2021 PDA Honor Awards: James Agalloco, Gordon Personeus, and Frederick Carleton Awards
This is the eighth installment of the PDA Letter's series featuring the winners of the 2021 Honor Awards, which were presented at the Honor Awards Ceremony at the 2022 PDA Annual Meeting. PDA thanks all of the recipients for their contributions to the Association.
Featured below are the winners of the Agallaco, Carleton, Personeus Awards.
The series wraps up next time with PDA's most prestigious award, Honorary Membership.
James P. Agalloco Award
This award is presented annually to the PDA TRI faculty member who exemplifies outstanding performance in education. The selection is based on student and faculty evaluations. It is named for James P. Agalloco in honor of his work in developing the PDA education program.
Guenther Gapp
Since 2013 Guenther Gapp has worked worldwide as an independent consultant in the field of Aseptic Processing and in remediation of companies cited with a Warning letter. During his previous career at Sandoz/ Austria he created a new risk assessment tool to identify microbial contamination risks. The publication of this tool won him the PDA Frederick D. Simon Paper in 2011. Since 2017 he is trainer for PDA Europe in “Best Practices for Aseptic Practices”, and member of the PDA Science Advisory Board. Guenther is also member of PDA´s Commenting team of the upcoming revision of EU Annex 1, and was Chair in the “PTC for Pharmaceutical Isolators” working group.
Amanda McFarland
Amanda Bishop McFarland, M.S. is a Quality Risk Management and Microbiology Senior Consultant with Valsource, LLC with over 15 years industry experience. She specializes in the creation and implementation of risk management programs, developing risk-based strategies and risk facilitation. Prior to joining ValSource, Amanda worked to integrate a global risk management program within a multi-national company by developing the procedures required and training the organization in the execution of consistent risk management tools.
Amanda currently serves as the co-lead of the PDA Quality Risk Management Interest Group, the PDA SE Chapter Secretary and a faculty member of the PDA’s Quality Risk Management courses. On behalf of the PDA, she developed and delivers training for QRM Foundations and QRM for Decision Makers. Amanda has a Bachelor of Science (Entomology) and a MS in Mycology both from the University of Florida.
Gordon Personeus Award
This Award is intended to honor a PDA member for his or her long-term activities and/or volunteer contributions that are of noteworthy or special importance and have positively impacted PDA in several areas over time. It is presented in memory of the late Gordon Personeus, past PDA President and long-time volunteer.
Tony Cundell, PhD
Since I became a PDA member in 1985 my contribution has been almost exclusively in the scientific/technical area, i.e., leading task forces publishing technical reports, publishing, reviewing and editing papers in the PDA Journal, making podium presentations, and being on the foundation organizational committee of the very successful PDA Global Pharmaceutical Microbiology Conference - and not in leadership roles on the PDA Executive, Board of Directors, Technical Committees or PDA Chapters.
More recently I was an active member of the PDA COVID-19 Task Force generating a PDA review article, webinars and podcasts on the topic. This was not only a useful contribution to our industry but was fun.
Thank you for the honor.
Frederick Carleton Award
This award is designated for a past Board member whose services on the Board are determined by his/her peers as worthy of high recognition. It is presented as a tribute to lifetime contributor Fred Carleton.
Michael J. Sadowski
Michael (Mike) Sadowski is a Lead Scientist in Sterility Assurance and leads the Sterility Assurance Community of Practice at the Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Round Lake, Illinois. He has had been involved in many volunteer opportunities with PDA over his career.
"I am forever grateful for the many mentors, managers, colleagues and members of the PDA Community that have shaped my career. I would especially like to thank Joyce Hansen for setting the role model example that highlighted the importance and value of volunteer contribution to our industry, Lisa Skeens for her encouragement and support for my participation with PDA including the TR-1 Task Force and the BoD and the 'Rock Stars' that are the Mount Rushmore of PDA-Maik, Hal, Martin, Becky and Richard-for their leadership, support and friendship."