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In 2023, we saw many strong advocacy initiatives and public awareness campaigns with the important goal of reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues. These campaigns — including our own Boehringer Ingelheim’s Look Beyond Stable initiative that sought to bring to life the three symptom domains and misconceptions of schizophrenia — foster open conversations, educate the public and encourage people seeking help to better advocate for themselves and their loved ones.

In 2024, we expect to see an increased focus on holistic approaches for mental health that consider the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Bringing ‘precision to psychiatry’ by thinking beyond current diagnosis and treatment approaches – it requires us to think beyond the pill. Emphasis on early detection of disease, ongoing psychological and social interventions as well as digital therapeutics for people living with chronic and complex conditions will transform mental health. — Christine Sakdalan, U.S. head of mental health franchise, Boehringer Ingelheim

During the pandemic, our ability to connect with stakeholders was often limited to virtual interactions. But as we’ve emerged from this period, we’ve found a strong appetite and renewed value for in-person activities as well. Our success here has led to a creative renewal in how we’re engaging with our stakeholders, from fresh takes on old-school activities to explorations of emerging communications channels that are digital, live and hybrid. What’s particularly exciting is the opportunity to combine the traditional and the emerging in innovative and unexpected ways, opening up new possibilities to enhance the reach and resonance of our efforts.

While new treatment modalities have captured much of our attention, I expect 2024 will bring an increasing focus on the evolution of clinical trials. More is being demanded beyond the traditional clinical outcomes. There’s an expanded focus on quality-of-life, real-world data and diversity in enrollment, and it’s being enabled with innovations in approach and technology that are groundbreaking in their own right. As these advancements are more broadly communicated and understood, it will hopefully lead to an increased interest and inclusivity in clinical trial participation, allowing for richer insights and even new therapies. As communicators, we have an exciting role to play in supporting this. — Daren Kwok, executive director, corporate affairs, Regeneron

Although there have been collective gains in the past decade, 2023 showed that the road to health and gender equity is a long and arduous one. Key findings from the annual Women in the Workplace report, as well as internal data from Women of Color in Pharma, show that the broken rung still exists as a significant impediment for women to advance in their careers. Lack of representation from marginalized groups further fuels suboptimal insights into solutions to advance health equity. Life science organizations should ramp up efforts to train, promote and deploy people who will tackle health policy issues and equitable clinical trial participation. Companies who act will dispel myths about non-traditional clinical trial sites and investigators, and will forge a path for others to follow. — Dr. Kemi Olugemo, director of communications, Women of Color in Pharma

In 2024, the average person will hear and learn more about medical coding, including the impact it has on their care. AI continues to transform medical coding and not just for apparent needs like streamlining payment and reimbursement efficiencies. AI has the potential to improve continuity of care across doctor visits, getting physicians more involved and ultimately altering patient care standards and, in turn, improving outcomes. For example, AI can be used to structure previously unstructured clinical data, like physician notes on patient visits, to ensure insights captured are accurately documented and match patient care and inform standards of clinical care. So I won’t be surprised if we start hearing patients ask doctors during visits, “How is this being coded?” — Rae Jimenez, chief product officer, American Academy of Professional Coders

2024 is the year genomics, AI and the power of the cloud come together to make real progress in unlocking breakthroughs in healthcare. 2023 gave us a valuable glimpse into how AI can be both transformative and disruptive. By leveraging algorithms to discover unique cancer signatures previously too complex to recognize, and pairing them with rapidly growing cloud computing resources, we are able to decode billions of data points at scale. As we evolve these systems, we will generate meaningful and transformative insights to better match patients with effective treatment therapies, support and accelerate new drug development, and increase early detection methods that move us one step closer to eradicating cancer. — David Spetzler, president, Caris Life Sciences