The Alliance for Building Better Medicine, a coalition of Richmond and Petersburg organizations working together to build a research and manufacturing hub for essential medicines and their ingredients in the region, now has its first permanent director.
On Tuesday, the alliance said Joy Marie Polefrone, previously the director of health innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University’s da Vinci Center, stepped into her new role with the organization this week. She succeeds Jeff Gallagher, who was working as director in an interim capacity.
The project, which began in 2020, recently received a shot in the arm thanks to $52.94 million in federal grant money from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge — a program aimed at rebuilding regional economies, promoting inclusive and equitable recovery and creating good-paying jobs in future-focused industries. The grant funding was created through the American Rescue Plan and is administered by the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Authority.
Activation Capital, a Richmond-based state organization focused on growing Virginia’s life sciences industry and one of the leaders of the project, said in September private and public organizations will provide an additional $13.61 million for the initiative, for a total investment of $66.55 million. It’s also set to receive an additional $45 million in state funds.
Along with Activation Capital, other members of the project include Petersburg’s AMPAC Fine Chemicals, Utah nonprofit generic medicine provider Civica Inc. (which is building a plant in Petersburg), Richmond pharmaceutical company Phlow Corp., Henrico County’s Community College Workforce Alliance, the Greater Richmond Partnership, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Medicines for All Institute at VCU, Virginia State University, Virginia’s Gateway Region and the cities of Richmond and Petersburg. The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Walmart Inc. and U.S. Pharmacopeia have also joined the project.
In her new role Polefrone, will work closely with member groups to advance the alliance’s mission and raise funds.
“I have been deeply impressed and inspired by the bold, collaborative vision and work of the alliance members and broader stakeholders to build something ground-breaking together, which will not only deliver a tremendous impact to the region, nation and the world in the development of affordable essential medicines, it will also change the landscape of opportunity for this region and its communities,” Polefrone said in a statement. “There are very few moments in one’s professional career where they get the opportunity to contribute to a vision and mission so distinctly aligned with their passion, and for me, this is one of those moments.”
A native of Virginia, Polefrone earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s in chemistry at James Madison University. She previously worked at global health care giant Philips.
