Tina Morris, Ph.D., will join the AAPS team on April 6, 2020.
By Joseph W. Polli, Ph.D., FAAPS, President
In January, AAPS announced that the next American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) executive director will be Tina Morris, Ph.D. Tina comes to AAPS from the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), where she was vice president, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. As head of this department, she oversaw the development of PDA’s technical documents and research, including the Technical Report Series, books, Points to Consider, and Standards through the work of PDA’s Volunteer Advisory Boards, Task Forces, and Technical Report Teams. Tina additionally provided input into the organization’s strategic development and implementation.
"I am both humbled and excited to have been chosen for the staff leadership role of this wonderful organization,” Tina shared. “I have been very fortunate to count AAPS leaders among my important mentors and teachers. I very much look forward to serving and helping advance this great organization."
Tina received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in biology from Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, and her doctorate in molecular virology from the Medical University of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Her research focused on hepatitis A virus proteinase 3C and viral polyprotein processing.
She completed postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health and was a senior scientist and group leader at Human Genome Sciences, Inc., early in her career. More recently, Tina has been an involved member of the Product Quality Research Institute where she served on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in the U.K.
Before PDA, Tina was at the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) for 15 years, serving in many different roles including senior vice president, Compendial Science, and senior vice president, Global Biologics. In these roles, Tina oversaw USP’s General Chapters, Policies and Requirements area, and the integration of USP’s biologics activities into one highly productive global business unit.
The Executive Director Search Committee was led by Immediate Past President Dale Eric Wurster, Ph.D., FAAPS, and comprised Christopher R. McCurdy, Ph.D., R.Ph., FAAPS; Reina Bendayan, Pharm.D., FAAPS; Binodh S. Desilva, Ph.D.; Boris Gorovits, Ph.D.; Shraddha Thakkar, Ph.D.; Erik Burns, Ed.D., M.A., M.B.A.; and myself.
“The search committee, working in conjunction with the AAPS Board of Directors, placed some very restrictive requirements on the candidate pool for the next AAPS Executive Director,” explained Dale.
“It was desired to have a person who: held a graduate degree in a laboratory science, had been a researcher in either the pharmaceutical industry or academia, and had risen to a position of responsibility in a nonprofit organization focused on the pharmaceutical sciences. In spite of those collectively restrictive conditions, a very strong pool of candidates was developed. Tina Morris rose to the very top of that pool. The search committee and the Board of Directors were extremely pleased when she accepted our offer. Her intelligence, personality, and experience make us truly excited to see where she will lead AAPS.”
I am looking forward to working closely with Tina throughout my tenure as president and beyond. Her scientific background and experience in nonprofits, in addition to her commitment to members and advancing science, makes her a perfect fit for our community.
“As a pharmaceutical scientist with a career that has taken turns from academia to industry and into the nonprofit arena, I have for many years appreciated the incredible value that comes with AAPS' unique blend of knowledge and expertise,” Tina explained. “AAPS truly covers the vast professional ecosystem of pharmaceutical science that we work in.”
Tina’s official start date is April 6, 2020. Please join me in welcoming Tina to the AAPS community!
I also want to take a moment to sincerely thank Alice E. Till, Ph.D., M.B.A., FAAPS, for serving as AAPS’ interim executive director. She has been a vital part of AAPS’ team since accepting the interim position in September 2019. We look forward to keeping Alice involved in AAPS leadership going forward. Thank you, Alice!