Carol Bender is a University Distinguished Outreach Professor and founding/current director of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) at the University of Arizona. In this capacity, Bender leads the development and assessment of programs that produce students who are well prepared to enter graduate and professional degree programs that lead to careers in biomedical research and health careers. Inspired by the ideas of the late Michael A. Wells, PhD, Regents’ Professor of Biochemistry at the UA, Professor Bender was at the forefront of the movement to get undergraduates out of the classroom and into apprentice-style research lab experiences before this concept was popular or its impact well understood, particularly in STEM fields where it is imperative that professionals work together on issues facing humankind.

Laurence Hurley, PhD, is the Howard Schaeffer Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and director of the UA BIO5 College of Pharmacy Drug Discovery and Development Program. He also is a research member of the UA Cancer Center, among other roles. He is the leading authority on the identification of small molecule therapeutic agents that target DNA quadruplexes, which are unique four-stranded DNA structures that control gene expression.

For his commitment to building a thriving bioscience community in Tempe and his work on behalf of life science innovators across our state, The Honorable Mark Mitchell, Mayor of the City of Tempe, Arizona is being honored with the 2017 AZBio Public Service Award.

The maxim “If you need to get something done, ask a busy person” often has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The 2017 Arizona Bioscience Pioneer honoree, Marvin J. Slepian, MD, is someone Franklin would have recognized as a kindred spirit. Dr. Slepian is a cardiologist, inventor, entrepreneur, educator, innovator and more. At the University of Arizona, he serves as professor of medicine, professor and associate department head of biomedical engineering, professor of material sciences and engineering, professor of medical imaging, McGuire Scholar in the UA Eller College of Management and member of the UA Sarver Heart Center. Dr. Slepian also is the founder and director of the newly created Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation (ACABI) – a “creativity engine” focused on novel solution development for unmet medical needs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, like many areas of the body, your mouth is teeming with bacteria — most of them harmless. Normally the body's natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, can keep these bacteria under control. Many chronic systemic diseases have been linked to bacteria originating in the mouth. The Rowpar Pharmaceuticals team believes that oral care needs to be more than just about fresh breath and whiter teeth. ClōSYS is about reducing oral pathogens associated with oral and systemic diseases while not impeding the healing process and not disrupting the oral ecology. Fresh breath and whiter teeth are a bonus ClōSYS delivers. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1991, Rowpar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an organization dedicated to providing innovative oral health solutions. ClōSYS® Oral Health products help people live healthier lives.