharmaceutical industry. The mandatory CME

system already established in Maharashtra was described as an example, which could be exported to other states.

The various types of accreditation were discussed, including provider and activity accreditation along with hybrid

systems. Recommendations for future development were proposed from workshops comprising clinicians,

industry representatives and medical communications agencies.

Keywords: GAME India, CME system, Development, Recommendations, CME/CPD

Introduction: the winning game

Prudently adopting global CME-CPD

practices into the Indian CME ecosystem

Repeating last time's feat, the second Indian chapter

of the regional conference of the Global Alliance for

Medical Education (GAME), held in Mumbai at “The

Leela” on 13 February 2016, was a runaway success,

with big names from medical associations and

councils, medcom companies and the industry

gracing the event by their presence. Everyone was

thrilled by the fact that the objectives of this august

gathering were met. Together, these mighty minds

attempted to define and structure the role of the

healthcare industry in supporting and upgrading the

Indian continuing medical education (CME) or

continuing professional development (CPD)

ecosystem. This report is a reflection of the grand

happenings of this event and acts as a mouthpiece to

spread good tidings about the earnest outcomes of

the discussions that left the audience enthused.

Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava (Programme Director – Second

GAME India Regional Conference, one of GAME's

Board of Directors and Director of Insignia

Communications) heartily welcomed the participants

before setting up the agenda for the meeting and

inviting the speakers to address the attendees.Going

downmemory lane, he recalled nostalgic moments of

the first GAME Regional Conference that was

conducted in India on 18 October 2014 and then

went on to outline the objectives of the conference,

namely, to create an Indian CME stakeholders’ forum

with responsibility to upgrade the IndianCME

ecosystem; to learn and understand from global CME

practices and adopt the best in India; to debate,

discuss and motivate Indian governing bodies to

develop a uniformaccreditation policy in India; to

define and structure the role of the healthcare

industry in supporting a healthy CME environment in

India; and to explain the role of third parties (CME

providers) in strengthening the Indian CME

ecosystem. He concluded, The aim of this conference

is to provide a unique platform for all the stakeholders

under a single roof. The CME system in India needs to

be structured, and this will not be possible without

ndProceedings of GAME 2 India Regional Conference, th13 February, 2016, Mumbai

40 41

programmes have also been started. The MMC

formulated CME Guidelines in 2014, and all IMA

branches and some specialty medical associations

were given accreditation after scrutiny. The speaker

accreditation process has also been formulated and is

available online.

contains. The website, he said, is well developed and

has multiple functionalities such as a payment

gateway, links for the upload and download of forms,

and dedicated pages for each of its members.

Speaking about the modalities for accreditation, he

discussed the who, how and what of the process and

explained how the MMC has taken several national

and state-level organisations under its ambit and

grants them accreditation if they fulfil all the

requirements. It sends inspectors at regular intervals

to monitor the activities of these organisations. These

inspectors are mostly teachers from government

medical colleges, who are appointed by the IMA to

attend the CME event and to give feedback. The

accreditation continues on the basis of these reports.

Dr. Jayesh Lele (President – IMA, Maharashtra State;

Honorary Joint Secretary – IMA CGP, Maharashtra

State) added to the details provided by Dr. Utture,

giving more information about IMA and its role in the

CME ecosystem of Maharashtra. He revealed, “The

IMA has about 270,000 allopathic practitioners

across 1,800 branches in India, and IMA Maharashtra

has 204 branches with 37,000 members across

Maharashtra. Due to this strong network, the

Association has the ability to conduct any medical

programme or CME event.” All the IMA branches in

Maharashtra conduct regular CME activities for their

members. In the past, national programmes such as

the “AIDS awareness campaign” from the Gates

Foundation have been conducted by the Association.

It also ensures that there are regular CME updates

whenever issues like swine flu, Zika virus infection or

dengue crop up. These CME activities are conducted

jointly with municipal corporations or local health

authorities. It also facilitates the observance of world

health days for conditions such as epilepsy, acquired

immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), diabetes, kidney

disorders and heart disease.

He said that the IMA is actively involved in numerous

patient benefit programmes, such as awareness

campaigns and medical camps for medical check-ups,

blood donation and vaccination. Village adoption

Role of the IMA in the Indian CME ecosystem

collaborating to develop and enable compliant,

transparent and standardised CME. According to

him, the focus areas of OPPI include continuing

dialogue with relevant stakeholders, engaging

actively in creating an ecosystem for knowledge

sharing with value additions and facilitating

interactions between the industry and academia.

Emirates (UAE). The second annual conference in

partnership with the Association for Medical

Education in Europe (AMEE) will be conducted in

August 2016 in Barcelona, and a collaborative

relationship with the Asia Pacific Medical Education

Conference (APMEC) will begin from next year

onwards. GAME has also partnered with the

Association for Continuing Education for Health

Professionals (ACEhp) to conduct joint sessions and

was involved in two sessions at the European CME

forum in November 2015. The addition of Special

Interest Groups (SIG) has also got everyone excited.

