Business Management in BioPharma
Monday, May 16, 2022, 5:30 – 6:30 PM CST
Interested in becoming a director or project manager at a large company? Join myCHOICE to learn about management roles in biopharma companies. Our panelists will discuss their career journey and experience working at the interface of science and business.
Gale Farfel, PhD
EVP, Chief Development Officer, Zogenix
Dr. Farfel serves as executive vice president and chief development officer of Zogenix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in Emeryville, California, overseeing development and registration of the company’s portfolio assets. In 2020, the lead asset Fintepla (fenfluramine) was approved for treatment of Dravet syndrome, an intractable form of juvenile epilepsy. She is on the board of directors for Durect Corp. and AvroBio, and is a founding member of CNS Summit and the Epilepsy Research Roundtable. Formerly, she was chief development andregulatory officer at Marinus Pharmaceuticals, andvice president, neuroscience at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. She enjoys skiing, gardening, and hiking with her dog.
Stephanie Fanta, PhD, MBA
Director Project Management, Oncology at AbbVie
Stephanie Fanta is currently a Project Manager in Oncology at AbbVie, Inc.As a colleague within the Oncology Portfolio and Program Management team, Stephanie leads cross-functional Asset & Brand Strategy teams to deliver critical oncology products from Phase 1 studies through product launch.In this role, Stephanie works with cross-functional team members in ClinicalDevelopment, Medical Affairs, Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial Development to define the product development strategy, identify and mitigate risks, and ensure the team delivers to timeline and budget. Prior to joining AbbVie, Stephanie was a Project Manager in the Hospital Business Unit (HBU) at Pfizer, Inc. where she led cross-functional drug development teams to bring crucial sterile injectable products to the hospital market. Prior to her role in HBU Project Management, Stephanie participated in Pfizer’s Professional Development Program in R&D. This2-year rotational program enabledStephanie to smoothly transition into the pharmaceutical industry from academia, gaining experience in Generic Drug Development and ProjectManagement, both at the Lake Forest, ILR&D location and abroad in Melbourne, Australia. Stephanie obtained a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive and Behavioral Science at the University of Rochester in 2007. She then went on to complete a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Chicago in 2013 (advisor:Dr. Stephanie C. Dulawa, Ph.D.). Her dissertation research implemented animal modeling to identify the neurobiological substrates of various mental disorders, specifically, anorexia nervosa. Stephanie obtained herMaster of Business Administration at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management with a concentration in healthcare in 2020. Stephanie is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
