Join us at Jin Ding in Bryn Mawr to engage in a stimulating panel discussion on careers in the biopharma industry. We invite you to listen to our panel of guests talk about getting started in the industry and how they’ve navigated career changes over the years. What will you get out of the panel? Listening to our esteemed panelists may energize you to understand your own next steps in the industry!
While you listen to the panel discussion, enjoy Shanghainese Chinese cuisine featuring hot & sour soup, shrimp spring rolls, steamed vegetable dumplings, Mongolian chicken, gunpowder shrimp, vegetable lo mein, steamed white rice and butter pecan ice cream.
Trevor Stebbins of Genesis, and an ISPE DVC board member, will moderate the evening's event, which will feature our esteemed panelists:
- Tsehai Grell, Scientist at Janssen Pharmaceuticals
- Kelsey Johnson, Toxicologist at Johnson and Johnson
- Gregory Lundell, Director of Asset Management Solutions at Genesis AEC
- Sherrie-Ann Martin, Associate Director of Lyophilized Vaccines Technical Operations at Merck
- Dolapo Olusanmi, Associate Director of Drug Product Strategic Innovation at BMS
Registration Information:
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COST |
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|---|---|
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ISPE Members |
$40 |
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Non-Members |
$50 |
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Emerging Leader - Member |
$30 |
| Emerging Leader - Non-Member | $40 |
| Students | FREE |
Register now!
Panelists:
Tsehai Grell, Scientist; Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Tsehai hails from a small island in the Caribbean, the Commonwealth of Dominica, where she obtained an AAS in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics from the Dominica State Colleges. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Morgan State University in 2012, with highest honors. Tsehai obtained a PhD in Biochemistry for the department of Chemistry at MIT in 2018. Following her PhD., she served as a Preceptor in the Molecular and Cellular biology Department at Harvard University, followed by a Post-Doctoral fellow with the Structure and Protein Sciences (S&PS) group at Janssen R&D. She is currently a Scientist in S&PS where she leverages protein chemistry and structural techniques to gain a mechanistic understanding of protein function and regulation to aid drug discovery. Tsehai is an alumna of the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) and the Scientist Mentoring and Diversity Program (SMDP).
Kelsey Johnson, Toxicologist; Johnson & Johnson
Kelsey’s research career started in high school in an environmental toxicology lab as part of a HHMI pre-college research program. She discovered she enjoyed learning about cell signaling pathways and decided to pursue a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of South Florida. At USF, Kelsey became interested in cancer metastasis and was actively engaged in undergraduate research at the Moffitt Cancer Center. The prevalence and complexity of cancer led Kelsey to pursue a PhD in Cancer Biology at Baylor University. There she studied chromatin epigenetics – seeking to understand the chromatin alterations which underpin cancer metastasis. Kelsey relished the freedom and depth of academic research but was curious to learn about the pharmaceutical drug development process, so she applied to industry internship programs during the 5th year of her PhD. She interned at Janssen Pharmaceuticals as a Nonclinical Safety Intern and enjoyed the level of collaboration and connection during that experience which motivated Kelsey to pursue a career in pharmaceutical toxicology. Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys reading, trying new foods, and fitness.
Gregory Lundell, Director of Asset Management Solutions; Genesis AEC
Greg graduated from Lafayette College with a BS in Biology and a Minor in German in 2001.
Greg joined OraSure Technologies as a Bench Scientist, and worked on the development of an oral-fluid based NIDA-5 Drug Test; Greg transferred the product to manufacturing under cGMP, developed quality release parameters, and set up automated manufacturing lines.
After 3 years, Greg left OraSure for an opportunity at Saladax Biomedical, Inc. developing and commercializing another In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) panel of assays for Chemotherapy drugs. He started there as a bench scientist, then transferred to lead operations scientist, was subsequently promoted to Operations Supervisor, and finally named Director of Operations. Greg also handled quality/regulatory audits and submissions, client onboarding & site setup, process development & validation, and asset/equipment procurement, validation and management.
After a 10-year run at Saladax, Greg joined Whitford, Inc., a leading manufacturer of Teflon-type coatings, to establish a division of the company dedicated to providing coatings for medical devices. Greg’s team custom-built a facility, established supply chain, quality testing, and validated operations to better serve the medical device market.
Greg rejoined the life science world with a move to Lampire Biological Labs - a manufacturer of blood and blood products, proteins, and both custom and catalog biological products. For 4 years, he was the Director of Operations in charge of 5 manufacturing sites, and the onboarding of new processes, clients, and personnel.
Greg joined Genesis to translate his knowledge of scientific and manufacturing equipment into a full-service portfolio, offering to support Genesis clients with their capital projects. Under Greg’s direction, his team supports the design, build, procurement, installation, and qualification and validation efforts required for pharmaceutical/life science equipment to be handed over to clients as operational and ready for science on day one.
Sherrie-Ann Martin, Associate Director of Lyophilized Vaccines Technical Operations; Merck & Co., Inc.
In 2009, Sherrie-Ann delivered Villanova University’s commencement speech in which she encouraged her peers to embody the University’s motto of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas, principles which have guided her throughout her career at Merck & Co. Her thirst for knowledge, coupled with her passion to seek meaningful scientific achievements in human health, inspires her pursuit of Vaccine Development and Manufacturing. During her time in Merck’s Research & Development division, Sherrie-Ann focused on formulation and process development of late-stage clinical Live Virus Vaccines.
Currently, Sherrie-Ann is an Associate Director leading the Lyophilization Technical Operations team at the West Point, PA site where she leverages her array of experiences to drive meaningful process improvements. Motivated by her passion to employ new technologies, Sherrie-Ann has investigated and implemented increased use of Single Use Technologies for Drug Product.
Sherrie-Ann returned to Villanova to attain her Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, and in 2019 was awarded the University’s John J. Gallen Award. She continues to contribute to the academic community through mentorship and speaking at student forums to promote STEM awareness. Sherrie-Ann remains committed to altruistic efforts by volunteering through her church.
Dolapo Olusanmi, Associate Director of Drug Product Strategic Innovation: Bristol Myers Squibb
Dolapo Olusanmi graduated from the University of Leeds, UK, with a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Her career in Pharma started at Bristol Myers Squibb, UK, as a scientist in the lab applying knowledge from her PhD study and working on API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) scouting and particle engineering, as a member of the Materials Science and Engineering organization. By undertaking rotations and stretch assignments she progressed her career by learning about the other aspects of drug development - such as formulation development, chemical process development, clinical operations, and clinical manufacturing. Over time, she became a technical leader as well as a matrix team leader responsible for collaborating across functions to drive a crucial part of the drug development process. In 2015, she received a Bristol Myers Squibb Award for Excellence in drug development.
In her current role in Drug Product Strategic Innovation, Dolapo works with business and technical stakeholders across the company to incorporate business and patient insights for enabling patient-centric product presentations, as well as developing strategies for integrating innovative technologies.
Dolapo has 11 peer-reviewed publications and is a reviewer for Powder Technology Journal and the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists about STEM careers and actively participates in multiple outreach programs by BMS.
In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family to explore new cultures and cuisines.