Ira D. Lawrence, Jr. (BA '76, Bio) has more than 25 years of senior level leadership experience in the global pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He currently serves as a senior‐level consultant, with numerous clients worldwide. Previously, he was chief medical officer of Alphaeon Corporation; senior vice president and chief medical officer at Medicis; president and chief executive officer and board member at SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; senior vice president of research and development at Astellas Pharmaceutical Company and Fujisawa Healthcare; and senior vice president of research and development at GenDerm Corporation.

Dr. Lawrence graduated summa cum laude from Temple University with a degree in biology, where he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and recipient of both a Temple University President's Scholar award and the Rosenfeld Award as the outstanding pre‐med student in his class. He attended medical school at Hahnemann Medical College, now Drexel University College of Medicine, where he graduated with honors. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University where he also served as chief medical resident and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Lawrence completed his post‐doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in clinical immunology and allergy.

Prior to entering the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Lawrence practiced internal medicine and allergy/clinical immunology as an assistant chief of staff at the Veterans Administration Lakeside Medical Center in Chicago and was on the faculty of Northwestern University Medical School as an assistant professor. He is the author of numerous scientific articles and textbook chapters and has been the recipient of a number of research and teaching awards.

A fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Lawrence is currently a member of the Temple University Board of Visitors for both the College of Science and Technology and the College of Liberal Arts. He has also served on the Temple University President's Advisory Board during the terms of former Temple presidents David Adamany and Ann Weaver Hart.