Propel Careers

Propel Careers

Harnessing Passion. Cultivating Leaders.



May 22nd FILS Event - Clinical, Regulatory, and Medical Affairs Career Paths

On May 22nd, 2012, we will host our 5th Futures in Life Science Event of 2012. The focus of this panel is Clinical, Regulatory, and Medical Affairs focused roles within the life sciences area. We are fortunate to have an esteemed panel of leaders in the life sciences space who will share information about their career paths, what they do, and their insights for individuals starting in their career. The panel includes: Eric Silberstein, CEO, TrialNetworks, Joanne Lager MD, Project Head for PI3K Inhibitors, Sanofi Oncology, and Shawna Cullen, PhD, Clinical Trial Head - Oncology Translational Medicine, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. Laurie Halloran, President and CEO, Halloran Consulting Group will moderate the panel. The link to register is here: http://fils52012.eventbrite.com/

The event will be held at the NEW MassBio Offices, at 300 Technology Square, 8th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm

More Details about the Series:

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 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. 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. To see other events in the series, click here: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/ 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.

April 17th FILS Event - Research and Development Career Paths

On April 17th, 2012, we will host our 4th Futures in Life Science Event of 2012. The focus of this panel is research and development focused roles within the life sciences area. We are fortunate to have an esteemed panel of leaders in the life sciences space who will share information about their career paths, what they do, and their insights for individuals starting in their career. The panel includes: Kenneth J. Olivier Jr., PhD, Director of Toxicology, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals; Erin Whalen, Lab Head and Project Team Leader, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research; Greg Mckenzie, Senior Scientist, Sample 6 Technologies; and Heather Blanchette, Director of Nonclinical DMPK and Bioanalysis, Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers will moderate the panel.

The link to register is here: http://fils42012.eventbrite.com/

The event will be held at the NEW MassBio Offices, at 300 Technology Square, 8th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm

More Details about the Series:

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 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. 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. To see other events in the series, click here: http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/

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.

March 20th Futures in Life Sciences (FILS) Event Focused on Commercial Career Paths

Join us on March 20th 2012 for our next Futures in Life Sciences (FILS) Event which will discuss an overview of Life Sciences Career Paths in the commercial side of the industry. These areas include Marketing, Product Management, and Business Development. This event will occur at Genzyme, located at 500 Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 from 5:30-8:00pm. To register: http://fils32012.eventbrite.com/

Background on the FILS Series: 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 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. 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.

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: John Hession, Partner, Cooley LLP Panelists: Maude Tessier, PhD, Licensing Manager, Technology and Innovation Development Office, Children's Hospital Boston; Eric Olson, Senior Associate, Genzyme Ventures; Frank Deane, Founder, Lumleian, LLC; Catherine Thut, Director, Strategic Alliances, Ophthalmology, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

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

Feb 21st 2012, FILS Event: Overview of Life Sciences Consulting Career Paths

On Feb 21st, 2012, about 100 post docs, medical residents, and graduate students, will convene at the upcoming Futures in Life Science event to learn about career paths in life sciences consulting which exists for individuals with graduate degrees. The event is being held at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA from 5:30-8:00pm. To register for the event, click here: http://fils22012.eventbrite.com . The agenda and speakers are listed below:

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: Rob Lowrance, Collaborative Consulting; Panelists: Claudio D'Ambrosio, Deallus Group; Joseph Feingold, Putnam Consultants; Mark Hochstetler, Lumleian, LLC; Gary Gustavsen, Health Advances

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

More information about the speakers and organizers are below:

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 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. 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.

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.

Jan 17th FILS Blog Writeup by Benjamin Leung

What do a board-certified neurologist, a medicinal chemist, a physicist, a pharmacist, and an immunologist have in common? They have all gone beyond their original training to establish successful careers in the life science industry, and they shared their insight and experiences at an event series designed to help others make a similar transition.

The opening event of the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, organized by MassBio, MassBioEd, and Propel Careers, held on January 17th, introduced an overflowing audience to science professionals in venture capital, consulting, health care, and biotech/pharma. Unlike subsequent events, which focus specifically on consulting, research, clinical/medical affairs, bioinformatics, commercialization, finance, legal, and operations, the panelists at this gathering had a wide range of technical backgrounds and professional responsibilities. The panelists included Kiran Reddy, Principal, Third Rock Ventures, Kevin Sprott, Senior Director, Chemistry, Verastem, Iya Khalil, Executive VP and Co-Founder, Via Science and GNS Healthcare, Dennis M. Meletiche, VP, Health Outcomes and Market Access, EMD Serono, and Katherine McLaughlin, Associate, Health Advances. John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, moderated the panel.

