2012 Schedule of Events in the Futures in Life Science Seminar Series:

January 17th: Overview of the Life Sciences Landscape and Career Paths - http://fils12012.eventbrite.com/

February 21st: Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry - http://fils22012.eventbrite.com

March 20th: Commercialization 1 (Marketing, Product Management, Business Development) Career Paths - http://fils32012.eventbrite.com/

April 17th: Research and Development Career Paths - http://fils42012.eventbrite.com/

May 22nd: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs Career Paths - http://fils52011.eventbrite.com/

September 11th: Bio-Informatics/Modeling Career Paths - http://fils62012.eventbrite.com/

October 16th: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement, Pharmacoeconomics, and Market Access) Career Paths - http://fils72012.eventbrite.com/

November 20th: Finance, Legal, Operations Career Paths - http://fils82012.eventbrite.com/

Together, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are committed to fostering the next generation of industry leaders in the life sciences. We believe that the career paths that exist in the Massachusetts Life Science Industry are numerous, exciting, and rewarding and that it is imperative that students considering these careers be well informed regarding the areas that their education and training are relevant. We have identified a need to promote awareness of opportunities within life sciences companies, ranging from research and development to marketing and commercialization. Many students with science backgrounds pursue careers involving lab-based research, but we also want to ensure that other career paths are highlighted, that involve a high degree of technical and scientific knowledge, but that are not based in the lab.

With this in mind, we have organized a year-long program that will provide in-depth overviews of specific careers in the life science industry that often require advanced degrees. We have focused on covering the various functional areas in the life sciences sector including R&D, commercial, business development, finance, bioinformatics, reimbursement, and legal. Most graduate students and post-docs are well prepared to take numerous directions in their careers, and it is our intent to provide a comprehensive understanding of the aptitudes and work environments that are associated with specific career paths, so that the individuals who attend these events can make more informed career decisions. We are also big believers in the power of connections and networking, so each seminar will have specific time set aside to meet the presenters and the attendees and to develop relationships that will be an asset to those in attendance.

The program was launched in 2011 with an average attendance of 80 graduate students per event. Each event has a panel discussion comprised of industry leaders who provide an overview of the life sciences landscape and various career opportunities which exist in the industry. The first seminar of each series provides an overview with the next seven seminars providing deep dives focusing on specific functional areas. The individual seminars are scheduled to accommodate the academic school year with a focus on the technical or scientific expertise that is relevant to each area and the typical work environment associated with common roles.

About the Organizers

MassBio - MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services. To learn more, visit: http://www.massbio.org

MassBioEd - The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts. To learn more, visit http://www.massbioed.org

Propel Careers - Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship. To learn more, visit http://www.propelcareers.com

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who will detail their roles and will provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions.

On May 17th 2011, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd will host our next Futures in Life Science Seminar Event Program. This event will focus on the Clinical Development, Regulatory, and Medical Affairs areas within the life sciences industry and will focus on the various career options within these areas. This panel discussion and networking event has an esteemed lineup of individuals who will share their perspectives.

Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. Space is limited to 100 individuals. Below are more details for the event including registration details:

Date: May 17th, 2011

Location: MassBio Offices, One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142

Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm

To register: http://futuresinlifesciences4.eventbrite.com/

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking 6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion

Moderator: Laurie Halloran, President and CEO at Halloran Consulting Group

Panelists: Dana Martin, PharmD Senior Director, Medical Affairs, Genzyme; Kevin Pojasek, PhD VP, Corporate Development, Kala Pharma; Mike Poole, MD CMO, Link Medicine; Shawna Cullen, Ph.D., Clinical Trial Head, Oncology, Novartis; Patrick Melvin, Executive Director, Clinical Development, INC Research

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Additional events are being planned for the areas below.

September: Bio-Informatics/Modeling

October: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement/Market Access/Pharmacoeconomics)

November: Finance, Legal, Operations

Lauren Celano recently moderated a panel for the Mass General Hospital (MGH) postdoctoral association in Boston MA about The Business Side of Science. This panel discussed how scientists make the transition into the life sciences industry and more specifically into the business side of the industry. The panel even touched on how scientists can start or lead their own companies. This event is part of a series of events that the MGH postdoctoral association holds to provide career development to the members of the association.

