Georgia Life Sciences Patient Advocacy Forum

Mercer University | Administration and Conference Center

The Patient Advocacy Forum – Georgia’s Bridge Between Patients and Innovation

The Patient Advocacy Forum serves as a vital connector within Georgia’s dynamic life sciences ecosystem—linking patients, caregivers, advocates, and healthcare innovators across the state. Rooted in Georgia’s diverse communities, the Forum ensures that local patient experiences, concerns, and perspectives directly shape the future of healthcare innovation, advocacy, and policy development.

By fostering a collaborative environment across Georgia—from Atlanta’s research corridors to rural health communities—the Forum empowers patients to not only be heard but to help drive meaningful, region-specific solutions. Through this initiative, Georgia becomes a model for how patient-centered progress can influence the broader life sciences landscape.

11:00am: Registration Opens & Grab Box Lunch

11:30am: Welcome Remarks

11:45am: Patient Perspective

12:00pm: Fireside Chat: Drug Affordability Project for Sensory Impaired and Medical Resident Advocacy

12:30pm: Panel Discussion: Funding Cuts, Fewer Trials, Delayed Hope: Understanding the Ripple Effects on Patients

Recent and proposed reductions in federal and private research funding are creating significant headwinds for the life sciences ecosystem. From early-stage discovery through late-phase clinical trials, constrained capital is slowing progress, limiting site activation, and reducing patient access to innovative therapies.

This session will explore how funding cuts are reshaping the clinical trial landscape—delaying or canceling studies, narrowing patient eligibility, and disproportionately impacting underserved populations. Panelists will examine what this means for patients waiting on new treatments, as well as for advocacy organizations working to ensure equitable access to research opportunities.

1:15pm: Panel Discussion: Patient Access at a Crossroads: Accountability, Reform, and the Future of Healthcare Access

From prior authorization and biomarker testing to mental health parity, PBM practices, and the 340B program, policymakers have enacted reforms intended to improve patient access to care and reduce barriers to treatment. Yet significant questions remain about implementation, compliance, enforcement, and whether these policies are consistently delivering the outcomes patients were promised.

This session will bring together patient advocates, providers, policymakers, and industry leaders to examine the evolving healthcare access landscape in Georgia and beyond. Panelists will discuss recent legislative and regulatory developments, challenges associated with implementation and compliance, and the role of transparency and accountability in ensuring patients receive timely, affordable access to the care and treatments they need.

The conversation will explore how stakeholders can work together to strengthen patient protections, improve healthcare outcomes, and ensure that well-intentioned reforms translate into meaningful impact for patients and families.

1:45pm: Break

2:00pm: Panel Discussion: The Next Frontier: How mRNA is Transforming the Future of Medicine

Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology has emerged as one of the most promising advances in modern medicine. While many first encountered mRNA through COVID-19 vaccines, researchers are now applying this platform to develop therapies for cancer, rare diseases, genetic disorders, autoimmune conditions, and infectious diseases. As these therapies move from the laboratory to the clinic, patients and advocacy organizations have an increasingly important role in shaping research, clinical trials, education, and access.

This panel will explore the science behind mRNA, the therapies currently in development, the challenges that remain, and what patients can expect as this rapidly evolving field transforms the future of healthcare.

2:45pm: Call to Action

2:50pm: Closing Remarks