Martha Vincent Appointed KGI Trustee

Pharmaceutical industry executive Martha E. Vincent has become the newest member of Keck Graduate Institute's Board of Trustees.

Vincent is currently vice president of clinical research and development at Agensys Inc., an affiliate of Astellas Pharmaceutical Company. Vincent joins KGI with an extensive career in clinical development and medical affairs, most recently responsible for the early-stage clinical development at Agensys, Inc.

Prior to that, she served over 17 years at Amgen, including appointments as vice president of medical affairs and vice president of clinical development. She has also served as the director of cardiovascular clinical research for Schering Corporation and worked in the Department of Pharmacology at New Jersey Medical School.

"The KGI family is pleased to welcome Dr. Martha Vincent to the KGI Board of Trustees," said board Chairman Robert Curry. "Her experience in senior management positions in clinical development and medical affairs at both large drug companies, such as Amgen, and entrepreneurial companies like Agensys are extremely relevant to the training of our student body, and will be helpful in driving the continual evolution of KGI."

When asked about her decision to join the board, Vincent emphasized her passion for education in combination with her industry experience.

"Having a PhD in pharmacology from a medical school, I have always been involved in learning and teaching. As a 25-year executive from the pharmaceutical industry, I have seen career opportunities become available for talented scientists," she said. "As I learned more about KGI and its mission, there was a strong alignment between the bioscience programs at KGI and the growth areas for careers in the pharmaceutical industry. With my focus on education and experience in pharma, I hope to merge industry and academia to inspire the next generation of biotech's leaders!"

Vincent received her BS in biology from Iowa State University and her PhD in pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She completed her postdoctoral work at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

By Megan Hill (MBS '12)