Why was G & S Forum created?

In 2005, G & S Research, Inc., launched G & S Forum in response to a growing demand for feedback and information from thought leaders in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. These physicians, who are generally considered to be the most valuable market segment in the industry, account for the majority of the market and clinical experience within a product category. G & S Research has provided these services since 1998.

What types of services are offered by G & S Forum?

G & S Forum provides comprehensive design, data collection, and analysis services to bio-pharmaceutical companies wanting to obtain scientific and market information on their product(s) in context of a specific disease state or therapeutic category. G & S Forum provides the following services:

• Meeting Services: G & S Forum utilizes a customized approach to meet specific client needs. Utilizing a multi-modal methodology, we obtain the opinions, perceptions, and advice of leading healthcare professionals in a non-promotional environment that encourages frank and candid exchange of information. Meetings are designed and conducted to comply with PhRMA and OIG standards.
• CME Needs Assessment: Often a Needs Assessment is necessary to identify unmet needs, knowledge gaps, and other important topics for medical education. A CME Needs Assessment is an effective tool for manufacturers seeking advice regarding selection criteria for funding unsolicited research grants. It can also help companies effectively allocate budget monies to educate community healthcare providers. Utilizing facilitator-led discussions, a group of advisors are brought together to obtain their unbiased insight and feedback regarding pressing medical education needs and useful criteria to use in evaluating research grants. This information will then assist managers in evaluating and prioritizing competing grant interests.
• KOL Identification: As an alternative to utilizing the traditional method of identifying KOLs via speaker searches, publication lists, or academic/clinical positions, we go directly to the users. Asking your audience, such as community practitioners, to identify leading physicians in a specific field typically provides highly accurate information about which KOLs are recognized as experts and which have the greatest impact. By conducting an internet survey or telephone interview, targeted practitioners are queried for their opinions regarding who they would go to in a complicated case, who is conducting cutting edge research, and the like. The results of this research can then be used in recruiting efforts for CME Needs Assessment and medical meetings.

Why Choose G & S Forum?

Partnering with G & S Forum offers many advantages over other alternatives. Utilizing our research techniques, G & S Forum provides a richness of information and important perspectives that are not achieved by most methodologies.

Our services vary from traditional marketing research, such as focus groups or in depth interviews, in a number of significant ways. The meeting environment tends to break down barriers and generate rigorous discussion that is often more involved and frank than what emerges in traditional research. The setting also allows healthcare professionals to interact with their peers, share clinical experience and obtain new medical information.

We utilize an open forum to learn the opinions and perceptions of leading healthcare providers in order to better understand treatment algorithms and disease management. Participants are attracted to these meetings, as they afford the opportunity to interact with peers and obtain cutting edge information on topics related to a therapeutic category.

What do I get?

Peace of mind with the knowledge that the proceedings and information obtained at your meeting are captured in a presentation-ready report. G & S Forum prepares a comprehensive report of your meeting as we would with any research project. We analyze the information and data gathered at your meeting for areas of consensus, difference, and significance as well as to identify emerging thoughts and perceptions. These findings are reported using a variety of formats (text, table, graphics) and include conclusions and recommendations to drive future business decisions. Our deliverables are provided in both electronic and hard copy formats.

Who are the people providing these services?

G & S Forum professionals have a demonstrated proficiency with research methods, statistical expertise, and analytics that can be applied to a single project or across an entire series of events. They are skilled in capturing key findings and conclusions as well as providing recommendations for future action, and they understand and stay current on industry regulations, including OIG and PhRMA standards.

G & S Forum facilitators who conduct medical meetings have a special set of skills and are carefully selected to be socially adept, flexible, and able to glean critical information from healthcare leaders in a less-structured environment. They have an ability to understand scientific details and interact comfortably with high level medical professionals to discuss brand- and issue-related topics.

Once I decide to engage G & S Forum, what is the process?

When you decide to partner with G & S Forum, an assessment of your information needs will be conducted before any plans regarding your program are made. This information will be used to design an effective data collection and analysis plan that is based on your business objectives.

We will monitor your project and utilize appropriate methodologies to obtain feedback and opinions from industry thought leaders, making any necessary changes along the way to ensure that your results are valuable and complete. Upon the conclusion of your meeting(s), the data is rigorously analyzed and findings are captured in a customized, detailed presentation-ready report.