John Swartley, MBA, PhD, Penn’s Chief Innovation Officer, was named as a finalist for BioBuzz Leader of the Year in Greater Philadelphia thanks to his work in helping to revolutionize Penn’s approach to technology transfer by shifting from a traditional patent-licensing model to fostering industry partnerships and new company creation. Swartley was recognized for his role in leading the world-class team at Penn facilitating thousands of commercialization agreements and helping to position Penn as a global leader in the commercial translation of vital new areas of emerging technologies, including the remarkably rapid advancement of cell and gene therapy in Philadelphia, the realization of groundbreaking mRNA technology for vaccine development, and an appreciation for the impact of effective partnering between academia, industry, and investors.