Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City 2012 | November 28-30

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CeCiLia aRRadaza
Director, Communications & Marketing, FasterCures
Cecilia Arradaza is FasterCures’ communications & marketing director. She brings to
FasterCures more than 15 years of experience in public relations, public affairs, and strategic
communications on policy issues that impact medical research and the life sciences
industry. She joined FasterCures from Chandler Chicco Agency (CCA), a pure-play health
communications firm, where she developed public affairs programs for clients including
Johnson & Johnson, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and VHA Inc. Before joining
CCA, Arradaza implemented strategic communications and issues management initiatives
for pharmaceutical and foundation clients of Hyde Park Communications; managed media
relations and public education efforts for the American Psychiatric Association; and was
part of the health and international public affairs practices at Powell Tate. Arradaza began
her health communications career at the National Osteoporosis Foundation and through
an internship with the National Women’s Health Network. She received her bachelor’s
degree from George Washington University at Mount Vernon College.
ChRisTOPheR P. ausTin
Director, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Chris Austin is the director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
(NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Previously, he was NCATS’ director of
pre-clinical innovation. Prior to that, Austin founded and led the National Center for
Chemical Genomics at NIH, building it into one of the leading centers for high-throughput
screening, chemical probe development, and chemical genomics. He also served as senior
advisor to the director at the National Human Genome Research Institute. Prior to his time
at NIH, Austin spent seven years at Merck, where he directed genomics-based research
programs. He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his medical
degree from Harvard University.