John Landis to receive Honorary Degree

2008-04-29

John B. Landis, Carmel, Ind., who has led the integration and globalization of preclinical drug development during three mergers of major pharmaceutical companies and now serves as senior vice president of pharmaceutical sciences for Schering-Plough Corp. His doctor of science degree will be awarded at 9:30 a.m. May 10.

2008 Honorary Degree

John B. Landis
Doctor of Science

During Dr. John Landis' distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry, he has led the integration and globalization of preclinical drug development during three mergers of major pharmaceutical companies for which he has worked. During that time, Dr. Landis was responsible for a global team of 1,400 scientists who were engaged in the development of pharmaceuticals. Under his leadership, drug candidate attrition was significantly reduced, leading to the successful launch of key pharmaceuticals of benefit to millions of individuals worldwide. He was most recently employed by Schering-Plough as senior vice president for pharmaceutical sciences.

Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1952, Landis lived in the same city until he came to Purdue in 1974. Before attending Purdue, Landis received his bachelor degree in chemistry from Kent State University. While at Purdue, he received master's degree and doctorate in analytical chemistry, graduating in 1978.

Dr. Landis began his career at the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Mich., quickly moving up the ranks of management to vice president. In 1997, Upjohn merged with Pharmacia, where he became senior vice president of preclinical development, until it was acquired by Pfizer in 2003. From 2003-07, he was senior vice president for pharmaceutical sciences at Schering-Plough, a research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in New Jersey with more than 50,000 employees worldwide.

During his career, Dr. Landis has played a key role in the development of more than a dozen pharmaceutical drugs that are currently used in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, central nervous systems diseases, cancer and as anti-infective agents, resulting in significant worldwide health benefits. He also has served on numerous professional and company boards and academic advisory panels.

He has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Panel for the College of Science, and he is now a member of the Chemistry Department Advisory Committee and the Dean's Leadership Council for the College of Science. He received the School of Science's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994.

Dr. Landis and his wife, Sharon, currently live in Carmel, Ind.