Maria Croyle, PhD
Dr. Croyle graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 with a B.S. in pharmacy and is a licensed pharmacist. Prior to going to the University of Michigan, she was a formulation scientist for Merck Research Laboratories. She completed her doctorate in Pharmaceutics with Gordon Amidon where she developed novel methods to preserve and deliver viruses for gene transfer to the intestinal tract.
In 1997, Dr. Croyle received a NRSA fellowship and accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Dr. James M. Wilson where she developed and patented novel technology to mask the immune response to viruses used for gene transfer and participated in the production of clinical-grade recombinant viruses for Phase I clinical trials.
Dr. Croyle joined the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy in 2000 to establish a research program that relies upon principles of formulation and drug delivery, physical chemistry, structural biology, immunology and pharmacology to further understand how viruses can be used as medicines. She has received grants from the NIH, the Canadian National Research and Technology Initiative and many industry partners to support her work and has published over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts in journals such as Science Advances, Communications Medicine and Molecular Pharmaceutics. She has served on expert panels for the National Institutes of Health, the United States Pharmacopeia and the Academy of Finland.
Her group was the first to report long-term protection from a needle free vaccine for Ebola using technology developed in her laboratory and licensed to spin out company, Jurata. Dr. Croyle served as Chief Scientific Officer of Jurata (2019-2023) and received the Lyda Hill Impact Prize in Engineering from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology for the creation of a pilot line that accelerates global distribution of vaccines. Most recently she has been elected as fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists for this work. Throughout her career she has mentored over 100 pharmacy and PhD student students attaining positions in industry, regulatory agencies and academia and brought pharmaceutical science to mainstream audiences in a National Geographic episode on pandemics.
Patrick Lavella, R.Ph
Patrick Lavella graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 1985 and has dedicated his career to independent pharmacy ownership, professional leadership, and advocacy. Since 1989, he has owned and operated independent pharmacies, at one time managing as many as four locations. He currently co-owns Hilltop Pharmacy with his wife, Jill, and daughter, Alex.
Patrick spent 12 years with Value Drug Company, a full-line pharmaceutical wholesaler serving more than 600 pharmacies in Pennsylvania and approximately 20 other states. During his tenure, he was a founding member of the company's Pharmacist Strategy Team and was responsible for developing and implementing its Suspicious Order Monitoring Program. He continues to serve on Value Drug Company's Board of Directors and is also a member of the Board of Managers for AlignRx, a national pharmacy services administrative organization representing more than 5,300 independent pharmacies.
A past president of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, Patrick remains actively involved in legislative and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels. Through his continued leadership and commitment to independent pharmacy, he has made lasting contributions to the profession and the communities it serves.