BIOMED Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony
Academy of Music
Thursday June 11, 2026
12:30 PM ET
Keynote Speaker:
Rita Johnson-Greene
Rita Johnson-Greene is an accomplished international healthcare executive with a proven track record of building high-impact cross-functional teams. Rita has worked at several world-class organizations and launched three of the five gene therapies currently marketed in the US, including Luxturna, the first FDA-approved gene therapy.
Rita currently serves as Chief Financial Officer at Ocugen, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing gene therapies for blindness. Rita is responsible for driving Ocugen’s capital markets strategy, investor engagement, and financial stewardship. Prior to Ocugen, Rita was the Chief Operating Officer of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), an international cell and gene therapy advocacy organization that promotes access for all patients. Rita also held leadership roles at Bluebird Bio, Spark Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, and Johnson and Johnson.
Rita began her career in strategic consulting and has experience in sales and commercial operations. Rita earned her MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and her undergraduate degree in Electrical Computer Engineering from Drexel University, where she met her husband of 23 years. She serves on the Drexel University Biomed Dean's Executive Advisory Council and as a guest lecturer for the bio-medical graduate students. She is also the co-founder of Anchor Church and teaches Bible study.
Elisabeth Papazoglou Inspired Leadership Award:
The Elisabeth Papazoglou Inspired Leadership Award is given in annual memory of her. The award is given in recognition of an individual who demonstrates exceptional abilities to lead, serve, collaborate, and inspire with broad impact and special distinction.
Recipient: Shirin Karsan
Undergraduate Speaker:
Jennifer Celi
BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering
Graduate Student Speaker:
Giselle Matlis
PhD Candidate