BIOCOM Appoints New Officers And Members To Board Of Directors

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocom, the association representing the California life science community, today announced the appointment of four new officers and four new members to its board of directors. These include the appointments of Dan Burgess to chairman, Christophe Schilling, Ph.D., to chair elect, Ted Schroeder to chair emeritus and Richard Pascoe to vice president, industry.

"Having been a key component of the city's biotech industry for nearly 30 years and a Biocom board member for 16 years, Dan understands the dynamic qualities of both our organization and our larger scientific communityknowledge that will be invaluable in him serving as our chairman," said Joe Panetta, president and chief executive officer of Biocom. "His appointment, supported by the executive appointments of current board members Christophe, Ted and Rich, will be a vital resource for Biocom as our association extends its expertise and advocacy throughout the city, state and nation."

An active member of San Diego's biotech community, Dan Burgess has overseen the discovery, preclinical development, clinical development and marketing of a number of pharmaceutical products. He first joined Biocom's board of directors in 2001, and he serves as chairman of the supervisory board of Nabriva Therapeutics, as chairman of the board of Atox Bio, as a board observer for Thesan Pharmaceuticals and as a board member of Arsanis, Inc., Cidara Therapeutics and Genoa Pharmaceuticals. In addition, Mr. Burgess is currently a venture partner with SV Life Sciences. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of San Diego-based companies Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Rempex Pharmaceuticals and Tripex Pharmaceuticals, all of which were ultimately acquired by larger pharmaceutical firms. Mr. Burgess received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Stanford University.

Christophe Schilling, Ted Schroeder and Richard Pascoe have all served as instrumental, transformative members of the region's life science community. Dr. Schilling, appointed as the board's chair elect, first became a director of Biocom's board in 2010. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Genomatica, a bioengineering technology company serving the chemical industry, and he is also a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Biotechnology. Ted Schroeder, president, founder and chief executive officer of Zavante Therapeutics, initially joined Biocom's board in 2010, served as chair in 2015 and 2016, and has now been appointed as chair emeritus. Mr. Schroeder serves as a member of the board of directors of Otonomy, Inc., Cidara Therapeutics and Collegium Pharmaceutical. Richard Pascoe, appointed as vice president, industry has served as a Biocom board member since 2016, and is the chief executive officer of San Diego-based Apricus Biosciences. Mr. Pascoe is a member of the board of directors of KemPharm Inc. and the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, and he is also a member of Biocom's Veteran's Initiative.

"A board of directors should, by definition, provide expertise and knowledge surrounding major, organization-wide decisions," said Mr. Panetta. "I can say with the utmost confidence that the new officers and the new members exceed this definition, and they will undoubtedly help to solidify Biocom's recognition as a cluster-specific expert, as a state-wide organization and as an international presence."

The additional new members of the board are:

• Kelly Farrell, chief of staff and senior director oncology research & development, Pfizer
• Kevin Tremblay, senior director, San Diego market leader, BioMed Realty
• Ronnie Hanecak, Ph.D., senior director, licensing, UC Irvine Applied Innovation
• Ho Sung Cho, Ph.D., vice president, biotherapeutics, Celgene

About Biocom

Biocom is the largest, most experienced leader and advocate for California's life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 850 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy.  Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to its San Diego headquarters, Biocom operates a core office serving the Los Angeles market, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers.

For more information on Biocom, please visit our web site at www.biocom.org.  Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).

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SOURCE Biocom