The Member Spotlight is an ongoing Q&A series focused on getting to know the CASSS community. Today’s spotlight shines on Patrick McGeehan, Senior Director, CMC Regulatory Affairs at AstraZeneca.
Patrick became a CASSS Associate Director in 2025 and was a Committee Member for the CMC Strategy Forum North America. Patrick has attended and presented in CASSS meetings throughout the years, including Bioassays, CMC Strategy Forum Japan, CMC North America, the DC Discussion Group, and WCBP.
Q. What was your motivation to volunteer with CASSS?
I presented my first poster at WCBP when I was 22 years old and six months out of undergrad, so I suppose my motivation at that time was that my boss told me to do it! In the many years since, I've come to appreciate that the value of the CASSS community is that everyone pitches in and it truly is a situation where what you get out of it is directly correlated to what you put in. I've found the meetings in which I've been most involved are the meetings that are most fulfilling.
Q. What do you do to relax? Do you have any hobbies?
My son is just turning three years old, so 'relax' doesn't get a lot of airtime in my schedule these days, but hobbies that I've enjoyed over the years and would like to pick back up when I can include woodworking (novice), DIY home improvement (seasoned amateur), and brewing with friends.
Q. What's your favorite type of food or special dish you cook? Why?
Maybe it's recency bias as I write this in September, but I love cooking with all of the fresh summer produce. Heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, summer squash, and whatever else ends up in my CSA box! I also enjoy smoking/grilling various meats, which I guess could fit under the hobbies section too.
Q. What is your favorite movie, tv show, music, or book?
As a kid I was always drawn to over-the-top slapstick comedies like Airplane, Caddyshack, The Naked Gun, and anything that started with "National Lampoon's". I saw Christmas Vacation in the theater and it's still one that I can watch every year. Nowadays I also watch a lot of the home improvement shows, like Holmes on Homes, Fixer Upper, that kind of stuff.
Q. What famous person (dead or alive) would you choose to have dinner with? Why?
My first thought was that it would be fun to have dinner with someone like George Washington or any of the founding fathers to have sort of a "How it started, How it's going" conversation, but then I thought maybe workshopping some jokes with a comedian like Norm MacDonald would be even more fun!
Q. What’s your favorite travel experience?
Any time I get to experience a new place and a new culture is a treat. In case my wife somehow sees this, I'll say our honeymoon in Italy was the best. Vineyards in Tuscany, the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean, history and art in Florence, the ruins of Pompeii, vivid seaside towns like Positano, the entire Vatican experience, great fresh food everywhere, the list goes on and on. But Japan was also a highlight, from the energy and vibrance in Tokyo and Osaka, to the serenity and beauty of the temples in Kyoto, to the breathtaking views on and around Mount Fuji.
Q. What would people be surprised to know about you?
This one is tough because I feel like I'm a fairly open book, but people might be surprised to know that I spent my summers in college building golf courses rather than doing something like interning in my field or lab work. The first year was spent on the banks of the Potomac River in Virginia, mostly putting in irrigation systems and repairing uneven areas where the ground had settled over the winter after the grass was planted the previous fall. The second year I was in Houston, where I built a lot of sand traps finishing up one course and did some surveying to lay out another course that was just starting construction. The third year was on the East Coast of Florida, where I installed some big concrete storm drainage structures and got to run some heavy equipment like bulldozers, backhoes, skid steers, tractors, front-end loaders, and excavators. The tangible product at the end of each day was rewarding, and the work ethic it instilled in me has served me well in my scientific career.
Q. How did you get inspired to go into science/biotech/pharma industry?
In school I was always inclined towards math and science, although maybe a little more proficient in math. Then I had a great high school chemistry teacher (she grew up way out in West Texas and pronounced the first element on the period table as "hotter-gin"), so when it came time to pick a major when applying for college, that's what I picked. Four years later with graduation approaching, I went to the job fair in the basketball arena on campus and handed out a few CVs. If my interview at DEA had gone better, maybe I'd be a forensic chemist today, but instead I was hired at MedImmune in an Analytical Development role, and the rest is history.
Q. If you did anything other than your current occupation, what would it be?
At my core, I'm a problem solver. I think being a handyman would be pretty rewarding. My friends and I have also fantasized about starting a brewery, and in that scenario, I could see myself gravitating to more of a logistics/operations role vs. being the brewmaster myself.