Elephants and Tea - December 2022 - 29

PATIENTS FIRST Conversation
provides grant support to help create
essential programs to aid further research
for childhood cancers. In addition to
supporting fund research on a national
and global level, she shared that the organization
gave her the opportunity, as well
as other survivors, to share their advocacy
work and personal stories with the
entire staff at the organization. " They
even included the manufacturing staff
that produces the drugs so that everyone
would have a greater appreciation for the
importance of their role in producing
these drugs to treat children and adolescents
with cancer, " Ruth said. " Sometimes
you feel like a cog in a wheel, but being
able to share the impact that their work
makes, and how their work gives hope
and life to children and adolescents-it
was very novel on their part-I appreciated
the opportunity very much, and it was
clear that the staff appreciated it as well. "
Ruth went on to share, " I think sometimes
when you are working-you know, if you
are in an assembly line, putting a cap on a
drug-it's hard sometimes to see the forest
from the trees. " Servier gives the patients
they help the chance to explain to the staff
that sometimes it is those little things that
people do that change a life and change the
future of a life forever.
Jessica Bar t ley had simi lar memories
of the same moment. " I remember
thinking...this is why we are doing what
we are doing ... these are the faces, " she
shared. " The people in my department
still talk about it... they still remember
the patients by name, " Jessica said. She
shared how impactful that moment was
and that it still comes up all the time
in conversations among her colleagues.
Servier is one of the few large
companies that truly embraces real
everyday heroes, such as pediatric
and young adult cancer patients
and survivors.
" Childhood cancer is strength, " Ruth
Hoffman stated. " If anybody exhibits
strength and hope and courage, it's children
and adolescents with cancer, " she
went on to say. She elaborated by saying
that the strength they demonstrate in
their lives is unbelievable. She shared
that she feels so much focus and emphasis
in society is placed on artificial heroes
based on crazy stories that don't impact
everyday life. " Companies embrace those
stories...the stories of bizarre sensationalism,
and they turn their back on the
real heroes of the world because it is too
'sad...' Servier is one of the only companies
who truly does embrace real-life
heroes. " Ruth then explained that Servier's
structure as a non-profit organization
as opposed to a for-profit, investor-based
company, is a major aspect that sets
them apart from other pharmaceutical
companies. " What's driving them is not
the investor dollar and profit margins,
what's driving them is helping families
and making a difference in the lives of
children and young adults with cancer, "
said Ruth. " I really respect them for that, "
she continued. " They go beyond it being
an investment for them on the financial
level. They are not afraid to embrace and
support nonprofits that help young people
with cancer and their families. They are
definitely a role model in that area, even
on a personal level. They just truly care.
They go above and beyond corporate
collaboration and partnership...they are
humans and they show it. " l
Eric Chow, Senior Medical Science Liaison at Servier Pharmaceuticals: Eric Chow is a board-certified oncology pharmacist and is
currently a Senior Medical Science Liaison at Servier Pharmaceuticals and the interim Medical Director over the ALL therapeutic area.
He supports medical education and research activities associated with Servier's portfolio of drugs in malignant hematology. Before
taking this position, he was a Medical Science Liaison at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, supporting similar activities within their multiple
myeloma franchise. He has held roles as a clinical pharmacy specialist in malignant hematology and stem cell transplant/cell therapy,
oncology investigational pharmacy, and as a system pharmacy oncology manager for a large, community health system. Eric maintains
an active involvement in HOPA and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), where he has served on
multiple committees and held leadership positions in both of those organizations.
Ruth Hoffman, CEO of American Childhood Cancer Organization: Ruth is the mother of eight children, including her daughter who is a
survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, diagnosed in 1987 at the age of 7. Since 1999, Ruth has been the CEO of the American Childhood
Cancer Organization. She serves on the WHO's Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and is the immediate Past-President of Childhood
Cancer International (CCI). Nationally, Ruth has spent more than thirty years raising awareness and strengthening advocacy for
childhood cancer.
Jessica Bartley, Director of Biologics and Steriles External Manufacturing (ExM) at Servier. In this role, Jessica and her Team are
responsible for ensuring the on-time delivery of products from our partner CDMOs to meet patient needs. For over 20 years, Jessica's
focus has been building and maintaining high functioning patient focused Teams and relationships, as well as lean practices, in support
of the manufacturing of products. She was a part of the start-up Team for an at-scale Mab clinical manufacturing facility for Wyeth,
worked at Lonza Biologics in MS&T and Program Management responsible for the production of a top pharma company's oncology
products, created a PMO and lead Teams at Medtronic for medical product development from R&D through launch, and worked
at Bristol Myers Squibb in ExM establishing standardized ways of working across the organization and overseeing production at
CDMOs. Jessica graduated from the University of New Hampshire with dual degrees in Microbiology and Biomedical Science.
US-MED-00491
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Elephants and Tea - December 2022

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