Robert Christmas, local bank executive, named chief operating officer of the Hepatitis B Foundation, Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center

Robert Christmas, a longtime bank executive in the Philadelphia area, has been named chief operating officer of the Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC).

Louis P. Kassa III, chief executive officer of the three nonprofit organizations and president of the PABC, said: “Bob has been a valued advisor to the Pennsylvania Biotech Center for years, both as a banker and as an all-around supporter. This is an essential leadership position, particularly because of our continual growth over the past few years, and Bob was a natural choice.” 

A Buckingham Township resident and Bucks County native, Christmas has worked for several banks in the region for the past 19years, most recently as executive vice president and market president of Customers Bank. He has never left the community, attending both LaSalle University and Villanova University, studying business administration and finance.

The PABC has nearly 100 member companies, mostly small to mid-size science, research and pharmaceutical companies. Nearly 50 of those companies have operations on the Doylestown campus. It is home to the Hepatitis B Foundation, which operates globally, and the Blumberg Institute, which is the Foundation’s research arm.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation established the PABC in 2006 as the home for its research institute and to create a knowledge community that would accelerate research toward a cure for hepatitis B and liver cancer. The Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with offices in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. To learn more, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation).

• About the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute:  An independent, nonprofit research organization, the Blumberg Institute was launched in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to advance its research mission. Today, the Institute is one of the nation’s leading centers for translational research in hepatitis B and liver cancer. The Institute supports drug and biomarker discovery and translational biotechnology around common research themes such as chronic hepatitis, liver disease and liver cancer in an environment conducive to interaction, collaboration and focus. For more, follow us on Twitter, @BlumbergInstit1, and onLinkedIn.

About the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC): The PABC uses a highly successful services-based approach to nurture and guide its member companies to success, advancing biotechnology, maximizing synergies among nonprofit scientists and their commercial colleagues, and launching new ideas and discoveries that will make a difference. The PABC opened its first satellite operation last year: B+labs at Cira Centre, which is located in University City, Philadelphia. PABC member companies have produced drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and numerous medical devices. A recent study found that the PABC’s economic impact exceed $7.3 billion during the period 2016-2021. For more, follow us on Twitter, @BiotechnologyPa, and on LinkedIn.