Agenda

Monday, October 5, 2020
9:15 AM - 9:30 AMWelcome to BIO Alabama’s Virtual Annual ConferenceBlair King - Alabama Power
Amy Sturdivant - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Sonia Robinson - BIO Alabama
9:45 AM - 10:15 AMWarp Speed: Biopharma’s Response to a Pandemic Sonia Robinson - BIO Alabama
Dr. Mike Ybarra - PhRMA
10:45 AM - 11:30 AMPower of Advancement through DiversityTiffany Jordan - Acclinate Genetics
R’Kes Starling, RPh, MBA - Reveles Clinical Services
Theodore Harvey - SynsorMed
Del Smith, PhD - Acclinate Genetics
11:45 AM - 12:15 PMUnHealthcare: A New Category of Data-Driven Health Assurance Kevin Maney - Category Design Advisors
Peggy Sammon - GeneCapture
12:30 PM - 1:15 PMKeynote Fireside ChatSara Childs - United States Senator
Michelle McMurray-Heath - BIO - Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Sonia Robinson - BIO Alabama
1:45 PM - 2:30 PMMade in Alabama | How Alabama’s Manufacturers Play a Major Role in the Global Supply Chain John R. Daly - Evonik Health Care
Lawrence Ganti - SiO2 Materials Science
Roger Graben - Vitruvias Therapeutics, Inc
Timothy C. Tyson - TriRx Pharmaceutical Services, LLC
Art Tipton - Vulcan Gray
2:45 PM - 3:30 PMEquity Encounters | Stories at the intersection of our unconscious bias, uncomfortable experiences, and desire to belongDarryl L. Goss - Inform Diagnostics
Sarah Thompson Schick - DLA Piper LLC (US)
Patti Rossman - Life Science Women’s Conference and Life Science Women’s Network; Globiox, Inc.; Precision Biopharm
Jasmine Ward, PhD - Black Ladies in Public Health
3:30 PM - 4:30 PMVirtual Networking 
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMBioscience Investors ForumBenjamin Scruggs, PhD - Hatteras Venture Partners
Matthew Miessau - Epidarex Capital
Ali Behbahani, MD - New Enterprise Associates
Rigved Joshi - Invention to Innovation (I2C) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
10:00 AM - 10:45 AMMerger & Acquisition Strategy: What Entrepreneurs need to knowMichael White - Founders Advisors Healthcare practice
11:00 AM - 11:45 AMEngaging the SBIR Audience: How to communicate your value proposition to SBIR/STTR grant reviewersRachel Lane - The Written Science
Erik Schwiebert, Ph.D. - Discovery BioMed
12:00 PM - 12:45 PMInnovate Alabama - Growing the State’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem through Collaboration and Smart PoliciesPeggy Sammon - GeneCapture
Representative Bill Poole - Alabama House of Representatives
Senator Greg Reed - Alabama State Senate
Representative Anthony Daniels - Alabama House of Representatives
1:00 PM - 1:30 PMFireside Chat with Andrew Burnett, Legislative Assistant to Senator Richard ShelbyAndrew Burnett - Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), United States Senate
Carter Wells - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
1:45 PM - 2:30 PMFrontiers of Precision & Genomics MedicineCamerron M. Crowder - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Brittany N. Lasseigne - The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
Liz Worthey - University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
Matt Might - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Andy Crouse - University of Alabama at Birmingham;
2:45 PM - 3:30 PMPlant Genomics | Next Generation Crops for a Diverse Alabama Agricultural EconomyJeremy Schmutz - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Josh Clevenger - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Brian Hardin - Alabama Farmers Federation
Kyle Bridgeforth - Bridgeforth Farms
Kira Bowen, PhD - Auburn University
3:45 PM - 4:30 PMPART I | Good Things in Small Packages - Drug and Gene Delivery in the Age of NanotechnologyMaaike Everts - Evonik Health Care
Eugenia Kharlampieva - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Parissa Heshmati, PhD - Evonik Corporation
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMAlabama’s Strategic Bioscience Economic Development RoadmapBlair King - Alabama Power
Jonathan Cox - Aerotek
Saksham Narang - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Amy Sturdivant - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
James Childs - Maynard Cooper Gale
10:00 AM - 10:45 AMKeynote Address with Bob HessBob Hess - Newmark Knight Frank
10:50 AM - 11:35 AMEconomic Development and Life Sciences Site Selection ProcessAlan Reeves - Newmark Knight Frank
11:45 AM - 12:30 PMState Perspective on Bioscience Economic DevelopmentGreg Barker - EDPA
Greg Canfield - Alabama Department of Commerce
1:00 PM - 1:45 PMFounders and Funding: Fundraising stories as told by founders and bioscience investors Neill S. Wright - Bronze Valley
Greg Schmergel - YuvaBiosciences, Inc
Bob Shufflebarger - TriAltus
Charlie Perry -
Miller Girvin - Alabama Capital Network
2:00 PM - 2:45 PMBioscience Angel Investors ForumTommy Satterfield - Private Investor
Daniel Coleman - Private Investor
James Childs - Maynard Cooper Gale
3:00 PM - 3:30 PMSecuring Your First Institutional Round: Inside Investor Relations Stephanie Carrington - Investor Relations at Westwicke
3:45 PM - 4:45 PMPART II | Good Things in Small Packages - Drug and Gene Delivery in the Age of NanotechnologyStephen Burgess - Avanti Polar Lipids, Part of Croda International Plc.
Qiana L. Matthews - Alabama State University
Thursday, October 8, 2020
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMBiotech Innovation and Early Stage Resources and Opportunities: The Importance of Mentorship, Incubation, and Ideation Alec Santiago - Van Heron Labs
Rebecca Vaught - Van Heron Labs
Robert Williams - 7 Hills Pharm
Mark Liles - Varigen Biosciences
10:00 AM - 10:45 AMAlabama’s Incubators & Accelerators Drew Honeycutt - Innovation Depot
Caitlin Myers - City of Auburn
Michelle Parvinrouh - Innovation Portal
Theresa M. Welbourne, PhD - University of Alabama
Haley Medved Kendrick - Bronze Valley Accelerator
Alex Cate - HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
11:00 AM - 11:45 AMFrom Licenses to Spinouts: How Alabama’s Academic Technology Transfer Offices Support Innovation and New BusinessNicholas J. Landau, Ph.D. - Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP
Andrew E. Byrd, MBA, PhD - USA Office of Commercialization and Industry Collaboration
Brian Wright PhD, RTTP, CLP - Auburn University
Dan Blakley - University of Alabama
Sat Balachander, PhD - Harbert Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at UAB
12:00 PM - 12:30 PMInnovation and New Knowledge: A Bold Vision for AlabamaDr. Karim Budhwani - Cerflux, Inc.
12:45 PM - 1:30 PMKeynote Address with Dr. Regina BenjaminRegina Benjamin - Healthcare Disparity Expert & Preventative Medicine Advocate