The 24th Black Engineer of the Year STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Conference announced the top minorities in science for 2010. The winners will be honored at the Black Engineer of the Year STEM Conference on February 18, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Career Communications Group established the Emerald Honors award over seven years ago to recognize the contributions of minorities in research science. It has become the premier award for African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans working in the research sciences. This year’s award recipients will be featured in a special issue of USBE magazine.
“Multicultural communities are where the action is in finding, preparing, and recruiting a new generation of science researchers in the United States,” says Tyrone D. Taborn, CEO of Career Communications Group Inc. (CCG).
This year, the Emerald Honor for “Scientist of the Year” is Henrietta N. Ukwu, MD, FACP, FRAPS, Vice President Global Regulatory Affairs, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Ukwu received her medical degree from the University of Jos, Nigeria (1982); completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Baptist Hospital, Nashville, TN (1989); and Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (1991).
Dr. Ukwu is a pharmaceutical industry executive with extensive global regulatory experience across all Bio-pharmaceutical therapeutic platforms and all regions. She started her pharmaceutical industry career at Merck & Co., Inc. in 1992, becoming Vice President Worldwide Regulatory Affairs in 1998. Dr. Ukwu joined Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (October 2004) as Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs. Since then Dr. Ukwu has led regulatory efforts for all therapeutic areas in all major regions including USA, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle-East, Africa and WHO.
Dr. Ukwu’s position is responsible for overseeing strategic product development and registration plans, regulatory interactions with Boards of Health, human subject protection for clinical/preclinical development, ensures rigorous regulatory standards and successful registration of new drugs/biologics. Dr. Ukwu has overseen the successful original regulatory development and approval of 14 new Medicines—a major contribution to human health. Among her many recognition awards is the Women of Color Research Sciences & Technology Emerald Honors Award for Research Excellence (2003).
About the conference:
The 24th BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference has attracted top professionals and students from every part of the nation and every field of science, engineering, and technology for more than two decades.
Throughout the conference, our seminars and workshops will offer new information on a variety of topics affecting multicultural technology professionals such as career advancement, diversity programs and specialized industry updates. The Career Fair will link qualified engineers, scientists, business professionals and students with employers both regional and national.
The conference is sponsored by Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Council of the Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine.
MINORITIES IN RESEARCH SCIENCE
2010 HONOREES
2010 BEYA/Minorities in Research Science
Emerald Honors
Scientist of the Year
Henrietta Ukwu
Vice President
Pfizer
Medical Officer of the Year
Vice Admiral Adam M. Robinson, Jr.
Medical Corps
Surgeon General
Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Health Care Executive of the Year
Kevin Lofton
CEO
Catholic Health Initiatives
Affirmative Action
Darrell Middleton
Vice President
Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan
Diversity
Michelle Gadsen Williams
Vice President, Diversity
Novartis
Deborah Dagit
Chief Diversity Officer
Merck
Community Outreach
Floyd Green,
Head of Community Relations
Aetna System
Medical Leadership
John Agwanobi
Senior Vice President and President
Professional Services Division
Wal-Mart
Medical Leadership
Michael Christopher Gibbons
Assistant Professor
Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute
Technology Innovation
Dr. Anthony Kalloo
Professor of Medicine at
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Senior Investigator
Dr. Jorge Toro, M.D.
Investigation of the Genetic Basis of Genodermatoses
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Dr. Richard Phan
U.S. Federal Government
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
Dr. Yadu B. Tewari
Research Chemist
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Research Leadership
Dr. Kevin Gardner
Research Scientist
National Cancer Institute
Gina P. Wilkerson, D.V.M.
Director of Veterinary Medicine
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
Educational Leadership
E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice President for Medical Affairs
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Professional Achievement
Dr. Reed Tuckson
Senior Vice President
United HealthCare
Dr. Sandra Chillous, Ph.D.
Vice President
DuPont
Most Promising Scientist
David Joseph Hernandez
Research Chemist
Department of Homeland Security
Career Achievement
Dr. Paul Feng
Research Director
Monsanto Company
Dr. Minyu Li
Corporate Scientist
Ecolab, Inc.
