State Sen. John Blake (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Monroe) announced that he will host a Bioscience Forum at The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) in Scranton on Monday, Jan. 7.

The Bioscience Forum will take place on January 7 from 1:30 to 3:45 p.m. in the Auditorium at TCMC.

The event will highlight the progress achieved thus far by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Regional Bioscience Initiative (NEPA RBI) and include discussions on how to enhance Pennsylvaniaâ??s competitiveness in the bioscience industry and how to grow the bioscience industry in NEPA.

The Honorable C. Alan Walker, Secretary of the Department of Community & Economic Development, will serve as the keynote speaker. Additional participants include TCMC Dean Steven J. Scheinman, M.D.; Austin Burke, William Scranton and Ken Okrepkie of the NEPA RBI; James Manser, PA BIO; Dr. Mel Billingsley, Life Sciences Greenhouse; Cornelio Catena, CEO of Commonwealth Health; and John Wiercinski, Regional VP of Geisinger Health System.