TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A roster of nationally recognized speakers have been confirmed as the keynotes at BioFlorida’s 14th Annual Conference scheduled for Oct. 23-25 at the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina in Tampa, FL. Headliners include BIO president James Greenwood; Dr. William Dalton of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute; Dr. Walter Moos of SRI International; and Dr. William Nelson of Johns Hopkins Medical School. More than 400 business leaders, scientists and investors are expected to attend the three day conference, which is the premier business development, investing and networking event for those associated with Florida’s burgeoning bioscience industry.
“This year the conference features a phenomenal array of speakers with expertise in the fields of medicine, science, public policy and finance,” said Tom McLain, CEO of Claro Scientific, BioFlorida board member, chair of this year’s conference and co-chair of the Tampa Bay Chapter. “Anyone who is invested in or interested in Florida’s growing bioscience industry will find the conference provides a great deal of meaningful, practical information as well as a superb opportunity for networking within the industry and related sectors.”
The 2011 keynote speakers are:
James C. Greenwood is president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C., which represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. The organization also produces the annual BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, as well as industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the globe. Greenwood represented Pennsylvania's Eighth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1993 through January 2005. A senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he was widely viewed as a leader on health care and the environment. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Greenwood served six years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly from 1981-86 and six years in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1987-1992. Greenwood opens the conference on Monday morning.
William S. Dalton, M.D., is president, CEO & center director of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. Dr. Dalton’s work in personalized medicine, specifically personalized cancer-care, and patient-centered outcomes research is nationally known. He received the 2010 Leadership in Personalized Medicine Award from the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) for his leadership in advancing public policies designed to support personalized medicine innovation and clinical application and for Moffitt’s pioneering work to implement personalized medicine concepts both to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. In addition to being known as a leading advocate for health policies that support personalized medicine, Dr. Dalton serves as the president-elect of the Association of American Cancer Institutes and chairs the Science Policy & Legislative Affairs Committee of the American Association for Cancer Research. He also serves on the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum as well as on various NCI, cancer center and research foundation scientific advisory boards across the country. Dr. Dalton was the founding director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Arizona and served as Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson from 2001-2002. He will be the featured keynote on Monday afternoon and will be introduced by Ed Abrahams, Ph.D., president of the PMC.
Walter Moos, Ph.D., serves as the vice president of the Biosciences Division of SRI International, one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. He directs the Institute's pharmaceutical and biotechnology discovery and development teams and oversees a business group that seeks partners, alliances and out-licensing opportunities. The Biosciences Division has programs in cancer, endocrinology, immunology, infectious disease and neurosciences. Dr. Moos previously served as chairman and CEO of MitoKor, Inc. in San Diego, Calif., and as a corporate vice president at Chiron Corp., where he also held positions including director of chemical therapeutics and vice president of R&D in the Technologies Division. Earlier in his career, he held various positions at the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division of the Warner-Lambert Co., last serving as vice president, Neuroscience and Biological Chemistry. A co-inventor on more than 30 issued U.S. patents and the editor of four books, Dr. Moos has served as a member of numerous academic and government advisory boards and committees. He has held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and since 1992 has been an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Moss will be the breakfast keynote speaker on Tuesday morning.
William Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., is the Marion I. Knott director and professor of oncology and director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Nelson is a recognized leader in translational research for cancer. Along with fellow Johns Hopkins colleagues, he discovered the most common genome alteration in prostate cancer. The discovery led to new diagnostic tests for the disease and has fueled interest in new drug discovery and other treatment options, now ongoing at Johns Hopkins. He was one of three co-chairs of the National Cancer Institute’s Translational Research Working Group, which worked to reengineer translational cancer science across the nation, and has been a member of the scientific advisory boards of several companies focused on the development of new technologies and treatments for human cancer, a member of the American Association of Cancer Research’s Board of Directors, President of the National Coalition for Cancer Research, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Dr. Nelson will be the final keynote speaker on Tuesday afternoon.
Talks by the speakers will be complemented by three session tracks: BioScience, BioBusiness and BioInvestor. The BioScience track, organized for the second year by the Florida Center for Universal Research to Eradicate Disease (FL CURED), will feature panels and presentations about the latest technology and product advances from Florida companies, universities and research institutes. The BioBusiness track will assist bioscience executives and scientists to grow their business and careers with advice from leading professionals. And during the BioInvestor track, companies will present their technologies to an audience of investors and business development executives.
Online registration for the 14th Annual BioFlorida Conference is now open and can be accessed at www.bioflorida.com. Early registration (before August 12) is $399 for BioFlorida Members, $599 for Nonmembers and $150 for students and post-docs.
About BioFlorida
BioFlorida is the voice of Florida’s bioscience industry representing more than 3,000 companies and research organizations in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device fields employing 61,000 Floridians. BioFlorida’s member-driven initiatives provide a strong business climate for production of quality, life-improving technologies and promote economic benefits to the state. BioFlorida influences the growth of the industry through exceptional programming that offers networking and business development opportunities, access to capital, and information regarding public policy efforts. The BioFlorida Institute is focused on improving Florida’s science education and supporting bioscience entrepreneurs and scientists throughout the state. The nonprofit Institute also provides industry-specific workforce training to help create high-paying biotechnology jobs in Florida. Visit www.bioflorida.com for more information.