We are delighted to announce that IAPMD was one of six finalists for the 2018 MassBio Petri Dish Nonprofit Pitch Challenge, a competition to recognize the local life sciences and healthcare nonprofit ecosystem’s role in fueling the Massachusetts life sciences cluster.

Nonprofits were evaluated on:

• Clarity of mission statement

• Identification of need being addressed and potential for impact

• Definition of success and achievements

• Plan for sustainability

• Ability to communicate key points succinctly and effectively in 5 min.

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Amanda LaFleur, represented IAPMD in the challenge. “It was an honor to present alongside these amazing organizations,” said LaFleur. “To be chosen even as a finalist says a lot about the importance of patient advocacy groups in local health care systems.”

IAPMD finished in the top three alongside Cures Within Reach for Cancer and The LEAH Project. The six finalists for the Petri Dish challenge included Boston Postdoctoral Association, Cures Within Reach for Cancer, Future of Research (FoR), Health Resources in Action, International Association for Premenstrual Disorders, and The New England Drug Metabolism Discussion Group.

IAPMD received a $250 award which will be used to purchase a Chromebook for IAPMD’s social media department. IAPMD’s social media reaches an average of 20,000 individuals per week. The event was a wonderful opportunity to network and meet some amazing people doing groundbreaking work in the health arena. As a result of this event, IAPMD will be meeting with fellow winners, The LEAH Project to discuss a PMDD workshop for program leaders and Cures Within Reach to explore models for testing shelved clinical trials for potential PMDD treatments.

MassBio is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1985 that represents and provides services and support for the world’s leading life sciences supercluster. MassBio is committed to advancing Massachusetts' leadership in the life sciences to grow the industry, add value to the healthcare system and improve patient lives.