ECU Pharma Conference spotlights regional innovation

Pharmaceutical and life sciences industries continue to expand across eastern North Carolina, creating new opportunities for innovation, collaboration and workforce development.

That momentum was reflected at East Carolina University’s seventh annual Spring Pharma Conference, hosted by ECU’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education in partnership with the Eastern Region Pharma Center.

The two-day event brought together more than 300 industry professionals representing 110 pharmaceutical and life sciences companies and organizations across the state.

Industry professionals explore the latest pharmaceutical equipment and technology during the vendor expo at the seventh annual ECU Spring Pharma Conference. (Photos by Rhett Butler)

The conference was designed to promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the pharmaceutical sector. Regional subject matter experts, industry vendors, sponsors and invited speakers led discussions on regulatory standards, manufacturing processes, emerging technologies and career pathways in the industry.

Dr. Jack Pender, director of pharmaceutical training and laboratory services in ECU’s Department of Chemistry, who helped lead programming across both days, emphasized ECU’s role in preparing a skilled workforce for a rapidly evolving industry.

He also highlighted the conference’s origins and mission to increase access to professional development in eastern North Carolina.

“They had pharma conferences across the United States, but we didn’t have any in eastern North Carolina,” Pender said. “We started hosting this conference in 2019 to give pharma professionals of eastern North Carolina an opportunity to attend an event that has a national conference atmosphere but is local to the region so there is less cost, time away from work and travel involved.”

He added that the conference continues to serve as a regional hub for industry connection.

“This is the largest annual gathering of eastern North Carolina pharma professionals,” Pender said. “Another benefit is that most of our speakers are regional speakers. These are experts at local companies, so we have a really good regional feel and community atmosphere in this event.”

Keynote speaker Mark Phillips, vice president of statewide operations and executive director of the eastern regional office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, underscored the strength of North Carolina’s workforce systems during his State of Pharma in North Carolina 2026 address.

He also highlighted a new $6.5 million federal investment supporting ECU’s Eastern Region Pharma Center, which will expand biomanufacturing equipment, enhance teaching labs and strengthen workforce training across the region.

For students and early career professionals, the conference provided direct exposure to industry expectations and opportunities.

“As a recent graduate, I am trying to break into the industry,” said Nigel Strayhorn, an ECU 2026 biomedical engineering graduate. “I would like to learn more about the ins and outs of different job titles in the industry and increase my knowledge.”

FDA representative and ECU alumna Daveta Bailey, who graduated from ECU in 2007 with degrees in environmental health and safety and health education and promotion, emphasized the importance of collaboration and representation in regulatory work during her presentations.

Attendees take in a session at the seventh annual ECU Spring Pharma Conference, which drew more than 300 professionals from across North Carolina.

“It was the connection and the collaborations,” Bailey said. “At ECU, I was connected with people who helped me find a job and if it was not for the faculty then I probably would not be here.”

“It gives an opportunity for people to see you and know that the FDA is a real person and a real place. It is a human connection and representation matters,” she added.

Industry professionals also highlighted the importance of communication and adaptability across technical fields.

“I made an entire career out of pharma so I came back to ECU to support and find folks who I can bring on to jobs in the area,” said James Irons, vice president at MMR Consulting, who earned a BSBA in decision science and management information systems from ECU in 2001.

“I look for technical skills, but I really look for strong personalities and the ability to communicate because that is most important in consulting,” Irons said. “Scientists don’t speak the same languages as IT and engineers. If you can really speak all of those different languages and the quality follows as well, you can kill it.”

For students like ECU chemistry master’s student and conference volunteer Kaleigh Jordan, the event highlighted both the complexity and collaboration behind the industry.

“It requires a lot of work and attention to detail,” Jordan said. “Everyone is nice. Seeing everyone from all these different companies, you expect some sort of rivalry between them but there’s none of that.”

Attendee Kavitha Danaboyina, a quality systems specialist at Reckitt, said the event helped her stay current in the field.

“I wanted to learn more about the FDA and the day-to-day changes,” she said. “It’s been really good learning for me. I enjoyed speaking with other people and learning from them.”

As pharmaceutical and life sciences continue to grow across North Carolina, ECU’s Spring Pharma Conference remains a key hub for professionals, students and educators working to advance the field and the workforce behind it.

Backed by university and the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Eastern Region Pharma Center is housed in ECU’s Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building. The center’s goal is to increase the number of highly qualified employees to support the growing pharmaceutical industry. It caters to students and current pharmaceutical employees, partnering with 15 pharmaceutical companies and five regional community colleges. It allows students and employees to learn new and advanced skills while staying in their local communities.

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