To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, I am pleased to take the opportunity to recognize the contributions and achievements to the CASSS community by Asians and Pacific Islanders from around the globe. Diverse perspectives drive innovative thinking and better solutions that advance our mission of regulatory capacity building, knowledge-sharing and global access.
The innovations and accomplishments of Asians and Pacific Islanders have shaped the field of biopharmaceutical development as we know it, leaving tremendous contributions to biopharma science and regulations. Here are a few individuals that have reached major milestones within the CASSS community. They serve as reminders of the significant impact that the AAPI community has made on the world.
Yuan-Yuan Chiu received the William H. Hancock Award for Outstanding Achievements in CMC Regulatory Science in 2013. Her work contributed to the FDA’s approval in 1982 of the first genetically-engineered product, human insulin, to treat diabetes. Throughout her career she contributed to the approval of many early recombinant products.
Takao Hayakawa was awarded the William H. Hancock Award in 2015. Hayakawa dedicated his career to advancing biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology and the pharmaceutical sciences through his work at Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and at Kinki University of Japan. He played an active role in various international activities, including as an Expert Working Group member of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). He was appointed to the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese Emperor for distinguished service and contributions to public health.
Sung-Ae Suhr Park received the CASSS CE Pharm Award for Sustained and Significant Contribution to the Practical Application of CE to the Analysis of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Products in 2010. Sung-Ae, an evangelist for CASSS' CE Pharm conference, spent over 20 years at Amgen where she led a protein formulation group and holds several patents.
Jiaqi Wu is the co-inventor of "Whole-Column Detection cIEF (icIEF)" technology. He holds 5 approved US patents on the technology and one on capillary electrophoresis detection method. Jiaqi was awarded the CASSS CE Pharm Award in 2018.
These are just a handful of the stories that demonstrate the true impact of the AAPI community on our world. In case you missed it, check out last week's member spotlight to learn more about Andrew Chang, another CASSS leader of AAPI descent. We at CASSS will continue to actively engage people from all backgrounds and truly listen to every voice in the unending pursuit of diversity and inclusion.