Recap of the Virtual 2021 BioHive Renalytix Summit
November 18, 2021
BioUtah and BioHive on Nov. 12 presented with great fanfare the Renalytix BioHive Summit – the 12th annual gathering of Utah’s life sciences community – but this year with a new name. Convening under the BioHive banner is part of a larger effort to brand, build and bring together Utah’s fast-growing life sciences hub.
We are grateful to Renalytix and all our sponsors and exhibitors for making our event such a success!
“Each year, our Summit gets better and better, said Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah. “That drive for excellence is part of defining ourselves as the BioHive and showcasing our people, innovators and promising future.”
For those who registered, all content can be viewed by logging in to the Whova platform and selecting the event to be viewed. Access the recorded Summit here.
With close to 500 registered participants, the Summit featured many speakers and presentations that were broadcast live from the Marriott downtown in Salt Lake City.
The long list of distinguished speakers included Dr. Dean Li, head of Merck Research Laboratories in a fireside chat with Recursion CEO, Chris Gibson; Kevin Lobo, CEO of Stryker Corp, in an interview with Mark Paul, President of Stryker’s local Neurovascular Division and; Doug Cole, one of the founders of Moderna who spoke about his view of the Biological Century.
Headline speaker, Susan Schneider Williams, widow of actor Robin Williams gave a very personal and moving account of coping with the impacts of Lewy Body Dementia that ultimately took her husband’s life.
The very popular Regulatory Track offered senior officials from the FDA and industry experts. The new BioHive Track showcased the insights of Utah life sciences leaders in an entertaining TedTalk format. The BioUtah Track included a Workforce panel, a DOD funding panel as well as interviews with Sen. Mitt Romeny and Rep. John Curtis.
BioHive Board Chair, Chris Gibson (Recursion CEO) and vice-chair, Jared Bauer (Cibus Biotechnologies/IONIQ Sciences CEO) presented the Parity Pledge. For more on the Parity Pledge, click here. To view a presentation from Parity.org’s founder Cathrin M Stickney, click here.
The day included BioUtah’s 2021 Life Sciences Awards with the following members of Utah’s life sciences industry honored in a virtual ceremony:
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Rex S. Spendlove, for his life-long dedication and significant contributions to Utah’s life sciences industry as a distinguished scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for ground-breaking medical research and innovation.
Executive of the Year: Sunny Sanyal, CEO and director of Salt Lake City-based Varex Imaging Corporation, for his outstanding leadership as part of Utah’s life sciences community and for successfully advancing his company’s vision and mission to deliver high quality and innovative imaging products and services.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Greg Critchfield, MD, with a 30 + year career as an executive in molecular diagnostics, for his work in building companies that are transforming women’s health and patient care, beginning with Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics in 1998, followed by Sera Prognostics in 2010.
Innovation Impact Award: Co-Diagnostics, headquartered in Salt Lake City, for the company’s high-quality, cost-efficient COVID-19 test, which is deployed in the U.S. and throughout the world.
Friend of Industry: Keith Marmer, chief innovation and economic engagement officer for the University of Utah will accept the award on behalf of the U’s Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center, for its long-standing partnership with BioUtah and Utah’s life sciences industry, and its commitment to fostering innovation and economic development.