Music Legend And Health Advocate Bret Michaels To Address Diversity Alliance For Science 2012 National Conference And EXPO

NEWARK, N.J., April 20, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- On May 21-23, 2012, Diversity Alliance for Science, Inc., a non-profit organization created to support, mentor, and develop minority-, woman-, veteran/service-disabled-, HUBZone-, and LGBT-owned, life sciences businesses, will host its fifth annual networking conference and EXPO event.  Bret Michaels, award-winning multi-platinum musician and long-time health advocate, will address the conference held at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Newark, N.J. on May 22 at 1:00 p.m. 

Bret Michaels has sold 32 million albums and scored chart-topping singles as the front man for the rock band Poison and a solo musician; starred in multiple hit television reality shows including Celebrity Apprentice (winner of Season 9); and appeared on multiple shows including Oprah, David Letterman, Ellen, The View, and Good Morning America.  Having lived with diabetes since the age of 6, in 2011 within a matter of weeks he suffered a brain hemorrhage, stroke, underwent an emergency appendectomy and was diagnosed with a hole in his heart.  Bret Michaels has been a long-time health advocate and serves as the spokesperson for the National Diabetes Month.

He received the American Diabetes Association's esteemed Chair's Citation Award for excellence for raising awareness and funds for the organization. He is an active supporter of many other health organizations.         

Diversity Alliance for Science, Inc., works to forge mutually beneficial relationships between diverse businesses, pharmaceutical firms, biotech companies, academic medical centers in the life sciences and government agencies.  Diversity has been shown to be a key factor in leading to health care innovation, thereby driving leading-edge competitiveness, economic development and growth in communities. 

Diversity Alliance for Science's Fifth Annual Networking Conference and EXPO will provide an important opportunity for participants to collaborate on best practices in fostering the inclusion of diverse businesses in clinical trials and scientific research.  One-on-one matchmaking sessions will foster mutually beneficial partnerships between participating diverse suppliers and attending corporations, academic institutions, and government agencies.  Additionally, the EXPO will include an interactive trade show where attending corporations can meet leading diverse suppliers.

There will be a special networking and cocktail event for participants on Tuesday, May 22, which will include a silent auction, featuring autographed items from Bret Michaels.  As in past years, proceeds from the silent auction will provide access and education in the life sciences area to low poverty, deserving high-school students.  Scholarships will be presented to local students by the Office of the Mayor of Newark.  

You can follow Diversity Alliance for Science on Facebook at www.facebook.com/diversityallianceforscience and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/diversitya4s.

The fifth annual Diversity Alliance for Science Networking Conference and EXPO is being supported by Keynote Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline;  Diamond Sponsor: Merck;  Gold Sponsors: Pfizer, ExecuPharm, Fisher Scientific, Amgen; Silver Sponsors: Henry Schein, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Abbott, Sanofi, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Millennium - The Takeda Oncology Company;  Sponsors:  ISM Pharmaceutical Forum, Bogier Clinical & IT Solutions, Inc.,  A10 Clinical Solutions Inc., Bright Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., Spectraforce, Translation Plus, ImmunoReagents, Inc., Caligor rx, Medtronic, Ancillare Global Clinical Strategies, Medtrials, Quality Biological, Contemporary Graphics, Paragon Language Solutions, Liberty IRB, The Burks Companies;  Expo Sponsors:  Daiichi-Sankyo, VWR International, Medtronic, Boston Scientific Corporation, Life Technologies, and Eli Lilly and Company. 

About Diversity Alliance for Science, Inc. (DA4S)
Diversity Alliance for Science is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, mentoring, and developing minority-, women-, disabled-, small disadvantaged-, HUBZone-, veteran/service- disabled, and LGBT-owned businesses in the Life Sciences. Diversity Alliance for Science is committed to identifying, developing and increasing spending with certified diverse suppliers, and fostering relationships between those suppliers and the corporate, academic and governmental entities who work in health care, research and development.  Diversity Alliance for Science's primary focus is to identify, develop and increase spending with certified diverse suppliers in the following areas: clinical research services; clinical trials supplies; analytical services; packaging; printing/labeling, bar code; biotechnology support services; virology services; drug analysis or assay; central laboratories; clinical data management; stability testing; animals suppliers; biomarkers analysis; chemical synthesis; biology services; pharmacokinetic services; DNA/RNA extraction; IRBs; medicinal chemistry; patient recruitment; drug discovery and related Life Sciences services and products.

www.diversityallianceforscience.com

SOURCE Diversity Alliance for Science