“The co-op program exposed me to the pharmaceutical industry which helped lead me to my career.”
Double grad and former Stingers football player, Angelo Filosa has forged a successful career as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, going from research and development, to lead product development, to senior scientist and director at companies like Merck Frosst, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
When the opportunity to head global scientific services at PerkinElmer, Inc. came up, Filosa wondered, “Can I do it?” The move meant a shift from research to business.
Luckily, Filosa also has an MBA. He took the position and loved it. Filosa is currently PerkinElmer’s portfolio director, and global head of OneSource Professional & Technology Services, creating strategy for sales and marketing, while also supporting in the creation of innovative new service offerings.
Pandemic response and beyond
“PerkinElmer was vital in helping clinicians and scientists around the world fight COVID-19 with our leading diagnostic kits and detection tests. My OneSource services team has been heavily involved in supporting pharmaceutical companies to keep their labs operational during the pandemic.”
The Concordia path to success
“My primary focus was football; I liked the sciences, but didn’t understand the job opportunities. The co-op program was a big driver — it exposed me to the pharmaceutical industry which helped lead me to my career.”
Fond memories
“We were close to graduating, but the job market wasn't good. We created a chemistry and biochemistry graduate conference to promote ourselves. It still runs today and I’ve been back to give talks to the group over the years. On football, making the national semi-finals, and attending the Alouette’s training camp were highlights. Combining football and academia was so rewarding.”
Inspiring professor
“Ann English was probably the biggest influence in my career because of her approach to science and critical thinking. She was a hands-off supervisor, and when you did go to her, you came out with 10 ideas. She saw multiple paths to a solution.”
Industry projections
“I think we’ll see exciting new approaches to medicine, biotech and personalized therapeutics thanks to growing collaborative efforts between research, private industry and government. Developing and producing COVID -19 vaccines in such a short time is a good example of that.”
Words of wisdom
“Make sure you like what you are doing and the rest will fall into place.”