2021 was a Challenging Year

First and foremost, I would like to send you and your family season’s greetings and very best wishes for happiness, good health and harmony in the coming New Year.

Like 2020, 2021 has been a challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic continued and the PDA staff, like the rest of you, were mainly working from home offices and did not interact with their colleagues the way they normally would. Yet, they managed to set up nearly all the planned activities to benefit you, the PDA members. I would like to say a big “thank you” to the staff. All the work you have done is highly appreciated.

PDA Advisory Boards, Standing Committees and Task Forces

As stated above, nearly all the planned PDA activities have taken place, and this is not only because of the good work done by the staff. Members of our technical advisory boards, standing committees and task forces also have done a fantastic job! Without you, it would not have been possible for us to offer all these interesting activities and documents.

Regarding documents, once again we have managed to exceed expectations. Five Technical Reports, one Points-to Consider paper, five Surveys and two Standards have been published. Also, comments have been submitted on 14 regulatory documents.

Virtual Fatigue

During the year, it seemed more and more people were suffering “virtual fatigue,” and the number of participants at several conferences was going down compared to the number who participated in the face-to-face conferences in previous years. It was therefore with great pleasure that I saw the number of participants at the 2021 PDA Pharmaceutical Microbiology Conference and the “2021 PDA Contamination Control Strategy Workshop” far exceeded our expectations.

The PDA Board of Directors and the Financial Status of PDA

The main task for the Board of Directors is to set strategic directions and perform oversight. During 2021, the Board closely followed financial developments, and I am happy to inform you that PDA’s financial status is good due to wise management by PDA President & CEO Richard Johnson. PDA is really a healthy organization.

PDA Vision and Mission

My 2020 message ended with, “PDA will have plenty of deliverables in store for you for 2021” and, as you can see from the examples above, you have delivered. And, once again you have proven my 2020 message to be true: “These deliverables are only possible due to our very competent staff who successfully plan all the offerings and due to our active PDA members.” So, again, I thank you for the time and effort you have put into the tasks that made it possible for PDA to fulfill our mission and vision.

Mission

To advance pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical manufacturing science and regulation so members can better serve patients.

Vision

To maximize product quality, availability, and value by connecting people, science, and regulation within the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical community so that PDA is:

• The preferred choice for professionals who seek specialized, innovative skills and knowledge enhancing their professional development
• The premier educational partner for professionals in academia, industry, and government for the advancement of manufacturing, quality, and regulatory science
• An organization that aligns its practices and resources in support of its core values of science based, integrity, and inclusion