Award Winner (Service Appreciation Award) 2024: Stephanie N. Lee

It has been a privilege to lead the PDA West Coast Chapter (PDA WCC) over the past two years. When I started my term as President, we had just started transitioning back to in-person events and I am incredibly proud of our chapter for navigating this path with resilience, producing high-quality events, expanding our outreach within the local community, and engaging with students/Early Career Professionals. Our chapter’s recognition as the PDA Chapter of the Year in 2023 was a testament to the dedication and hard work of this team. We also brought our now-annual end-of-year Gala at the California Academy of Sciences to life, a project that has been deeply meaningful to me. Receiving this PDA Service Appreciation Award is an incredible honor that not only recognizes our achievements as a chapter but also serves as a personal milestone of the growth, diligence, and commitment that has defined my journey with PDA. It means so much to me to know that my contributions have made a positive impact and have helped shape the chapter into what it is today. Thank you again for this recognition.

Being part of the PDA West Coast Chapter and PDA has broadened my network immensely and I have enjoyed connecting with and learning from fellow industry colleagues in different functional areas. Our discussions and events have allowed me to stay on top of trends and news in the industry, becoming a more engaged member of the life sciences community. In addition, leading PDA WCC has taught me to be a better leader and team member, and I use the skills I've developed and honed as President in my role at Amgen, enabling me to better serve patients in the work I do. Receiving this honor reinforces the value of connections and experiences and further motivates me to continue making meaningful contributions in both my professional role and the broader industry. 

Being able to recognize and celebrate the achievements showcases the great work we've been able to accomplish for the industry: providing education and training to the local life science community, bringing together industry folks and regulators for important dialogue and discussion, and engaging the next generation of biotech professionals/leaders. Additionally, industry recognition helps inspire individuals to drive change, foster growth, and share knowledge that supports the long-term advancement and innovation of the industry.

I currently work in External Supply Manufacturing at Amgen, working on programs and initiatives for rare diseases. I aspire to continue learning more and contributing to the development of therapies in the rare disease space and other therapeutic areas. What inspires me is having the opportunity to work and collaborate with an extremely talented and dynamic group of people in the PDA WCC and PDA communities and being able to learn from them. I'm so proud of the PDA WCC volunteer team for their dedication, efforts, and commitment to support the organization and my vision for the chapter – growing PDA WCC to where it is today.