These groups include members of the International

Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical

Education (iPACME), patient engagement groups,

and individuals from medical education companies

and specialty or learned societies.

The success story of Maharashtra's mandatory CME

was shared by Dr. Shivkumar Utture (Executive

Member and Chairman, Finance Committee –

Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC); Finance

Secretary – IMA, Maharashtra State), who reminded

the audience of two important statements from the

code of ethics, which required a physician to affiliate

with associations and societies of allopathic medical

professions and participate in professional meetings

as part ofCMEprogrammes, for at least 30 hours every

5 years. He implied that once the regulatory bodies

and CME providers come together, they can chalk out

the programme. Patients form the core of the health

system; therefore, a patient-centric approach is

important.

He reasoned, “Once a person gets a degree, if he or

she does not upgrade his or her knowledge, he or she

will not be able to provide the best services to

patients. Hence, the decision to link CME credit points

to the re-registration process every 5 years was

taken.” The legalities took nearly 5 years to complete,

and everything was eventually put down in black and

white. Dr. Utture asked the participants to visit the

MMC website and go through the 20 chapters that it

The success story of making CME mandatory

in Maharashtra

Game and its goals: a review

A veteran in the global pharmaceutical and medical

communications industry, Ms. Lisa Sullivan (President

– GAME) shared details about the Alliance. Founded

in 1995, this not-for-profit international organisation

has over 150 members from diverse geographies

backgrounds, namely, academics, health personnel,

society members, accreditors and people from the

industry. Each of these stakeholders is dedicated to

advancing innovation and collaboration in

continuing medical education and professional

development across the world.

Spelling out the goals and activities of the Alliance,

she said, GAME facilitates the link between

c o n t i n u i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t ,

undergraduate medical education, and postgraduate

medical education – otherwise known as the medical

education continuum. It enables CME or CPD

professionals globally to leverage the science of

learning and change, while helping their learners

(healthcare professionals) to close knowledge and

practice gaps, so as ultimately to lead to improved

patient care and better clinical outcomes. It creates a

network of CME or CPD professionals to collaborate,

innovate, and elevate the standards of need-based

medical education worldwide.

She was proud that GAME had successfully launched

its first Indian Regional Conference in October 2014,

first South American Regional Conference in

November 2014 and first Canadian Regional

Conference in May 2015. The second Indian Regional

Conference is underway, and the second Canadian

Regional Conference is currently under discussion.

The Alliance is also planning to hold a regional

conference for the first time in the United Arab

Need for a uniform accreditation system

and the challenges associated with it

What the industry thinks about CME

challenges and opportunities

The discussion on the need for a uniform

accreditation system and its associated challenges

included as panellists Dr. Murugunathan (Dean –

Indian College of Physicians; President – Hypertension

Society of India), Dr. Girish Tyagi (Registrar – Delhi

Medical Council), Dr. Utture, Dr. Jamshed Dalal

(Director – Cardiac Services, Kokilaben Dhirubhai

Ambani Hospital, Mumbai), Dr. Hrishikesh Pai

(President – Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction)

and Dr. Vibhore Awasthy (CME Director – Insignia

Communications) who was the moderator of the

session. Dr. Dalal strongly felt that the current CME

scenario was full of foul play, with a lot of misuse

taking place, just for the sake of credit points. He felt

that this trend should be discouraged. Dr. Pai echoed

the same sentiment, but added that the concept of

CME needs to be made acceptable. A major challenge

pointed out by Dr. Murugunathan was that the credit

points vary with different councils for the same CME.

Dr. Tyagi agreed with the other panellists and

expressed the need for a uniform consensus and

guidelines that should be made mandatory.

Dr. Vibhore recommended the use of online CME and

post-CME assessments to ensure that the doctors

were certainly learning something. The panellists

unanimously declared that the Maharashtra model

needed to be replicated in all the other Indian states.

They also felt that attending some CME activities

needs to be made mandatory, while others can be

attended by choice.

Mr. Sanjiv Navangul (Managing Director – Janssen

ndProceedings of GAME 2 India Regional Conference, th13 February, 2016, Mumbai

42 43

Healthcare) and Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava. Dr. Suresh

suggested that all CME should be both evidence-

based and needs-based, after knowing the

requirements of the audience. Dr. Rajesh was in

agreement with him and said that India is a very

diverse country, and the need of the hour is to reach

out to the rural areas which constitute 70% of its

population. Thus, CME has to be relevant to the

learners. Ms. Dalal added that the entire process

needs to be simplified, and a needs gap analysis

should ideally be done before developing any

programme. Mr. Srivastava also believed that the

processes should be reduced to the minimum, with

the learning objectives being clearly defined and the

right set of assessments being used before and after

such endeavours. Speaking about the nature of the

faculty, Mr. Sherman admitted that a great scientist

may not be a very good educator. So, when

accrediting a speaker, this must also be taken into

consideration. When the discussion shifted to

defining CME better, Dr. Suresh joked that it could be

definitely not stand for cheating, meeting and eating.

