2024 Feather in Her Cap and High Flyer Award Winners Named for Outstanding Achievements in Animal Health Industry

Rhea-AI Summary

The 2024 Feather in Her Cap awards ceremony honored 11 women for their outstanding career achievements in Animal Health, including Andrea J. Gonzales, Ph.D., of Zoetis, Inc. (NYSE: ZTS), and Katharina Bohnenblust, Ph.D., of Elanco Animal Health (NYSE: ELAN). Dr. Gonzales, Vice President of Global Companion Animal Therapeutics at Zoetis, was recognized for her leadership and contributions to the industry, while Dr. Bohnenblust received the 2024 High Flyer award for her accomplishments in pharmaceutical development. The awards aim to inspire the next generation of industry leaders and recognize women's achievements in Animal Health. Dr. Gonzales' passion for building an innovative R&D pipeline of animal health therapeutics and her commitment to mentoring women in the industry were highlighted, and she chose Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as the recipient of a $5,000 charitable donation. Dr. Bohnenblust, who serves as a mentor for young female scientists, developed the new Elanco JAK-inhibitor formulation and manufacturing process. The Feather in Her Cap Association will reopen the nomination process in Q3 of 2024 to celebrate more outstanding women in Animal Health in 2025.

Andrea J. Gonzales, Ph.D., at Zoetis received 2024 Feather in Her Cap; Katharina Bohnenblust, Ph.D., at Elanco Animal Health was awarded 2024 High Flyer award.

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc. and 300 industry leaders honored 11 women for their outstanding career achievements in Animal Health at the seventh annual Feather in Her Cap awards ceremony. Andrea J. Gonzales Ph.D., vice president of Global Companion Animal Therapeutics at Zoetis, Inc., (NYSE: ZTS) was awarded the 2024 Feather in Her Cap award and Katharina Bohnenblust Ph.D., senior director, head of Formulation Development at Elanco Animal Health (NYSE: ELAN) was this year’s recipient of the 2024 High Flyer award.

2024 Feather in Her Cap Winner: Dr. Andrea Gonzales - Vice President of Global Companion Animal Therapeutics, Zoetis (Photo: Feather In Her Cap)

The awards were started in 2017 by a group of veterans of the Animal Health industry to celebrate the achievements of women in the Animal Health industry and serve to inspire the next generation of industry leaders.

“This year’s field of nominees and our award winners Andrea and Katharina are outstanding leaders whose accomplishments range from developing blockbuster veterinary therapeutics to creating new animal health startups to building a sustainable future,” said Julia Stephanus, president of the Feather in Her Cap Association. “These are the leaders that are moving our industry forward. We are honored to provide a spotlight on their success.”

2024 Feather in Her Cap Winner: Dr. Andrea Gonzales - Vice President of Global Companion Animal Therapeutics, Zoetis
The Feather in Her Cap Award is given to a woman with at least 10 years in the Animal Health industry who has made significant contributions to her field and exhibited a commitment to mentoring women in the industry.

Dr. Gonzales holds a Doctorate in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan. She leads a group of 40 scientists at Zoetis. Her passion is to build an innovative R&D pipeline of animal health therapeutics. She joined the company in 2007 as part of the Companion Animal Internal Medicine group. Her teams have worked relentlessly to deliver first-in-class approvals of therapeutics including Apoquel® (oclacitinib) and Cytopoint (lokivetmab) for canine atopic/allergic dermatitis, and most recently Solensia™ (frunevetmab) and Librela™ (bedinvetmab) to control pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats and dogs, respectively. As a mentor, she respects the uniqueness of each mentee and aspires to listen, support, share successes and failures, provide growth opportunities, and inspire others to want to achieve their personal best.

Charitable Donation
Each year, the Feather in Her Cap award winner chooses an animal-related non-profit organization to receive a $5,000 donation. This year, Dr. Gonzales chose Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as the recipient. Opened in 1969 as the first therapeutic riding center built especially for the purpose of serving those with special needs in North America, the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center serves riders of all ages who have physical, emotional or cognitive disabilities. Cheff’s mission is to enhance the lives of individuals who have special needs through equine assisted services while leading the industry in education.

This year’s Feather in Her Cap nominees included:

• Caroline Belmont - Vice President, US Global Innovation and US Regulatory Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim
• Katie Cook - Vice President, Global Farm Animal Innovation, Livestock Sustainability & US Marketing, Elanco Animal Health
• Divya Divakaran, M.V.Sc. - Assistant General Manager, Natural Remedies
• Tyre Grant Ph.D. – Vice President, Global Product Development and Project Management, Elanco Animal Health
• Laura Villarreal Ph.D. - Executive Director, Livestock Business Unit, Brazil, MSD Animal Health
• Kim Young – President, KC Animal Health Corridor

2024 High Flyer Award Winner: Dr. Katharina Bohnenblust - Senior Director, Head of Formulation Development, Elanco
The High Flyer Award was established in 2022 and is given to a woman with 4-10 years in the Animal Health industry who has achieved at least one major accomplishment and demonstrates a working relationship with a mentor in the industry.

Dr. Bohnenblust holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Düsseldorf. She joined Elanco in 2016 as a laboratory manager in formulation development. In 2021, she began leading a pharmaceutical development unit and since 2022 she has led a global team of formulation development experts. She developed the new Elanco JAK-inhibitor formulation and manufacturing process from the first prototypes to scale-up. While assuming more management responsibility and leading a larger team, she supported the scientists through submission and product launch readiness. Dr. Bohnenblust also serves as a mentor for young female scientists encouraging them to achieve next steps in their careers, grow their professional networks, and learn to balance the needs of the business with scientific discovery.

This year’s High Flyer nominees included:
Christine Colamonico, DVM – Founder, Jope – Joy of Pets
Elizabeth Creveling – Senior Director, Inclusion & Engagement, Zoetis
Yumiko Domen – Manager, Regulatory Affairs Group, R&D Division, ISK - Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha

New Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc. President
After serving a four-year term as president of the Feather in Her Cap Association, Julia Stephanus, partner at Borealis Ventures, will pass the presidency to president-elect, Christine Jenkins, DVM, DACVIM. She is a long-serving volunteer director at Feather in Her Cap Association and recently retired Animal Health and Veterinary leader who held senior leadership roles at Hill’s Pet Nutrition and most recently at Zoetis.

Follow the Feather in Her Cap on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/feather-in-her-cap-awards and at www.featherinhercap.org. The nomination process will reopen in Q3 of 2024 to celebrate more outstanding women in Animal Health in 2025.

About the Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc.
The Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women in the animal health industry.
www.featherinhercap.org and www.linkedin.com/company/feather-in-her-cap-awards

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240116507087/en/

Media:

Julie Lawless

Lawless Strategic Communications

Julie.Lawless@lawlesscomms.com

+1.615.585.5861

Source: Feather in Her Cap Association, Inc.

FAQ

Who received the 2024 Feather in Her Cap award at Zoetis?

Dr. Andrea J. Gonzales, Vice President of Global Companion Animal Therapeutics at Zoetis, Inc. (NYSE: ZTS), received the 2024 Feather in Her Cap award.

Who received the 2024 High Flyer award at Elanco?

Dr. Katharina Bohnenblust, Senior Director, Head of Formulation Development at Elanco Animal Health (NYSE: ELAN), received the 2024 High Flyer award.

What was the charitable donation chosen by Dr. Gonzales?

Dr. Gonzales chose Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as the recipient of a $5,000 charitable donation.

When will the nomination process for the Feather in Her Cap awards reopen?

The nomination process will reopen in Q3 of 2024 to celebrate more outstanding women in Animal Health in 2025.