Meet the six members of the 2014-2015 Alumni Network Executive Committee (ANEC). These individuals are dedicated to helping strengthen the connection of program alumni to the Center for Biotechnology’s Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program.
Eleanor Allen, PhD
Richard Dell Bovi
Rochelle Nelson
Caleen Ramsook, PhD
Weixuan Yu
Hui Wang
Below is each new member’s statement of interest. In their own words, they express their vision for the alumni network during their tenure.
Eleanor Allen, PhD
I first learned about the Fundamentals of Bioscience Industry program from a recent graduate of the course, Dr. Li Liu. In 2012, I had just joined my first academic postdoctoral position at Stony Brook with the clear intention of continuing on the academic or industry R&D route. After speaking with Dr. Liu, I became aware that I was completely uneducated in other opportunities for science PhD graduates without further higher education, such as law or business school. Upon attending the informational
session for the FOBI course, I was surprised that none of the other 3 universities in New York City, where I had previously worked, offered such a course. The concept of a semester course geared for PhDs or bioscience masters students was completely novel and I was encouraged to learn more. I have since completed the FOBI course and I am excited to take advantage of the career development resources offered by the alumni network.
After speaking with my friends and colleagues from graduate school, they all agreed that had a course like FOBI been offered during our graduate career, the majority would have taken advantage of it. For this reason, as a member of the Alumni Network Executive Committee, I plan to promote the FOBI course and the career development resources to both the Stony Brook community and to the universities in the greater New York City area. I feel that it is especially important to convey to biomedical PhD students the career choices available to them, as I am certain that there are many who are unaware that such an opportunity exists. Not only is promoting the FOBI course important, but it is also important to follow up with the FOBI alumni. I believe that alumni would benefit from the construction of a comprehensive alumni list, with the hope of building a sustainable network and idea exchange. Alumni who have left bench science for non-science industries are valuable resources to students who are in the early stages of their career and those who are looking to move out of academia.
During my graduate and postdoctoral training, I have published a number of papers, given presentations at various conferences and assisted in lecturing courses at the graduate level. I believe I have strong interpersonal communication and organizational skills and I would like to contribute to the executive committee to continue its mission of building professional networks and career development resources.
Richard Dell Bovi
The Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program (FOBIP) was a great learning experience I would recommend to anyone interested into entering the bioscience industry. Many graduate students and postdocs have a limited perception of what careers are available in industry and this program exposes the potential opportunities outside of academia. As part of the Alumni Network Executive Committee (ANEC), I hope to increase the awareness of the FOBIP to recruit new members interested in learning about the bioscience industry. I will also strive to assist in maintaining and expanding the community for alumni in order to create connections between current members and those in industry. The FOBIP has allowed me to meet other like-minded individuals and provided me with an invaluable foundation. With my creativity, organizational and leadership skills, I would like contribute back to the program in order to assist in connecting academia and industry.
Rochelle Nelson
When I applied to the Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry (FOBI) course, my goal was to gain a richer understanding of the bioscience business environment. As I completed the FOBI course, I realized that I have not only accomplished this goal but I was also able to set forth a new goal of attaining an internship in Regulatory Affairs. I am confident that this will further prepare me for entry into the biotechnology industry. I understand that part of the Alumni Network Executive Committee (ANEC)’s mission is to provide a platform for growth to entrepreneurs, seasoned professionals and to graduate students like myself. I believe that cultivating a strong relationship with mentors who are successful members of biotech companies will greatly assist in this growth. As an ANEC member, I would like to contribute to the promotion and growth of this program and its members by working closely with alumni in hopes of creating mutually beneficial internship opportunities. Specifically, I want to create a forum to discuss and share the experiences of the many graduate students who successfully apply to internships.
Caleen Ramsook, PhD
I took the FOBIP course as I was about to complete my post-doc as a means of increasing my marketability as I searched for jobs. The course provides valuable insight and knowledge about the various aspects of the drug development pathway and entrepreneurship in general and focused my interest of merging science with business to Tech Transfer, Regulatory Affairs, Entrepreneurship, IP and Business Management.
As a member of ANEC, I will strive to increase awareness of bioscience opportunities in industry for Post-docs and grad students. This will be accomplished by organizing networking events, career development opportunities and partnering with various ongoing events in entrepreneurship. Based on my experiences, exposure to opportunities in bioscience is key, and I will use my talent for liaising to promote FOBIP alumni participation in conferences, seminars, and workshops.
Weixuan Yu
The Fundamental of Bioscience Industry Program completely opened my eyes to new horizons in the business and legal perspective of the life science industry. There are tons of different opportunities out there for scientists to apply their knowledge. Yet a lot Ph.D. students or post-docs are even unaware of such opportunities available for them. I am enthusiastically interested in joining ANEC so that I can serve as a liaison between the FOBI current students/alumni and other scientific colleagues. I would like to initiate career workshops and networking events to strengthen the connection between FOBI alumni and students on campus, and bring more direct access on internships or job offers to benefit the program.
My collaboration experiences with Novartis, GSK, AstraZeneca and Anacor have helped me build the versatility to communicate with different people with various backgrounds and characters. My business analyst internship experience at A.T.Kearney management consulting group endowed me invaluable experiences in leadership and further aided in my capability in expanding the business network. Furthermore, serving as the treasurer in the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), an organization that assists the connection between Chinese students and other parties, I have gained valuable organizing and service skills.
My experiences, skillsets along with my passion for the life science industry make me the ideal candidate as ANEC member. I’m keen to integrate my capabilities with the current approach and a strategic plan to create career development opportunities for all FOBI alumni. It would be my honor to serve the ANEC and expand the Alumni Network to make it more successful.
Hui Wang
I have heard many testimonials about the inspiring role of FOBIP in the career development, even before I joined this program. Now I would like to spread the word about FOBIP even further, as an ANEC member.
During the four years of graduate research, I coordinated several collaborative projects with research labs in BNL, Harvard Medical School, and JHU, and gained valuable communication skills and experience. I also serve in the committee of Stony Brook Medicine “OSA/TETL/Preclinical Imaging” facility, as the only non-faculty member, where I learned the essence of organizing a committee and serving conversations between industrial and academic organizations. I also got exposed to many industrial professionals through contacting the clients, which could be used as a powerful network to serve the ANEC. In addition, I am leading the assembly of the first GLP radiosynthesis laboratory in Stony Brook Chemistry, and the process reinforced my capabilities in multi-party communication and collaboration.
Equipped by all these skills, I believe I can achieve the following goals for 2014/2015 ANEC: (1) Promote the program in high-impact events, such as NYAS symposiums and campus research symposiums; (2) Optimize and advance ANEC as an information resource of career development for FOBIP students and alumni; (3) Create networking and career development opportunities for the alumni, potentially extended to the SBU research community in collaboration with GSO, OPA, and GCA.