Georgia Bio announced keynote and featured speakers for its Annual Innovation Summit, Tues., Oct. 9, 2018 at Cobb Galleria. Gary M. Reedy, CEO, American Cancer Society, will discuss the organization’s new venture fund and its plans to commercialize cancer-focused therapies, medical devices and technologies.

Following his keynote address on “Capital Continuum from Research to Commercialization,” Reedy will be joined by Robert L. Crutchfied, managing director of the new ACS BrightEdge Ventures, and Rob King, senior vice president, Enterprise Planning and Business Integration, ACS, in a fireside chat led by Tiffany Wilson, CEO, Global Center for Medical Innovation, 2018 Summit Chair to discuss the fund’s plans to support emerging technologies and its impact on future cancer research and treatment. “It has been an honor to Chair this year’s Summit,” Wilson says. “Along with Gary, Bob and Rob, I am eager to highlight our ecosystem’s latest advancements including ACS’s approach to addressing gaps in the capital continuum for medtech and bio-innovators. We hope to demonstrate how this approach will translate into faster time-to-cures and lower cost of development and care.”

In the area of digital health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield will kick-off a luncheon keynote panel on the “Future of Digitalization in Health.” Joining him will be prominent chief medical officers Dr. Rob Scott of Abbvie and Dr. Jay Wolgemuth of Quest Diagnostics. This panel will provide an overview perspective of digital health for decision makers in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and the scientific and clinical community.

The Summit is the largest gathering of life science leaders in the state. According to the 2018 TECONOMY/Biotechnology Innovation Organization report, the state’s bioscience firms have grown their employment base by 10.6 percent since 2014 and employed just over 32,000 in 2016. The number of companies has grown by 16 percent during this same period and now number 2,431 across the state. Georgia’s research universities conducted nearly $1.1 billion in bioscience-related academic R&D in 2016; funded, in part, by a growing base of National Institutes of Health awards that reached $537 million in FY 2017.

As many as 500 CEOs, senior executives, investors, university scientists, physicians, and public policy experts are expected to attend the day-long Summit. In addition to the keynote speakers, the Summit will feature more than 50 experts in panel discussions highlighting the full range of bioscience innovation in Georgia. The day-long program will cover the span of life science sectors including biotech/pharma, medical devices, diagnostics, academic research, and healthcare IT.

“We’re excited to host two of the U.S.’s leading experts in life sciences at this year’s Summit, Gary Reedy of ACS and Dr. Robert Redfield of the CDC,” said Georgia Bio Chair, Patricia Fritz, Vice President, U.S. Corporate Affairs at UCB Inc. “We believe the future of the life sciences is strong in Georgia, thanks to established and emerging companies that call our state home. The Summit will be a great showcase of the life sciences industry creating hundreds of jobs, the presence of new venture funds to commercialize research, and our world-class research institutions.”

The breakout sessions throughout the day will focus on Digital Health Innovations Impact on Population Health; Increasing Minority Patient Enrollment in Clinical Trials; Advancing Immunotherapy Breakthroughs; Innovations in Advanced Manufacturing; the EB-5 Visa Program; Capital Raising, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in peer-to-peer, small group interactive best practice Roundtables facilitated by industry leaders across several functional areas such as regulatory compliance and training and purchasing and procurement.

Georgia’s bioscience industry has consistently outpaced the national growth rate and contributes significantly to the state economy. Attendees will get a chance to learn more about emerging technologies from Georgia’s universities and companies by stopping by the Innovation Stage during the exhibition breaks.

The Summit serves as the only life sciences exposition in Georgia with an Exhibit Hall featuring the latest research, technology and services at companies, universities and other organizations. The Summit also features a scientific poster contest where representatives from Georgia-based academia, research institutes and industry alike will showcase their research. The Anthony Shuker Scientific Poster Awards sponsored by UCB will be presented by Stacy Williams Shuker, Ph.D., Down South Innovation.

The conference will close with a panel discussion on “The Future of Life Sciences in Georgia,” presented by Georgia Research Alliance, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Global Health Alliance and Georgia Bio. Speakers will discuss the latest efforts to improve access to capital, grow our workforce, and develop resource and innovation centers to position Georgia as a leading state for biosciences. Immediately following remarks, the event will close with a networking reception.