Scientific innovation requires more than great ideas—it requires coordinated execution. In the life sciences, project managers provide structure to complex work by planning timelines, aligning teams, communicating clearly, and adapting as projects evolve. This session will highlight the key hard skills (planning, scope management, and stakeholder coordination) and soft skills (influence, communication, and collaboration) needed to guide projects from concept to completion.

Learn how to:

• Identify key project management concepts and terminology relevant to the life sciences.
• Understand how scientific, regulatory, and business priorities shape project timelines and strategy.
• Apply practical tools to improve communication, decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Recognize how project management skills translate across roles—from bench science to operations, commercialization, and leadership.

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Speaker Bios

Tanvir Joshi, Founder of EKAM Biotech

Tanvir Joshi has spent more than 20 years at the intersection of science, strategy, and patient impact, building a career defined by purpose, precision, and an unwavering belief that breakthrough therapies only matter when they reach the people who need them. Her journey through the biotech and pharmaceutical landscape has taken her from hospital corridors in the Texas Medical Center to national leadership roles guiding billion-dollar rare disease portfolios, and ultimately to founding EKAM Biotech, where she now helps emerging innovators bring transformative science to life. Her career began in the field where she quickly distinguished herself as a trusted partner to clinicians and health systems. At AstraZeneca, she navigated some of the most complex academic IDNs in the world’s largest medical center, The Texas Medical Center, driving adoption of therapies that would go on to become global blockbusters. In 2025, Tanvir founded EKAM Biotech with a clear mission: to guide biotech founders, scientists, and early-stage companies through the complexities of commercialization, organizational buildout, and investor readiness. Tanvir is the author of Patients First: Reimagining Biotech and Pharma Through a Human Centered Lens, a book that challenges traditional commercial models and advocates for a future where patient experience, dignity, and access guide every strategic decision. Tanvir holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston and has pursued additional training in Servant Leadership, Business Operations, and the integration of generative AI into business strategy.

Yadira Hernández Santana, Sr. Director, Bulk Value Stream Lead at CSL Behring, Moderator

Yadira has more than 24 years of experience working at various pharmaceutical companies manufacturing medicines for human and animal health. She has served in roles across manufacturing, engineering, validation, operations, MS&T, and quality. Yadira began her career at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where she spent three years before moving to the mainland. Since then, she has served roles of increasing responsibility and garnered technical leadership experience at Eli Lilly as the Validation Lead for the Bulk and Aseptic areas at a large biotech manufacturing site in Augusta, GA. In 2019, Yadira seized the opportunity to join a start-up pharma company as the Director of Engineering before joining CSL’s Process Engineering Team at the Holly Springs, NC location. Yadira currently serves as the Sr. Director, Bulk Value Stream Lead at the CSL Behring Kankakee site. Yadira was born and raised in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. She is passionate about Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion, and has led and promoted multiple initiatives throughout her career. 

Deon Steele, Project Coordinator at ATCC

Deon brings five years of experience supporting complex initiatives across healthcare, research, and regulated life‑science environments. Guided by the constant question, “Is there a better way to do this?” She has built a reputation for optimizing systems, strengthening cross‑functional collaboration, and leading meaningful process improvements. Her work focuses on documentation excellence, streamlined workflows, and reducing single points of failure through thoughtful cross‑training and knowledge‑transfer strategies. Deon holds an MPH from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in biology from Howard University.

Pricing Information

• Members: Free
• Non-Members*: $15

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