Virginia Bio Celebrates Women in Bio at Inaugural Conference

Regional Industry Leaders to Foster Innovation, Collaboration and
Learning

RICHMOND, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Virginia
Bio, the premier statewide non-profit association representing the
life science industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia, today announced
it will host a conference dedicated to celebrating women in the
bioscience industry. The inaugural conference, Women
Building Bio: The XX Factor, will be held on September 29 at the
Inova Center for Personalized Health.

Women Building Bio: The XX Factors’ mission is to connect thought
leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, academics, students and other women
and men involved in bioscience to share their strategies for success
around collaboration in research and commercialization; leadership
development; and accelerating the contributions of women in the field.
The event is open to all members of the bioscience community.

“We are proud to host this inaugural event highlighting women who are
building a new bioscience economy in our region,” said Jennifer
Siciliano, Vice President, Government Affairs for Inova. “I’m excited to
learn about some of their ground-breaking work in the bioscience field,
and hear practical strategies for achieving success.”

“This conference is a perfect opportunity to reflect not only on what’s
been done by women in the industry, but where we are going as a
collective community,” said Peggy Agouris, Dean, College of Science,
George Mason University.

The speakers and panelists for the event include distinguished leaders
from the BioHealth Capital region. The growing list of speakers includes
Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO, The ALS Association; Congresswoman
Barbara Comstock, Chair, Subcommittee on Science, Space and Technology;
Lili Powell, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, University
of Virginia, Darden School of Business; and Martin N. Davidson, Johnson
and Higgins Professor of Business Administration, University of
Virginia, Darden School of Business.

“The Women Building Bio event is advancing the industry by promoting and
celebrating women who are making an impact in the field of life
sciences,” said Barbara Newhouse, president and CEO of the ALS
Association. “It is my pleasure to keynote this event and be aligned
with an organization that is driving important conversations for our
community members.”

The inaugural event has already gained major traction in the industry
with premier sponsors including Inova, George Mason University and
Darden Executive Education.

“We are extremely pleased with how the community has responded to the
Women Building Bio Conference,” said Jeffrey Gallagher, CEO of Virginia
Bio. “We are appreciative of the incredible support from our sponsors
and committee members, and look forward to celebrating women in
bioscience while discussing ways to accelerate their success in this
region.”

For more information regarding event details, registration and fees, click
here.

About the Virginia Biotechnology Association

Virginia Bio is the premier statewide non-profit trade association for
life sciences, promoting the considerable scientific and economic impact
of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia
Bio is an advocate for the biopharmaceutical and device industries among
federal, state and local policy-makers. Virginia Bio is the official
state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO),
AdvaMed and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) and also
collaborates closely with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America (PhRMA). To learn more, visit www.vabio.org.

Sponsors for this event include: Inova, George Mason University, Darden
Executive Education, Greenberg Traurig, PhRMA, Virginia Economic
Development Partnership, Squire Patton Boggs, Pfizer, Xenith, Prince
William County, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Cherry Bekaert, George
Washington University, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Silverline Communications,
Loudoun Virginia Economic Development, Virginia Biotechnology Research
Park, Euclid, Polymer Solutions and James Madison University.

Contacts

Silverline Communications
Tori Montano, 202-765-2803
tori@teamsilverline.com