Annual Dinner & Showcase

The premier social event for the Life Sciences Industry

The 2024 Life Sciences PA Annual Dinner & Showcase will be unlike any event Life Sciences PA has held before, so think differently…and think different.

We will gather at the historic 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia for an evening that includes dinner and uninterrupted networking time while we recognize exceptional successes of 2023 and honor leaders from the past who helped shape the life sciences community of Pennsylvania. Life Sciences PA will create a showcase, exhibit-like atmosphere, with elaborate displays for each of nine award honorees and for the Life Sciences PA entrepreneurial community.

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2024 Award Honorees Below!

For the first time in three years, the Annual Dinner & Showcase will be open to the public. Join us in Philadelphia, PA April 10 for the celebration of Annual Awards. Award Honorees & Nominations can be found below.

Hotel room blocks are now available

Make a reservation for a hotel room block at The Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel. Reserve by Friday, March 29 for discounted rates. 

Award Honorees and Finalists

2023 State Official of the Year

The State Official of the Year Award recognizes an official from Pennsylvania’s executive or legislative branches who has distinguished himself or herself as a leader who supports the life sciences community. The honoree is selected from nominations provided by Life Sciences PA’s State Policy Committee.

Tim Briggs
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Learn More about Tim Briggs

Representative Briggs is a long-time co-chair of the Pennsylvania House Life Sciences Caucus and has worked tirelessly to educate his peers on the nuances of the Commonwealth’s life sciences ecosystem. He has been pivotal in coalition building within the General Assembly and helping to ensure new legislators understand the unique process by which medicines and technologies are discovered and delivered to patients. Additionally, Representative Briggs was the lead sponsor on legislation that expands and streamlines the Qualified Manufacturing Innovation and Reinvestment Deduction (QMIRD) program. This program is an important tool for Pennsylvania companies undertaking innovative, significant, and capital-intensive projects in the Commonwealth.

State Official of the Year Award Sponsored by:

2023 Federal Official of the Year

The Federal Official of the Year Award recognizes a federal official from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in Washington, DC on behalf of the life sciences community. The honoree is selected from nominations provided by Life Sciences PA’s Federal Policy Committee.  

Chrissy Houlahan
United States House of Representatives

Learn More about Chrissy Houlahan

Representative Chrissy Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, engineer, entrepreneur, educator, and nonprofit leader.

Since first taking office in 2019, Representative Houlahan has been recognized for working in a bipartisan fashion and has made it a point to meet with and visit life sciences leaders in Pennsylvania’s Sixth Congressional District. She has co-sponsored legislation important to Life Sciences PA member companies, including the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act and the Ensuring Patient Access to Breakthrough Products Act. Additionally, Representative Houlahan co-founded the Women in STEM Congressional Caucus to bring public and congressional awareness to policies, programs, and initiatives that support women in STEM fields, and help develop the next generation of women leaders in STEM.

Federal Official of the Year Award Sponsored by:

2023 Patient Impact Award

The Patient Impact Award recognizes a medicine, therapy, device, or organization that has made a significant contribution to the quality of healthcare or length of life of patients in 2023. The honorees are:

Read More about Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech, who received FDA approval for the first-ever redosable gene therapy, VYJUVEK®, used to treat wounds in patients 6 months of age and older with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), a rare, inherited disorder in which blisters form on the skin and the moist inner lining of some organs and body cavities, often beginning at birth.

Read More about Amicus Therapeutics

Amicus Therapeutics, who received approval in 2023 in the EU, U.K., and U.S. for their two-component therapy, Pombiliti + Opfolda, for the treatment of eligible adults with late-onset Pompe disease, a rare genetic condition caused by a deficiency of the enzyme acid alpha-glucoside which yields muscle damage and can have a serious effect on many of the body’s system.

Patient Impact Award Sponsored by:

2023 President’s Service Award

The President’s Service Award recognizes an individual in Life Sciences PA’s membership who has made a significant contribution to the organization through volunteering time, leadership and energy to help advance the Association’s mission of creating a cohesive community that unites Pennsylvania’s biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, research and financial strengths. The honoree is selected by the staff of Life Sciences PA.

Tim Sullivan
Former GSK

Learn More about Tim Sullivan

Tim Sullivan departed GSK in January of 2024 having served 20 years as a government affairs director. During his tenure, he also served as Chair of Life Sciences PA State Public Policy Committee. His partnership with Life Sciences PA led to the adoption of significant policy initiatives including revisions to the Corporate Net Income Tax (adoption of the Single Sales Factor for the apportionment of income), Net Operating Loss expansion, expansion of the Research & Development Tax Credit, creation of the Qualified Manufacturing Innovation and Reinvestment Deduction and (CNI rate reduction); reformed the Medicaid Preferred Drug Formulary process, established a Rare Disease Advisory Council, and created a pathway for bio-similars to enter the market place.

