Debra Lappin to Moderate Session at Partnering for Cures Forum

WASHINGTON — Debra Lappin of B&D Consulting will moderate a panel discussion during a two-day forum bringing together people with the expertise, experience and creativity needed to transform the medical research system.

At the Partnering for Cures Forum: Bridging the Chasm Between Microscope & Marketplace in New York City on December 14-15, Lappin will facilitate the session on "Harnessing the Serendipity of Science." Speakers for the Tuesday morning discussion will be:

• Harry Johns, M.B.A., President and CEO, Alzheimer's Association;
• Gregory Petsko, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry & Chemistry, Brandeis University;
• Heather Preston, M.D., Managing Director, TPG Biotech; and
• Samuel C. Silverstein, M.D., John C. Dalton Professor, Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University.

While there seems to be growing consensus that the process of medical research and development needs significant rethinking, there remain very good reasons why the search for cures is slow. Science is hard and unpredictable, organizers of the forum report. Many believe the low-hanging fruit has been plucked, and the more investors, researchers, patient advocates and innovators learn about disease processes, the harder the task of intervening in them reveals itself to be.

Many questions remain unanswered: Where is the industry with understanding the basic biology of disease? What are the opportunities and challenges it presents? Do they require fundamental changes in the R&D process and culture? The forum will include one-on-one partnering meetings, therapeutic affinity roundtables, innovator presentations, hot-button panels and expert consultants. For more information on the event, visit www.partneringforcures.org/.

Lappin, a Senior Vice President at B&D Consulting, is recognized across government, academic and non-profit sectors as a public servant and leading strategist in public health and science policy. She consults on innovative public-private partnerships and other alliances to drive translation research and public health promotion and prevention. Calling upon her experiences as President of the Council for American Medical Innovation (CAMI) and former national chair of the Arthritis Foundation, Lappin is a recognized national spokesperson on public engagement in the nation's public health and scientific enterprise.

From the University of Denver, Lappin earned bachelor's and law degrees.

ABOUT B&D CONSULTING

B&D Consulting is a national advisory and advocacy firm based in Washington, D.C. since 1985. The firm's professionals serve clients across key sectors, advancing their objectives within increasingly complex policy environments. Whether developing a business or advancing a mission, the B&D Consulting team has the multi-faceted skills to help clients succeed. B&D Consulting is a division of Baker & Daniels LLP, an international law firm with offices in Indiana, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Beijing.