Speaker Profile
Ph.D., President & CEO, MichBio
Biography
Dr. Rapundalo, has broad experience in the life sciences, with an extensive background in pharmaceutical research and development. Prior to joining MichBio in April 2006, he spent almost 20 years as a senior research scientist, project manager, and group leader with Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research and then Pfizer, Inc., primarily in the area of cardiovascular drug discovery. Dr. Rapundalo also led a global interdisciplinary team that developed a strategic, operational and organizational change management program to improve Pfizer’s worldwide R&D business processes. He has a strong background in innovation and is an internationally recognized expert in a number of technology areas including high-throughput screening and proteomics, among others. Dr. Rapundalo has a superb record of scientific achievement with over 50 publications, book chapters, and monographs. He has served as a peer-reviewer for a variety of prominent scientific journals and national funding agencies. In addition, he continues to be active in a broad range of industry and governmental initiatives including intellectual property commercialization, talent recruitment and retention, science education and economic development. Dr. Rapundalo has been a community advocate and civic leader for almost 20 years and formerly served as an elected member of the City Council in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
