Program Overview: Our March Dinner Meeting theme: “Market Positioning: Visibility, Connections, and Growth: Defining what sets businesses apart in competitive markets and translating that into meaningful growth.” We’re also thrilled to announce our invited speaker, Dr. Norma J. Nowak.

🎤  Featured Speaker: Norma Jean Nowak, Ph.D., is recognized as a leader in the field of human genomics. Her research contributed directly to the Human Genome Project, as well as to genomics-based approaches to understanding heritable disorders and cancer. Dr. Nowak is the senior life sciences advisor and executive director emeritus for the University at Buffalo, New York State Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. She is also the executive director for UB’s Genomics and Bioinformatics Core and Biorepository, and holds the rank of Professor of Biochemistry. In addition, Dr. Nowak is the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Empire Genomics, a molecular diagnostics firm focused on enabling personalized medicine. Dr. Nowak was appointed and served on the Empire State Stem Cell Board as well as the New York State Life Science Advisory Board.

She previously served as the director of science and technology for UB’s New York State Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences from 2003-2015, as well as director of the UB/RPCCC Genomics Facility from 1999-2012, a collaborative research lab shared by UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to that, she was involved for 14 years in research at RPCCC, developing physical clone resources for cloning disease genes and mapping the human genome.

Among her major achievements, Nowak has authored landmark papers describing the cloning of several heritable cancer disorders, including a form of Ataxia Telangiectasia (Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome). Her work on the Human Genome Project was published in the 2001 landmark genome issue of Nature, describing the sequencing of the human genome. Dr. Nowak led and coordinated the three groups for the NCI extramural Cancer Chromosome Aberration Project. As part of this project, Dr. Nowak also developed a BAC-based array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization), a microarray-based method for identifying numerical differences in DNA between tumor and normal cells and cells from individuals with genetic disorders, including autism and other developmental disorders. The results of this work were published in Nature Genetics. She was also a key member of the GENSAT project studying spatial and temporal gene expression during development of the central nervous system in mice, and this work was published in the 2003 genome edition of Nature. Dr. Nowak received the 2008 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Team Science award for the development of array CGH technology. She has also been awarded the 2008 Thomas B.Tomasi award for her outstanding achievements in science by the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Nowak received the Athena Leadership award in 2017, and in 2018, she received an Honorary Doctorate, Doctor of Humane Letters from Canisius College. She was recognized by City and State Magazine on the Life Sciences Power Fifty at #10 in 2021.

Dr. Nowak’s efforts were instrumental in obtaining more than $70 million in funding for research and infrastructure, and she has authored or co-authored over 150 research articles in leading scientific journals. She has also served on the editorial board of Cytogenetics and Genome Research as well as an Associate Editor of Physiological Genomics.

📍 Location: The iconic Chef’s Restaurant, 291 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY

⏰  Time: Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

 🚀  Perks: Complimentary parking | 🍷 Cash bar available

🎟️  Ticket Pricing: See all of our dinner meeting pricing options

• NAWBO Members: $40
• Guests: $45
• Diamond Chapter Partners: Free
• Platinum Chapter Partners: Free
• Gold Chapter Partners: $30
• Silver Chapter Partners: $36

⚠️ Please Note: Topics and speakers may evolve as the series progresses. Stay tuned via our website and social media channels for the latest updates.

🎉 First Time Joining Us? Whether you’re curious about NAWBO, thinking about membership, or just want to network with a dynamic community of women entrepreneurs, we’d love to welcome you!

📆 Registration Deadline: Registration closes Friday, March 6, 2025, at 5:00 PM. The dinner event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 — secure your spot early, as space is limited and this event is expected to fill up quickly.

👇 Register Here