Dr. Julia Finkel, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Children's National Medical Center, joins Biotalk host Rich Bendis to discuss pain care management, the founding of startup AlgometRx, and the funding of this new companyDr. Julia Finkel, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Children's National Medical Center, joins Biotalk host Rich Bendis to discuss pain care management, the founding of startup AlgometRx, and the funding of this new company.

Julia Finkel, M.D., is a pediatric anesthesiologist and director Pain Medicine Research and Development in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.

Dr. Finkel has extensive experience designing and conducting clinical trials relating to analgesics in children and has received both industry and federal funding of her research. Dr. Finkel is regularly invited to speak at national meetings on topics related to pediatric pain management.

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William E. Bentley is the Robert E. Fischell Distinguished Chair of Engineering and the Inaugural Director of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. He is appointed in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering as well as the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park and the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research. At Maryland since 1989, Dr. Bentley has focused his research on the development of molecular tools that facilitate the expression of biologically active proteins and on materials incorporated into biomedical devices, having authored over 300 related archival publications

He is a fellow of AAAS, ACS, AIMBE, and the American Academy of Microbiology. He has served on advisory committees for the NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, FDA, USDA, and several state agencies and has mentored over 40 PhDs and 25 postdocs, many now in leadership roles within industry (24), federal agencies (5) and academia (26). He co-founded a protein manufacturing company, Chesapeake PERL, based on insect larvae as mini bioreactors.

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Emily English, CEO of Gemstone Biotherapeutics sits down with BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss company's history, the path to her role, and the evolution of their technology.

Emily English, CEO of Gemstone Biotherapeutics sits down with BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss company's history, the path to her role, and the evolution of their technology. Emily P. English, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Biotherapeutics, LLC. Dr. English is a proven innovator and manager with a passion for transitioning early-stage technologies to operational capabilities and commercial products. In her current role, she is guiding the commercialization of Gemstone’s innovative biomaterials technology, with a goal of bringing solutions for scar-free skin regeneration to market. Prior to joining Gemstone, Dr. English spent eight years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where she was the Global Communications Program Manager and led a team of 35 scientists and engineers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna cum laude, in chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Outside of work, Dr. English enjoys spending time with her family, and she is an avid curler.

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Correction: This story originally published on 10/16 included a 2nd paragraph referencing a previous guest of BioTalk and not Monica Lopez, PhD

La Petite Noiseuse Productions Co-Founder and Executive Scientific & Artistic Director Monica Lopez, Ph.D. joins BioTalk Host Rich Bendis to discuss her career path, their consulting services, science-art integration, multidisciplinary thinking and doing in healthcare, and STEM-STEAMM education for workplace challenges of the future.

Dr. Lopez is a multilingual cognitive scientist, educator, entrepreneur, multidisciplinary artist, public speaker, and writer. At her company, Dr. Lopez leads a unique R&D program within creativity and human intelligence with the goal of advancing artificial intelligence. The result has been a novel model that merges the cognitive brain sciences with the arts, and forms the basis of the company’s consulting services in different industries (healthcare, autonomous systems, education, entertainment, and cyber) with clients from Boston, New York, and San Francisco and Europe (France, Belgium, Austria, United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany). To prepare leaders for the challenges of tomorrow, Dr. Lopez has created since 2009, as faculty at Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Institute, a STEAMM education platform. Prior to co-founding her company, she worked in business development, product evaluation, marketing, communications, and strategic partnering in various languages. Dr. Lopez is a frequent keynote and plenary speaker and panelist at international and national venues. She holds BA degrees in Psychology and French, and a MA and PhD in Cognitive Science, all from Johns Hopkins University, a Certificate of Art in Photography from Maryland Institute College of Art, and was a postdoctoral fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Lopez has been recognized as a "particularly imaginative polymath" by the Imagination Institute of the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center. She has been a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow and distinguished guest with their Board of Directors.

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In this episode of BioTalk, Rich Bendis and guest Brian Darmody discuss growth across the region, the battle for talent and the upcoming AURP International Conference hosted in College Park.

