SAN DIEGO & LOS ANGELES & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biocom California, the association representing the California life science industry, today announced that it has added Reza Halse, Ph.D., lead of Pacific BD&L Hub and president of Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) Venture Fund; Michael Garrison, Ph.D., worldwide president of the Medication Management Solutions (MMS) business unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company); and Jens Vogel, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head of product supply biotech for Bayer Pharmaceuticals, to its newly established board of governors. These new members will be replacing Steven Bartz, Ph.D., Rajeet Banerjee and Judy Chou, Ph.D., respectively.
“Drs. Halse, Garrison and Vogel collectively offer diverse perspectives and insights across the life science industry – ranging from innovation expertise to business development know-how – that are welcome additions to our board of governors,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom California. “We established this board to ensure that we tailor our programs, initiatives and strategies to life science organizations of all sizes across the state of California, and I know that our new members will help us deliver on that mission.”
Biocom California’s board of governors was established to align and influence the organization’s activities for the mutual benefit of the life science industry, member companies and to support its statewide mission – accelerating life science success. The board of governors will represent Biocom California’s members throughout the state and will invite engagement from a cross-section of the industry’s leadership to ensure Biocom California continues to meet the needs of its diverse membership and achieve success at the highest level. The mission of Biocom California is to champion the growth and vitality of the California life science industry, and its board of governors is a critical success driver to develop the organization’s strategic priorities.
Dr. Halse currently serves in a dual role at Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) as both president of the MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV) and leader of Merck’s Pacific BD&L Hub based in South San Francisco. The Pacific Hub covers licensing and other business development activities up to clinical proof of concept for the North American West Coast, as well as for Asia Pacific regions primarily including China, Japan, Australia and Singapore. Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Halse's career spanned corporate venture capital, large pharma and a number of private biotech companies. He has been a board director for more than a dozen life science companies prosecuting a range of therapeutic areas and drug modalities.
Dr. Garrison is the worldwide president of the Medication Management Solutions (MMS) business unit at BD, a global leader in medication management with market-leading product lines such as BD Pyxis™ (Pyxis ES, Pyxis IV Prep, Pyxis Logistics), BD Rowa™, BD Alaris™ Infusion Solutions and the BD HealthSight™ platform for enterprise medication management. Dr. Garrison has over 25 years of experience in research, product development, business development, marketing and general management, having also worked at organizations such as Cygnus Therapeutic Systems, Roche Diagnostics Corporation and Edwards Life Sciences LLC.
Dr. Vogel rejoined Bayer in March of 2020 as global head of biotech for the Bayer Pharmaceuticals Product Supply organization. He has more than 20 years of professional and leadership experience in the area of biologics operations, development and technology management. From 2012 until 2020, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), including as President and CEO of BI Fremont Inc. and member of BI’s Biopharma Executive Committee. Prior to his years at BI, Dr. Vogel was a member of the Biologics Development Leadership team at Bayer in Berkeley.
About Biocom California
Biocom California is the leader and advocate for California’s life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 1,300 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce innovative talent and workforce development strategies, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.
Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom California provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy. Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to our San Diego headquarters, Biocom California operates core offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers.
For more information on Biocom California, please visit our website at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).