A major topic of the evening's discussion centered on what skills and knowledge an academic needed to acquire to thrive in the corporate environment. Foremost on the panel's list was interpersonal skills. Beyond simply cooperating with your peers, panel members emphasized the importance of empathy, appreciating and embracing differing perspectives. Unlike academia where the "working unit" is the individual or small group, in industry the cost and scale of projects necessitates much larger teams cooperatively executing a common plan of action. The team will not only include scientists with differing expertise, but also business professionals with little formal scientific training. Productive face-to-face communication between scientists and business professionals is important to a project's success, and those that can bridge the two disparate cultures are often successful in the life science industry.

How does one refine or acquire these "soft" skills? Like any skill, practice as much as possible--networking events like the FILS series are ideal places to improve your interpersonal skills. Actively seek out and observe people that excel at relating to others. Implicit in teamwork is trust. You must have faith in your colleagues' judgment and skills, even if you disagree. In a large endeavor it is neither practical nor productive to do everything yourself, so you must assume that other team members are doing their parts with the same diligence that you are.

Another theme of the evening's discussion was the mutability of the modern professional's career path. Gone are the days of lifelong employment at a single company performing the same duties the entire period; the new paradigm is a constantly evolving series of positions and responsibilities. All of the panel members have positions for which they have no formal training--how did they acquire these skills? They availed themselves of all their resources--formal ones like business classes at their academic institution or seminars at professional organizations like MassBio--as well as from informal sources like networks and mentors. Panel members universally credited mentors as instrumental in their professional development, and each repaid the favor by mentoring others in similar fashion.

Throughout the course of the evening the importance of networks was reinforced. Panel members used contacts for everything from learning about entrepreneurship and writing business plans to looking for recommendations to fill job vacancies. LinkedIn is the networking tool of choice, not only for maintaining contacts, but also as a tool for identifying new contacts. A good approach to develop contacts in an industry you want to enter is to use LinkedIn to reach out to people who are in positions that you are interested in.

The next event in the 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series, on Consulting Career Paths in the Life Science Industry, will be on February 21st at the Whitehead Institute at Kendall Square. To register for this event, or learn about the other events in the series, check our events calendar at http://www.propelcareers.com/index.cfm/events/. To see pictures from the last event, click here: http://video214.com/play/NUqXkCVP0HqH8Hz4H9ooCw/s/dark.

About the Author: Ben Leung is currently a postdoctoral associate in the Neurobiology department at UMass Medical School.

Jan 17th Futures in Life Sciences Event - Overview of Life Sciences Career Paths

On January 17th, 2012, we will kick off our 2012 Futures in Life Science Seminar Series at the MassBio Offices located at One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. The event will occur from 5:30-8:00pm. To Register: http://fils12012.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: John Hallinan, CFO, Cytel, Inc; Panelists: Kiran Reddy, MD, MBA, Principal, Third Rock Ventures; Kevin Sprott, PhD , Sr. Director, Chemistry, Verastem; Iya Khalil, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, GNS Healthcare; Dennis M. Meletiche, PharmD, Vice President, Health Outcomes & Market Access, EMD Serono, Inc; Katherine McLaughlin, Ph.D., Associate, Health Advances

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd have joined together to organize this series of networking and panel events to focus on raising awareness of career paths that exist in life sciences for individuals with advanced degrees. This Futures in Life Science program brings together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, who 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. 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.

The event will focus on the various career options within life sciences and will set the stage for the next 7 events which are deep dives into the various areas of life science including business and commercial, consulting, research and development, clinical, bioinformatics and systems biology, reimbursement, pharmacoeconomics, patient advocacy, and finance, legal, and operations.

Announcing Dates for the 2012 Futures in Life Science Series

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

Updated Speaker List - November 15 Futures in Life Science Panel Discussion and Networking Event

We are pleased to list below our expanded speaker list for the upcoming Futures in Life Sciences panel and networking event focusing on the Finance, Legal, and Operations areas of the Life sciences industry. This event will be held on November 15th 2011 at the MassBio Offices, One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm. To register for the event, click on this link: http://futuresinlifesciences7.eventbrite.com/. The series of events are organized by Propel Careers, MassBio, and the MassBioEd. Below are more details also about the event itself.

