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Background
Emotional and physical limitations are significant challenges cited by people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the results released recently from two new, groundbreaking parallel surveys. According to the GeneRAtions(TM) surveys -- one of which includes feedback from more than 1,000 people living with RA and a second that polled more than 300 physicians specializing in the treatment of RA -- people with RA felt sad or depressed because of their disease an average of 25 days in three months and had difficulty with normal daily activities for 31 days in the same time period.

The surveys form the basis of a new disease awareness initiative, GeneRAtions, which is focused on increasing understanding of RA through the perspectives of varying "RA generations" -- people who have lived with or physicians who have treated RA for different lengths of time over a 30-year span.

Some Questions/Topics to be Discussed

1. History of the initiative and related work by Centocor (previous studies/research and how this came to be)
2. Quick review of the methodology and objectives for the research/study (very quick review for baseline understanding)
3. What are some of the topline results of the surveys? Eg, key insights related to condition, emotional impact, impact on daily life, family impact, and very high level insight into treatment overview, etc.
4. How did the surveys help Centocor develop the GeneRAtions RA disease initiative?
5. What are the components of the initiatve?

Michael Parks
Michael Parks is Vice President of Corporate Communications at Centocor, Inc. As chief communications officer and management board member of Centocor, Michael leads the company’s public relations, organization communications, and corporate reputation management efforts. He is also the Executive Producer of the Centocor groundbreaking documentary, INNERSTATE. This document pioneered a new approach, from conception to execution, in communication of disease state information and treatment possibility. Michael has been with Centocor since 2003, and, prior to that, Pharmacia Corporation, Searle Pharmaceuticals, and Monsanto. His experience spans the areas of marketing communications, business development communications, and issues management.

Mark Bard
Mark Bard is the President of Manhattan Research, a healthcare market research and services firm based in New York City. Prior to founding Manhattan Research, Mr. Bard was the Group Director of the Health Practice at Cyber Dialogue as well as a strategy consultant focused on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. His professional experience includes time with the managed care and business development division of GlaxoSmithKline. Mr. Bard is a nationally recognized health industry expert on topics including online health, information technology trends, pharmaceutical marketing, and disease management. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters about health administration, health software, and the Internet's impact on health. He is regularly quoted in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, NY Times, and The Boston Globe.