REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 8, 2015) - BioCentury Publications Inc. today announced that Karen Bernstein, Ph.D., has stepped down as Editor-in-Chief to devote full time to corporate development as Chairman of the company she co-founded in 1992.
Dr. Bernstein's transition takes place as BioCentury publishes the 23rd edition of its "Back to School" commentary, which sets out the essential challenges for the biopharma community in the coming year.
"As we conclude our 23rd year of service, BioCentury continues to grow along with its audience in the global biotech and pharmaceutical world," Dr. Bernstein said. "I need to devote more time to pursue new business opportunities with Co-Founder, President and CEO David Flores, even as I continue to build BioCentury's relationships with international key opinion leaders, executives and investors in the biopharma community."
Dr. Bernstein will continue to represent BioCentury as a thought-leading speaker on strategic topics driving healthcare innovation and in the development of executive level content for the company's international conferences.
"This change is enabled by the leadership and continuity provided by our two top Editors," said Dr. Bernstein. "Susan Schaeffer and Simone Fishburn have already been in charge of our publications, and they will continue to put strategic, scientific, financial and policy events into perspective for our audience based on original insights and thorough, accurate reporting."
Ms. Schaeffer, who joined the company in 2003, was appointed Editor of the flagship weekly BioCentury in 2012. She already was the company's expert on clinical development topics, having served as Senior Editor in charge of product discovery and development from 2010 through 2012. She also was Managing Editor of BioCentury and the BioCentury Extra daily newspaper from 2004 through 2010.
"Susan has been the primary author of BioCentury 's foundational 'Back to School' commentary for the past four years," Dr. Bernstein noted.
The 23rd edition of "Back to School," published on Monday, sets out a comprehensive roadmap for patients to work alongside biopharma companies, regulators, physicians and healthcare providers in the development of biomedical innovations.
Dr. Fishburn joined the company in 2013. She was appointed Editor of its translational journal BioCentury Innovations in 2014 with a mandate to expand its scope and importance for early stage drug developers.
She is a Fulbright Scholar who holds a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology from the Weizmann Institute of Science. Before BioCentury, Dr. Fishburn spent over 15 years in translational research and preclinical drug development, both in academic organizations and biotech.
"Simone is making BioCentury Innovations an essential companion for anyone in industry and academia who aspires to turn innovative science into important medicines," Dr. Bernstein said.
Dr. Bernstein added that BioCentury's Editorial leadership would continue to work closely with CEO David Flores.
"As he has since we founded the company, Dave will continue to be the bridge between BioCentury's editorial policy and BioCentury's business strategy," she noted. "As a lifelong editor himself, Dave will assure that BioCentury's content and data reflect our values of independence, insight and accuracy, while also assuring that we meet the audience's increasing appetite for content and data on demand."
Dr. Bernstein noted that BioCentury's Commercial and Technology groups are accelerating construction of the company's next-generation digital media platform. "BioCentury's Editors could not be successful without their partners on our business team," she said.
Dr. Bernstein continues to serve as a Trustee of the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences and on the Board of Advisors of KGI's School of Pharmacy. She may serve in similar board capacities subject to BioCentury's conflict of interest policies.
"I will continue to advocate for the kind of ecosystem that innovators must have to translate great science into great patient outcomes," said Dr. Bernstein.
About BioCentury BioCentury Publications, Inc. provides essential biopharma industry intelligence to a global audience of biotech and pharmaceutical executives, investors, regulators, public policy makers, patient groups and the scientific community. This audience has benefited from BioCentury's deep knowledge, data-driven analysis, independent perspective and trustworthy content available through the company's publications, data products and collaborative industry conferences in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
BioCentury's titles include the flagship BioCentury® ; its translational science journal BioCentury Innovations ; and its BioCentury Extra ™ online daily newspaper. These timely journals are backed by BCIQ: BioCentury Online Intelligence ™, an online business intelligence resource.
This Thursday, Sept. 10, BioCentury convenes the 22nd Annual NewsMakers in the Biotech Industry investor conference in New York City at the Millennium Broadway Hotel & Conference Center.
On Oct. 20-21, the 2nd Annual BioCentury China Healthcare Conference convenes at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai in conjunction with co-organizers BayHelix and McKinsey & Co.
In addition to these strategic fall events, BioCentury organizes the Future Leaders in the Biotech Industry investor conference, which will take place in New York City on March 11, 2016.
BioCentury also co-organizes BioEquity Europe , which will take place in Copenhagen on May 10-11, 2016.
For more information, visit www.biocentury.com .