Brian Darmody is responsible for developing projects, funding opportunities, and policies to support partnerships with the private sector. Previously he was the University's  Associate Vice President for Research and Development, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Applied Policy Studies, Director of State and Federal Relations in the UMD President's Office, and served in the  University's legal counsel's office. He serves on national and state boards, including Maryland Technology Council Executive Board, Fraunhofer USA, the Maryland Economic Development Association and is past President of the Association of University Research Parks.He has served on the staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration Office of Attorney-Advisor, and the Maryland General Assembly. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore.

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Jeff Gallagher, CEO of Virginia Bio sits down with BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss accomplishments, challenges, and initiatives in his state and the BioHealth Capital Region.

Jeff is responsible for leading the premier statewide trade group that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to taking on the leadership of Virginia Bio in May 2012, Jeff was a co-founder and served as VP & General Counsel for Lyotropic Therapeutics. This small specialty pharma company used its proprietary formulation technology to create new drug products based on both NCIs and already approved API for license, further development and commercialization by mid and large pharma. Previously he practiced corporate law in Richmond, focusing on new technology company formation, international business and intellectual property transactions. He was a co-founder and longtime Chairman of the Richmond based nonprofit World Pediatric Project. He holds an A.B. in Government from Harvard, a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and an LL.M in Public International Law from the University of Virginia School of Law. He resides with his family in the Ginter Park area of Richmond, VA.

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Dr. Bill Hearl is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (“ITI”).  He is an experienced and successful scientific businessman and bio-entrepreneur, having founded both ITI and formerly Capital Genomix in 2000.   Dr. Hearl has moved ITI steadily forward from an initial license agreement with the Geron Corporation in 2006 to an animal health license in 2012 and then most recently to two license deals with Astellas Pharma for the treatment of allergies, one for Japanese red cedar and a second global allergy license.  The second deal brought ITI an upfront payment of $300,000,000 and established the Company as one of the leading entities in nucleic acid research.   Dr. Hearl funded the Company by following a strategy of seeking a series of angel investment rounds which raised in aggregate over $12 million to drive the development of its allergy products.   Prior to founding ITI and Capital Genomix, he was a senior executive at Kirkegaard & Perry Labs and then held various R&D positions at Life Technologies and Pharmacia.   Dr. Hearl holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee (Oak Ridge & Knoxville) and holds multiple patents in the field of gene immunization.

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Matt holds a Ph.D. in Virology from Ian Mohr’s lab at NYU Langone Medical Center.  He is also an inventor on all BeneVir patents protecting T-StealthTM, the first oncolytic virus to resist both innate and adaptive immunity. Prior to BeneVir, Matt spent 8 years at Sequella, Inc., a clinical stage anti-infectives company. At Sequella, he patented and developed a molecular diagnostic and licensed it to a major clinical diagnostics company. In addition, he designed and executed clinical trials and was involved in the development of Sequella’s antibiotic pipeline from pre-clinical to clinical.

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Brian joined the MdBio Foundation in November 2012 after serving as Executive Director of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. He has spent most of his professional career creating and working for several entrepreneurial endeavors at the intersection of the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.Brian joined the MdBio Foundation in November 2012 after serving as Executive Director of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. He has spent most of his professional career creating and working for several entrepreneurial endeavors at the intersection of the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. 

In previous roles, Brian has held leadership positions with two of America’s most effective social change organizations: College Summit and KaBOOM! Brian also was the Founding Executive Director of the Joshua Venture, a national venture philanthropy fund working to launch and support innovative nonprofits. In his business career, he was the CEO and Managing Partner of a chain of Ben & Jerry’s retail outlets in the San Francisco Bay Area and served as the Western Regional Business Manager for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. He has also helped to found several other nonprofit organizations and served as the President of the San Francisco Human Services Commission.

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In this episode of BioTalk, Jeff Galvin, CEO & Founder of American Gene Technologies (AGT) joins host Rich Bendis to discuss genetic medicines, funding strategies, company goals, and the BioHealth Capital Region. 

