Title: Chief Executive Officer
Company: PnuVax SL Biopharmaceuticals
Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Donald Franklin Gerson, PhD, DSC, Chief Executive Officer at PnuVax SL Biopharmaceuticals, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in pharmaceuticals.
Since attending a biochemistry summer course at the University of Connecticut while he was in high school, Dr. Gerson knew his future endeavors would be dedicated to scientific advancement and research. Upon earning a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario in 1968, he also attained a Doctor of Philosophy from McGill University in 1972 and a Doctor of Science from the University of Western Ontario in 2020. Now a renowned pharmaceutical executive, Dr. Gerson has flourished as the chief executive officer of PnuVAx SL Biopharmaceuticals since 2011, as well as PnuVax Inc. since 2008. From research to full-scale production, PnuVax Incorporated is dedicated to the production of high-quality biopharmaceuticals for the promotion of public health worldwide.
Prior to his current roles, Dr. Gerson excelled as the chief operating officer and president of Celltrion, Inc., president of Axenic, Inc., vice president of manufacturing at Acambis, Inc. and managing director of Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines between 1994 and 2008. In Canada, he had also gained impeccable experience as the vice president of research and development at Apotex Fermentation, Inc., assistant vice president of manufacturing at Connaught Laboratories and head biotech. With the Alberta Research Council between 1983 and 1994. Dr. Gerson’s earlier roles included manager of process development at Genex Corp. and a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland in the early 1980s.
Reflecting on his illustrious career, Dr. Gerson was involved in launching the very first vaccine for bacterial pneumonia in 2000, in which he was responsible for process development and setting up the manufacturing system. Today, this is the premier vaccine for preventing pneumonia worldwide. Likewise, more of his achievements include patents for large-scale commercial manufacturing of many vaccines and protein biopharmaceuticals. To attest to his legacy, Dr. Gerson can also be found in numerous editions of Who’s Who in Finance and Business, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the Midwest and Who’s Who in the World.
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