Press Release



Contact: Robert Albright
CED Public Relations Manager
ralbright@cednc.org

Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123
FAX: 919-549-7405
www.cednc.org

CDC Executive Joins Biotech 2005 Speaker Line-up

Dr. Tanja Popovic to Speak at 14th Annual Biotech Conference


May 3, 2005, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced that Tanja Popovic, M.D., Ph.D., Acting Associate Director for Science, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will deliver featured comments at Biotech 2005. Dr. Popovic will join three previously announced speakers Dr. Henri Meier of HBM Partners, Dr. Victor Dzau of Duke University Health System and David Malakoff of National Public Radio in offering remarks at Biotech 2005.

The 14th annual Biotech conference, scheduled for May 24-25 at the RTP Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center, is presented by CED in partnership with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

“With a background in pharmacology, microbiology and disease control, Dr. Popovic will add a unique dynamic to the featured speaker line-up at Biotech 2005,” said CED President Monica Doss. “She has received numerous awards for her contributions in science and public health. We look forward to hearing her perspective at this year’s Biotech conference.”

Dr. Popovic will speak on the morning of May 25 at Biotech 2005. Since February 2004, Dr. Popovic has served as CDC’s Acting Associate Director for Science. With a medical degree, masters in clinical pharmacology, doctorate in microbiology and completed residence in clinical microbiology, Dr. Popovic first joined CDC in 1989 as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow. Since then she has served as the Chief of the Diphtheria Reference Unit, Chief of the Epidemiologic Investigations/Anthrax Laboratory and Co-director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Prevention and Control of Bacterial Meningitis at the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases. As CDC’s Acting Associate Director for Science, Dr. Popovic provided key contributions to the FY2004 Health Protection Initiative Program Announcements for extramural research and in establishing the CDC’s Office of Public Health research. She co-chaired the CDC’s Futures Initiative Public Health Research Workgroup and Public Health Research Implementation Team. Popovic, who grew up and was educated in Croatia, is widely published and has many scientific accomplishments to her name.

In addition to comments from industry leaders such as Popovic, Dzau, Malakoff and Meier, Biotech 2005 will also feature six concurrent panel sessions. Visit www.cednc.org/biotech for additional details on registering to attend Biotech 2005.

About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to identify, enable and promote high-growth, high-impact companies and accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org

About the North Carolina Biotechnology Center: The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation funded primarily by the state's General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide. www.ncbiotech.org

About the North Carolina Biosciences Organization: NCBIO is a trade organization promoting the development of the biosciences industry in North Carolina. NCBIO provides cost-effective, organized legislative and advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry at the state and federal levels. www.ncbioscience.org

About the Biotechnology Industry Organization: The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. www.bio.org

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