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-4:00pm to check in and get your name badge.

Jonathan A. Epstein, MD
Dean, Perelman School of Medicine
Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System

Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Professor, University of Pennsylvania

E. Michael Ostap, PhD
Senior Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer, Perelman School of Medicine

Daniel S. Kessler, PhD
Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Education, Perelman School of Medicine
Interim Director, Biomedical Graduate Studies

Talk Title: "Nucleoside Modified mRNA-LNP Therapeutics"

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.

Talk Title: "In vivo CAR T: From Bench to Bedside"

Haig Aghajanian, PhD, is the Co-Founder, SVP of Research at Capstan Therapeutics, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine. He completed his PhD and Postdoctoral fellowship at the Perelman School of Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Epstein, where he published reports on CAR T cell therapy use in the treatment of heart disease and demonstrated the use of targeted lipid nanoparticles for the generation of in vivo CAR T cells in Nature and Science. These works led to the founding of Capstan Therapeutics, where Dr. Aghajanian has led research since launch as the first employee. Capstan recently announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for in vivo CAR T therapy and an acquisition by AbbVie to advance ongoing clinical programs and the platform.

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

• Industry/Big Pharma: Kathy Fernando, Former Senior Vice President and Global Head of Pfizer Ignite
• Industry/Biotech: Dylan Marchione, Principal Scientist, Clinical Biomarkers, Servier
• 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
• Academic Research: Todd Miano, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
  

Alumni are invited to learn more about the Career Paths Mentorship Program (CPMP), which is designed to assist BGS trainees with their career development by facilitating connections and long term interactions with BGS alumni who can aid in career exploration and decisions.

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.

Talk Title: "Translating Human Genetics for Drug Discovery"

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.