Pharmaceutical scientists operate in a complex and ever-evolving industry, demanding diverse skills and knowledge. Navigating this sector can be challenging, and progress can be elusive without the right guidance and support. This webinar introduces the concept of a personal board of directors, a team of trusted advisors offering invaluable guidance, support, and advice for career navigation and goal achievement. Developing a personal board of directors is a critical step for career advancement in the dynamic field of pharmaceutical sciences. Join us for an enlightening career development webinar where we delve into the concept of a personal board of directors, why it is pivotal for career growth, and the strategies to construct and sustain an effective board. Our session features 5 expert panelists who will emphasize the significance of a personal board of directors for pharmaceutical scientists in both academia and industry. Together, they will explore the process of identifying and engaging board members, discuss the advantages of having a personal board, and provide practical insights into maintaining strong relationships with these advisors over time.

Learning Objectives: 

• Understanding the concept of a personal board of directors and why it is important for career advancement.
• Identifying the types of individuals that should be included in a personal board and how to approach them.
• Developing strategies for building and leveraging your personal board.
• Navigating challenges and conflicts that may arise within your personal board.

Julie Bullock, Pharm D.

Dr. Bullock is currently a Senior Vice President with Certara Drug Development Solutions (consulting division of Certara). She has over 20 years of drug development experience and is a recognized drug development scientist with scientific and regulatory expertise focused in the therapeutic areas of oncology/hematology and coagulation. Julie has extensive experience in all development phases including regulatory interactions with major global health authorities (FDA, EMA, PMDA), due diligence, design of clinical development plans, pediatrics, dose-finding strategy and streamlining development for breakthrough therapies and accelerated approval. 

In her current role, Dr. Bullock supports a global team of clinical pharmacologists with regulatory strategy and drug development experience who provide program level and strategic support to Biotech and Pharma company portfolio programs.
Prior to her role at Certara Dr. Bullock was a Team Leader for the Hematology/Oncology review team in the Office of Clinical Pharmacology at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. Julie’s FDA career spanned 10 years where she contributed to over 14 new molecular entity NDA/BLA filing applications, multiple supplemental NDA/BLA applications and countless IND related submissions submitted to the hematology/oncology division. Dr. Bullock received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Drake University and completed a drug development fellowship with the State University of New York at Buffalo and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Steven Louie, MS

Steven W. Louie is an ADME/DMPK Associate Director at Moderna Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His primary role is to develop in vitro mechanistic studies to quantify LNP-mRNA ADME/DMPK parameters including biodistribution for PK/PD outcomes to help model human dose projections. Steven also serves as a project rep for pulmonary and rare diseases. Prior to joining Moderna, Steven was a Senior Principal Scientist in the Pharmacokinetic Sciences Department at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (NIBR) also in Cambridge. His primary role was to support in vitro ADME IND submission packages for lead molecule candidates. His secondary role was to identify and develop in vitro mechanistic studies to address ADME PB/PK parameters of newer therapeutic modalities, including targeted protein degraders, siRNA, ASOs, ADCs, etc., for drug disposition in preclinical discovery and development.

Steven has 20+ years preclinical discovery and development experience with Amgen, Merck, and GSK in DMPK. Steven serves on the IQ Translational and ADME Sciences Leadership Group (International Consortium for Innovation & Quality in Pharmaceutical Development) and the Boston Society NE-ADME Conference Steering Committee. Steven is an active member of AAPS and is currently serving on the strategic development Horizon Planning Committee as well as serving as the Co-Chair of the ADME subcommittee of the Gene & Cell Therapy Products Community and Past Chair of the Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism (PPDM) and Drug Transport Communities (DTC). In addition to serving on many AAPS Communities, Steven has organized several workshops, webinars, “Ask the Experts,” and Chaired Rapid Fire Sessions for AAPS PharmSci 360.

Pankajini Mallick, Ph.D.

With a background in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Mallick is driven by a genuine passion for contributing to pharmaceutical research. Her work primarily focuses on DMPK, with efforts directed towards advancing biokinetics and computational modeling to evaluate the safety and efficacy of various compounds. Currently serving as a Principal Scientist at Neurocrine Bioscience, Dr. Mallick plays a pivotal role as an expert in pharmacokinetics (PK) and mathematical modeling, guiding cross-functional teams in drug discovery. She provides technical and scientific leadership in establishing ADME/PK/PK-PD strategies. As a subject matter expert, she collaborates closely with various R&D functional areas to fulfill DMPK needs, enabling informed decision-making for project advancement, including assessment of in vitro ADME data within IVIVC/IVIVE framework, interpret PK/PD studies for lead optimization, make predictions for first-in-human doses. She manages collaborations with CROs to ensure high-quality study execution and build and maintain strong collaborative partnerships with Chemical Sciences, Drug Discovery, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacology groups."

Patrick Ronaldson, Ph.D.

Patrick Ronaldson is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and the Chair of Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona. His research achievements in blood-brain barrier physiology, transporter pharmacology, drug delivery technologies, and pharmacokinetics are internationally recognized. A highlight of Dr. Ronaldson’s work in the pharmaceutical sciences is the novel observation that transporters are essential determinants of brain drug uptake and efficacy in diseases where blood-brain barrier integrity is known to be compromised such as ischemic stroke. He is studying transporters as therapeutic targets for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, his laboratory has an outstanding reputation for scientific collaboration and mentorship. This has resulted in Dr. Ronaldson’s development of an excellent training environment for the next generation of blood-brain barrier and transporter scientists. Dr. Ronaldson has served as chair of multiple peer review committees at the National Institutes of Health, is a member of the Academy of Medical Education Scholars (AMES), and is a well-respected volunteer leader at AAPS. In 2023, Dr. Ronaldson was elevated to fellow status at AAPS, a testament to his scientific achievements in the pharmaceutical sciences and his commitment to the various endeavors and programs of AAPS.

Chukwunonso Nwabufo, MSc, MBA (Moderator)

Chukwunonso Nwabufo is the founder of OneDrug and a multiple award-winning pharmacologist with over five years' experience in drug development across academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Chuk contributed to the development of Remdesivir and Lenacapavir approved for the treatment of COVID-19 and HIV respectively during his tenure at Gilead Sciences. He also contributed to the development of novel compounds under basic science research for the treatment and/or diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Chuk has received > 20 awards and recognitions worth more than C$200K in funding due to academic, research, and leadership accomplishments. Chuk is the author of 13 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 11 industry-standard peer-reviewed reports in support of drug development programs. Currently, Chuk is a PhD student in pharmaceutical sciences at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto and has received the prestigious Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements Award to support his research which is investigating pharmacological strategies for improving the clinical efficacy and safety of respiratory medicines, particularly, promising drugs for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Chuk serves as an Editorial board member of Drug Metabolism Reviews and Journal of Applied Bioanalysis. He is an abstract screener for PharmSci360 conference and Vice Chair for the Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic and Drug Metabolism Community of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, USA.