Innovation Translation Council Launch
Event Details
Keynote Speech Featuring Dr. Phillip A. Sharp and Panel Discussion
Innovation through Biotechnology: Convergence with Engineering and AI in Public Health
3:30pm-5:30pm
W1214/Sheldon Hall
Reception
5:30pm-6:30pm
The Gallery
Presented by research@BSPH, join the discussion at the launch of the newly formed Innovation Translation Council. Led by council Chair Anthony Leung, professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Council will propel and organize the School’s efforts to increase the commercialization of research outcomes into products and services that will save lives, millions at a time.
This launch will feature a keynote speech from Dr. Phillip A. Sharp, whose 1977 discovery of RNA splicing set the foundation for today’s biomedical industry. He will also speak on his experience founding Biogen, a global biotechnology company that focuses on developing treatments and medicines for neurological and chronic diseases. Following Dr. Sharp's keynote speech, a panel of leaders in the biotechnology industry will join Dr. Sharp to lead the audience through their experience in the sector.
Are you interested in learning more about Phillip Sharp and his discoveries? Attend a screening of Cracking the Code, a documentary on Phillip Sharp, on May 14.
After the keynote and panel, join the Council in the Gallery for hors d'oeuvres, discussion, and networking. All BSPH faculty, students, and staff are welcome to join this event.
More about Phillip Sharp, PhD
Dr. Phillip Sharp's research interests have centered on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. His work in 1977 provided the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. This discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure and earned him the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. A native of Kentucky, Dr. Sharp earned a B.A. degree from Union College, Barbourville, KY, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Sharp was a co-founder of Biogen (1978) and served as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors. He co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (2002) and serves as chair of its Scientific Advisory Board and member of the Board of Directors. He is an Institute Professor and Professor of Biology Emeritus; Intramural Faculty, Koch Institute at MIT.
Featured Speakers
Myra Norton, MA, MS
Myra Norton leads the acceleration team at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, working to accelerate technologies, companies and ecosystems in and around Johns Hopkins University, with a particular focus on Baltimore. Prior to joining JHTV, Myra was President and CEO of Arena Analytics, a technology company that helps organizations vitalize, stabilize, and diversify their workforces to improve organizational performance and impact. Previously, she was the CEO of Community Analytics, an analyst at Northrop Grumman, a professor in Mathematics and Statistics at Temple University, Towson University, and the US Naval Academy, and an Administrator in the College of Science & Technology at Temple University.
Aleks Baranczak, PhD
Dr. Aleks Baranczak, PhD, is the Chief Program Officer at Blackbird Laboratories, a nonprofit life sciences company incubator.
Before joining Blackbird, Dr. Baranczak was with Calibr, a drug discovery division of Scripps Research, where she oversaw a portfolio of preclinical programs and was responsible for establishing and managing partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Previously, Dr. Baranczak worked as a scientist and group leader at AbbVie, later joining the University of Chicago, where she managed initiatives leading to the creation of multi-institutional research centers and institutes. Dr. Baranczak earned her PhD in Chemistry at Vanderbilt University and completed postdoctoral research in chemical biology at Scripps Research.
Sebastian Seiguer, JD, MBA
Sebastian is the CEO and co-founder of Scene (previously emocha), a medication engagement company that provides personalized, breakthrough medication support by combining video technology, clinical coaching, and validated interventions to radically improve medication adherence rates. In 2014, Sebastian spun Scene out of Johns Hopkins with Dr. Bob Bollinger and other medication adherence experts to help communities served by public health departments, health plans including Medicaid and Medicare, and health systems. Scene is now the standard of care for infectious disease adherence monitoring and is scaling quickly. Sebastian started his career as an attorney with Allen & Overy in London before launching his first company in Munich, Germany, in 2000. He earned his law degree from Columbia Law School and his MBA in Health Care from Johns Hopkins University.