by ROHIT
Joshua Boger2011 Winner: Joshua Boger
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) have selected Joshua Boger as the winner of the 2011 Biotechnology Heritage Award. The award will be presented during BIO’s annual international convention, to be held in Washington, D.C., June 27–30, 2011.Boger is the founder of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. He retired as Vertex’s CEO in 2009, but he continues to serve on the Vertex Board. Prior to founding Vertex in 1989, Boger was senior director of basic chemistry at Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, where he headed the departments of Biophysical Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry of Immunology and Inflammation. During his ten years at Merck, Boger developed an international reputation as a leader in the application of computer modeling to the chemistry of drug design and was a pioneer in the use of structure-based rational drug design as the basis for drug discovery programs.
Boger holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and philosophy from Wesleyan University and both a master's and doctorate degrees in chemistry from Harvard University. His postdoctoral research in molecular recognition was performed in the laboratories of the Nobel Prize–winning chemist Jean-Marie Lehn. He is the author of more than 50 scientific publications, holds 32 issued U.S. patents in pharmaceutical discovery and development, and has lectured widely in the United States, in Europe, and in Asia on various aspects of drug discovery and development. He was named one of forty Technology Pioneers worldwide for the 2003 World Economic Forum.
Boger is chair of the board of trustees of Wesleyan University, immediate-past-chairman of the Biopharmaceutical Industry Trade Association, a founding director and chairman of the New England Healthcare Institute, a founding director and co-chairman of the Progressive Business Leaders Network, chair of the board of fellows of the Harvard Medical School, and chair of the board of Boston's Celebrity Series.
About the Biotechnology Heritage Award
The Biotechnology Heritage Award is presented yearly at a special ceremony during the BIO Annual International Convention to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth of biotechnology through discovery, innovation, commercialization, and/or public understanding. In honoring these individuals, the Chemical Heritage Foundation and the Biotechnology Industry Organization seek to encourage emulation, inspire achievement, and promote public understanding of modern science, industry, and economics in this rapid-growth area.The cosponsorship of the award complements the mission of both organizations by advancing their mutual goals of educating the public, nourishing a sense of pride and community within the industry, and developing the record of the remarkable contributions the molecular sciences make to our lives.
About the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology products.About the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF)
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society. An independent nonprofit organization, we strive to- Inspire a passion for chemistry;
- Highlight chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and
- Preserve the story of chemistry and its technologies and industries across centuries.
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