Biocom California Names the Eighth Annual Life Science Catalyst Award Winners

10 life science trailblazers under the age of 40 recognized across California

Biocom California, the association representing the California life science industry, today announced the winners of its eighth annual Life Science Catalyst Awards. The awards celebrate the most inspiring and driven young minds who are sparking meaningful change to human health through research, discovery and entrepreneurship in the California life science industry.

“I am privileged to recognize the young leaders who are driving innovation and elevating the California life science industry,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom California. “Each of the Life Science Catalyst Award winners has demonstrated insight, expertise, and passion for the cause in their respective areas, all of which are helping to propel the California life science ecosystem forward and benefiting human health. I’m proud to celebrate these highly skilled leaders and am confident they will continue to advance the industry for years to come.”

Biocom California selected the 10 winners from an impressive pool of nominees from all facets of the life science industry, including pharma, diagnostics, venture funding, industrial biotech and digital health. The nominees were vetted statewide by a panel of industry leaders, subject matter experts, and past winners who considered factors including impact to their company, impact to their community and industry, as well as their accomplishments, leadership and innovation.

In alphabetical order, the Life Science Catalyst Award winners are:

• Andrés Bratt-Leal, Ph.D., co-founder and senior vice president of Research and Development at Aspen Neuroscience
• Carl Dambkowski, M.D., chief medical officer of Apogee Therapeutics, Inc.
• Paul Donohoue, associate director of Platform Discovery at Caribou Biosciences, Inc.
• Ryan Kellogg, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of RTHM
• Pascal Krotee, Ph.D., senior associate of RiverVest Venture Partners
• Swathi Kumar, Ph.D., senior director, Human Identification and Forensics of QIAGEN
• Maddison Masaeli, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Deepcell
• Joshua Pelz, Ph.D., chief executive officer of LIMBER Prosthetics & Orthotics
• Raphael Townshend, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of Atomic AI
• Courtney Young, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of MyoGene Bio

The award winners will be highlighted in the Biocom California LifeLines digital platform and newsletter, on social media platforms and celebrated at the annual “Celebration of Life” Dinner on November 16, 2023.

About Biocom California

Biocom California is the leader and advocate for California’s life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 1,700 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom California provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy. Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to our San Diego headquarters, Biocom California operates core offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, with satellite offices in Sacramento, Washington, D.C. and Tokyo. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers.

For more information on Biocom California, please visit our website at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (@BIOCOMCA).

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