An expert and distinguished panel was assembled including: Abbie Celniker, CEO of Taligen Therapeutics, Alain Stricker-Krongrad, Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice-President Science and Business Development at Biomedical Research Models, Albert Luderer, CEO & Board Member of Integrated Diagnostics, and Katherine Turner, Chief Development Officer of Attogen Inc.

Below are a few takeaways:

The types of business careers could include roles such as: business development, marketing, product management, program management, strategy, consulting, team lead, scientific lead

An MBA is not required to transition into the business side of the industry, however an MBA can provide useful tools. There are ways to learn the business skills needed without a formal MBA. You can always take specific business courses or learn business skills from colleagues.

Scientists have many transferrable skills – ability to synthesize data, decision making, perseverance, work ethic, planning and project management, for those who give talks – communication skills and presentation skills.

Big companies provide structure and learning, while small companies can provide more learning experiences. Both are worthwhile to experience at some point in ones career since both provide a unique perspective and insight into which is a better fit for you.

Mentors are important in shaping career development choices.

Serendipity is important.

Have a plan – it can change, but at least have one to start so that you can use it as a guide.

Volunteer to develop skills.

Make yourself a "go to" person at a company.

Be flexible, wiling to learn new things.

Define your own path – follow your passion, surround yourself with a good team.

Business is a lot about relationship building.

The power of your network is critically important as your career develops.

Keep in touch and follow up.

Relationships are built over time.

Network, network, network!

Futures in Life Sciences Program: Research and Development Panel discussion and networking event

Date: April 5th 2011

Location: MassBio Offices, One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142

Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm

To register: http://futuresinlifesciences3.eventbrite.com/

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who will detail their roles and will provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions.

Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. Space is limited to 100 individuals.

The event will focus on the various career options within the Research and Development areas of the life sciences sector including: Bench Research, Business development, Discovery project management, preclinical, CMC/formulation, and Intellectual Property.

Meeting Agenda:

5:30pm-6:00pm – Registration and Open Networking

6:00pm-6:10pm – Introductions, Overview, and Recognition of Sponsors

6:10pm-7:30pm – Panel Discussion Ken Olivier, Ph.D Director of Toxicology, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals; Kevin Sprott, PhD , Verastem; Jared Silverman, PhD Vice President, In Vitro Biology, Cubist

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Additional events are being planned for the areas below. The specific dates in September, October, and November for each seminar are still TBD, but will be scheduled as follows:

May 17th 2011: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs: http://futuresinlifesciences4.eventbrite.com/

September: Bio-Informatics/Modeling

October: Commercialization 2 (Reimbursement/Market Access/Pharmacoeconomics)

November: Finance, Legal, Operations

Food and refreshments will be provided at each event, and all events will have ample time included to meet and network with the panelists and other attendees.

At 8:30 AM on a cold Saturday morning, February 12th, 2011, the NanoWorcester group had their first annual NanoWorcester Symposium at the f Massachusetts Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Worcester, MA. Around 50 junior and senior faculty as well as students, joined together to focus on their common scientific interest, Nanotechnology. This symposium was organized to discuss advances in Nanotechnology which are changing the way scientific research happens and creating new possibilities and cross collaborations.

NanoWorcester is a group of faculty members within the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium (COWC) who share an interest in research related to nanotechnology . The goal of the group is to promote interactions and collaborations within the field of Nanotechnology.