Moderator: Daniel W. Young, Ph.D., Patent Agent Wolf Greenfield Panelists: Kevin Bitterman, Principal, Polaris Venture Partners; Irena Melnikova, Director, Prospective and Strategic Initiatives at sanofi-aventis; Sandra Glucksmann, Sr. VP Research & Business Operation at Cerulean Pharmaceuticals; Marc Recht, Partner, Cooley LLP; Denise Aronson, President, Safety Partners, Inc.

This event is the last event in a series of events organized in 2011 to exposure graduate students, post doctoral fellows, and medical residents to the exciting and varied careers that exist in the life sciences sector. This Futures in Life Science program brings together experts across a wide range of disciplines and functional areas within the life science industry, to 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.

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.

Details for the 2012 event series will be available shortly.

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; 7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

Details for the other events in this series are listed below.

January 26th 2011: Program kickoff meeting with an overview of each area followed by deep dive sessions for the remainder of the year on each topic. To view a blog writeup from the event, see link: http://www.massbio.org/news/169-grad_post_doc_event_a_huge_success/news_detail

March 2011: Commercialization – Marketing/Product Management/Business Development. To view a blog writeup from the event, see link: http://www.propelcareers.com/blog/index.cfm/2011/3/20/Feedback-from-the-March-8th-Futures-in-Life-Science-Event

April 2011: Research and Development. To view pictures from the event, see link: https://picasaweb.google.com/114362230381970693778/FuturesInLifeScienceEventRDApril52011#

May 2011: Clinical Development/Medical Affairs. To view pictures from the event, see link: https://picasaweb.google.com/PropelCareers.Events/FuturesInLifeSciencesProgramClinicalDevelopmentRegulatoryAndMedicalAffairs?feat=directlink#5609290729063665682

September 2011: Bio-Informatics, Systems Biology, and Modeling. To view pictures from the event, see link: http://video214.com/play/wiCP86wIb0hQ2yqQcvfSmQ/s/dark

October 2011: Commercialization – Patient Advocacy, Reimbursement, Market Access, and Pharmacoeconomics. To view pictures from the event, see link: http://video214.com/play/pEurw77sTB2X2HFUnN1m4A/s/dark

We look forward to seeing you there!

Oct 18 Futures in Life Sciences Panel Event on Reimbursement, Market Access, and Patient Advocacy

On October 18th 2011, Propel Careers, MassBio, and MassBioEd will host the next Futures in Life Sciences Panel Discussion and Networking Event focusing on Reimbursement, Market Access, Patient Advocacy, and Pharmacoeconomics.

Date: October 18th, 2011

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

Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm

To register: http://futuresinlifesciences6.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

Panelists: Denis Meletiche, Vice President of Health Outcomes and Market Access, EMD Serono; Nick Ferenc, Associate Director, Global Marketing and Commercial Strategy, Oncology and Transplant, Genzyme Corporation; Mike Walsh, Advocacy Development, Medimmune; Chester Schwartz , Vice President of Life Sciences, Collaborative Consulting

7:30pm-8:00pm – Open Networking

About the Futures in Life Science Panel Series: 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. The event will focus on the various career options within the commercial area of the life sciences sector including Reimbursement, Market Access, Patient Advocacy, and Pharmacoeconomics where individuals with advanced degrees can thrive.

Panel biographies

Dennis Meletiche, Vice President of Health Outcomes and Market Access, EMD Serono. Dr. Meletiche currently leads the Health Outcomes and Market Access function at EMD Serono. In his current role, Dr. Meletiche leads a team of Health Outcomes Researchers in generating and disseminating Health Outcomes information to regional and national managed markets customers in the US. In collaboration with the national health insurer Cigna, Dr. Meletiche led the development and implementation of the first Outcomes-based contract for a specialty pharmaceutical in the US. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on the topics of Comparative Effectiveness Research, Communicating Value to Payers, and Strategy Development for Health Outcomes Research. His research interests and expertise include comparative effectiveness research, adherence measurement and the strategic development of evidence to secure market access The work conducted by Dr. Meletiche has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed publications and professional congresses. Prior to joining EMD Serono in 2006, Dr. Meletiche spent six years with Ortho-McNeil Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Meletiche obtained his Bachelors in Pharmacy from the University of Puerto Rico and he also holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Meletiche completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Health Economics and Outcomes Research at Thomas Jefferson University and GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia, PA.

