Date/Time
Date(s) - 5 Oct 2026
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location
850 PBC
Join us to kick off Arizona Bioscience Week in style!
Leading Women: Biotech and Beyond
Join us for cocktails connections and stimulating conversation with some of biotech’s leading women.
Date: Monday, October 5, 2026
Time: 5:30PM – 7:30 PM
Location: 850 PBC
850 N 5th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Agenda:
5:30 – Cocktails & Networking
6:00 – Leading Women Panel
Welcome: Joan Koerber-Walker & Scarlett Spring
- Dr. Karen Anderson, Arizona State University
- Joan Koerber-Walker, AZBio
- Anne Mazet, Xcellerant Ventures
7:00 – Cocktails & Networking
7:30 – Event Concludes
Tickets
Registration is complimentary for AZBio Members, Elected Leaders, and credentialed Media.
Non Members: $50
To check if your company is an AZBio Member, click here.
Register
Register Early – This event fills up fast!
About Our Leading Women
Dr. Karen Anderson
Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University
Associate Dean of Research for the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering.
Dr. Karen Anderson is a tumor biologist and Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, where she also serves as the Associate Dean of Research for the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering. She earned both her M.D. and Ph.D. from Duke University. Dr. Anderson completed her clinical training in hematology and oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and she is board-certified in both oncology and hematology. Dr. Anderson’s research focuses on harnessing the immune system to detect and modify cancer development. Her team investigates the diversity and specificity of the adaptive immune response. Utilizing molecular techniques such as nanopore sequencing, protein arrays, molecular modeling and functional genomics, her group explores the early immune alterations associated with cancer to identify novel targets for treatment and vaccine development.
Joan Koerber-Walker
President & CEO, Arizona Bioindustry Association
Chairman, Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation
As President and CEO of AZBio, Joan Koerber-Walker works on behalf of the Arizona Bioscience and Medical Technology Industry to support the growth of the industry, its members and our community on the local and national level. Joan is also a life science investor and has served on the boards of numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations. Over her career, she has championed innovation in the halls of government and has worked with innovators on six continents plus points in between. (Joan’s not a fan of cold weather and there is not a lot happening on that seventh continent.)
Scarlett Spring
Executive Director of Phoenix Bioscience Core
Board Chair, Founder/CEO of TapRoot Interventions & Solutions
Scarlett Spring’s career began in big pharma, where she worked for 20 years for companies like Merck and AstraZeneca, helping to launch notable drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Crestor. She later led AstraZeneca’s oncology portfolio, introducing treatments for lung, breast, and prostate cancers. After moving to Phoenix, she spent time at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), gaining experience in economic development, before returning to the entrepreneurial space leading a company focused on lung cancer diagnostics. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC) and is involved in a startup aimed at developing a caregiver tool for dementia and autism care.
