Marshall University: MIIR Seminar Series, Blair Gibson

Marshall University: MIIR Seminar Series, Blair Gibson – HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The focus of a program that was presented by Blair Gibson, former executive director for Portfolio Strategy and Strategic Planning at Merck & Co., will be research and development productivity and opportunities for academic collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. The event was hosted by the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR), and took place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Marshall University Foundation Hall, Home of the Erickson Alumni Center at 519 John Marshall Dr. in Huntington. Gibson, a Marshall University alumnus, has worked for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world such as Merck & Co., Sanofi Aventis and Pharmacia (now Pfizer Inc.), and has more than 25 years of experience in the industry in both commercial and strategic planning roles. He headed the global launch of JANUVIA, a blockbuster drug for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. The launch of this drug was praised by the pharmaceutical industry as one of the best launches ever of a primary-care drug. Gibson’s work experience has been largely global in scope and he has even served expatriate assignments in Europe and Latin America. “We are very excited about having Blair present the lecture this fall. He has unique insight into areas of health and technology that affect our daily lives. Considering the changes ahead of us in health care, the timing of this lecture could not be better,” said Dr. Eric Kmiec, director of MIIR and the institute’s lead …