Nick Ferenc, Associate Director, Global Marketing and Commercial Strategy, Oncology and Transplant, Genzyme Corporation. Nick Ferenc has worked in Biotech/Pharma for the past 11 years in various commercial roles. Currently he is a director of global marketing in the Sanofi oncology division which acquired the Genzyme portfolio of oncology and transplant products early in 2011. While at Sanofi/Genzyme, Nick has worked primarily in the hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant areas, commercializing emerging therapies and working on mature/late life cycle biologics. Prior to moving to Cambridge, Nick worked in various commercial and strategic roles at Wyeth and AstraZeneca in both the oncology and cardiovascular spaces. Nick holds an MS in Biotechnology and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a BS from Wake Forest University. Nick currently lives in Brookline with his wife who is a local artist.

Michael Walsh, Advocacy Development, Medimmune. Michael Walsh works in Advocacy Development at MedImmune-- a Gaithersburg, MD-based biotech company--and is responsible for creating, developing and managing prematurity advocacy networks throughout the country. MedImmune's Advocacy department is committed to help improve the health and well-being of premature infants. Prior to this role, Mr. Walsh has held several sales and marketing roles at MedImmune as well as Amgen and serves on a number of Boards of Directors, including the Massachusetts March of Dimes.

Chester Schwartz , Vice President of Life Sciences, Collaborative Consulting. Chester Schwartz is Vice President of Life Sciences at Collaborative Consulting. He is responsible for the contracting and pricing practice and brings over 30 years of information system experience with the last 20 years focused on life sciences. Mr. Schwartz has worked with most of the leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies, assisting them in developing the strategic direction and new vision for addressing their contracting requirements. He has developed the strategy and assisted in defining the initiatives and resources needed to achieve the new state of contracting excellence at the same time ensuring government compliance. In addition to working for a number of global companies devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, Mr. Schwartz offers expertise in the installation and implementation of various products including (CPCC, CARS/IS and Model N modules). Mr. Schwartz also has extensive experience in Contract Life Cycle Management (CLM) and IT consulting and management, with a track record of success in introducing and effectively utilizing the newest technologies. Prior to joining Collaborative, Mr. Schwartz was the Program Director for the largest Pharmaceutical Company in the world, where his project team completed the planning for the implementation of all components of the Model N system. Over the span of his career he has assisted clients in implementing solutions that address all aspect of CLM including; Offer Development, Contract Administration, Chargebacks, Rebates, Managed Care and Institution rebates, Government Pricing, Medicaid and Contact Analytics. Much of his work over the past two years has been assisting clients to address the DRA issues affecting the Pharmaceutical community.

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

Sponsor Organization: Collaborative Consulting Collaborative Consulting is a business and technology consulting firm serving clients across the United States of America. We deliver a comprehensive set of consulting services to clients across multiple industries, focusing on business enablement, information management, technology enablement, and program management. Collaborative service offerings for Life Science are designed to help companies create effective information strategies and capabilities that ensure sustained peak business performance across the commercial enterprise. The Collaborative teams bring the business and technical expertise necessary to identify, select, and implement world-class solutions that address today's most challenging business issues in contract and revenue management, government pricing, sales, promotional marketing, and compliance. To learn more, visit http://www.collaborative.com

NYAS Career Non-Academic Planning and Job Search Bootcamp Event on October 28th and 29th 2011.

Lauren Celano, the CEO of Propel Careers will be speaking at the Science Alliance event as part of the New York Academy of Sciences on October 28th.

This event is organized to provide guidance to individuals transitioning from academia to industry since breaking into a new field or making waves in your current one can be challenging. This comprehensive new Science Alliance career preparation event portfolio is designed to get you ready for your next career steps, and fast. Join the Science Alliance for Making the Leap: A Non-Academic Career Planning & Job Search Boot Camp on October 28 – 29, 2011 in NYC. This event will feature experts in human resources, career advising, non-academic hiring, and more. This intensive training boot camp will gear you up for exploring different career paths, picking the right ones for you, and preparing for the application and interview processes.

Register by September 16 for reduced registration! To register: http://www.nyas.org/Events/Detail.aspx?cid=e0ec380b-b11c-4ecb-a3a7-7616a46bc9fe

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