Frank Fazio is the new president of Children’s GMP, LLC, which plays a critical role in moving promising discoveries into St. Jude clinics.
Frank Fazio has joined St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as president of the Children's GMP, LLC, and vice president of therapeutics production and quality.
Fazio will provide leadership for the current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility, which plays a critical role in moving promising discoveries from St. Jude laboratories into the hospital's clinics, ensuring that biopharmaceuticals and other biological products for patient use are manufactured in accordance with strict federal regulations.
Fazio succeeds Michael Meagher, Ph.D., who retired at the end of June as director of the GMP facility, which opened in 2003.
"I am particularly thankful to Mike for his work over more than 10 years at St. Jude building our GMP into the capable manufacturing facility we are currently privileged to have, the foundations of which will support us for many years to come, and for his support in recruitment and ensuring a smooth transition," said Terrence Geiger, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president and deputy director for academic and biomedical operations at St. Jude.
"It is an incredible opportunity to be able to contribute to the St. Jude mission," Fazio said about his new role. "I am excited to lead the talented team at the GMP, as well as therapeutics production and quality, to continue to translate and manufacture high-quality, novel and advanced therapeutics across a broad range of modalities."
Fazio has a long career in GMP manufacture and management. He worked at several pharmaceutical firms, including Pfizer, Boston Scientific and Becton Dickinson. Most recently, he was promoted to Deputy Executive Vice Chancellor of MassBiologics, the cGMP manufacturing element of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. Fazio holds an MBA from Anna Maria College and a Master of Science in work environment from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Geiger said Fazio impressed St. Jude faculty and staff with his organizational and foundational knowledge of GMP, strong management skills, approachability and experience working with the many players involved in designing and manufacturing advanced therapeutics.
"Individuals with significant experience in leading high-end academic GMP manufacturing are few, and those willing to move are truly rare,” Geiger said. “In such circumstances, we are fortunate to be in an institution with a mission, direction and people that are attractive to the best talent.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer, sickle cell disease, and other life-threatening disorders. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read St. Jude Progress, a digital magazine, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.