Jeff earned his BA degree in Economics from Harvard in 1981. He has more than 30 years of business and entrepreneurial experience including founder or executive positions at a variety of Silicon Valley startups. Several of his companies were taken public and/or sold to public companies. In 2007, he met Dr. Roscoe Brady, an accomplished research scientist at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and founded American Gene Technologies with the mission to transform peoples’ lives with genetic medicines. Jeff Galvin’s current focus is to grow AGT and he expects AGT’s patented, lead candidate for an HIV Cure to enter the clinic in 2019. AGT is a gene and cell therapeutics company with a proprietary lentiviral platform targeting major diseases, including HIV, Phenylketonuria (PKU) and cancer. The company has a diverse portfolio of patent filings surrounding key tools and components in viral vectors, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine. AGT’s immuno-oncology approach of stimulating gamma-delta (γδ) T cells to attack a variety of cancers has recently been awarded four patents. In collaboration with Stanford Medical School’s Dr. Dean Felsher, this novel approach to stimulate the body’s immune system to attack solid cancer tumors is showing promising results in animal models and is expected to enter human trials in the next 24 months.

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Angela Graham, President and CEO of Quality Biological, Inc. (QBI), joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss growing a business in the Life Sciences Community, her involvement in the BHCR, and recruiting top talent in this region. Angela Graham, President and CEO of Quality Biological, Inc. (QBI), joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss growing a business in the Life Sciences Community, her involvement in the BHCR, and recruiting top talent in this region.

Angela has been in this industry for decades working for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer and UCB Pharma before taking over QBI. Her background and expertise is ideally suited to lead the company’s diversification from a leading government contractor into one which also supports the diverse R&D needs of the biopharmaceutical space.

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In this new episode of BioTalk, Rip Ballou, MD, VP & Head, GSK Global Vaccines US R&D Center and BHI President & CEO Rich Bendis discuss GSK’s move to the BioHealth Capital Region, their Vaccines Portfolio/Future, and the importance of succeeding in the industry today.

W. Ripley Ballou, MD is Vice President and Head, GSK Global Vaccines U.S. R&D Center in Rockville, MD - Just outside of Washington, DC. Prior to this he was VP and Head, Clinical Research and Translational Science, Vaccine Discovery and Development at GSK Vaccines in Rixensart, Belgium. Previously he served as Deputy Director for Vaccines, Infectious Diseases Development, Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Ballou is an expert in vaccine development and has worked in this field for more than 30 years. Trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he began his work on vaccines at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research where he led the team that with GlaxoSmithKline co-developed RTS,S, the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine. Dr. Ballou has numerous publications in the field of vaccine development and infectious diseases.

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In this new episode of BioTalk, Matt Brady and BHI President & CEO Rich Bendis discuss topics around lab spaces in the area including, availability, shortages, and solutions to create more in the BioHealth Capital Region.In this new episode of BioTalk, Matt Brady and BHI President & CEO Rich Bendis discuss topics around lab spaces in the area including, availability, shortages, and solutions to create more in the BioHealth Capital Region.

Since joining Scheer Partners in 2003, Matt Brady has successfully completed commercial real estate transactions for more than 500,000 square feet of office, R&D and industrial space totaling close to $100 million in transaction value.

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Margaret Anderson, Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, sits down with host Rich Bendis for this episode of BioTalk. They discuss her career path, putting patients at the center of biomedical and public health, and engaging with all sectors. Margaret Anderson is a Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP focused on using strategy to make organizations, agencies, and programs stronger and more laser focused on outcomes for patients. Her career has traversed biomedical and public health policy and she’s motivated by the change she’s seen in bringing treatments and solutions for patients forward.

As used in this podcast, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

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In this second part of two episodes, Rich sits down with leaders from different parts of the BHCR to talk about what they are working on, and their thoughts on the event. His guests are Todd Haim, SBIR Director, NCI SBIR Development Center at NIH, and Matthew McMahon, Director, Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH

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In this first part of two episodes, Rich sits down with leaders from different parts of the BHCR to talk about what they are working on, and their thoughts on the event. His guests are Jim Jackson, SVP, CSO at Emergent BioSolutions and Jim Hughes, Vice President at University of Maryland, Baltimore.

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Christy Wyskiel, an investor, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder, serves as Senior Advisor to President Daniels at Johns Hopkins University. She runs the group Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, which serves as the tech transfer, corporate partnership, and start-up arm of the university. In this episode of BioTalk, Christy and Rich discuss Tech Transfer, Innovation, Investment, Partnerships, Collaborations, and other important areas that she and JHU work on every day.