The day started with Dr Reema Zeineldin, providing opening remarks. She challenged everyone to enhance interactions among colleagues and to start with fostering connections among everyone in attendance. These relationships are important to promoting the future of the field. Following Dr. Zeineldin, Michael J. Malloy, PharmD, Dean of the School of Pharmacy Worcester/Manchester and the Massachusetts Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences , welcomed everyone. He thanked the scientists for their ideas and encouraged the group to translate their ideas into reality. The first talk was given by Dr. Davis Baird, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Clark University, Worcester, MA. The title of the talk was, From Laboratory to Society: Developing an Informed Approach to Nanoscale Science and Technology . He provided context around reliable and speculative ideas and how this translates into attempts to predict the future. He asked a provocative question of whether we should try to cure longevity? This made me think about the social role that we have as scientists and how our perspectives can change the world and what the impacts might be. The following program included a variety of different topics, all developed in the local laboratories of central Massachusetts. Nancy Burnham, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA discussed "Atomic Force Microscopy, the Eye and Hand of Nanotechnology". Robert Campbell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MA, discussed "Exploiting Tumor Features for Therapeutic Gain using Cationic Nanotherapeutics". T. J. (Lakis) Mountziaris, Ph.D., Professor & Department Head, Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, discussed, "Direct Sensing of Biomolecular Interactions using ZnSe Quantum Dots". Sergio Granados-Focil, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Clark University, Worcester, MA, discussed " Ionic transport through polymeric matrices". Terri Camesano, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, discussed, "Probing Bacterial Adhesion at the Nanoscale".

Finally, the Keynote Speaker: Kevin O' Sullivan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiative, Worcester, MA discussed. Moving Nanotechnology from the Bench to the Marketplace. He encouraged scientists and business people to collaborate and have the scientists to focus on the science and the business specialists focus on the capital. He discussed the importance of incubators to foster technology. These incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support, resources, and services, not the typical incubator that scientists think of, which is used to grow cells... Kevin enthusiastically shared his vision for commercialization of Massachusetts's academic and scientific research. He discussed the importance of working as a team and self awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses , to enhance an efficient entrepreneurial environment.

As a Graduate student in Biomedical Sciences It was reinforcing to see the recognition of the value of my ideas and that these ideas, if given the right environment, have the ability to lead to successful technology development and even a potential company. This day inspired me to think beyond my own research and explore opportunities to not just develop, but commercialize exciting ideas. I very much enjoyed , the quality of the science discussed and also the great environment and enthusiasm evident within the NanoGroup. Groups like this one, are fostering advancements within the Worcester area. There is a tremendous amount of energy and excitement with Biomedical Science in Massachusetts and I look forward to being a part of it!

Written by, Yuly Fuentes-Medel, Propel Careers Intern, PhD Candidate, Biomedical Science, UMass Medical School, Neurobiology Department

On March 8th 2011, the next event in the Futures in Life Science series will be held at the MassBio offices in Kendall Sq Cambridge MA. This event, Commercialization 1, will focus on the Marketing, Product Management, and Business Development areas of the life sciences sector. Details for the event are below:

Date: March 8th 2011

Location: MassBio Offices, One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142

Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm

To register: http://futuresinlifesciences2.eventbrite.com/

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize a series of networking and panel events focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who will detail their roles and will provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions.

Attendance for this program is open to current graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents who are interested in careers in the life sciences industry. Space is limited to 100 individuals.

To learn more about the series, see link: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/futures-in-life-science-series/

The latest in a seemingly endless conga line of winter storms barreled through the Boston area last night, but it didn't put a damper on the kickoff meeting for the Futures in Life Science program. Propel Careers is partnering with MassBio and the MassBioEd Foundation on the year-long seminar series, which is focused on providing graduate students and post-docs with expert insights from industry professionals working in a range of disciplines and functions within the life science industry. Last night's event was hosted by MassBio and the audience filled their large meeting room. We thought there might be a drop off in attendance because of the storm, but about 120 students, post-docs, and medical residents braved the weather to network, listen to the panel discussion, and then meet and mingle with the speakers.

