In a recent event held at the Palo Alto International Conference Center on September 8th, the Bay Area Taiwan Biotech Association (BATBA) hosted its second annual Taiwan-US Biomedical Forum. The forum attracted nearly 40 academic and industry associations, with around 200 Chinese-American professionals from the United States and Asia in attendance.
The chairperson of the conference, Donna Pu, expressed that the association’s mission is to provide support for professionals in the biotech field, especially young professionals entering the workforce, helping them expand their networks and access resources for career development. The core objective of the conference is to create a platform for exchange, fostering connections and mutual support.
The forum covered a wide range of topics including biotech healthcare, clinical medicine, product commercialization, marketing strategies, regulations, and startup investments.
Distinguished leaders, executives, prominent entrepreneurs, and venture capital experts from various sectors were specially invited to share the latest global technologies and industry trends.
Dr. Larry Hsu was a guest speaker at the conference, sharing his extensive 40-year career experience in the field of biopharmaceuticals. Dr. Hsu provided insights into his co-founding of Impax Laboratories, which successfully went public on the NASDAQ with a market value of $3 billion, offering valuable experiences and inspiration to the attendees.
Dr. Hsu, who was born and raised in Taiwan, emphasized his deep emotional connection to the land and his continuous ties with Taiwan. He mentioned that Taiwan’s biotechnology sector is at a crucial stage and, although the semiconductor and AI fields are advancing rapidly, they also impact the progress of biotechnology. Therefore, there is a greater need for international support to drive the development of Taiwan’s biotech industry.
He expressed satisfaction seeing the active participation of many young people at the event, believing that the future of Taiwan’s biotech industry relies on the active involvement and support of the younger generation.
Furthermore, the forum delved into discussions on biotech processes, drug development, and the development trends and challenges of AI technology in the diagnostic field.
Several industry experts attended, including CM Hsieh, Vice President of Gilead Sciences, Keith Chun, Vice President of AI diagnostics company Grail, and Andrew Quong, Senior Vice President and General Manager of InterVeen Biosciences, an AI startup founded by the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate. They shared their unique perspectives on precision medicine trends.
In addition to the forum, the conference also hosted a career interactive discussion, inviting top executives and entrepreneurs to serve as career mentors, providing career development advice for Chinese-American biotech professionals across Asia and newcomers to the workforce.
The event served as a vital platform for industry networking, facilitating connections between talents and potential employers.
The Bay Area Taiwan Biotech Association (BATBA), established in 2018, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is one of the ten Taiwan biotech associations globally, dedicated to promoting the career development and networking of the new generation of Taiwanese talents and strengthening the exchange and cooperation between the biotech industries of the United States and Taiwan.