NACDS has announced that Scott Gottlieb, M.D., Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2017-2019, and Jon Meacham, presidential historian and author, will be the featured speakers at the 2021 NACDS Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually April 26-28.
Gottlieb and Meacham will speak during the virtual event’s Business Program on Monday, April 26, and Tuesday, April 27, respectively.
Throughout the year, Scott Gottlieb has been a frequent commentator on the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A physician and elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, Gottlieb is an advocate for advancing patient health through innovation and for promoting healthcare access across all communities. Under Gottlieb’s leadership, the FDA developed new frameworks for the modern, safe and effective oversight of gene therapies, cell-based regenerative medicines, targeted drugs and digital health devices; implemented reforms to standardize drug reviews; promoted policies to reduce death and disease from tobacco and to confront addiction crises; and approved a record-setting number of novel drugs, medical devices and generic medicines.
Prior to his tenure as the 23rd Commissioner of the FDA, Gottlieb served as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs and, before that, as a Senior Adviser to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he helped to advance policies to improve healthcare quality and promote the effective use of new medical technologies.
Gottlieb is widely published in leading medical journals and periodicals – including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Jon Meacham – a renowned orator known for his deep knowledge of politics, religion and current affairs – is a Pulitzer-Prize winning author, an historian, a contributing writer to TIME and The New York Times Book Review, a frequent guest on shows such as Morning Joe, Real Time with Bill Maher and the 11th Hour and a regular commentator on CNN and MSNBC.
Meacham’s latest #1 New York Times bestseller, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, examines the present moment in American politics and life by reflecting on critical moments throughout the history of America in which hope overcame division and fear. Meacham has also been recognized for his bestselling novels, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush and Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.
Named a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, Meacham is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the Society of American Historians and is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at The University of the South and Vanderbilt.
“We are excited to welcome Scott Gottlieb and Jon Meacham to this year’s virtual program, and to provide a virtual format for NACDS member companies and leaders to engage in valuable programming and meetings,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson. “Although we are unable to meet together in person due to the circumstances of the COVID pandemic, I look forward to the compelling conversations and extensive participation during the 2021 program. We greatly appreciate the incredible work and strong engagement of NACDS chain and associate members and their heroic teams throughout COVID, and a major theme of this year’s event will be the recognition of their valiant successes on behalf of the American people.”
In addition to the relevant and timely Business Programs – which will present Gottlieb and Meacham as well as NACDS leadership – the 2021 virtual event will also feature opportunities for essential top-to-top meetings between companies; recognition for NACDS members’ service to their communities and nation; an intentional focus on expanded participation by NACDS member company staff teams; and a compelling platform from which to tell the pharmacy industry’s story publicly.
NACDS invites all chain and associate members to register and attend the virtual 2021 NACDS Annual Meeting in April.
For additional information about this year’s event, contact Jim Whitman, NACDS’ senior vice president of member programs and services, at (703) 837-4610 or visit the 2021 NACDS Annual Meeting frequently-asked-questions.
