Discussion Groups
The Discussion Group (DG) project continues to be met with enthusiasm from all who have taken the time to investigate its merit. The concept of high quality, low cost, local, one day/one evening conferences on issues of importance to QA/RA professionals in the medical industry has proven attractive to both the attendees of the conferences as well as with the volunteer leaders of existing and future DGs. The success of this concept is evidenced by the solid attendance that continues to be generated at conferences held by the existing groups described below. Click on the ASQ Biomedical Events link above to browse for an event occurring in your area. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer leader, please contact your local DG leader by clicking on the DG Committee link above. If a group does not exist in your area and you would like more information about starting one, please fill out a feedback form by clicking on the Contact ASQ link below.
Dallas Fort Worth Discussion Group
This is the newest Discussion Group, which held a successful inaugural Round Table in late 2006. Attendees are targeted from the entire metroplex area, with events hosted at Abbott Diagnostics in Irving (located between Dallas and Fort Worth) from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Events are usually the 2nd or 3rd Wednesday of the month and registration is required for each event. This group primary focus is to provide a forum for professionals involved in the development, quality, manufacture, testing, and regulation of medical devices and diagnostics, to learn, teach, and discuss issues specific to the medical device and diagnostics industry. To receive timely notices of these meetings or if you have questions concerning the meetings, contact the Chair, Mary Ellen Delaney at 972-518-6299 or maryellen.delaney@abbott.com or the Financial Coordinator, Karen McElwain at 972-985-9100 x107 or karen@therealtimegroup.com
Northern California Discussion Group
Roundtables and seminars are usually held on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. We also occasionally hold seminars admitting up to 250 attendees. Our Round Tables and Seminars are held at: Steifel Laboratories 3160 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304 Click on the 'Home' link to the left and look under 'Calendar' for upcoming events. If you’re already on the NCDG e-mail list, you’ll get timely notices of these meetings. If you want to be certain you’re notified, contact Danielle Anderle, 408-207-5968 or danianderle@gmail.comdanianderle@gmail.com to be added to the e-mail list.
New England Discussion Group
This is the other older discussion group. NEDG serves Biomedical Professionals throughout the New England area. We generally offer 4 one day seminars throughout the year on a variety of topics, such as Hot Topics in the industry, Supplier/Purchasing controls, Internal Auditing, Risk Management, CAPA and Complaints. These one day seminars are generally held at the Sheraton Needham, MA. We include speakers from the FDA, notified bodies and other subject matter experts. Typical attendance ranges from 50 to 150 participants. Round Tables are also held 4 times throughout the year. These are limited to 25 attendees and include a dinner and a shorter interactive venue, generally ranging from 2-3 hours in the evening. Topics offered in 08 / 09 include sampling plans, failure mode and effects, complaints and adverse event reporting, and how to manage an FDA audit. These roundtables are generally offered at a medical device company within the Boston metro area. NEDG has also partnered with Mass Medic to sponsor their yearly event which is held at the Mass Medic headquarters. For general information on the group or If you would like to be added to the NEDG mailing list for notices on upcoming events, please contact the NEDG Chair - Pam Goldstein at pgoldstein@gidynamics.com or Vice Chair; Beth Kelly at Beth@Kellyqc.com.
Southern California Discussion Group
SCDG serves Biomedical Professionals throughout the Southern California and Arizona region. This discussion group sponsors regular roundtable discussions and periodic seminar-style events featuring local and nationally recognized experts, often including FDA representatives and industry consultants. The Discussion group currently offers these functions at various venues within ASQ Region 7 (San Diego, Temecula, Palomar, Orange County, San Gabriel, San Fernando Valley, Phoenix) to better serve the needs of the 13 Sections within the region.
Midwest Discussion Group
The Midwest Discussion Group was initiated in March 2007. We plan to meet monthly to discuss "hot topics" affecting our lives in the biomedical industry. The first topics for MWDG to begin tackling are CAPA and Risk Management. MWDG is establishing a presence in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and throughout the Midwest. Contact John Freije john@freijequalityengineering.com. for more details.
Mid-Atlantic Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Discussion Group
MAPBDG combined unique strength of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Professional in the greater Philadelphia region, including Maryland and New Jersey. We held our first evening seminar in the fall of 2006, on Risk Management, and two additional meetings in the spring of 2007, one on Combination products and one on effective CAPA. All of our meetings have been held at Home of QA/RA Program at Temple University in Fort Washington, PA. We welcome professionals in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical industries join us for the common goal of improving human life through Quality. To receive timely notices of these meetings, contact the co-chairs Li-Chung Huang (908) 243-9904 or Ray Lotfi (610) 640-1775 x282 , rlotfi@orthovita.com.
