IBIT
Engages with industry to develop digital knowledge and talent
The Institute for Business and Information Technology announces the 2024 scholarship recipients.
IBIT Cencora Scholarship
Yanelly Yanes
IBIT Kyndryl Scholarship
Zuzana Tyryllo
IBIT Pfizer Scholarship
Abby Dorotov
IBIT Scholastic Scholarship
Sarah Maher
The Digital Innovation Foundry is pleased to announce that UfarmX is the recipient of the Spring 2024 Digital Innovation Award!
UfarmX is a tech-driven agricultural platform, founded by Alexander Zanders, Andrea Kamara Dunbar and Segun Fagbami that utilizes AI and Blockchain solutions to empower smallholder farmers in Africa. They provide tailored support for crop management, market access and financial inclusion as well smart farming practices.
UfarmX was selected to receive $2,500 and support from DIF to further develop and commercialize its platform.
The Digital Innovation Award is open to all Temple University students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The award is presented by DIF in partnership with Temple University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) Be Your Own Boss Bowl. Awards are based on the following criteria:
Christopher Wink is a journalist and entrepreneur who is cofounder and CEO of Technical.ly, the news organization with a community of technologists and entrepreneurs. He specializes in local economic development, including entrepreneurship and tech workforce trends, journalism strategy and building trust online. He was previously publisher of Generocity.org, which reports on the nonprofit sector, and a former media director for a homeless advocacy nonprofit.
He is lead organizer of Philly Tech Week, cofounder of Baltimore Innovation Week and is behind other events that bring together smart people. In 2022, Wink was named one of Pennsylvania’s most influential impact leaders, and in 2017 Folio magazine listed him as one of the 100 most innovative media leaders in the country.
The 2008 Temple University alumnus is a bicycle commuter of Philadelphia. Wink reads a lot of books, makes a lot of charts, drinks a lot of whiskey and harbors fantasies of being a fiction writer worth reading.
Jeff Hamilton is Chief Information Officer at Teva Pharmaceuticals responsible for the company’s technology systems and infrastructure in 60 countries and 50 plants. Hamilton and his team partner across the company to leverage technology and data to drive innovation and growth for better global health.
Prior to joining Teva, Hamilton was Senior Vice-President, Pfizer Digital with responsibility for the company’s manufacturing, supply chain and finance systems, and was a member of Pfizer Global Supply leadership team. He directed Pfizer’s digital efforts to rapidly scale COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution of billions of doses to more than 170 countries using innovative technologies to maximize the number of patients served.
Hamilton also led the launch and scaling of Pfizer’s Center for Digital Innovation in Greece, and oversaw all digital activities in support of the company’s business development deals including acquisitions and divestitures.
Previously, Hamilton was a member of Pfizer’s commercial leadership team and was accountable for the digital work to better serve healthcare providers and patients globally, and achieve the strategic priorities of the $40B business. Hamilton was also responsible for Pfizer’s global ERP program and led the operational transformation effort to horizontally integrate the company’s processes.
Prior to joining Pfizer, Hamilton held executive positions at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in commercial, manufacturing, supply chain and information technology. Preceding Wyeth, Hamilton was an Associate Partner at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) where he specialized in leading large technology-enabled transformation programs for healthcare and other Fortune 500 companies
Fran Geatens is Vice President, Technology Infrastructure, Operations, and Experience at Merck. In this role, Fran is responsible for managing the technology infrastructure and business applications that underpin Merck’s business operations globally, enabling the company to save and improve lives around the world. Likewise, Fran and his team are leading Merck’s accelerated cloud transformation that is modernizing the technology landscape at the company and enabling new ways of working.
Prior to this role, Fran led IT and strategy realization for Merck’s Consumer Care (MCC) business unit. This included support for R&D, supply chain, and commercial functions with a focus on driving business growth, agility, and innovation. Fran was also responsible for MCC strategic performance management, business planning, and served as chief of staff for the MCC division president.
During his previous tenure at Merck, Fran held various IT leadership roles supporting the sales, marketing, manufacturing, supply chain, and finance functions that drive Merck’s pharmaceutical and vaccine business. Fran joined Merck in 1993.
Fran earned his bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Drexel University. He also earned his MBA in Finance from the Fox School of Business, Temple University.
