Dr. Chinmaya P Chigateri is the Director & CEO of HealthMinds. Dr. Chinmaya is the sharp end of the organization and is responsible for business development, client relations, investor relations and driving the overall strategy of the company.
Prior to founding HealthMinds, he has consulted with various organizations in areas of medical publishing, healthcare IT and research advisory. He also worked with the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences as its Scientific Project Coordinator for its HIV/AIDS program, where he consulted with the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, under the Government of Karnataka. He is a Bachelor of Dentistry from India and holds a Masters of Infectious Diseases from the University of Western Australia, Perth. He has the distinction of being a student of, and working with, Prof. Barry Marshall, the Nobel Prize winner for Medicine and Physiology for the year 2005. He is a 2014 Fellow in the Startup Leadership Program in Bangalore.
Passionate in Marketing caught up with Dr. Chinmaya P Chigateri to discuss Why research communication matters more than ever in MedTech
Can you explain why research communication is particularly crucial in the field of MedTech?
The primary audience for the commercial success of any MedTech company is healthcare professionals (HCP). For them to have confidence in the product and prescribe/recommend it to their patients, it is important for them to understand the robustness of the development process and the clinical trials conducted for the specific device. However, we cannot expect HCPs to devote time to read in detail the development dossiers or the published literature on these products on their own. It is then the onus of the company to provide all the scientific data in a concise form through innovative communication assets that will provide all the vital information to a doctor in a short span of time.
How has the role of research communication evolved in the MedTech industry over the years? What are the key challenges in effectively communicating research findings in the MedTech sector?
Research communication has been central to the commercial successes of MedTech companies over the years for reasons I have already explained above. The key challenges that have constantly been addressed are that companies demand specialty consulting agencies such as Healthminds to constantly innovate and evolve content forms that are more engaging to the doctor yet deliver scientific information effectively. With the advent of digital media, the challenges are on how we engage HCPs in media channels that have been non-traditional in the healthcare sector.
How does effective research communication contribute to the overall growth and success of a MedTech organization?
As mentioned previously, effective research communication is the key to building credibility of the product amongst the scientific community. With the advent of evidence-based medicine, it is critical that the HCPs are convinced of the reliability of the product before they recommend them to their patients. Hence, research communication is now a commercial tool for MedTech companies which can impact the revenues of the company.
In your opinion, what are the most effective strategies or channels for communicating research in the MedTech industry?
While traditional content assets used in face-to-face interactions are still relevant, the advent of digital media, primarily driven by the implications of COVID, has changed the dynamics of marketing for MedTech companies. A lot of innovation and technology driven solutions are being offered by communication companies such as Healthminds to drive this goal for MedTech companies.
Could you provide an example of a situation where effective research communication has led to tangible benefits for a MedTech organization?
A major MedTech company had a large amount of surgical data done through their equipment with all their doctors individually. Healthminds provided a solution to them wherein all the disparate data from their users were collated into a central database and analyzed for various parameters, primarily focussed on the effectiveness of the equipment and safety indicators. This big data exercise gave the company excellent insights into the usability of their equipment along with the challenges. The entire analyzed dataset was published into scientific whitepapers that were distributed, both digitally and in print to all their doctor fraternity. The company then also organized a user conference inviting all the doctors who use this equipment to speak about their experiences and scopes for improvement. This brought a lot of proactive engagement with the doctors and enough input and pointers for them to develop a continued line of products in this domain.
What steps does Healthminds Consulting take to ensure effective research communication within the company and with external stakeholders?
Our team of consultants are constantly tracking the market for newer innovation and is also in constant touch with our customers and their product pipelines. We work with the MedTech companies to assist them in getting a product positioning statement based on the use cases and craft a solution around the commercial goals of the product. We then help them develop the essential scientific content first (journal publications) and then craft commercial assets based on the scientific data.
How do you ensure that the research communicated by Healthminds Consulting is accessible and understandable to a wide range of audiences, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and patients?
Our expert team of medical content writers and thinkers have perfected the science and art of scientific communication to relevant audiences. Over the years, we have accumulated experience in providing customized communication assets that cater to the entire healthcare ecosystem. We make targeted communication that is relevant to HCPs, policymakers, and patients. Our consultants work with the MedTech company’s commercial teams to craft these solutions to enable consistent yet targeted communication with all stakeholders.
How important are collaboration and partnerships with academic institutions and research organizations in enhancing research communication efforts in the MedTech sector?
Collaboration with academic institutions is vital during the process of scientific evidence creation for MedTech companies. It is critical that their clinical validation studies meet all safety and performance requirements, and the best place to put these devices to the test is with academic institutions. Their accomplished faculty members are also now encouraged by governing bodies to participate in industry projects to further the cause of science and innovation.
How do you leverage digital platforms and technologies to enhance research communication at Healthminds Consulting?
Healthminds has always been at the cutting edge of technology in the medical communications space. We have experts who create content for digital engagement and use frontier technologies such as Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality in our offerings.
How do you measure the impact and effectiveness of research communication efforts at Healthminds Consulting?
Since we are a company that works on communication solutions both in the development phase as well as in the commercialization phases, we have individual KPIs for each of them. For the development phase, our commitment to customers is to help them design effective clinical validation studies that stand the scrutiny of regulatory agencies such as the USFDA and the Indian CDSCO. Based on this data, we strive to have the outcomes of these clinical studies to be published in high-impact and well-known scientific journals. On the commercialization end of our services, we measure the impact of the way our communication strategies and solutions have positively impacted the revenues of the product.
How do you stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in research communication, and how do you apply them in your role as a Director/CEO at Healthminds Consulting?
We have market research and inside sales teams that are constantly studying the market and development pipelines of various MedTech companies. Based upon the new innovations that are going to be in the market, our teams work around relevant solutions around them, and we get them validated through our network of industry leaders. As CEO of the company, it is my responsibility to create an environment that fosters out-of-the-box thinking amongst our team and be an enabler for innovation.
