[October 15, 2014]

BioUtah Announces Winners of 2014 Utah Life Science Awards

BioUtah, the industry association for Utah's life science community, today announced the winners for the 2014 Utah Life Science Awards. The Awards will be presented November 5 at a special luncheon at the Grand America Hotel, in concert with the 2014 Utah Life Science Summit.

The Utah Life Science Awards luncheon will feature the presentation of the prestigious Willem J Kolff Lifetime Achievement Award and three BioUtah Life Science Community Outstanding Contribution Awards. In addition, BioUtah will present a special lifetime public service award to retiring U.S. Congressman Jim Matheson. U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, who garnered the inaugural BioUtah Public Service Award in 2013, will help present the awards.

"The winners and finalists from this year's Utah Life Science awards exemplify the highest standards of excellence and service," said Kimball Thomson (News - Alert), president and CEO of BioUtah. "Each person and organization being recognized has played a significant role in building Utah's life science ecosystem. We are honored to join Utah's life science community to celebrate their contributions." The three Utah Life Science Award winners were selected by a panel that included a cross-section of industry, education and government leaders in Utah's life science community. The Kolff Award winner was chosen by a vote open to Utah's entire life science community.

A major highlight of the Utah Life Science Awards is the presentation of the Kolff Award, named after the father of artificial organs, who played a major role in making Utah a global medical device epicenter. The winner of the 2014 Kolff Award is Dr. Theodore (Ted) Stanley, a Utah transplant and genuine Renaissance man. Dr. Stanley joins illustrious company in accepting this year's Kolff Award. Previous honorees include global robotics legend Steve Jacobsen, Nobel (News - Alert) laureate Mario Cappechi, medical informatics pioneer Homer Warner, and prominent biotech entrepreneur and investor Dinesh Patel.

Dr. Stanley came to Utah to work with Willem Kolff in 1967. He joined the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah in 1972, and has been a member of the faculty ever since. He has published more than 300 research manuscripts, 250-plus abstracts, and more than 65 chapters and books. Dr. Stanley has been a visiting professor at almost every university department of anesthesiology in the U.S., and many others throughout the world. He has mentored hundreds of medical students, anesthesiology and surgical fellows troughout North America and Europe.

A global anesthesiology and drug delivery pioneer, Dr. Stanley is the inventor of the anesthetic fentanyl citrate lollipop. Sold as Actiq, fentanyl citrate was the flagship product for Anesta, which Dr. Stanley co-founded. The company went public in 1994, and was sold to Cephalon (now Teva) in 2000 for approximately $450 million. Actiq has generated more than $5 billion in sales during its lifetime as a proprietary and generic drug. Dr. Stanley is a prolific entrepreneur who has founded or co-founded nine companies and three research foundations. He also co-founded the early-stage life science investment firm UpStart Ventures, where he is a managing director.

The 2014 BioUtah Outstanding Company Service Award, for "extraordinary achievement and impact on Utah's life science community by an organization," will be presented to BioFire Diagnostics. A global diagnostics innovator and industry leader in automated, integrated molecular biology systems, BioFire was acquired by bioMérieux in January 2014 for $450 million. The company's core FilmArray® performs sample preparation, amplification, detection and analysis within a single system. FilmArray has two CE marks and two FDA clearances to date, for its respiratory and blood culture identification panels.

The 2014 BioUtah Outstanding Individual Contribution Award, which recognizes "persistent heroism, integrity and commitment to excellence at work and in the community," will be presented to Dr. Suzanne Winters, Ph.D., director of Intermountain Healthcare's Transformation Lab. Her multifaceted career spans industry, government and research universities, with success in activities ranging from science research and technology R&D to commercialization, program development and operations, business development, science policy and economic development. After working several decades in research and development of artificial organs and medical devices, Dr. Winters' distinguished career of professional service has included eight years as Utah State Science Advisor, founding executive director of the innovative BioInnovations Gateway (News - Alert) (BiG), a director of the Utah Science Technology & Research Initiative (USTAR) and Utah's Life Science Cluster Director.

The 2014 BioUtah Outstanding Public Service Award, for "unfailing commitment to improving the business, legislative and regulatory climate for Utah's life science community," will be presented to Dr. Tamara Goetz, Ph.D., executive director of the Utah STEM Action Center and assistant dean for External Relations at Utah Valley University. Dr. Goetz previously served as Utah's State Science Advisor, and is a tireless champion of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and training. As director of Salt Lake Community College's Biotechnology Program, Dr. Goetz helped lead the creation of the school's two-year Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing program. She was also instrumental in developing Utah Valley University's four-year Biotechnology program, as well as a one-year biotech program for high school juniors and seniors, offered at high schools throughout Utah.

In addition to the core Utah Life Science Awards, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch will join BioUtah in honoring outgoing Congressman Jim Matheson for his exemplary service to Utah's life science community during his highly productive 14-year tenure in the U.S. Congress.

Agenda and registration information for the Utah Life Science Summit is available on a dedicated section of the BioUtah website, www.bioutah.org/2014-summit/. A number of Summit sponsorships are still available for the event: www.bioutah.org/2014-summit/sponsorship-opportunities/.

About BioUtah

BioUtah, the state's independent life science association, was created to elevate the stature and influence of Utah's life science community on the local, national and global stage. Launched in 2012, the organization serves Utah's medical device, biotech/pharma, diagnostics and healthcare industries through networking, advocacy and education programs. BioUtah creates value for its members through events, legislative initiatives and communications outreach. We foster collaboration within and between industry, government and education to provide growth opportunities through access to funding sources, talent acquisition/development and strategic collaboration.

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