Joseph G. Contrera, born Brooklyn, New York, February 20, 1964. Admitted to the Bar 1996, Maryland and District of Columbia; 1998, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California; 2000, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1998. Education: University of Maryland (B.S. Biochemistry, 1985); Hood College (M.S. Cell Biochemistry/ Pharmacology, 1987); American University (J.D., 1995). Member: American Intellectual Property Law Association, American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of University Technology Managers, Licensing Executives Society. Mr. Contrera's experience includes over five years in private practice at a boutique IP firm in Virginia where he was a partner, and was involved in patent prosecution, litigation, U.S. Food & Drug Administration administrative and regulatory matters as well as technology transfer and licensing. From 1995 to 1998, he was a Technology Licensing Specialist at the National Institutes of Health. At NIH, Mr. Contrera negotiated licensing and technology transfer deals with the private sector and academia, on behalf of both NIH and FDA, for which he received the NIH Award of Merit in 1998. From 1989-1995, Mr. Contrera was a Biologist at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, where he received a Group Recognition Award in 1997. In addition to patent matters, Mr. Contrera presently advises clients on compliance with federal, NIH, and FDA regulations, including the emerging area of generic biologics, and counsels clients on the valuation of their intellectual property portfolios with respect to patent and FDA issues. He has given presentations on technology transfer at national meetings and is an author on numerous scientific and legal publications.