Attendees – including leaders from bioscience companies and health care systems, policy makers, and patient groups – met to discuss and drive forward research, development, and commercialization in Virginia.During the meeting, Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD, accepted an award on behalf of the Foundation for Outstanding Contributions to Virginia Bioscience, which recognized the organization for exemplifying the excellence, variety, and dynamism of the Virginia biosciences community. “We are proud to be an important part of the exciting story of Virginia bioscience, and we expect focused ultrasound to continue to be a disruptive, game-changing technology in the Commonwealth and around the world in the years to come, saving millions of lives in the shortest time possible,” said Dr. Kassell.
Presentations at THRiVE 2019 included the state of the industry; new companies and technologies under development in Virginia; the thriving and diverse medical device/medtech industry; technical, commercial, and clinical innovation and neuroscience research in the battle against addiction and the opioid crisis; and, opportunities to accelerate biomedical research, health care, and commercial life science development by leveraging the state’s global leading and unique data science, data network, and artificial intelligence assets.
Additionally, the Chairman of Virginia Bio’s Board of Directors, Andrew J. Krouse, gave a tribute to Jeff Gallagher who is stepping down after seven years as CEO of the organization. A scholarship to send disadvantaged students to STEM camp was established in his name.
Virginia Bio is the statewide nonprofit trade association for the life science industry and aims to “advance the Commonwealth’s life sciences bio-ecosystem by advocating for effective national, state and local public policies, supporting life science entrepreneurs and businesses, and educating the next generation of leaders.”