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Lily, Qi, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer – Office of Montgomery County Executive joins Rich for this episode of BioTalk. They discuss the topics like the role that MoCo plays in Economic Development, Cultural Competence in a diverse region, and her future career goals. Lily has served County Executive Ike Leggett for eight years in various capacities and led strategic initiatives including privatizing economic development functions; establishing BioHealth Innovation, Inc. to advance research commercialization; developing global partnerships; improving nighttime economy, and developing the Comprehensive Economic Strategy. Lily joined Montgomery County after serving as Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for the Washington, DC Economic Partnership and spokesperson for the DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.

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This discussion covers how David arrived in Maryland, the role of MCEDC in the BioHealth Capital Region, and why Montgomery County is a great place to do business.

Before becoming the inaugural President and CEO of MCEDC, David was with the Central Florida Development Council, where as President and CEO, he achieved record-setting job creation and capital investment results. Previously, David was the Executive Director of the Winter Haven Economic Development Council in Florida. In Texas, he has held key marketing management positions in economic development and was an advertising agency owner in Austin.

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Rachel K. King, Co-Founder and CEO, GlycoMimetics, Inc. (GMI), joins Rich Bendis for the latest episode of BioTalk. They cover topics from her background in the industry to running a publicly traded company in the BioHealth Capital Region. Before founding GMI, she was an Executive in Residence at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the nation’s leading venture capital firms.  Mrs. King came to NEA after serving as a Senior Vice President of Novartis Corporation. She also served as Chairman of International BIO.

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Dr. Jay Perman, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore, joins Rich Bendis for a BioHealth Capital Region conversation. They cover topics from Innovation and Commercialization to Community and Education in the region. Dr. Perman is the sixth President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. His presidency is marked by a commitment to such issues as interprofessional education, community engagement, innovation and commercialization, and economic development.

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George Davis, CEO of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), joins Rich Bendis to discuss the Economic Development Balance, Goals for Business in the State, and the Partnership across the Region.

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Johnathan Cohen., Founder, and Chief Executive Officer, 20/20 GeneSystems Inc. joins Rich Bendis to discuss cancer diagnostics, crowdfunding, and where his company is headed. Under Mr. Cohen’s leadership, 20/20 GeneSystems has brought in approximately $7.5 million in grant funding and launched two successful products, a kit for suspicious powders used by hundreds of emergency responder organizations worldwide and a blood test for the early detection of lung cancer.

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Kurt Newman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Children’s National Health System joins Rich Bendis to discuss quality of care, medical innovation, and the future of healthcare. Since 1984, Dr. Newman has gone from Surgical Fellow to President and CEO at Children’s. He has championed innovations in the health system for both physical and mental health.

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Tami Howie, Chief Executive Officer at The Maryland Tech Council, joins Rich Bendis for the third episode of the new podcast series. BioTalk with Rich Bendis features conversations with some of the most accomplished and exciting business, academic, and government leaders in the biohealth industry. Over the past 20 years, Tami has helped technology companies grow in the Mid-Atlantic region and nationwide from startup to public companies and beyond. Tami has been involved with the successful exits of over 150 companies and has represented technology companies, investors, SBICs and underwriters such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

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Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, President and Chief Executive Officer at Emergent BioSolutions Inc., joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis, to discuss his background, where Emergent is headed, the vaccines and BioHealth industries, and his views on BioHealth Capital Region.

This new podcast series features conversations with some of the most accomplished and exciting business, academic, and government leaders in the biohealth industry. Learn from these leaders about issues which can help you grow your business. What are the current trends? Where are industry sectors headed? How do we increase access to capital in our region? Rich and his guests dive deep into these topics and much more.

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Douglas Liu, Senior Vice President Global Operations at QIAGEN, joins Rich Bendis on the inaugural podcast of BioTalk with Rich Bendis. This new podcast series features conversations with some of the most accomplished and exciting business, academic, and government leaders in the biohealth industry. Learn from these leaders about issues which can help you grow your business. What are the current trends? Where are industry sectors headed? How do we increase access to capital in our region? Rich and his guests dive deep into these topics and much more.

Listen now on iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.