Co-Chair Committee Announced for Cures Within Reach 2nd Annual BioScience Awards of the Midwest

CHICAGO - April 4, 2014 - PRLog -- The event will recognize the biomedical industry achievements of Dr. Norbert Riedel by presenting him with the Patient Impact Legacy Award. Researcher/Clinician and Philanthropist Patient Impact Awards will also be presented.

The dinner event gathers together prominent leaders from bioscience businesses throughout the Midwest, representatives from major academic research centers and philanthropists to celebrate the industry’s commitment to patients, while raising funds and awareness around the work of Cures Within Reach, improving patient quality and length of life by facilitating Rediscovery Research^TM that repurposes existing drugs and devices for new uses.

Chairs for the 2^nd Annual BAM are Nancy Searle, civic leader and advocate for the growth of the bioscience industry in Chicago, and Nancy Joseph-Ridge, head of global development and general manager for the Pharmaceutical Development Division at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is honorary event chair, and the nominating event chair is Michael Rosen, the 2013 recipient of the BAM Patient Impact Legacy Award and senior vice president of business development for the Forest City Science + Technology Group.

The Co-Chair committee members represent a wide spectrum of business, finance, public and non-profit sectors that have effectively collaborated to create and grow the bioscience industry in the Midwest.

Pharmaceutical sector co-chairs:
Kamran Alam, Naurex, Inc.
Jeffrey S. Aronin, Marathon Pharmaceuticals
Ed Fiorentino, Crealta Pharmaceuticals
Linda Friedman, Astellas Pharma US
Lorri Provow, retired, Pfizer
Desiree Quizon-Colquitt, BioVectra Inc.
Tim Walbert, Horizon Pharmaceuticals

Non-profit sector co-chairs:
Natalie Benamou, Healthcare Business Women's Association Chicago and Exhibitus
Mark Harris, Illinois Science & Technology Coalition
Elizabeth Jablonski, American Cancer Society
David Miller, Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization – iBIO
Kathryn C. Stallcup, Chicago Biomedical Consortium

Financial and consulting sector co-chairs:
Wilbur H. (Bill) Gantz, PathoCapital
Nathan Hansen, Accenture
Kathryn Burrer Hyer, Illinois Emerging Technologies Funds

“We are honored to be working with this distinguished team of business leaders as Chairs and Co-Chairs of the 2^nd Annual BAM event,” said Cures Within Reach President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Bruce Bloom. “And we look forward to honoring the achievements of Dr. Norbert Riedel throughout his 15 years as corporate vice president and chief science and innovation officer at Baxter International and his recent future success as chief executive officer of Naurex, Inc.  We are also eager to honor the Researcher/Clinician and Philanthropy Awardees who are still in the selection process.”

About Cures Within Reach

Cures Within Reach (http://www.cureswithinreach.org/) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to improve patient quality of life and length of life through Rediscovery Research^TM pilot clinical trials testing repurposed treatments designed to be immediately incorporated into clinical practice. By creating and managing stakeholder collaborations around this powerful path to patient impact, Cures Within Reach has been instrumental in the development of 10 treatments in clinical use and is currently stewarding 18 medical research projects through its partner institutions across the country and around the world.

Event and sponsorship information:  www.cureswithinreach.org/events/bioscience-awards-dinner

Media Contact:

Amy Conn, Director of Advancement
Cures Within Reach
amy@cureswithinreach.org
(847)745-1246