#AWISummit2016
About The Summit
The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is pleased to host a national dialogue on gender at the nexus of innovation and entrepreneurship with emphasis on the health and medical sciences sector. Building on the momentum generated from two previous Summits, the AWIS National Summit will center on how we, as a society, can fuel innovative solutions to global challenges facing all our citizens.
We will focus on how to develop inclusive, fiscally-responsive systems to drive research excellence and feed long-term economic growth with experts from industry, academia, and government. Elsevier, a world-leading provider of information solutions, is the sponsoring partner for our upcoming National Summit in Chicago.
Audience
The AWIS National Summit provides the opportunity to connect with experienced innovation professionals who represent science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the broader health and medical science community from corporate, academic and government agencies. Participants will take part in a forum for the exchange of advanced knowledge on gender at the nexus of innovation and entrepreneurship while engaging panelists and participants in data-driven and thought-provoking discussions. The National Summit is geared toward practicing senior-level professionals and entrepreneurs who are:
- Innovative leaders
- Change agents
- Strategic thinkers
- Experts in workforce development
- Groundbreaking researchers
- Proactive policymakers
Research
For 45 years, AWIS has been driving positive change in systems and organizations through advocacy and action. Researchers have demonstrated that a diverse and innovative health and medical sciences workforce is needed to maintain our nation’s intellectual capital and global competitiveness. Much is known about gender disparities in the health and medical sciences; yet little is known about how these disparities influence and intersect with innovation and entrepreneurship. The National Summit bridges this divide to create new applied knowledge and drive positive system transformation with evidence-based policies and practices.
Speakers
Experts in workforce development, companies that have successfully engaged STEM women in entrepreneurship, and women innovators themselves will contribute their viewpoints. Together, all parties are crucial if we are to identify multiple strategies to engage women STEM professionals in the innovation agenda.
Maria Velissariou, PhD
Vice President
Nutrition R&D – Grains, Dairy & Convergence Platforms
PepsiCo
Nutrition R&D – Grains, Dairy & Convergence Platforms
PepsiCo
Keynote Speaker
Keynote Speaker
Maria Velissariou, PhD
Vice President, Nutrition R&D – Grains, Dairy & Convergence Platforms
PepsiCo
Dr. Maria Velissariou is currently the Vice President for Global Grains, Dairy and Convergence Platforms in Nutrition R&D with responsibility for global technologies that drive scale and growth in line with the Global Nutrition Group agenda. Maria is a member of the PepsiCo STEM Executive Council and also a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Council for Science and Technology (C2ST). Maria holds an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and a Master of Science and PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, England. During her PhD work, Maria held the position of Research Associate at the Center of Biochemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, England. Maria has several scientific publications and global patents. Maria is a native of Greece, naturalized in the United Kingdom and a permanent resident in the USA. She enjoys arts, reading, politics, power walking and traveling with her husband and two daughters.
Janet Bandows Koster, MBA
Executive Director and CEO
Association for Women in Science
Association for Women in Science
Closing Remarks
Lisa Durham
Director Leadership Institute and Principal Environmental Engineer
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Speaker
Holly Falk-Krzesinski, PhD
Vice President
Strategic Alliances in Global Academic Relations
Elsevier
Strategic Alliances in Global Academic Relations
Elsevier
Speaker
Laura Frerichs
Director
University of Illinois Research Park and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economic Developmen
University of Illinois Research Park and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economic Developmen
Speaker
Bahija Jallal, PhD
President-Elect
Association for Women in Science
Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca and Head of MedImmune
Association for Women in Science
Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca and Head of MedImmune
Speaker
Alicia Löffler, PhD
Executive Director, Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO)
Associate Provost for Innovation and New Ventures
Associate Vice President for Research
Northwestern University
Associate Provost for Innovation and New Ventures
Associate Vice President for Research
Northwestern University
Speaker
Agenda
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Registration and Networking
1:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Speaker:
Holly Falk-Krzesinski, PhD
Vice President
Strategic Alliances, Global Academic Relations
Elsevier
Speaker:
Bahija Jallal, PhD
President-Elect, Association for Women in Science
Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca and Head of MedImmune
1:30 pm – 1:55 pm
Dialogue and Discussion: The Ideal Ecosystem – Where Does Innovation Happen and How Does it Spread?
Innovation can happen anywhere, but the locus remains at universities and in industry. We examine how ideas spread across sectors, and how men and women contribute to the innovation agenda in STEM and the broader health and medical sciences community.
Speaker:
Alicia Löffler, PhD
Executive Director of the
Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO), Associate Provost
for Innovation and New Ventures
Associate Vice President for Research
Northwestern University
Speaker:
Kapila Viges
Director
EnterpriseWorks
Speaker:
Karen Wolf
Senior Director
Drug Development Management
Takeda Oncology Company
1:55 pm – 2:15 pm
Remarks: Big Data, Gender, and Diversity
Speaker:
Pavle Sabic, FRM
Director
Head of Market Development
S&P Global Market Intelligence
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm
2:1 Interview: Creating Environments that Foster Innovation: A Roadmap for Inclusion
Inclusion is critical for future innovation. We explore how companies can create environments that allow everyone’s innovative ideas to flourish in STEM, health, and the medical sciences sectors.
Speaker:
John Flavin
Executive Director
Chicago Innovation Exchange
Speaker:
Laura Frerichs
Director
University of Illinois Research Park and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Economic Development
Speaker:
Katherine Kim, JD
Principal
Spark IP Law
2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Break
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Keynote Address: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the STEM, Health, and Medical Sciences
Speaker Introduction:
Krisztina Eleki, PhD
Executive Director
Chicago Council on Science and Technology
Keynote Speaker:
Maria Velissariou
Vice President
Nutrition R&D, Global Grains, Dairy and Convergence Platforms
PepsiCo
3:45 pm – 4:10 pm
2:1 Interview: Stimulating Creative Partnerships to Support Entrepreneurial Scientists
Fostering innovation must start early on; university-industrial partnerships are crucial to the process. We will discuss best practices that are in existence to support entrepreneurial scientists.
Speaker:
Lisa Durham
Director
Leadership Institute and Principal Environmental Engineer
Argonne National Laboratory
Speaker:
Barbara Goodman
Senior Vice President
PROPEL Center
Speaker:
Maryam Saleh, PhD
Vice President, Programs
MATTER
4:10 pm – 4:50 pm
Panel: Show Me the Money: Funding Future Innovators
Taking an idea from the bench to the marketplace is a long and expensive process, which often overwhelms early-stage inventors. Finding new ways to finance the entire arc of innovation is important for inclusivity, and we highlight innovative funding models.
Moderator:
Mark Harris
President & CEO
Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC)
Speaker:
Anne Sissel, MBA
Managing Director
Baxter Ventures
Speaker:
Nancy Sullivan
CEO and Senior Managing Director
IllinoisVENTURES, LLC
Speaker:
Nicole Walker
Director
Venture Capital, Baird Capital
Speaker:
Emily Wengel
Valuations Associate
Silicon Valley Bank
4:50 pm – 5:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Speaker:
Holly Falk-Krzesinski, PhD
Vice President
Strategic Alliances, Global Academic Relations
Elsevier
Speaker:
Janet Bandows Koster, MBA
Executive Director and CEO
Association for Women in Science
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Networking Reception
ATTEND THE SUMMITRegister Today
Location
Gleacher Center, The University of Chicago
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
Sponsors
Premiere Sponsor
Networking Reception Sponsor
Session Recording
Sponsor
Program Sponsors
Media Partners