The panelists included Alex Szidon, Ph.D. from Novartis, Arthur Hiller, M.S. from Hiller Life Sciences Strategies, Kevin Sprott, Ph.D., from Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Slava Akmaev, PhD, from GNS Healthcare, and Dennis Meletiche, PharmD, from EMD Serono. Each panelist provided a brief overview of and highlights from their careers, as well as insights into their specific roles and how they ended up where they are now. They all have different backgrounds and work in different areas, but there were common themes that ran through their discussion and comments. Each speaker had anecdotes about serendipity or luck playing a part in their career paths, and all of them stated that they if they hadn't recognized and seized those opportunities, they might have passed them by. They prescribed increasing one's knowledge and understanding of different roles through networking, as well as reflecting on careers where one could picture him/her self being happy and having fun. These were welcome comments, since it is the stated goal of the Futures in Life Science program to provide a platform for graduate students and post docs to do just that: network, make new connections, and become more informed about the life science industry and the many rewarding careers that can be pursued. Propel Careers is a firm believer that career decisions and career development are greatly enhanced by increasing your knowledge, perspectives, and contacts. One comment from a panelist that resonated with me was that there are careers in the life science industry for people from every background. We are striving to shed some light on those careers and to make new and valuable connections for the participants in this program.

We hope to see you at one of the six seminars scheduled for the remainder of this year! Stay tuned for details including the dates, locations, and panelists for those events. We will be broadcasting updates via email, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also go to our events page for current information. http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/

Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd to launch "Futures in Life Science", a year-long seminar series focused on career paths for graduate students and post-docs.

Boston, MA and Cambridge, MA - January 6, 2011: Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd Foundation today announced the launch of a collaboration focused on raising awareness of career paths that exist in the life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. The Futures in Life Science program will bring together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who will detail their roles and provide a rich context for the audience to gain a clear understanding of the skills, aptitudes, competencies, and personalities that thrive in their particular functions.

This program will kick off January 26th at the MassBio and MassBioEd offices in Cambridge, MA. The session will include a general overview of the life science industry and six key career areas of interest. This will be followed by six sessions that will provide more detailed "deep dives" into specific areas including R&D, Product Commercialization, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Bio-Informatics, Market Access and Outcomes Research, as well as Finance, Legal and Operations roles. All events will also have time included to meet and network with the panelists and other attendees.

The program stems from a continued need identified by many state and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness and education related to careers in science and technology. Together, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd are all committed to providing resources that encourage the pursuit of careers in the life science industry and believe that careers exist for students across all academic disciplines. The Futures in Life Science program will highlight these areas and will increase awareness of the associated career paths.

"We believe that many graduate students, post-docs, and medical residents do not consider the full range of career options that they could pursue and this program is intended to address that," said Lauren Celano, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Propel Careers. "It's all about knowledge, understanding, and effective positioning, and we feel students that attend these seminars will be better equipped and more targeted in their job searches. We are thrilled to partner with MassBio and MassBioEd on this important effort."

"As Massachusetts biotechnology companies continue to grow, we must ensure Massachusetts can provide the broad spectrum of talent they will need in positions across their organizations," said Lance Hartford, Executive Director of MassBioEd. "We know Massachusetts' graduate students, post docs and medical residents have a lot to offer the industry and hope to open doors to potential career paths and opportunities."

Details of the program, including the schedule of events, can be found at the Propel Careers website ( http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/ ). The kickoff meeting is scheduled for January 26th from 5:30-8:00 PM. The remaining events will also be held during the same evening time slot, but the specific dates of each seminar will be updated and publicized as they are confirmed. These events will also be videotaped and archived versions will be available online.

About MassBio http://www.massbio.org MassBio, a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation's oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and events, industry information, and services.

About MassBioEd http://www.massbioed.org The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, founded in 2001, is a non-profit charitable organization committed to supporting science and biotechnology education in Massachusetts through school programs, workforce training, and lifelong learning. MassBioEd is closely affiliated with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and helps the Council in fulfilling its goals to nurture the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline in Massachusetts.

About Propel Careers http://www.propelcareers.com Propel Careers is a Boston based life sciences search and career development firm founded in 2009 to foster entrepreneurship and to cultivate leaders in the life sciences industry. Propel recognizes the importance of job creation and career development opportunities to the success of the industry as well as to the next generation of industry leaders. The mission of Propel Careers is to make connections that fuel innovation, and we do this through placement, networking, coaching and mentorship.

