Shaping infinity

October 28 is a big day in Atlanta. Over 800 bioscience professionals from across Georgia, the Southeast and the nation will converge on the city for a one-day summit. It may sound like just another scientific conference, but its impact may shape the future.

Bioscience is one of the biggest booms to economic development in Georgia looming on the horizon. The focus of the 2010 Georgia Life Sciences Summit – Innovation for a Healthier World…Meeting the Challenge – serves quite well in Georgia’s quest to establish the Innovation Crescent region from Atlanta to Athens as a branded, internationally recognized hotbed for bioscience.

Georgia Bio, the private, non-profit organization that has presented the Life Sciences Summit annually for the last nine years, has lined-up a stellar program of expert speakers from international companies like Merck, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, and from emerging bioscience companies in Georgia, Alabama, California and Massachusetts. Not to mention speakers from Georgia’s renowned research universities.

But who are these 800 scientific-types who will actually be attending the Summit at the AmericasMart in Atlanta? Well, it’s a big list of big players. To name a few, they include CEOs and senior executives of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, university officials and scientists, hospital administrators and physicians, investors, economic developers and public policy experts. And, Bernie and Billi Marcus.

Yes, Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot and chairman of the Marcus Foundation. The 2010 Summit will honor the Marcus’ for their sustained commitment to bioscience research and medical innovation in Georgia. The Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center and the Marcus Trauma Center, both at Grady Hospital, are supported through the Marcus Foundation. The foundation also supports the Marcus Autism Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Project Share at the Shepherd Center, and the Marcus Nanotechnology Building at Georgia Tech.

Bernie Marcus’ support and involvement in bioscience in Atlanta has also earned him the honor of keynote speaker at the 2010 Life Sciences Summit. Featured presenters at the day-log conference include Dr. Ricardo Azziz, president of the Medical College of Georgia; G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Co., a biotechnology pioneer and investment visionary; Dr. Vasant Narasimhan, president of Vaccines USA and head of Vaccines North America, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics; Dr. Mark Rosenberg, president and CEO of the Task for Global Health; and Dr. Michael Rosenblatt, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Merck and Co.

The Summit’s speakers will explore life sciences trends and issues such as The Role of Life Sciences in Public and Global Health; Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Vaccines; Medical Technology and Medical Devices; and New and Exciting Science.

The Life Sciences Summit Exhibit Hall will offer organizations the opportunity to showcase their latest research, product development and services. And, for the first time, the 2010 Summit will also feature a BioCareer Resource Center with career insight and recruiting resources.

“The career center came about to better develop talent within the region. This is in line with our strategy and with what companies are telling us they need,” said Cinda Herndon-King, Ph.D, director of education and workforce development for Georgia Bio. “Right now, Gwinnett Tech and Athens Tech are leading the effort to train a biomanufacturing workforce as well as help other schools within the Technical College System of Georgia set-up similar programs.”

So, if you or your company are involved in the life sciences scene in Georgia, we know where you’ll be on October 28. If you’d like to become involved, the 2010 Life Sciences Summit is a must-attend event. A special rate is offered for student

Email Print