Join us for Biomedical Professional Development Day!
Friday, June 3rd, 2022 in Roanoke

Gain knowledge and ask questions about career paths outside of academia for those with biomedical degrees! The event includes six guest speakers, with careers in pharma, biotech, government, and science policy.

The event will be held in Roanoke at Riverside 4 on the HS&T campus from 9:00am to 4:00pm. This event is open to all students and faculty with breakfast provided for all and lunch provided for the first 65 registrants!

(Registration is Closed)

Schedule

2022 Biomedical Professional Speakers

Ben Heithoff, PhD. 
Ben is currently a scientist at REGENXBIO, biotechnology company that develops gene therapy treatments for a range of diseases. He graduated in April 2021 with his PhD in neuroscience, through the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Christine K. Ward, PhD.
Chris is Vice President, Head of Oncology and Cell Therapy Precision & Translational Medicine at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. She has spent the last 15+ years honing her passion and skills in Precision and Translational Medicine to enhance drug development decisions through driving a better understanding about how drugs work and in identifying patient sub-groups where drugs work best.  She graduated in 1994 with her PhD in Veterinary Medical Sciences-Immunology and Infectious Diseases from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Joelle Martin, PhD.
Joelle is a Medical Science Liaison Alimera Sciences, Inc., a company of “people with a passion for protecting the retina to preserve vision.” She graduated in 2021 with her PhD in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health from the TBMH program and was recently featured as a guest on the podcast MSL Talk, hosted by Tom Caravela.

Cameron Casasanta, PhD.
Cameron is a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Department of Defense. She works on health readiness policy and oversight for the Defense Health Agency in the Department of Defense.  She graduated in 2018 with her PhD in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health from the TBMH program.

Patrick Calhoun, PhD.
Patrick is the Nanocrine Laboratory Director, where he leads cell biology advancements and product development, including a platform for label-free phenotype-based assays for determination of viral infection. His scientific interests include intercellular communication, intracellular signaling pathways, and viral pathogenesis. He served two tours of duty as an enlisted infantry soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He graduated in 2020 with his PhD in cell biology/virology from the Department of Biological Sciences.

Stephanie K. Goodwin, PhD, MPH, RD.
Stephanie is the Senior Manager, Government & Industry Affairs at Danone North America. Stephanie joined the Public and Government Affairs team at Danone North America in 2019. She has been with Danone for 7 years, first on the science team for the division of medical foods, and then on the regulatory affairs team. Prior to joining Danone, Stephanie worked within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. Stephanie graduated in 2011 with her MPH and PhD in Public Health Nutrition and Public Policy from the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise.

If you have questions about this event, please email Gates Palissery (gatespalissery@vt.edu) or Maruf Hoque (mhoque2@vt.edu).