The iCON Awards celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding innovators and leaders whose work provides the basis for life sciences developments worldwide.

Held at the beautiful Chicago Botanic Garden, the evening brings together some of Illinois’ top life sciences professionals and innovators to help the iBIO realize its goal of creating a globally recognized life sciences center in Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region.

2019 Honorees

iCON Entrepreneurial Award – Paul Edick, Chairman and CEO, Xeris Pharmaceuticals

Mr. Edick is Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Xeris Pharmaceuticals, a public specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging novel formulation technology platforms to develop and commercialize ready-to-use, liquid-stable injectables. Prior to Xeris, Mr. Edick was Founding Partner of 3G Advisors, a consultancy to the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and healthcare investor communities. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Edick was the Chief Executive Officer of Durata Therapeutics which was acquired by Actavis plc, now Allergan plc. Prior to Durata, Mr. Edick was Chief Executive Officer of a number of pharmaceutical companies including Ganic Pharmaceuticals and MedPointe Healthcare, Inc.

iCON Innovator Award – Dr. Martin D. Burke, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Associate Dean for Research, Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Dr. Burke is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at UIUC and Associate Dean for Research at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Marty’s group has pioneered the field of molecular prosthetics and the development of an automated Lego-like platform for democratizing small molecule synthesis. Marty is the recipient of a number of honors and awards, includging the Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistryfrom the American Chemical Society and been recognized many times for teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Marty is also a Founder of four biotechnology companies: REVOLUTION Medicines, Ambys Medicines, Sfunga Therapeutics, and cystetic Medicines.

iCON Knowledge Builder Award – Rebecca Voight, Cooke Magnet Elementary School, Waukegan, IL

Rebecca Voight is a teacher at the Andrew Magnet Elementary School in Waukegan Illinois where Ms Voight is a member of the Instructional Leadership Team and has led the school’s engagement with the StellarGirls program for the past three years. Prior to Andrew Cooke, Ms Voight was a teacher at McCall Elementary School, also in Waukegan. Rebecca Voight has a Masters of Education in Curriculum from Lesly University in Cambridge Massachusetts and a B.A. in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University.

We promise a wonderful and memorable evening featuring a VIP reception, cocktail hour, net-working, multiple dinner stations, award ceremony and raffle awards.

The iCON awards supports the mission of the iBIO Institute, a 501(c)3 Public Charity, which orchestrates business leadership in delivery of world-class educational after-school programs and summer STEM camps for girls grades 3-8 in underserved Illinois schools.