President’s Service Award Sponsored by:

2023 Frank Baldino Bioscience CEO of the Year Award

The 2023 Frank Baldino CEO of the Year Award recognizes a CEO who has demonstrated visionary leadership and active participation to advance the life sciences industry in 2023. The nominee will have a record of proven, exceptional achievement as well as a commitment to the biosciences for the benefit of patients. The recipient must be from a company with fewer than 250 employees and exhibit these leadership qualities.

Jeff Dayno, MD
President & CEO
Harmony Biosciences

Learn More about Jeff Dayno

Dr. Jeffrey Dayno was appointed CEO of Harmony Biosciences in early 2023. Dr. Dayno was chosen to lead Harmony due to his steadfast leadership since the company’s founding, previously serving as chief medical officer. With the primary focus of keeping patients at the heart, Dr. Dayno led Harmony Biosciences through a year of external challenges as well as growth, concluding with Harmony’s successful acquisition of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, further expanding its product pipeline for rare diseases with significant unmet medical needs. 

Frank Baldino Bioscience CEO of the Year Award Sponsored by:

2023 Deal of the Year Award

The 2023 Deal of the Year Award recognizes an organization or organizations which have promoted the growth of Pennsylvania’s life sciences industry by way of a substantial deal or strategic partnership. This organization receiving the Award will have closed a deal or strategic partnership in 2023 that resulted in the continued growth and advancement of Pennsylvania’s life sciences industry. The deal can have occurred at any stage of product development or level of company/organization maturity.

Read More about Mineralys

Mineralys Therapeutics of Radnor, PA raised $192 million in February 2023. The company is using the proceeds from the IPO to further advance its lead new drug candidate, lorundrostat, which is being developed initially as a treatment for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, a condition for which the U.S. market is expected to grow to $31.5 billion by 2028, according to a report by Acumen Research and Consulting. 

2023 Deal of the Year Award Sponsored by:

2024 Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award

The Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding leader in the life sciences community who best exemplifies the spirit of innovation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The recipient of this award must have demonstrated a vision for the industry and for improving the lives of patients. The honoree is selected by the LSPA Board of Directors.

John Crowley
Executive Chair

Learn More about John Crowley

John Crowley is the Executive Chairman of Amicus Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company with offices in University City, Philadelphia, and the incoming President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Prior to joining Amicus, Mr. Crowley co-founded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, which was later acquired by Genzyme, and founded Orexigen Therapeutics. Mr. Crowley co-founded Amicus in 2005 following the 1998 diagnosis of two of his children with Pompe disease, and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until 2022, when he transitioned to his current role as Executive Chairman. Under Mr. Crowley’s leadership, Amicus has grown from a five-person early-stage start-up to a multi-billion dollar, publicly traded, commercial organization with two marketed therapies and more than 500 employees in over a dozen countries around the world, treating thousands of people living with rare and devastating diseases.

Mr. Crowley is best known for his energy, his optimism, his mentoring of others and his unflagging focus on patients.

Hubert J.P. Schoemaker Leadership Award Sponsored by:

2024 John Nash MedTech Leadership Award

The John Nash MedTech Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding leader in the Pennsylvania med tech community who best exemplifies the spirit of innovation in Pennsylvania. The recipient of this award must have demonstrated a vision for the industry and for improving the lives of patients. The honoree is selected by the LSPA Board of Directors.

David Anderson
CEO

Learn More about David Anderson

David Anderson has been a successful entrepreneur in the orthopedic medical device field for more than 30 years. He has led five orthopedic organizations prior to assuming the CEO role at Cambridge Orthopaedic Labs: Orteq Sports Medicine (CEO); Osteotech (Executive VP); Bionx Implants (CEO); Replication Medical (Founder and Director); and Gentis (CEO). Mr. Anderson was a founder of Osteotech and was the founder and CEO of Bionx Implants which he grew through over 60 product approvals to over $20 million in sales in less than three years. In addition to his Orthopaedic experience, Mr. Anderson also served as CEO of Kensey Nash, a major supplier of biomaterials to the global orthopedic industry and Sterilox Technologies (Disinfection), and has been a mentor to countless med tech executives.

John Nash MedTech Leadership Award Sponsored by:

2024 Scientific Achievement Award

The 2024 Scientific Achievement Award recognizes a scientist in the Pennsylvania life sciences community who has demonstrated outstanding achievement by advancing scientific knowledge, innovation, and/or patient care in their lifetime.

Gerald “Jerry” McGinnis

Learn More about Jerry McGinnis

Life Sciences PA is proud to honor Gerald McGinnis, founder of Respironics, as the recipient of the 2024 Scientific Achievement Award, posthumously. Jerry was renowned for his pioneering work in developing the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines used for supplemental oxygen, infant apnea monitors, asthma treatment and hospital ventilators. His scientific advancements have left a significant impact on the medical device community, furthering his overarching goal of providing comfort to patients.

2024 Scientific Achievement Award Sponsored by:

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Life Sciences Pennsylvania was founded in 1989 by a biotech scientist at Penn State University.  Today it has grown to represent the entire life sciences industry – medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, investment organizations, research institutions, and myriad service industries that support the life sciences in Pennsylvania.

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