Schedule of Events

Stop by the registration desk in BRB lobby to check in and get your name badge before heading to your graduate group reunion.

Reception for alumni and faculty of all Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Chemical Biology programs, including:

• Biochemistry
• Biophysics
• Molecular Biophysics
  

Reception for alumni and faculty of all Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) programs, including:

• Anatomy
• Cancer Biology
• Cell Biology
• Comparative Medical Sciences
• Developmental Biology
• Epigenetics
• Gene Therapy
• Genetics
• Metabolism
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Parasitology
• Pathology
• Physiology
• Virology
  

Reception for alumni and faculty of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics graduate group (GGEB).

Reception for alumni and faculty of the Genomics and Computational Biology (GCB) graduate group.

Reception for alumni and faculty of the Immunology graduate group (IGG).

Reception for alumni and faculty of the Neuroscience graduate group (NGG).

Reception for alumni and faculty of the Pharmacology graduate group.

Stop by our registration desk in the Biomedical Research Building (BRB) lobby from 7:30am-5:00pm to check in and get your name badge.

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, is the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation at the Perelman School of Medicine. He is recognized for his work alongside Katalin Karikó in discovering the modified mRNA technology, which has launched a new era of vaccine and therapeutic development. Their mRNA research breakthrough has been used in both the BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and has revolutionized the field of vaccine development. Dr. Weissman’s current research focuses on developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine to stop the next coronavirus epidemic, a universal flu vaccine, cancer therapeutics, a vaccine to prevent herpes, as well as developing in vivo gene therapy to allow worldwide use and a variety of protein therapeutics delivered with mRNA-LNPs. He has recently expanded his efforts in building scientific and medical equity and is developing the full RNA-LNP ecosystem of development, testing, and use in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Weissman earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemistry and enzymology from Brandeis University in 1981 and his M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology and microbiology in 1987 at Boston University School of Medicine. Following a residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, he took a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where he worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Dr. Weissman holds many patents and has published over 400 papers. He has been recognized with numerous awards including the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, and the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.

Haig Aghajanian, PhD, is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Research at Capstan Therapeutics, as well as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has focused on the etiology of cardiac disease and cell therapy for the treatment of fibrosis culminating in his recent work published in Nature and Science that served as the inception of Capstan.

Grab lunch with your fellow alumni and learn more about the student-led organizations at BGS.

After lunch, alumni will have the opportunity to learn more about the Career Paths Mentoring Program and explore campus.

• Industry/Big Pharma: Kathy Fernando, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Pfizer Ignite
• Industry/Biotech: Dylan Marchione, Principal Scientist, Clinical Biomarkers, Servier
• Government/Policy: Meredith Shaffer, Acting Deputy Director, Division of Intramural Research, NIAID
• Science Communication: Jamie Weaver, Principal Medical Writer with Ashfield MedComms, part of Inizio
• Medical Consulting: Adam Siebert, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting in New York City
• Patent Law: Solymar Rolón-Martínez, Technical Specialist in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology and Chemical Practice Group
• College Teaching: Rishita Shah, Lecturer in Biology, Barnard College Academic
• Research: Michael Harhay, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care), and Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania
  

Connect, explore, and get inspired! BGS students and alumni will have the chance to come together for meaningful conversations and connections in this dynamic speed networking session. Attendees will rotate through tables hosted by alumni from diverse career paths and industries to gain insights, advice, and inspiration from professionals in a range of fields.

Ellen Tsai, PhD, is the Head of Human Genetics at Biogen, where she leads efforts to apply human genetics across the drug development pipeline—from target discovery to life cycle management. Over her eight years at Biogen, she has advanced multiple therapeutic targets through cross-functional R&D initiatives, leveraging genetic insights to drive precision medicine.

Prior to Biogen, Ellen was a Senior Bioinformatician at Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare), where she led the launch of the MGB Biobank’s genotyping workflows. She earned her PhD in Genomics and Computational Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the genetic basis of pediatric disorders such as Alagille syndrome and biliary atresia.

Adam M. Koppel, MD, PhD, is Partner at Bain Capital Life Sciences. He initially joined Bain Capital Public Equity in 2003, where he was a leader within the healthcare sector until 2014. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Koppel was EVP of Corporate Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Biogen. Prior to joining Bain Capital Public Equity in 2003, Dr. Koppel was an associate principal at McKinsey & Co in New Jersey where he served a variety of healthcare companies.

Dr. Koppel sits on the Board of Directors of Areteia Therapeutics and Cardurion Pharmaceuticals and previously served on the Board of Directors of Aptinyx, Cerevel Therapeutics, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Foghorn Therapeutics, PTC Therapeutics, Solid Biosciences, Trevena, Inc, and ViaCyte Inc.

Dr. Koppel is currently a member of the Council for Discovery Science at Penn Medicine, which he joined at its inception in 2019. He also has been a member of the Perelman School of Medicine’s Medical Alumni Advisory Council (MAAC) since 2010 and Penn’s Life Sciences and Management Advisory Board since 2013. He previously served on Penn Medicine’s Institute on Aging Advisory Board (2010-2017). In addition to his volunteer roles at Penn, Dr. Koppel serves on the Board of Trustees at the Boston Museum of Science, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and CJP Boston. He sits on the Investment Committees of the Boston Museum of Science and the Society for Neuroscience, co-chairs the Harvard Medical School Discovery Council, and serves on the Mass General Brigham Innovation Growth Board.

Dr. Koppel received his MD and PhD in Neuroscience from the Perelman School of Medicine and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha honor society upon his graduation. He also received his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an AB and AM in History and Science.