Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – (Nov. 19, 2015)—The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology and infectious disease, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anita Pepper as Vice President of Development. Pepper fills a vital leadership role during a time of exceptional growth and advancement for the Institute. President and CEO Dr. Dario Altieri has tapped Pepper to support his strategic direction for Wistar’s future, and her experience with building creative funding opportunities will dovetail with the Institute’s plan to continue securing top scientific talent and resources in support of world-class Wistar Science.

As Vice President of Development, Pepper’s directives include developing and implementing strategic fundraising opportunities to strengthen and cultivate individual and philanthropic support; creating new, complementary relationships with individual, corporate and nonprofit partners; and capitalizing upon the team’s fundraising successes to buttress future projects.

“Anita will lead Wistar’s development efforts during a critical time as we experience the excitement of incredible growth at the Institute, and the repositioning of our science as a global engine for innovation and discovery,” said Altieri. “As we continue to fill our Robert and Penny Fox Tower with gifted scientists, and together push the boundaries of biomedical discovery, we need to diversify our funding opportunities and create a new model of philanthropic support for our endeavors. Anita is the ideal person to fulfill these goals. Her strong scientific background combined with proven expertise makes her ideally qualified to translate the impact of Wistar science as a vehicle of innovation and betterment of mankind to prospective philanthropists in our region and beyond.”

“A new philanthropic model is emerging where people are connected to their investments in a far more intimate way. Donors and patrons recognize the problems that motivate them, such as cancer or HIV, and they want to partner with a researcher so they can be an integrated part of solving the scientific puzzle,” said Pepper. “My mission is to build upon Wistar’s strong philanthropic base and advance an entrepreneurial, multidisciplinary and collaborative giving process that supports what the Institute is known for—collaborative scientists of varying backgrounds conducting innovative research that can prevent and treat human disease.”

Pepper comes to Wistar from The Pew Charitable Trusts where she was Director of the Pew Biomedical Programs. For eight years, she oversaw all aspects of Pew’s biomedical research programs including, the Pew Scholars Program, the Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research Program and the Pew Latin American Fellows Program.

Pepper graduated with a B.S. in Plant Sciences from Cornell University. She holds an M.S. in Molecular Systematics from New York University and the New York Botanical Garden, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics from New York University. Upon graduation, Pepper became a postdoctoral research fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) and investigated gene expression. After FCCC, she joined the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania as a postdoctoral fellow investigating Fragile X Syndrome.

The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. On the Web at www.wistar.org.