Three workshops compr i s ing c l in i c ians ,

representatives from industry and delegates from

medical communications agencies discussed in detail

the topics already presented to the meeting. They

were charged with developing recommendations for

the future shaping of Indian CME. A composite report

of their deliberations is presented below.

Multidisciplinary workshop discussions on

future development of CME ecosystem

and regional pharmaceutical companies. The body is

responsible for providing medical education grants

and developing CME programmes. It provides a

forum for members interested in advancing

innovations in CME/CPD and allows for exchange and

sharing of best practices (appropriately allowed

within the law) between industry representatives

actively engaged in the CME/CPD enterprise.

Its key initiatives have been providing an online forum

to discuss key issues with the group, to network, and

to ask and answer questions, creating a global lexicon

for medical education, developing a medical

education Wiki (establishing a common language for

CME/CE/CPD professionals around the world) and

forming a subcommittee in 2014 to develop a

guidance document to set standards and processes

for the industry in Europe. She declared, The

pharmaceutical industry wants to be recognised as a

valued and trusted partner for the provision of high

quality education that complements existing activities

and meets the educational needs of healthcare

providers in improving patient care.

This brainstorming session, which was moderated by

Mr. Lawrence Sherman (Senior Vice-President,

Educational Strategy – TOPEC Global), had as

panellists Dr. Rajesh Upadhyay (Past President – API),

Dr. Suresh Vashisth (President – ASI), Ms. Swati Dalal

(Director – Commercial Operations, Abbott

Way forward to building an ideal CME

ecosystem in India

India) explained the challenges and opportunities

related to CME from the industry perspective. He

remarked, Most healthcare providers feel that

pharma companies push for attendance and use CME

as a medium to promote company products. The

perception of pharma regulators is that these

companies perpetuate treatment for conditions,

which need no deliberate interventions; and spend a

lot of money that could have been used otherwise,

thereby reducing the cost of drugs. The medical

regulators, on the other hand, sense that the Industry

has only commercial interests, which conflicts with

the interests of the different stakeholders. They

believe that the goals of the healthcare providers and

pharma companies are not the same; and hence, do

not entertain accreditation requests by the latter.

He stated that there are no defined guidelines,

standardised protocols and regulations for

contribution from the industry. Moreover, there is a

lack of transparency in the processes. Very few web-

based CME activities are accredited, and print-based

CME carries no credit points at all. Attempts by the

industry to provide doctors with access to books or

journals are considered to be marketing strategies.

Hence, a principled and balanced approach is

required with a collaboration between the industry

and academia. Strict codes of conduct need to be

adhered to, with the content being free from any

sponsor inputs. The delivery of educational

programmes should be improved and must include

non-traditional learning formats, such as e-learning

modules. Above all, the healthcare providers should

perceive the value of continuing education.

The role of the different stakeholders in the global

CME ecosystem was discussed by international faculty

members, namely, Ms. Lisa Sullivan, Ms. Maureen

Doyle-Scharff (Immediate Past President – GAME),

Ms. Aimee Brinzer (Managing Director – Wilmington

Healthcare) and Professor Robin Stevenson (Glasgow

University; Editor – Journal of European CME) who

moderated the session. Dr. Narendra Sainani (Board

Role of the different stakeholders in the

global CME ecosystem

Member – Delhi Medical Council) and Dr. Banshi

Saboo (Joint Secretary – RSSDI) were also esteemed

panellists in this discussion. Speaking about the US

scenario, Ms. Doyle-Scharff specified that all the CME

providers there had to be accredited by the ACCME.

The current trend involves joint accreditations, where

a single CME module can be tweaked to cater to the

needs of different target audiences. Unlike in India,

where the medical council decides on the credit

points for a CME activity, the provider does so in the

USA. Ms. Sullivan revealed that a similar system was

also followed in Australia. Professor Stevenson said

that in Europe a hybrid system was being developed

in which major CME providers are accredited,

whereas in the case of minor CME providers,

individual CME activities are accredited.

Ms. Brinzer spoke about the current system in the UK,

where the focus is on appraisal. This is an important

tool for monitoring the standards of patient care.

