​About PRIMED

​The PRIMED Program is a year-long, five-event entrepreneurship series running from September 2026 through June 2027 across Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Miami. The series will feature: 1) a company-building showcase with founder talks, 2) a company-creation workshop, 3) an online ideas clinic with 1:1 mentoring, 4) speed mentoring with pharma, biotech, and investment experts, and 5) an ideation workshop where teams develop and pitch an idea. The PRIMED Program in Boston is co-organized by the PRIMED Boston Chapter and the Harvard Medical Postdoc Association (HMPA).

​This launch event is the first event in the series.

​Venue: TMEC Carl W. Walter Amphitheater (TMEC 246), 2nd Floor, Tosteson Medical Education Center, Harvard Medical School
Time: Doors open 4:30 PM · Program 5–7:30 PM · Food & drinks served

​Note: Registration is mandatory. A valid Harvard ID or state-approved ID (Massachusetts state ID or passport) is required for entry to the TMEC building.

• ​Welcome & Opening Remarks

• ​Introduction to the PRIMED Initiative — Sir Tony Kouzarides, Dr Louise Mason

• ​Keynote Address (20 min + 5 min Q&A) — Prof. Harvey F. Lodish

• ​Fireside Conversation (25 min) — With the keynote speaker

• ​Distinguished Panel Discussion (50 min + 10 min Audience Q&A) — Prof. Elliot L. Chaikof, Sir Tony Kouzarides, Maggie O’Toole, and Prof. Harvey F. Lodish; moderated by Prof. Cigall Kadoch

• ​Networking Reception — Food, drinks & networking

​Speakers

​Prof. Harvey F. Lodish, PhD, FNAS — Keynote
Professor of Biology & Biological Engineering, MIT; Founding Member, Whitehead Institute; lead author of the acclaimed textbook Molecular Cell Biology. Co-founder and SAB member of 14 biotech companies, including Genzyme (acquired by Sanofi, $20B) and Millennium Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Takeda, $8.8B). Founding Chair, SAB, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (2008–2016), guiding the state’s $1B investment in life sciences. Board of Trustees, Boston Children’s Hospital (since 2006); Chair, Research Committee (2007–2019).

Prof. Cigall Kadoch, PhD — Moderator
Professor and Meredith and Billy Starr Investigator of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School; Institute Member and Epigenomics Program Co-Director at the Broad Institute; and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Scientific Founder of Foghorn Therapeutics.

Prof. Elliot L. Chaikof, MD, PhD, FACS— Panelist
Chair of Surgery & Surgeon-in-Chief, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Johnson & Johnson Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School; Core Faculty, Wyss Institute; Member, National Academy of Medicine. Scientific co-founder of Silicon Therapeutics (acquired by Roivant Sciences) and founder of Ontogenesys.

​Prof. Sir Tony Kouzarides, PhD, FRS, FMedSci — Panelist & PRIMED Founder
Professor of Cancer Biology, University of Cambridge, UK; Director, Milner Therapeutics Institute, UK; Senior Group Leader, Gurdon Institute. Co-founder of Abcam, STORM Therapeutics & Chroma Therapeutics. Founder and spearhead of PRIMED, an entrepreneurial training program. Knighted by H.M. King Charles III of UK in 2024.

​Maggie O'Toole — Panelist
President & CEO, LabCentral, Cambridge, MA, whose startups have raised $20B+; Boston Business Journal’s 2025 Power 50 honoree. Former World Economic Forum Council Member. Under Maggie’s leadership, LabCentral has grown to a five-site, 200,000+ sq. ft. network spanning two Cambridge locations, the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, the Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab, and the Bayer Co.Lab.

​Who can attend

​Open to the Harvard and greater Boston biotech community. This event is exclusively open to postdocs, researchers, and graduate students (PhD, MD/PhD, MBA, or Master’s) and is not open to working professionals from industry.

​A valid Harvard ID or government-issued photo ID is required for entry.

Disclosure: A university-affiliated email address is required to verify your academic affiliation, as this is a free event exclusively for postdocs and graduate students. This information will be used solely for our records and to send you event confirmation. It will not be shared with any third-party organization.

​Questions?

​Utsa Bhaduri, PhD — utsa.bhaduri@childrens.harvard.edu
Silvia Fanton, PhD — sfanton@mgh.harvard.edu
Co-Chairs, Harvard Medical Postdoc Association (HMPA)

​Co-organized by the PRIMED Boston Chapter and the Harvard Medical Postdoc Association (HMPA), in partnership with the HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows (OPF).