This was the first in-person SFB annual meeting in two years due to disruption by Covid-19 and it brought together over 1000 attendees from the U.S., Canada, and Europe, to hear and learn about the latest progress and developments in biomaterials sciences and technologies.
In the past year, the SFB made great strides in three areas: pursuing scientific excellence and inclusion, enhancing viability, and expanding visibility. Zhang will continue to serve on the SFB Board of Directors for three more years.
Zhang also co-organized with Dr. Tina Morrison, Director of the Office of Regulatory Science and Innovation of the US FDA, a workshop titled Advance Translational Science and Regulatory Science Synergistically. The workshop was structured in three parts:
- Showcase success stories on regulatory science collaborations that involved FDA working alongside academia and/or industry.
- Hear how different stakeholders in the medical product ecosystem navigate regulatory science.
- Discuss mechanisms for balancing the regulatory science needs of all stakeholders to reduce regulatory inertia.
During this 4-hour program, experts from the FDA, NIH, Regan-Udall Foundation, academia, industry came together to brainstorm and identify effective ways to advance regulatory science while accelerating translation science. This workshop results from the strategic thinking and planning by Zhang and Morrison and other colleagues in the past year. It will serve as a launching platform to facilitate further broad collaborations.