Annual Dinner & Showcase

Dr. Friedman has demonstrated long-term vision through senior leadership roles spanning global pharmaceutical companies and publicly traded (and private) biotechnology companies. His career reflects an ability to identify and advance differentiated science, and build organizations capable of executing complex development programs. 

Dr. Friedman currently serves as Chairman of Prelude Therapeutics and is a member of the board of directors of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, having served as its CEO from 2016 until 2023. He previously served as Co-Founder and CEO and a director of Incyte Corporation from 2001 until his retirement in 2014. Earlier in his career, Dr. Friedman held senior research and development leadership roles at major pharmaceutical organizations, including President of R&D at the DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical Company from 1994 to 1998; President of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Research Laboratories, from 1998 to 2001; and Senior V.P. at Merck Research Laboratories from 1991 to 1994.

Across these roles, Dr. Friedman has consistently emphasized the translation of high-quality science into clinically meaningful outcomes. Informally, he has also contributed to the development of scores of senior management teams and helped shape a generation of leaders capable of building rigorous, science-driven organizations. His mentorship and leadership have reinforced the strength and credibility of the life sciences ecosystem in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Dr. Nicholas Pachuda exemplifies the pioneering spirit John Nash brought to Pennsylvania’s medical technology community, uniting clinical expertise, entrepreneurial vision, and an unwavering commitment to improving patient care through innovation. As both a practicing Foot and Ankle Surgeon and seasoned med tech executive, he brings a rare dual perspective that allows him to understand unmet clinical needs and translate them into effective, patient-centered solutions.

Dr. Pachuda’s clinical background, including an International Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship, anchors his leadership in real-world practice. This foundation enables him to design technologies grounded in clinical reality while ensuring patient outcomes, safety, and efficacy remain central to every business decision embodying the bridge between the operating room and the boardroom.

With nearly 28 years across orthopedics, med tech, and biotech, Nick has built deep expertise. As Chief Operating Officer of Portfolio & Development at Peptilogics, he drives innovation strategy while balancing scientific advancement with commercial viability. His career includes a decade at Johnson & Johnson, multiple successful startup ventures, and senior leadership roles spanning R&D, clinical operations, innovation, business development, and commercial execution, including global development programs and P&L responsibility.

Dr. Pachuda demonstrates scientific excellence, entrepreneurial courage, and visionary leadership. His dedication to advancing patient outcomes and developing the next generation of med tech leaders strengthens Pennsylvania’s position as a hub for medical innovation.

Stanley Alan Plotkin is an American physician and virologist who specialized in the development of vaccines. In the 1960s, he played a pivotal role in the discovery of a vaccine against rubella virus while at Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. Dr. Plotkin successfully created RA27/3, a weakened strain of the rubella virus, which he then used to develop a rubella vaccine. His rubella vaccine has prevented birth defects due to congenital rubella in developing fetuses and newborns.

He has also been involved in other vaccine development programs including anthrax, oral polio, varicella, and cytomegalovirus.  Dr. Plotkin has balanced his study of viruses and vaccines with his medical career. He taught pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he remained a professor until 1991. In 1972, Dr. Plotkin became the director of the Infectious Disease Department as well as a Senior Physician in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he remained for decades to follow. Plotkin also became a professor of virology at the Wistar Institute in 1974. 

Dr. Plotkin has been a tireless advocate for the protection of humans, and children in particular, from preventable infectious diseases. His lifetime of work on vaccines has led to profound reductions in both morbidity and mortality not only in the United States, but throughout the world.