PORTAL: Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law
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    • #policyethx 2020-2021
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      • Biosimilar Insulin
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  • Join Us
    • PORTAL Fellowships
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  • Contact
    • Inquiries
    • E-mail List
  • About Us
    • What is PORTAL?
    • Core Faculty
    • Research Team
    • Affiliated Faculty & Researchers
    • Expert Roundtable
  • Our Work
    • Publications
    • Policy Action
    • Literature Scan
    • In the Press
    • Media Center
    • Teaching
    • CeBIL
    • Biomarkers >
      • About The Project
      • The PBRC Team
      • Our Collaborators
      • AERO Graph
      • Workshops
      • Biomarkers2018
    • FDA REMS
  • Blog
  • Events
    • #policyethx 2020-2021
    • Events Archive >
      • #policyethx 2019-2020
      • #policyethx 2018-2019
      • #policyethx 2017-2018
      • #policyethx 2016-2017
      • Biosimilar Insulin
      • Older Events
  • Join Us
    • PORTAL Fellowships
    • Program Coordinator
  • Contact
    • Inquiries
    • E-mail List
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PORTAL runs a monthly seminar series that convenes two experts from different fields or vantage points to discuss how various aspects of therapeutic development and use are affected by ethical norms, laws, and regulations. These are organized in conjunction with the HMS Center for Bioethics  supported by the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund at Harvard University.

You may join the discussion on Twitter before, during, or after each event by following 
@PORTAL_Research and using the hashtag #policyethx.

Health Policy & Bioethics Consortia 2017-2018

Responding to High Drug Prices: What Should Patients and Payors Do?
​May 11, 2018 | Harvard Medical School

​High drug costs reduce patient adherence and lead to worse outcomes. The process for translating a drug’s price, set by the manufacturer, to the cost paid by patients and health care institutions is complex and involves a number of different actors. Can we develop policies that optimize pharmaceutical spending to ensure that patients can access the products they need and to promote cost-effective use of products?
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EXPERTS:

Michael S. Sherman, M.D., M.B.A., M.S.

Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Lecturer, Harvard Medical School


Timothy G. Ferris, M.D., M.P.H.
Senior Vice President of Center for Population Health
Associate Professor of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

MODERATOR:

Ameet Sarpatwari, J.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL)
Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rooting Out Health Care Fraud: Tales from the Front Line
​March 9, 2018 | Harvard Medical School
​

​By some measures, as much as five percent of health care spending can be linked to fraud and dangerous practices of for-profit medical product companies --- resulting in widespread negative health outcomes. Health care providers and others directly involved in the health care marketplace are often in an optimal position to recognize problematic business practices.

How do medical care professionals optimally respond to fraud that they observe? What are the strategies used to try to silence them and how do we promote an ethical culture within science, medicine, and business?
EXPERTS:
Joan Gallagher
Former sales representative, InterMune

​
Pieter Cohen, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School

​
MODERATOR:
​
Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.
Director, Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL)
​
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
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Clinical Trials in Times of Public Health Crisis
​February 9, 2018 | Harvard Law School

​In the past several years, the United States has struggled to respond to viral outbreaks, such as Ebola and Zika.  There is now an awareness of the need to rapidly develop vaccines and treatments for epidemics that can quickly spread from country to country.  But questions remain as how to best conduct clinical trials and development of vaccines in the context of an epidemic or outbreak.  Join two health policy experts in examining the appropriate conduct of clinical trials during public health emergencies.
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EXPERTS:
​
Susan Ellenberg, Ph.D.
Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Jason L. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
​Yale School of Public Health


MODERATOR:
​
​​Carmel Shachar, J.D., M.P.H.
Executive Director
Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics
Harvard Law School

Revolutionizing Delivery of Health Care  
​
December 8, 2017 |  Harvard Medical School

​The US health care system is characterized by substantial costs, but high spending often does not translate into improved outcomes, particularly when compared to other comparable systems around the world. We will review whether there are policies that could help redirect the health care system. What are the appropriate goals of the health care system, and how can we better emphasize characteristics such as quality, efficiency, and responsiveness?
EXPERTS:
​Donald M. Berwick, M.D.
Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

​Rushika Fernandopulle, M.D., M.P.P.
Co-Founder and CEO, Iora Health

MODERATOR:
Spencer P. Hey, Ph.D.
Faculty Member, Harvard Center for Bioethics
Research Scientist, PORTAL
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The Gender Gap in Pay and Promotions 
​
November 29, 2017 | Harvard Medical School

Men in the United States, on average, earn higher salaries than women—including in the field of medicine. What are the economic forces, institutional policies, and individual choices that explain the gender gap in pay and promotion? Experts will present economic data for the U.S. and in the medical field, and explore ways that a deeper understanding of gender disparities can inform efforts to promote equity and advance the careers of women.
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EXPERTS:
​
​Claudia Goldin, Ph.D.
Henry Lee Professor of Economics
Harvard University

​
Karen M. Freund, M.D., M.P.H.​
Professor of Medicine
Tufts  University School of Medicine

MODERATOR:​ 
​Chana Sacks, M.D.
​Postdoctoral Fellow, PORTAL
General Internal Medicine Fellow,
Harvard Medical School

Caring for High-Need Patients
​
October 13, 2017 | Harvard Medical School

High-need patients require the most attention from health care providers and the health care system, with the top 1% of patients taking up more than 20% of health care expenditures. We will examine what policies are needed to optimize the care of such patients and whether systems can be designed to better serve their needs. What policy-level actions are needed to support the spread and scale of evidence-based programs? 
EXPERTS:
​Dave Chokshi, M.D., M.Sc.
Chief Population Health Officer of OneCity Health
Senior Assistant Vice President, New York City Health & Hospitals

Julian J. Harris, M.D., M.B.A.
President, CareAllies, Inc.

MODERATOR:
​
​Jing Luo, M.D., M.P.H. 
​PORTAL Faculty
Instructor in Medicine
​Harvard Medical School
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The Ethics of Health Care Reform
​
September 15, 2017 |  Harvard Medical School

Congress has been locked in debate over the last year about repealing the Affordable Care Act. There have been numerous controversies over the process used, as well as the outcome achieved. We will reflect on the changes and the rhetoric that has emerged around health and the government’s role in providing a safety net. How should elected representatives weigh the short-term and long-term health care needs of their constituents in these contexts? What were the roles that health care providers and patients played in the debate, and how could they have been more effective?​
EXPERTS:
​
John E. McDonough, Dr.P.H., M.P.A.
Professor of the Practice of Public Health
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Raul Ruiz, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P.

Emergency Medicine Physician & Member of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives (California District 36)
MODERATOR:
​
Michael S. Sinha, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL)
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Program On Regulation, Therapeutics And Law (PORTAL)
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics
1620 Tremont Street, Suite 3030
Boston, MA 02120
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