NEW YORK (March 22, 2010) -- New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA), the voice of New York State’s biotechnology industry, today announced the keynote lineup for the Association’s 2010 Annual Meeting, April 19-20, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

 

The luncheon keynote speaker for Monday, April 19, will be Dr. Christoph Hergersberg, Global Technology Leader of Bioscience at General Electric Global Research. Dr. Hergersberg joined the General Electric Global Research Center in August 2004. He has since then built the Global Technology Organization for Biosciences, now comprising of a multidisciplinary team of 60 scientists and staff. Before joining Global Research, Dr. Hergersberg served as the Vice President, Research, for the discovery systems group ofAmersham Biosciences. Prior to Amersham, Dr. Hergersberg worked as Chief Scientific Officer at Xantos Biomedicine, Munich, Germany. A biologist by training, Christoph received his doctorate in molecular cell biology and protein chemistry from the University of Munich and a postdoctoral training in immunology before joining Boehringer Mannheim in 1991.

 

Dr. Hergersberg’s keynote will be complimented by a featured presentation from The Honorable Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Since his appointment in January of 2005, he has markedly enhanced the trade association’s capacity – increasing both its staff and budget by nearly fifty percent.
Mr. 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. 

From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Greenwood served as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation with oversight authority over issues in the full Committee's vast jurisdiction. He led hard-hitting investigations into corporate governance at Enron, Global Crossing and WorldCom; terrorist threats to our nation's infrastructure; and waste and fraud in federal government agencies.

 

The program on Tuesday, April 20, kicks off at 8:30 am with a keynote address by Gov. Howard Dean. Gov. Dean, former DNC Chairman, presidential candidate, six term Governor and physician, currently works as an Independent consultant focusing on the areas of biotechnology, health care, early childhood development, alternative energy and the expansion of grassroots politics around the world. Dean also serves as a CNBC contributor and is the founder of Democracy for America. Respected on both sides of the political aisle, Dean was chairman of the National Governors' Association, the Democratic Governors' Association, and the New England Governors' Conference while he served as Governor of Vermont. Dean left office in Vermont to run for President in 2003 where he implemented innovative fundraising strategies such as use of the Internet.

 

Tuesday’s luncheon keynote will be given by Super Bowl champion running back Jerome “The Bus” Bettis. The Pittsburgh Steelers running back is one of the best all-time running backs in the NFL (5th overall in rushing). Jerome Bettis was also the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2001, and expected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible. First diagnosed with asthma at age 15, Jerome Bettis has joined with other world-class athletes to show that people with asthma can live without limits. Bettis also devotes considerable time and energy to his aptly named charitable The Bus Stops Here Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life for troubled and underprivileged children in America's inner cities

 

The NYBA Annual Meeting brings together hundreds of bioscience professionals from the New York, the Northeast and the world for two days of high-energy insight and information. For more information go to www.nyba.org or contact Patricia Waddington, NYBA Membership Director, at 631-444-8895.

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NYBA is the leading advocate for advancing the success of the biotechnology industry in New York State and is its main representative to state policy makers, the media and communities. NYBA’s mission is to support the development and growth of New York’s biotechnology industry, and serve our members and the biotechnology community by providing a network for information exchange, shared services and collective action.  NYBA’s membership comprises bioscience companies, world-class research institutions and related professional services. Under the banner of The Cures Start Here®, the Association’s goal is to amplify the success New York has had and continues to have in discovering major medical advances and growing a vibrant biotech industry.