The ForwardTrack^TM Program at the Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute

Workforce Reentry Assistance for Qualified Biomedical Research Scientists

The Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute (PDDI) seeks to help scientists and other professionals understand and expedite the drug discovery and development process.  The PDDI promotes reentry into the workforce of qualified, senior-level scientists who are presently unemployed via the ForwardTrack^TM Program, which allows them to integrate into the knowledge-based community at our facility and start collaborations while soliciting funding from the NIH or elsewhere.  The PDDI operates the Outreach Seminar Series^TM to introduce these scientists to the community.

• Qualified research scientists who wish to start their own small companies or affiliate with others who are doing so are given career development advice and assistance, especially regarding the availability of federal and other research funding and how to apply for it.

• Program members are encouraged to participate in the seminars, journal clubs, research rounds and ad hoc interactions that are hallmark features of the collaborative spirit fostered by the PABIO.

• Candidates accepted into the program are provided with a desk, internet and phone access, and affiliation with the PDDI.  There are also two dedicated conference rooms and a reception area to promote informal discussions and brainstorming.

• Program members can network freely with entrepreneurs and small-business owners to find mentors and role models.  They can also network with others who are currently unemployed or underemployed to compare experiences and plan for the future.

• Acceptance into the program is a two-step process that involves first a written application (attached) following by an on-site interview for selected candidates.

The PDDI has a unique leadership structure comprised of an accomplished industrial research management professional and an expert in business development and technology transfer in biomedical research. 

Director:  Allen B. Reitz, Ph.D.  Dr. Reitz has 27 years of demonstrated accomplishment as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, including nearly 26 years with Johnson & Johnson.  He has ca. 130 scientific publications and 43 issued U.S. patents, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry.  He has founded two funded biotechnology companies (ALS Biopharma, LLC and Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center, Inc.), and is also Adjunct Professor at Drexel University, College of Medicine.

Director: Kathleen Czupich, M.B.A.  Ms. Czupich has founded Artemis Solutions, Inc. (www.artemis-finance.com) to provide business development support, grant administration and financial management for emerging biotechnology companies at the PABIO.  Prior to joining the PDDI, Ms. Czupich was the Chief Financial Officer of the PABIO, Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research and the Hepatitis B Foundation and was the point of contact for all NIH grants and other government funding. 

ForwardTrack^TM Program  Application

 * Workforce Reentry for Scientists *

1. Attach resume with full description of experience and list of publications.

2. In ca. 200 words describe your current situation and career goals in both the short- and long-term.

3. In ca. 500 words describe the most satisfying and productive contribution you have made in your research career so far.

You will be contacted by the PDDI within one week of submission, which can be done by contacting one of the following individuals:

AReitz@PAdrugdiscovery.org

KCzupich@PAdrugdiscovery.org