Amanda Pullinger, Co-Founder at Global Female Investors Management, LLC, shared on LinkedIn:
“I’m attending Amgen’s 2026 Advocacy Summit in Thousand Oaks, CA on behalf of Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer. Day 1 featured five key opportunities for learning and connecting:
Two sessions with Richard Shotton, author of ‘Hacking the Human Mind’ on Behavioral Science and how patient advocacy organizations can create better outcomes from our conversations and communications by using simple techniques tied to understanding human behavior. The three big takeaways for me were:
- In external comms, translate language from abstract ideas into something that people can visualize. The ‘Red Bull gives you wiings’ was an example given.
- As human beings, we are more likely to respond positively to ideas and instructions that others like us have taken on board. So in communicating with our constituents, we need to be emphasizing that the action proposed has already been taken by others.
- We need to make it as easy as possible for our donors and beneficiaries to say yes. Anything that makes decision making more difficult is likely to reduce effectiveness of the message and the outcome.
A session on Policy priorities for Amgen in an increasingly challenging global healthcare ecosystem, moderated by Michelle Carrillo and featuring Murdo Gordon, Exec VP, Amgen Global Markets and Policy.
Two sessions on AI: one on how AI is changing how patient advocacy groups’ ability to maintain visibility and credibility as patients increasingly use AI searches to diagnose and manage their health. The other on an internally controlled AI environment being created to inform medical professionals across disease and cancer types.
Key learnings:
- Key government health agencies and other broad based cancer and disease institutions are cited most prominently, so make sure to align your comms with The National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society and others who are picked up most frequently in patient searches
- Patient advocacy groups will need to be strategic in how they position themselves as trusted go-to sources in this brave new world of AI
- Given the rate of change in AI, we all need to be engaged in monitoring and responding to the changes in this space
An inspirational fireside chat on the future of research in accelerating patient solutions, particularly in challenging areas of disease and cancer types, featuring fellow Angela Coxon, Global Research and Development at Amgen, moderated by Racquel Racadio.
Meeting other professionals leading patient advocacy groups to share challenges and opportunities. The human element of work is alive and well – and so vital – alongside all the technological advances! Human connectivity is the superpower behind everything we do!
Lovely to meet many old and new friends, including Aki Smith, Vanessa Ghigliotty, Lisa Butler, Sue Peschin, Susie Tappouni, Lisa Giuroiu, Andrea Portillo Medeiros, Bob Bradway, Randall Rutta and Pam Traxel.”
