“5 Questions With…” is a recurring BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated. This week we welcome Sandy Applebee, Associate Director, Marketing and Communications at The Geneva Foundation.
Sandy Applebee is an accomplished communications and public affairs professional with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and five years in the scientific field. She has worked for a variety of industries, from biotechnology, economic development in local government, and government contracting. A veteran Army Broadcast Journalist, Sandy is the Associate Director of Marketing & Communications at The Geneva Foundation, a 501(c)3 advancing military medicine worldwide through research, development, and education.
1) Please introduce yourself to our audience by looking back at your education, training, and career path.
I joined the U.S. Army Reserves fresh out of high school to pay for my college education. Little did I know how much I would owe to the Army for my career path more than 25 years later. As a broadcast journalist in the Army, I worked in a public affairs office and that’s where I was first exposed to the art of storytelling and communications. Being able to provide a meaningful connection to soldiers serving abroad to what was happening back home through the Armed Forces Network initially inspired me to pursue television as a career option. I worked for The Washington News Bureau on Capitol Hill while obtaining my degree from the University of Maryland and realized I enjoyed the communications part more and focused my degree in Mass Communications.
I worked for 13 years in business development, marketing, and communications at the Frederick County Office of Economic Development where I watched BioBuzz come to life! That position gave me in depth insights into the biotechnology industry in Frederick and led me to RoosterBio, a Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc (FITCI) company which I helped support the growth of on the government side of things. I became Rooster Bio’s first Marketing and Communications Manager hire as the company was growing its products and services out of the startup stage. As a Rooster, it was there that I found my love of science.
The Geneva Foundation was the perfect opportunity to combine my interest in science with my background in communications, marketing, public relations, business development, and the military. For me, it’s always been about connecting all the dots to ensure the organization I work for is successful and understanding that effective communications are essential to any business goal.
2) Tell us more about The Geneva Foundation and the services it provides.
Celebrating 30 years of service this year, The Geneva Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that advances military medicine through research, development, and education. Geneva has specialized capabilities in the areas of federally funded research and industry sponsored clinical trials and supports through full lifecycle research management.
I work with a talented team pursuing our purpose to ensure optimal health for service members and the communities they serve. Geneva is in more than 50 military treatment facilities and federal labs all over the world. We have corporate offices in Tacoma, WA; San Antonio, TX; Fayetteville, NC; Bethesda, MD; and now, Frederick, MD.
In the BioHealth Capital Region, Geneva conducts research pursuant to the Department of Defense’s medical research priorities at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, U.S. Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center, National Cancer Institute, Naval Medical Research Center, Uniformed Services University, and more. Our work advances research in areas impacting military and civilian populations including infectious disease, biotechnology, human performance, trauma care, oncology, rehabilitative medicine, and brain health.
We welcome the opportunity to partner with those who share our commitment to accelerating medical breakthroughs, improving the lives of military and civilian populations worldwide.
3) Geneva recently opened a new office in Frederick, Maryland, and you’ve been in the area for quite some time. How has Frederick grown as a biotech hub in recent years, and what, in your opinion, does the area need to do to continue to grow?
Frederick is a beautiful area with a cell and gene therapy industry that is like no other place else in the world. With recent additions such as Kite Pharma and Forecyte Bio, and leaders like Lonza, Thermo Fisher, Rooster Bio, Theradaptive, this area is ripe with biotech business development and employment opportunities for those who want to develop the next lifesaving cures in the latest wave of modern medicine.
Frederick’s proximity to Fort Detrick and the National Cancer Institute gives companies and entrepreneurs the added opportunity of doing business with the Federal government. Frederick has long had a reputation of being a supportive environment for biotech companies to grow. To continue growing this valuable segment of the biotech industry, it will be key to pull workforce talent beyond Frederick and develop a regionally-based educational program to cultivate the next generation of cell and gene therapy leaders that can sustain this rapid growth.
4) Can you tell us more about why you’re so excited about this new partnership between Geneva, FITCI, and FCOED and what it means for the local community?
During my time at the Frederick County Office of Economic Development (FCOED), we worked closely with the Fort Detrick Business Development Office and funded a tech transfer position for spinning in and out the technology happening on Fort Detrick. Although these initiatives are no longer funded by the local government, I felt that the concepts were on the right path. Conducting business on base can be challenging – there’s no real front door to knock on.
I’m most excited about the opportunity to help bring Geneva’s 30 years of experience in managing and receiving federal funding to help companies get their products into the hands of our warfighters, veterans, and their families. As a bonus for me, I get to work in the beautiful ROOT building again in downtown Frederick with the same friendly faces that I’ve known for a long time.
5) Now for the fun question – imagine you’re a professional basketball player (or whatever sport suits your fancy!). What would be your intro song as you come out onto the court, and why?
I like this question because I just wrapped up coaching my first season of youth girls’ basketball for the Potomac Valley Youth Association and my daughter. Although I have a difficult time picturing myself as a professional basketball player, I imagine that Katy Perry’s “Roar” would help me get ready to dominate the court.
