MDRx Featured Speakers

Michael Capaldi 

Associate Vice President, Sales Training & Leadership Development, sanofi-aventis

Mike Capaldi and his team are responsible for the training and development needs for a US field sales force of over 10,000 professionals; as well as Managed Care, Field Medical and Brand Professionals. He is an active member of the Society of Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers(SPBT) and the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). Mike was awarded the President's Circle Award, the organization's highest honor, for the innovative License-to-Sell program. This program has shaped the way that Sanofi-Aventis certifies its field sales force on an annual basis and has been leveraged internationally.

George D. Lundberg, MD

Former Editor in Chief, Medscape

Dr. Lundberg became Editor in Chief of Medscape in 1999 and since then has also served as Editor in Chief of Medscape Core, The Medscape Journal of Medicine, CBS Healthwatch and eMedicine. He was Editor in Chief of JAMA from 1982-1999. He has been a professor at six universities, and has an honorary ScD from four universities. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and is currently on consulting faculty at Stanford University.

Ed Silverman

Journalist, Elsevier Business Intelligence, Former Editor, Pharmalot

Ed Silverman is a prize-winning journalist who has covered the pharmaceutical industry for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey, one of the nation's largest daily newspapers, for more than 12 years. During that time, he has closely followed a variety of topics of concern to those who work for, and with, pharmaceutical manufacturers - drug development; mergers and acquisitions; regulatory oversight; safety and pricing controversies, and marketing issues.

Prior to joining The Star-Ledger, Silverman spent six years at New York Newsday and previously worked at Investor's Business Daily, among other newspapers. He has a master's degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Binghamton University.

Peter Frishauf

Chairman, Crossix, Founder, Medscape

Frishauf started his career as a medical writer in 1972 after graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Since then he has founded two successful medical information companies, SCP Communications in 1982, and Medscape in 1995. He served as Medscape's CEO until February, 1998 when he became Chairman of its Executive Committee and was a member of its Board of Directors through its IPO and until its merger with MedicaLogic/Medscape, Inc in May, 2000. MedicaLogic sold Medscape to WebMD in the final days of December, 2001, and Peter left the enterprise in 2002. SCP was acquired by CMP Healthcare Media in 2004. Peter is now an independent consultant.

Liana McCormick, MBA

Product Director, Eisai, Inc

Liana McCormick joined Eisai Inc. as Product Director, Lusedra. Prior to assuming this new role, Liana worked at Schering-Plough as Senior Brand Director and was responsible for the launch of Bridion® (sugammadex sodium injection), a novel anesthesia drug introduced in key European markets during Q4 of 2008. L

Liana joined Schering-Plough in November of 2007 when it acquired Organon Pharmaceuticals. While at Organon she progressed rapidly through increasing levels of responsibility over her 17 year tenure. Liana held various sales and marketing leadership positions, including National Sales Director for Follistim® AQ (a biotech recombinant FSH) and Senior Brand Director, Anesthesia Therapeutic Area. She brings proven accomplishments in pharmaceutical marketing, strategic brand planning, pharmaceutical sales, sales management, budgeting, and matrix team management.

Stephen Smith

Chief Strategist, So-Net M3 USA Corp., Former Editor in Chief, Medscape

Stephen Smith, Chief Strategist, So-net M3 USA Corp, co-founded Medscape, WebMD's professional portal alongside Frishauf, and developed products and strategies at Medsite, the #1 provider of online pharmaceutical promotional services to physicians. He is a leader and pioneer in the eHealth space.