Appraisal incorporates certain elements such as

reflections of the clinician's practice, patient

feedbacks, peer reviews and case studies in addition

to review of CME activities. Thus, there are

representatives for every section. Dr. Sainani claimed

that such a process would not be feasible in India,

considering logistics. Furthermore, making CME

mandatory in all parts of India is difficult, as doctors

residing and practising in remote areas will find it

difficult to be physically present. Dr. Saboo added

here that several hospitals in India do conduct CME

programmes for their staff; however, these are often

not accredited by any society. Professor Stevenson

pointed out that “the patient” was not mentioned as

a stakeholder at all, the truth being that all medical

CME should be workplace specific, more effectively to

change the practice patterns of doctors. He also felt

that the industry should, ethically speaking, operate

at arm's length.

Contribution of iPACME to the CME world

Ms. Maureen Doyle-Scharff updated the audience

about the contribution of iPACME to the global CME

ecosystem. She revealed that the iPACME was

established in 2010 and includes employees of global

ndProceedings of GAME 2 India Regional Conference, th13 February, 2016, Mumbai

Recommendation: Yes, there has to be a uniform CME accreditation process throughout the nation.

A single central governing body with MCI or a pivotal central body either controlled by MCI or a part of MCI

should be instituted to lay down the rules and regulations for CME accreditation throughout the country. These

rules should be in discussion with various state councils and approved by all the state medical councils, thereby

leaving no space for any ambiguity.

On CME accreditation process

a. Is there the need for a uniform CME accreditation policy across India (by all states)?

1

44 45

Recommendation: Yes, an interstate CME accreditation body attended by a healthcare practitioner (HCP) should

be recognised for an approved credit system as determined by the central governing body.

A single central governing body like MCI or a pivotal central body either controlled by MCI or a part of MCI should

state in the book of rules and regulations the credit points to be allocated for interstate CME as in consideration

with the specific state medical council.

b. Is there a need to recognise interstate CME credit points and bring in MCI as the National Accreditation

Body to accredit CME-CPD applicable to multiple states HCPs?

Recommendation: Yes, there should be guidelines for recognition of any medical institutions, medical colleges

and third-party medical communications agencies asCMEproviders. This needs to be addressed by the state

medical council.

Recognition of a CME provider should be clearly mentioned in the rules and regulations set forth by the central

governing body, and the CME providers need to adhere to these rules. A provider must engage in education

rather than marketing.

On CME providers

a. Should there be guidelines for CME providers’ selection criteria (like USA)?

Recommendation: Yes, all the competent medical bodies such as national/regional/local medical associations,

medical colleges and third-party agencies who meet the criteria set by the central governing body should be

recognised as CME providers. The pharmaceutical industry should act as an enabler rather than a provider, and

communications agencies should act as facilitators rather than providers.

b. Should all the competent bodies such as national/regional/local medical associations, medical colleges

and third-party CME providers in India be recognised?

2

Recommendation: Yes, there is a need that each accredited CME-CPD system follows a minimum process like

meeting the needs gap, learning objectives and the outcomes.

The governing body should clearly have a mandate for addressing the needs gap of CME-CPD in order to take the

programme to the right audience, to address the correct learning objectives for the intended audience as well as

to have an outcome analysis.

On CME execution process

a. Is there a need that each accredited CME-CPD system follows a minimum process guideline (need gap,

learning objective, right set of learner and outcome analysis)?

3

Recommendation: Yes, a separate CME department within CME providers/associations or a third-party

competent CME facilitator that meets the criteria set by the central governing body is needed.

The MCI should have a separate CME department within CME providers/associations or a third-party competent

CME facilitator. This would be in association with the state councils.

b. Should there be a separate CME department within CME providers organisation/associations or an

outsourced competent agency to accomplish the above task.

a. Independent medical education (IME)

b. Company-driven, product-specific education programme

c. Company-initiated professional development/ medical disease education

d. Collaborative partnership programme ( industry and HCOs)

Recommendation: No, there should be no categorisation of CME. Any CME should meet the criteria of learning,

thereby assuring better patient outcomes.

Company-driven or product-specific CME should not be accredited.

On CME categorisation

Whether we should define and recognise different types of CME, that is:

4

Recommendation: Yes, all modes of delivering CMECPD should be recognised (live/online/print-based

learning).

On CME-CPD medium/mode

Should we recognise all modes of learning – live/online/print or not?

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ndProceedings of GAME 2 India Regional Conference, th13 February, 2016, Mumbai

Recommendation: Yes, ACCME/EACCME/ RCPaccredited CME can be recognised for accreditation, provided that

these are relevant to Indian medical education and can be reciprocated and reproduced in the Indian clinical

setting.

On recognising international accredited CME

Should we recognise ACCME/EACCME/RCPaccredited CME (which are relevant for Indian HCPs) or not?

6

46

Recommendation: Yes, funding declaration is required with proper guidelines defined by the central

governing body.

On CME funding

Should there be proper guidelines for appropriate funding declaration on all relevant documents and

announcements?

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ndProceedings of GAME 2 India Regional Conference, th13 February, 2016, Mumbai