ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- National and regional life science luminaries will be featured plenary speakers during 2005 Mid-Atlantic Bio: The Conference for Industry and Investors, the region’s premier biotechnology forum scheduled from October 26-27 in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.
Dr. George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and a world-renowned researcher, scholar and science policymaker, will address the conference before the lunchtime break on the first day. Julie McHugh, president of Horsham, PA-based Centocor, Inc., will speak during the opening morning session on Thursday, October 27. The final day’s closing program will feature H. Thomas Watkins, CEO of Rockville, MD-based Human Genome Sciences, and David M. Mott, vice chairman, CEO, and president of Gaithersburg, Md.-based MedImmune, Inc. in a panel discussion, “Building a Sustainable Bioscience Company - The CEO Perspective.”
“We are pleased and honored to be able to showcase such dynamic speakers during the program at 2005 Mid-Atlantic Bio: The Conference for Industry and Investors,” said Julie Coons, president of the Tech Council of Maryland. “Their perspectives into the bioscience industry as leaders at the forefront of key initiatives promise to deliver lessons and understanding to those in attendance.”
The conference is a jointly hosted regional event for the bioscience industry and the investor community, combining components of a regional industry convention and investor conference under one roof dedicated to promoting the growth of biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mid- Atlantic Bio is led by four of the region’s most influential bioscience and investor associations: MdBio, the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO), The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM).
In addition to his academic post, Poste serves as chief executive of Health Technology Networks, a consulting company that specializes in the application of genomic technologies and computing in healthcare. He is also chairman of Orchid Biosciences, specializing in DNA forensic analysis, and serves on the board of directors of Monsanto and Exelixis. From 1992 to 1999 he was chief science and technology officer and president, R&D at SmithKline Beecham. In 2004, R&D Magazine named Poste as ‘R&D Scientist of the Year.’ Among his distinguished titles, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and the UK Academy of Medicine, a Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and a member of the Council for Foreign Relations.
McHugh was appointed President of Centocor in July 2004, after serving in positions of marketing and sales since 1996. In that time, she was responsible for the global launches of Remicade for both Crohn’s disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis and the development of Centocor’s customer-centric U.S. business model. Prior to joining Centocor, McHugh led the marketing communications team at Astra-Merck for Prilosec and held product management positions at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and SmithKline Beecham.
Mott was appointed chief executive and vice chair MedImmune in October 2000, after joining the company in 1992. Prior to joining MedImmune he had been vice president in the Health Care Investment Banking Group at Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc. Mott is also chairman of the board of directors of Conceptis Technologies and also serves on the board of trustees of St. James School and on the board of governors of Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School.
Watkins joined Human Genome Sciences as CEO and director of the company in November 2004. Prior to that, he served as president of TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., where from 1998 to 2004 Watkins led the growth of the business from approximately $2 billion to $4 billion in annual revenue.
Event information, registration, presentation, and sponsorship opportunities are available at http://www.midatlanticbio.org. Additional information is available by calling 703.683.5698.
About MdBio
MdBio, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to advance the commercial development of bioscience in Maryland. For more information, please visit http://www.mdbio.org.
About VaBIO
VaBIO, the Virginia Biotechnology Association, is the 200-member statewide trade group that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information, visit http://www.vabio.org.
About MAVA
Founded in 1986, MAVA represents the collective interests of venture capitalists investing in the mid-Atlantic, including 375 venture capital professionals at 126 firms, with more than $10 Billion in capital under management. For more information, please visit http://www.mava.org.
About the Technology Council of Maryland
The Tech Council of Maryland, now in its 18th year, is a non-profit membership consortium open to high technology firms, government laboratories, higher education institutions and business support firms that collectively form Maryland’s technology community. For more information on the Council, visit http://www.mdhitech.org.
Media Coverage: Media interested in attending the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Bio should contact Robert Udowitz at udowitz@earthlink.net. For additional information and the latest conference updates please visit the event website at http://www.midatlanticbio.org.
Attention Media: To attend 2005 Mid-Atlantic Bio please email Robert Udowitz, udowitz@earthlink.net.
Photos available upon request
CONTACT: Robert Udowitz, +1-703-621-8060, or Susan Muma, +1-301-651-4916, both for the Technology Council of Maryland
Technology Council of Maryland
CONTACT: Robert Udowitz, +1-703-621-8060, or Susan Muma, +1-301-651-4916,both for the Technology Council of Maryland
