MC Foundation Job Ready - Alumni Forum - BIOTECH 4/22/21

Save the Date for the 2nd Biotech Job Ready Alumni Forum

Moorpark College Foundation presents
second forum on Biotechnology

Job Ready Alumni Forum Series to Highlight CE Programs

Moorpark, Calif. (March 16, 2021) –The Moorpark College Foundation is pleased to announce its second Job Ready Alumni Forum focusing on the Biotechnology program at 6 p.m., April 22, 2021.

“This forum will both inform our incoming and current students about the job placement process within our Biotechnology program as a well as celebrate the work that Moorpark College alumni are doing in the pharmaceutical industry in our community,” said John Loprieno, Interim Director of Institutional Advancement, Community Relations, and Marketing.

This hour-long panel discussion with questions and answers is the second of four forums that focus on the Moorpark College Biotechnology program and the lucrative employment opportunities now available in Ventura County.

The conversation will feature three Moorpark College Alumni as they discuss their progression from student, to intern, to full-time employee and will also outline the recently awarded Project STEM Impacto grant that provides incoming Latinx students with many benefits such as a free summer bridge workshop, course-embedded tutoring, financial counseling, mentoring, paid internships and book vouchers. This event is sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The Moorpark College Foundation Job Ready Alumni Forum is an open discussion series on how alumni found their way to Moorpark College and how the college positioned them for local internships, workforce preparation, and/or transfer to a four-year university. It explores the relationships that exist between Moorpark College and local industries and how these relationships help students transition into the workforce. The intended audience is prospective and current students, returning adult-learners in career transition, or members of the community.

The forum will be hosted by Moorpark College Foundation Board Members Paul Aguilar, Senior Director of Human Resources at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Samantha Sale, Human Resources Leader at Takada Pharmaceutical. The discussion will be facilitated by Moorpark College Biotechnology Instructor, Subhash Karkare, and will be delivered via Zoom webinar.

“The Moorpark College Biotech program provides great experiences businesses like Thermo Fisher look for when recruiting talent,” said Paul Aguilar. “I encourage students looking to make an impact to explore the program and a career in biotechnology. This forum will provide insights from alumni who have continued their work within the biotechnology industry and hopefully provide you the right information to learn more about the program.”

Panel Participants

Dr. Subhash Karkare is Professor and Lead Faculty in the Biotechnology Program at Moorpark College. Prior to joining Moorpark College in 2007, Dr. Karkare spent 4 years consulting for Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies in the areas of Process Development, Manufacturing, and Quality Systems. From 1987 to 2003, Dr. Karkare was employed at Amgen in various capacities of increasing responsibility starting as a Research Scientist in Cell Culture Process Development and ending as Associate Director in Manufacturing. Dr. Karkare started his career in Biotechnology at a start-up company in New Hampshire called Verax Corporation where he co-invented and developed their patented fluidized-bed cell cultivation process. He has a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from Rutgers University and has published more than 20 papers in the area of Biochemical Engineering.

Following the completion of the Biotech program at Moorpark College, Francisco transferred to California State University, Northridge, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology with emphasis on Medical Devices. Francisco was fortunate to obtain an internship opportunity through the Biotechnology program at PBS Biotech Inc while completing his degree at Moorpark College. At the completion of the internship, PBS Biotech offered him a full-time position as Research Associate in the Bioprocess R&D team, and since then has been promoted to Sr. Research Associate. The skills that Francisco developed through his education, specifically the Biotech Program at Moorpark College, along with his time in the biotech industry, has allowed him to lead, design, and execute experiments to develop and optimize the expansion of various cell lines. Francisco is passionate about his role in the field of biotech, which allows him to explore new and exciting discoveries in the field

Belle is a Moorpark Biotechnology alumni and CSUN undergraduate student with 4+ years of laboratory experience in research, pre-production, and manufacturing through the BioTech program and multiple internships.

She has learned a strong sense of integrity and passion in delivering quality results to patients from the culture of Moorpark’s program.

Jennifer Escobar graduated from Moorpark College in 2000 with an Associate of Science degree in Biotechnology and an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. She was both a student and an employee at the college, working for Dr. Victoria Bortolussi who was the Dean of Institutional Advancement.

After receiving her degree, Jennifer began her career as a Manufacturing Associate I within Cell Culture manufacturing Recombinate. She was promoted to MA II after a year, then became lead operator within the Recombinate Bulk Manufacturing suite. She spent many years as the lead of the Cell Culture suite

In 2014, Jennifer transferred out of Manufacturing to become a Planner, where she was responsible for maintaining the Bulk Manufacturing Schedules for all products and scheduling preventive maintenance and calibrations.

In June of 2016, she became a Senior Operations Analyst, owning change controls for bulk manufacturing and all Bulk Manufacturing documents. Jennifer was also the subject matter expert for Recombinate in many audits.

In August 2019, Jennifer transferred to Manufacturing Sciences, where she assists in deviation investigations and is the Tech Transfer lead for an incoming new product.

Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University in October 2017 and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2020. Jennifer has been at Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda for almost 21 years.

Jennifer was a single mother to two young boys when she began her educational journey in 1998. She says that while it was most difficult at times, she would not change a thing.

Karen Arreola is the Director of Molecular Operations at Thermo Fisher with over 25 years of biotechnology industry experience. Her career started at Amgen with roles in manufacturing, quality, and finance and extended to other biotech companies to include supply chain and contract manufacturing. In addition to industry work, for the past 10 years, Karen uses her expertise in biotech manufacturing as an adjunct lecturer in Moorpark College’s Biotechnology program.

Moorpark College Foundation presents second forum on Biotechnology

Job Ready Alumni Forum Series to Highlight CE Programs

Panel Participants

Subhash Karkare, Moorpark College Biotechnology Faculty

Francisco Rosello – Sr. Research Associate at PBS Biotech, Inc.

Belle Giang - Operator 1, Pre-Production LABType, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Jennifer Escobar Manufacturing Sciences Research Associate at Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.

Karen Arreola - Director of Molecular Operations at Thermo Fisher Scientific

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Moorpark College Foundation presents
second forum on Biotechnology