As 2010 comes to a close, we are actively discussing internship hiring plans for 2011 with current and prospective clients. Many of these discussions focus on connections with graduate students (MBA, Ph.D./MBA, MD/MBA, Engineering, Law, etc) who often have significant life sciences industry experience prior to graduate school. We are also discussing opportunities for scientific and business focused undergraduate students.

We are assisting companies with internship projects such as: market research assessments, competitive landscape assessments, financial valuation and M&A analysis, technology evaluation, IP evaluation, reimbursement evaluations, business plan development, strategic partnership assessments, clinical research, discovery and pre-clinical R&D, marketing and corporate communications, and grant writing.

Our experience has been that life science companies gain tangible benefits by engaging with a partner like Propel who can assist matching their current or anticipated needs with top talent from local and national universities. Hiring interns offers a low cost and low risk solution to provide project support as well as to assess their skills and personality fit to see if they are aligned with your company prior to hiring full time. We are pleased that many companies are looking ahead and preparing now to take advantage of the opportunity to build relationships with the best and brightest students and also gain significant advantages through the projects that can be completed.

We are constantly connecting with graduate and undergraduate students throughout the US with skills relevant in the medical device, bio-pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and Healthcare IT sectors as well with those who have skills relevant to consulting, investment banking and venture capital firms. Our network includes students who have diverse backgrounds including research and development, business, law, engineering, marketing, and public health. The ability for companies and students to benefit from the connections made is tremendous.

As you think about your hiring needs for 2011, we look forward to working with you to make connections for internship projects, in addition to any full time needs that you have. Please contact Lauren Celano at Lauren@propelcareers.com or 617-896-5225 to discuss this in more detail.

I was recently on a professional development call about successful job search strategies and heard a remarkable statistic. 80% of all open positions are not published on traditional career boards. That means that every time you peruse sites like Monster, Career Builder and Indeed, you are only seeing 20% of the available job market. In many cases the jobs you interested in have already been filled reducing that number even more. So how do you tap the larger part of the iceberg and find those undisclosed positions? One of the best options is through networking. Here are four ways to expand your network and open doors to new professional opportunities.

Have Agenda-less Meetings Agenda-less meetings are informal conversations. They can be with old colleagues, professors, friends or anyone with whom you have a connection. The whole idea is knowledge sharing; asking questions and sharing perspectives and interests about whatever topics you choose. These folks are your advocates who likely have access to individuals in their own circles that have knowledge and wisdom about career paths and positions that might interest you. Offer to buy somebody a cup of coffee or take them out to lunch. Don't be afraid to ask them for a couple names that you should look up and talk to. The easiest way to expand your network is to leverage what you already have.

Arrange Informational Interviews The informational interview is a more formal, purposeful way for you to create professional connections. Most of the time these people will be strangers to you and their time is valuable. Interviews should be 15-30 minutes long and should address specific questions about a field, a path or a position. At the end of each conversation you should ask if there are one or more other people they might refer you to help with your professional discovery. Always ask the interviewer how you could return the favor in the future (e.g. offer to make a connection to someone in your network, update them on interesting industry events). Remember that informational interviews can create advocates in your targeted organizations. Referrals account for 27% of all new hires; establishing a professional rapport with an inside person can pay dividends for you down the road.

Join a Professional Group There are thousands of professional groups in all interest areas who have members eager to connect and engage with others for professional and career support. The American Marketing Association, for example, is an organization that brings together marketers, across all specialties, to collaborate and inspire one another. A $250 annual membership fee provides you access to industry knowledge, special interests groups and ~100,000 members. You5 connections can be made in online groups or in-person at conferences and events. Consider joining one.

Attend Professional and Academic Networking Events Formal and informal networking events provide excellent opportunities to make connections. Organizations like Propel Careers provide relaxed, open, moderated forums in beautiful venues that make it easy to exchange business cards and engage people in interesting conversation. Colleges and universities continually sponsor alumni-related events in different regions which you should also consider attending.

Matt Casey, Career Coach http://www.mattcasey.net/