T2B Monthly | May 2025

The FULL Forum agenda reveal, new June programming, webinar recaps, and bye-bye, Duolingo owl!

All eyes are firmly on the inaugural T2B Biopharma Comms Forum, which is just a few short weeks away! And today we’re finally revealing the full agenda ⬇️.

Today's email is 1,881 words, an 9.5-minute read.

🗓️ T2B Programming Snapshot

» Q2 T2Bmeet @ ASCO, Chicago | Monday, June 2nd, 4:30 - 7 p.m. CT | ​Hosted by AbbVie with support from Weber Shandwick | Join us for our first meetup in the Windy City. Swing by any time for a slice of deep dish pizza and, of course, the company of our amazing community! This come-and-go networking reception is open to all biopharma communicators in the T2B community, whether you're visiting for ASCO or are local to Chicago.

» Culture Connect Roundtable Q2 Program | Wednesday, June 11th, 12 - 1 p.m. ET | "Staying Grounded: Culture & Communications Leadership in Volatile Times” | Join us for a focused, one-hour conversation where we’ll explore how companies are sustaining internal alignment, adapting to employee needs, and reinforcing values (even as the external environment shifts).

» Q2 T2Bmeet @ NY/NJ | Thursday, June 12th, 4:30 - 7 p.m. ET | ​Hosted by Mission North at their Manhattan office, this come-and-go networking event and panel discussion is open to all biopharma communicators in the T2B community.

» Students & Recent Grads Workshop | Tuesday, June 17th, 8 - 11:30 a.m. ET | Takeda HQ,125 Binney St., Cambridge, MA | Kick off the Biopharma Comms Forum with a free, high-energy morning workshop designed to support the next generation of life sciences communicators.

» T2B Biopharma Comms Forum | Tuesday, June 17th, 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET | Takeda, 125 Binney St., Cambridge, MA | Tickets for this inaugural event are free and available for T2B Pro and Student members. T2B Basic members can purchase tickets at a rate of $475. But be quick: there are only 10 tickets left!

» Q2 T2Bmeet @ BIO/Boston | Tuesday, June 17th, 5-7 p.m. ET | This reception will immediately follow our Biopharma Comms Forum | ​Come mix and mingle with comms pros visiting for BIO as well as those local to Beantown. Complimentary for T2B Pro and Student members. T2B Basic members can purchase à la carte tickets for $50.

» SAVE THE DATE! June Comm Convo | Wednesday, June 25th, 1-2 p.m. ET | In this session, we’ll explore the growing need for communicators to navigate a global context, and what it takes to communicate effectively across geographies, time zones, and cultures.

🎉 T2B Biopharma Comms Forum agenda just dropped

We’ve been listening. Over the past few months, the conversations we’ve had with communicators across the industry shaped everything about this agenda—what’s included, who’s speaking, and how we’re approaching the day.

The theme, The Next Chapter, speaks to what it means to be a biopharma communicator today. The role is evolving, and so is the weight of our work. This forum is built for where things are headed.

You’ll hear from leaders like Sandy Pound (Thermo Fisher), Dr. Mimi Lee (ARPA-H), Jeff Lockwood (BlueRock Therapeutics), Amy Atwood (Takeda), Julie Masow (BioNTech), Lee McGuire (the Broad), and more, with a range of sessions designed to surface real, on-the-ground insights. We’ve been extremely intentional and disciplined about creating space for different perspectives and experiences.

Big thanks to our sponsors for making this possible: Takeda (host), Waterhouse (marquee sponsor), and supporters Fullintel and Jygantic.

We’ve taken our time with this, and we hope it was worth the wait. Full agenda here.

But we’re almost at capacity (truly), so if you want to come, grab your ticket. There are three ways to join us:

Option 1️⃣: All-Day Experience | 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Join us for the full Biopharma Comms Forum, including the Students & Recent Grads Workshop, main programming, and the evening networking reception. Includes breakfast, lunch, and evening drinks.

• ​T2B Pro and Student Members: FREE​
• ​T2B Basic Members: $475 (Students & Recent Grads Workshop is free; register separately here)

Option 2️⃣: Main Forum Only | 11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Skip the morning and come for the core Forum programming plus the evening networking reception. Networking lunch optional.

• ​T2B Pro and Student Members: FREE​
• ​T2B Basic Members: $475

Option 3️⃣: Reception Only | 5 – 7 p.m.

Just here to mix and mingle? RSVP for our T2Bmeet @ BIO/Boston networking reception.

• ​T2B Pro and Student Members: FREE​
• ​T2B Basic Members: $50

Want to attend our Students & Recent Grads Workshop (8–11:30 a.m.) only?

👉 Register here — it’s free for all T2B community members. See below for more details.

Remember, if you are liking all our other programming and plan to come to the forum, consider upgrading to Pro for $1K / year. (About half of the membership cost will instantly pay for itself since your forum ticket will be free!)

🧑‍🎓 FREE Students & Recent Grads Workshop

​Kick off the Biopharma Comms Forum with a free, high-energy morning workshop designed to support the next generation of life sciences communicators. Whether you're a student, recent grad, or just exploring your next career move or a future in biopharma communications, this session offers a unique chance to build your skills, expand your network, and hear directly from senior leaders across the industry.

Workshop speakers include top communications executives like Kym White (Generate:Biomedicines), Danielle Cantey (Inizio Evoke), Lauren Iacono (BioCryst), Geoff Curtis (Marshall Curtis Communications), and Lori Lennon (Thinkubator Media)—bringing insights from agency, in-house, and beyond.

