Career Possibilities: Business Development and Intellectual Property


In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. What was once a clearly sign-posted path as you progressed through milestones, a career road map is now circuitous presenting new challenges and opportunities at every bend. Life-long careers in one sector or one company are becoming a rarity as new technologies and shifting social norms disrupt traditional careers. Both employers and employees are seeking more diversity of experience, lifestyle flexibility and alternative paths.

This panel is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps. This panel discussion will be moderated by Nicole Daley, Counsel, Life Sciences Practice at Goodwin.

Panelists include
- Cambria Alpha-Cobb, Director, Intellectual Property Counsel at Akouos, Inc
- Thanh Erion, Director, Intellectual Property at ImmunoGen, Inc.
- Angelyn Larkin, Senior Associate, Lando and Anastasi
- Michael McDonald, VP, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, bluebird bio
- Bharat Reddy, Head of BD, Catamaran Bio 
- Ann Schlesinger, Director, External Science & Partnering, Novartis

Panelists' Bios are below

 

Date and Time:  
May 5, 2021
4:00-5:30 PM EST

Agenda:  
4:00-4:05pm: Welcome
4:05-5:10pm: Panel discussion
5:10-5:30pm: Small group speed networking (2 rounds)

 

Location: 
Zoom

 

Cost: 
Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

Given our mission is to promote women's development in STEM we would like to offer a free spot in our workshops to those in transition between jobs or who cannot afford the ticket price. Please contact [email protected] if you qualify.
 

Register

 

See other events in this series
1/20: Career Possibilities Panel: New Commercial Strategy, Product Planning, Marketing
2/10: Career Possibilities Panel: Discovery, Research
3/03: Career Possibilities Panel: Clinical, Regulatory, Development
3/24: Career Possibilities Panel: Portfolio Strategy, Project Management, Scientific Operations
4/14: Career Possibilities Panel: Medical Affairs-Comms, Publications, Medical Science Liaison

 

Cambria Alpha-Cobb is Director, Intellectual Property Counsel at Akouos, Inc

Cambria Alpha-Cobb is Director, Intellectual Property Counsel at Akouos, Inc., a precision genetic medicine company focused on developing gene therapies with the potential to restore, improve and preserve high-acuity physiologic hearing for people who live with disabling hearing loss.  She holds a BS from Rice University in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and a PhD in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University. After academia, Cambria worked as a technology specialist at Dilworth IP, a law firm in Connecticut, where she leveraged her scientific background to learn the intricacies of patent law. She then passed the Patent Bar Exam and moved to Fish & Richardson, a large IP boutique firm where she was a patent agent for biotech companies. As she continued to work full-time, she attended Suffolk University Law School at night to earn her law degree. While in law school, Cambria transitioned in-house to Momenta Pharmaceuticals where she worked as the Intellectual Property lead for six novel drug programs.  One of those programs attracted the eye of big pharma, Johnson & Johnson, who then acquired Momenta Pharmaceuticals in the fall of 2020. That same time, Cambria passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam, and she continued to work as Patent Counsel for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of J&J.  In March of 2021, Cambria joined the team at Akouos, Inc.  When she is not in the office, Cambria enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and almost 2-year-old son.

Angelyn Larkin, Senior Associate, Lando and Anastasi

Angelyn Larkin is a Senior Associate at Lando & Anastasi, a mid-sized law firm headquartered in Boston that specializes in intellectual property. Angelyn received her B.A. from Wellesley College in Chemistry and Political Science, then spent 2 years as a Research Associate at Seattle Genetics. She then pursued her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at MIT, where she used chemistry to synthesize tools to study natural protein glycosylation pathways. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Angelyn transitioned to patent law. She enjoys her role working with small and mid-sized biotech companies, helping to build their patent portfolios and supporting them in establishing collaborations and fundraising, among other things. She also enjoys staying active in the Boston area IP community and mentoring others looking to move into a patent law career.

Ann Schlesinger, Director of External Science & Partnering at Novartis

After a stint in public health education with the Peace Corps, Ann obtained her Ph.D. in molecular biology. Her academic research career focused on genetics and immunology, with a special interest in the immune response to pathogens and vaccines. She moved away from the bench about a decade ago to work on the translation of academic research into therapies, first at the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center and now at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. In her current role, she does search and evaluation for early stage academic opportunities with the ultimate goal of creating partnerships and connecting NIBR to strategically relevant external science.