THRIVE is an AIWA-SF April project dedicated to highlighting Armenians who are doing amazing things in their personal and professional lives to better themselves and those around them. These individuals are inspiring, dynamic, innovative and interesting. Today we feature Meleeneh DerHartunian.
Name: Meleeneh DerHartunian, PhD, RAC
Meleeneh DerHartunian is a Regulatory Affairs Professional and Senior Regulatory Documentation Scientist at Roche-Genentech in South San Francisco. She provides regulatory, scientific, and documentation expertise to global clinical trial management teams for pharmaceutical products, specifically for oncology drug development. She interacts directly with health authority agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in order to demonstrate that products are safe and effective for use in cancer patients.
Being a Bay Area native, Meleeneh has dedicated her career to scientific research with a dream from a young age to one day work for Genentech; therefore, she feels very fortunate to be employed by this patient-centric and data-driven company! Her hard work and dedication directly and positively transform cancer research, patients’ lives, the families of patients, and our healthcare system worldwide. These drivers keep her highly engaged at work on a daily basis.
Since joining Genentech, Meleeneh has started an “Armenians of Genentech” monthly lunch. Currently, there are 30 members (starting with 5 in 2013); membership is growing monthly and has extended to nearby biotechnology companies, including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Denali Therapeutics. Meleeneh shares, “As a result of this group, we have established a great network of individuals at various levels and from different parts of the organization, and we have gained greater insight into what each does and how our functions may work together. Additionally, we inevitably discuss our Armenian heritage and exchange ways we can increase our involvement in the local Armenian community.”
Meleeneh has a PhD in Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Southern California (USC), a U.S. Regulatory Affairs Certification, and a Regulatory Affairs Certificate in Clinical Trial Design and Management from the International Center of Regulatory Science at USC. She completed her undergraduate work at UCLA, majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and minoring in Spanish.
She is married to Argam DerHartunian, and they are the proud parents of two boys, Mihran (3.5 years old) and Emin (11.5 months old).
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About AIWA-SF:
The Armenian International Women’s Association is a dynamic global 501(c)3 dedicated to empowerment, education and enrichment. Through many projects and initiatives, AIWA is dedicated to inspiring, empowering and connecting Armenian women worldwide.
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