​Open to all aspiring communicators. T2B Basic members can attend at no cost.

​What to expect:

• A hands-on workshop focused on finding your professional voice
• A candid panel discussion on navigating nonlinear career paths in biopharma comms
• Plenty of opportunities to connect with peers and pros in the field

Workshop registration is ​FREE for all T2B members (must be a Basic member). CLICK HERE TO RSVP.​

🚀 Q2 T2BMeets roundup - Chicago, NY, Boston, here we come!

Our first meetup of the second quarter started out with a bang in San Diego during the Fierce conference! We also had an awesome meetup in downtown San Francisco earlier this month. Some of the same people who I’d just seen a couple weeks before in San Diego came out AGAIN. I’m not the only person hitting up all the T2Bmeets - love that! ;) We also met up with a few folks in New Orleans during ASGCT.

And now we’re on the road again for ASCO – come to our meetup on Monday, our first in Chicago! And of course, we’ll then be heading to NY/NJ and Boston for the big day (let’s just hope there are no more fluke nor'easters!)!

And for our friends in Europe, don’t worry, we’re planning to come back across the pond this fall!

🔔 Peer-coaching cohort lead applications close today

If you want to help shape the future of biopharma comms, secure the industry’s longevity, and leave a legacy, then act fast, because you’ve only got until the end of the day to submit your application to become a Peer-Learning Practicum (PLP) cohort lead for the second half of this year.

If you’re a comms rockstar with:

• 10+ years of experience
• A passion for facilitating learning and networking
• The ability to lead a diverse cohort of emerging, mid-stage, and veteran communicators, spanning different areas of biopharma comms and geographies
• An active T2B Pro membership

then we’d love to hear from you!

Expressing your interest in this important role couldn’t be simpler: just fill in this form.

🌟 Top tips: Driving engagement for employee events

Employee events like Town Halls and AMAs are foundational to internal comms, but getting people to show up and actually engage isn’t always easy.

In this month’s Culture Connect resource, T2B roundtable member Amy Bowman gathered insights from two internal comms pros who are finding creative ways to drive attendance and boost interaction.

T2B Pro and Student members can read the roundtable’s top tips, including a detailed case study from Tina Princiotto (Director, Global Internal Communications, SCIEX) and Sinéad Allen (Cytiva), accessed via your account here.

📣 Culture & communications leadership in volatile times

Join us on Wednesday, June 11th, from 12-1 p.m. ET, for our first Culture Connect Roundtable event, "Staying Grounded: Culture & Communications Leadership in Volatile Times.”

With Craig Wojcik (Global Head of Internal Communications at MilliporeSigma) and Abenaa Hayes (principal at Elysee Consulting), we’ll explore how companies sustain internal alignment, adapt to employee needs, and reinforce values, even as the external environment shifts.

Why attend?

• ​Pressure-test your internal narrative to ensure it aligns with shifting realities and employee sentiment​​Understand how values show up when the stakes are high—and how to avoid overpromising
• Rethink the role of internal comms and culture leaders as stewards of clarity and connection
• ​Strengthen trust and belonging even when you don’t have all the answers
• ​Explore practical approaches to communicating with care amid layoffs, restructuring, and ambiguity

Open for free but exclusively to T2B Pro and Student members (no a la carte tickets).

​Secure your spot.

🚨 Crisis recovery has fundamentally changed

In our second partnered seminar with Fullintel, we acknowledged that, although reputational risks can emerge quickly—disrupting programs, partnerships, and entire pipelines—communicators who spot early signals and connect them to broader patterns will be better positioned to respond.

Here are the top insights we took from the session:

1️⃣ Crises now last 2-4 years instead of months. The traditional recovery curve has evolved into an "L-shape," where brands rarely bounce back to their pre-crisis reputation levels. This permanence changes everything about how we approach crisis management.

2️⃣ Issue burden predicts who won't recover. New research from the University of Connecticut and Fullintel shows that brands with higher shares of voice related to ongoing issues consistently fail to recover post-crisis. The data connecting media coverage to reputation, purchase intent, and stock performance is clear.

3️⃣ Anti-science sentiment creates unexpected attack vectors. Conspiracy theories now target any organization connected to research, vaccines, or scientific processes. Brands can face backlash simply for association with topics like mRNA research or CDC guidelines, regardless of their actual involvement.

4️⃣ Trusted voices drive sentiment more than executives. During crises, doctors and patients have a direct positive impact on public perception, while executives and government officials require careful messaging to be effective. The research shows it matters less what trusted voices say than simply having them present.

5️⃣ Crisis prevention requires "peacetime" relationship building. The most critical work happens before issues emerge. Establishing relationships with key opinion leaders, patient advocacy groups, and trusted voices during calm periods enables you to respond effectively when problems arise.

All T2B members can now replay this session here.

👀 Seen on social

Did you know that Duo, the Duolingo owl, died?! 🦉

(If you didn’t see it, look up their announcement. It was super funny and compelling!)

Zaria Parvez, Senior Global Social Media Manager at Duolingo, posted a fascinating day-by-day commentary about the recent campaign, explaining how they transitioned from concept to execution (no pun intended) in just a couple of weeks.

This was such a fun read. What surprised me the most was how such an established company like Duolingo (that I’m sure must have lots of protocols and policies in place) was able to A) put so much faith in their social team, and B) work so flexibly and with agility for an extended period throughout the campaign to make the most out of the results they were seeing among their audience in near real-time. We could learn a thing or two from this!

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