University to host inaugural Biotech, Pharma & Physical/Life Science Summit on Nov. 5

Event will highlight latest research trends and provide networking opportunities for students

Susan Windham-Bannister

WALTHAM, Mass.— The future of the state’s biotech, pharmaceutical, and physical/life science industries will be on display at Brandeis on Nov. 5, when the university’s Hiatt Career Center partners with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for the inaugural Biotech, Pharma & Physical/Life Science Summit.
 
The event, which includes a discussion forum and networking portion, will provide exciting insights into emerging research and employment trends in the field. Heller School for Social Policy and Management graduate Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, PhD ’77, president & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, will deliver a keynote address.
 
"The Life Sciences Center is creating jobs and supporting good science through implementation of our state's 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative, and Brandeis is very much a part of that, having received two research matching grants already from the center," said Dr. Windham-Bannister. "We also helped two students from Brandeis secure paid internships this past summer with life sciences companies and research institutions through our Internship Challenge Program. We are located in Waltham, very near the Brandeis campus, and I welcome this opportunity to discuss additional opportunities for collaboration with Brandeis faculty, students, and nearby employers."
 
Hiatt Career Center Director Joseph Du Pont said the university is thrilled to be able to host the summit. “This event represents a true collaboration between Hiatt, our faculty, the Science Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and others, to create a forum for inspiring a new generation of college students on the variety of options available to them,” Du Pont said. “In addition to educating students about particular careers, the evening will serve as a forum to start conversations on many levels about how all the different stakeholders can work together to sponsor research, increase economic development and create stronger ties between higher education and industry.”
 
In addition to Dr. Windham-Bannister, the summit’s panel discussion will feature other leaders from industry, nonprofit and academic institutes including: Eric Furfine, PhD ’88, senior vice president of research and preclinical development for Adnexus Therapeutics (a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company); Beverly Ginsburg-Cooper, senior vice president of research for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Larry Samuels ’75, senior medical director of new products for Pfizer, Inc.; and Neil Stahl, PhD ’85, senior vice president of research and development sciences for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

After the formal programming, panelists and industry guests will co-host speed networking tables to provide insight into their careers and organizations including: Merck, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Transform Pharmaceuticals, Abt Bio - Pharma Solutions, Decision Resources, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Anlylam Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Environmental Protection Agency, Monarch Life Sciences, Wyeth Pharmaceutical, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Bioresearch Center, Adnexus Therapeutics, Pfizer, Inc., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Third Rock Ventures, Genzyme Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.
 
The Nov. 5 summit will be held from 5:30 – 9 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center, on Brandeis’ Waltham campus.
 
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts tasked with implementing the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act, a 10-year, $1 billion initiative that was signed into law in June of 2008. The center’s mission is to create jobs in the life sciences and support vital scientific research that will improve the human condition. This work includes making financial investments in public and private institutions that are advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization as well as building ties between sectors of the Massachusetts life sciences community. For more information, visit the center's Web site.
 
About the Hiatt Career Center
The Hiatt Career Center at Brandeis University prepares students and alumni to develop the skills to transform their unique backgrounds, liberal arts education and experiential learning into meaningful professional futures and relationships. For more information, visit the Hiatt Center's Web Site.