BIO 2006 Plenary Speakers to Highlight Diverse Benefits of Biotechnology
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 6, 2006) – The BIO 2006 Annual International Convention will feature over a dozen plenary speakers, including current and former government officials, celebrities and patient advocates, and industry experts and biotechnology company chief executive officers (CEOs). These speakers will cover a wide range of topics from the latest advances in biotechnology for healthcare applications, to the benefits of agricultural biotechnology, to the use of industrial and environmental technology to ensure a future of energy security. Plenary speakers at BIO 2006 include:
Plenary guests scheduled to speak on Monday, April 10 include Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich; Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; Earvin “Magic” Johnson, NBA legend and successful businessman; James C. Mullen, President and CEO of Biogen Idec, Inc.; and Miles D. White, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Abbott. The Biotechnology Heritage Award, the BioGENEius Award, and the Biotech Educator Award will be also be presented during the plenary sessions on April 10.
Plenary guests scheduled to speak on Tuesday, April 11 include the David Beier, Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs at Amgen; the Honorable James C. Greenwood, President and CEO, BIO; Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Julie McHugh, President of Centocar.
Plenary guests scheduled to speak on Wednesday, April 12 include Neil Cavuto, award-winning business journalist and president of Business News for the Fix Network, and anchor of “Your World with Neil Cavuto”; Bernie Mac, actor/comedian; Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of Baxter Healthcare Corporation; and R. James Woolsey, Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton and Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The James D. Watson Helix Award will also be presented during a plenary session on April 11.
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, will also be delivering a plenary speech at BIO 2006.
The BIO 2006 plenary programs are expected to feature overviews on the state of the industry, as well as expert perspectives on the future of the Health, Food and Agriculture, and Industrial and Environmental sectors. The BIO 2006 plenary speakers will highlight the astonishing breakthroughs biotechnology has already made, as well as explore how biotechnology can address the most important and complex global challenges, such as threat of disease, food security issues, and sustainable energy growth.
For more information about BIO 2006, please visit http://www.bio.org/events/2006/. Media registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. Reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials. Freelance journalists and online publications may not register onsite.
BIO 2006, the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s annual convention is April 9-12, 2006 in Chicago at McCormick Place. The convention is expected to draw 18,000 CEOs, researchers, policymakers, journalists, and venture capitalists for three days of networking and learning. BIO 2006 will feature more than 180 educational sessions and workshops on finance, partnering, R&D, science and policy.
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.
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