Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> July 8, 2002
CHRISTY L. SHAFFER joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., from the
Clinical Research Division of Burroughs Wellcome in June 1995 as the
first full-time employee. She has held a variety of positions at
Inspire, including VP and Director of Clinical, Development. Dr. Shaffer
was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in December 1998
and currently serves as CEO. She received a PhD in pharmacology from the
University of Tennessee and completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one
in the Biochemistry Department at the Chicago Medical School and one at
UNC with one of Inspire's founding scientists. Under her tenure, Inspire
became a publicly traded company in 2000. Dr. Shaffer was a finalist for
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in North Carolina in 2001. She
was given the Council for Entrepreneurship Development Award for
Entrepreneurial Excellence in 2001, and was recently named Business
Woman of the Year in North Carolina by the Business Advisory Council in
Washington, DC. Dr. Shaffer is also on the Board of Directors for the
North Carolina Biosciences Organization and the Council for
Entrepreneurial Development. Profile
has gone on over the past year or so that investors should focus on?
Dr. Shaffer: I think the most important thing is
