2021 SAPA Career Development Workshop For Students and Young Professionals

Breaking into the Industry

Sino-American PharmaceuticalProfessionalsAssociation

Virtual SessionSaturdayMarch 27, 2021, 1pm – 7pm

h t t p s : / / s a p a w e b . o r gRegistration is complimentary click HERE or

scan QR code

SAPA will host an interactive career development workshop exploring various career opportunities in biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

The participants will:• Gain basic understanding of the biotech/pharmaceutical industry; • Hear the stories from young professionals of how they broke into the industry; • Talk to HR professionals, hiring managers, and immigration lawyers about

networking and immigration challenges and issues.

If you are a graduate student, a post-doctoral researcher, or someone who just started your career, this half-day workshop will open your eyes and help you explore the industry that can offer vast career opportunities.

Registration is complimentary and now open: click HERE

Break into the IndustryExploring Career Opportunities in Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industries

March

27

1:00 – 1:10 pm SAPA CDW Opening Remark Yong GuoPresident’s Remark John Sun

1:10 – 1:30 pm An Overview of Drug Development Process Yong Guo

1:30 – 3:00 pm Panel Discussion on Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industries Yvonne Cheng, Chenchao Gao, Andy Han, Xue Liang, Susie Wang, Xiaowen Wang, Yulan Zhang, and Jing Zhen

3:00 – 3:10 pm Coffee Break

3:10 – 4:30 pm Round Table Discussion on Networking and Interviews with HR Professionals and Hiring Managers Xiaodong Chen, Alessandra Rober Christensen, Brian Freeman, Sara Gao, and Li Wan

4:30 – 5:30 pm Round Table Discussion on Immigration IssuesBrian Freeman and Catherine Wadhwani

5:30 – 7:00 pm Virtual Networking with Experienced Industry Professionals

Workshop Agenda

Understanding the Industry

Yong Guo, PhD, MBAProfessor

School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Fairleigh Dickinson University

It is a long, complex and risky road to develop a new medicine. Understanding this complex drug development process is the first step to find out what career opportunities the pharmaceutical and biotech industries can offer.

We will briefly review the drug development process and identify the expertise required and opportunities presented for you.

Industry Panel Discussion Leads

Yao (Yvonne) ChengFull-time MBA, NYU Stern

ex-Senior Manager, Novartis

Chenchao Gao, PhDManager,

Alliance Team and Regulatory Strategy

Daiichi Sankyo

Xue Liang, PhDSenior Scientist,

Merck

Yulan Zhang, MSAssociate

Health Economics & Outcome Research,KMK Consulting Inc.

Siyu (Susie) Wang, PhDScientist,

Proteomics/Chemical BiologyInzen Therapeutics

Jing Zhen, PhDSenior Scientist,

Viela Bio

Xiaowen Wang, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow,

Merck & Co

Andy Han, M.Sc.Marketing/Business

Development Manager,Accurant Biotech, Inc.

Networking & ImmigrationWorkshop Instructors

Brian FreemanSenior Manager

Talent AcquisitionPTC Therapeutics

Xiaodong Chen, PhDSenior Principal Scientist

Drug Product Development Team Lead

Bristol Myers Squibb

Sara Ying Gao, MScProgram Director

Wharton Executive EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania

Li Wan, PhDVP, Head of Regulatory Affairs

Alphamab Oncology

Alessandra Rober Christensen, MS Head of University Relations

Novartis

Catherine Wadhwani, JDPartner & Co-Chair

Immigration Practice GroupFox Rothschild, LLP

Networking Sessions

Other than the presentation and panel discussions, we have also organized several networking breakout sessions, where the workshop participants will have additional opportunities to discuss and get their questions answered according to their interests:

A. Drug Discovery and Early Research

B. Clinical Science and Development, Regulatory Affairs

C. Medical Affairs, Commercialization, and Other Functions

D. CMC (Process Development, Pharmaceutical Development, and Analytical Development)

A. Drug Discovery& Early Research

Jian Liu, PhDCSO and Site Head, Eternity Bioscience

Xue Liang, PhDSenior Scientist,

Merck

Siyu (Susie) Wang, PhDScientist,

Proteomics/Chemical BiologyInzen Therapeutics

Yang Qiu, PhDSenior Director,

Translational medicineDaiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Dexi Yang, PhDSenior Scientist,

Merck & Co

B. Clinical Science& Regulatory Affairs

Tuochuan Dong, PhDBiostatistician,

Novartis

Chenchao Gao, PhDManager,

Alliance Team and Regulatory Strategy

Daiichi Sankyo

Mike Hu, PhDChief Development Officer,

Rafael Pharmaceuticals

Jerry J. Li, PhDPrincipal Scientist,

BARDS, Global Clinical Development, Merck

John Sun, PhD, MBAGlobal Program Lead,

Novartis

Brian (Yanming) Jiang, MSIT Lead

Regeneron

C. Medical Affairs/Commercialization

David Cragin, PhDDirector,

Global Complaint Management, Merck

Yao (Yvonne) ChengFull-time MBA, NYU Stern

ex-Senior Manager, Novartis

Andy Han, M.Sc.Marketing/Business

Development Manager,Accurant Biotech, Inc.

Jerry Liu, PhD, JDPartner and Chair of China

Practice, Fox Rothschild LLP

Yulan Zhang, MSAssociate

Health Economics & Outcome Research,KMK Consulting Inc.

D. CMC

Xiaodong Chen, PhDSenior Principal Scientist

Drug Product Development Team Lead

Bristol Myers Squibb

Xiaole Shen, PhDSenior Principal Scientist,

Bristol Myers Squibb

Xiaowen Wang, PhDPostdoctoral Fellow,

Merck & Co

Yiming Zhao, PhDStaff Scientist,

Regeneron Pharmaceutics

Jing Zhen, PhDSenior Scientist,

Viela Bio

Breakout RoomZoom link

SessionSession Description Leader Meeting ID Password

Link WITH PASSWORD

1Early Drug Research (Discovery and Preclinical Development) Xue Liang

Susie Wang 816 6228 6686 sapa2021

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81662286686?pwd=dGduSnlrak5Xb2RxWEl1Y1VFYURMQT09

2Clinical Development (including Regulatory Affairs and Biostatistics)

Chenchao Gao 848 2102 4521 sapa2021

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84821024521?pwd=RUI2SXZaT28wam1qeGNyMmVXbW11Zz09

3Commercialization (including Business Development)

Yvonne Cheng 867 7824 8463 sapa2021

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86778248463?pwd=eGdkNk5WZjJsTW4zaVZicW1RdW4wZz09

4

CMC (Process Development, Pharmaceutical Development and Analytical Development) Xiaowen Wang 818 3786 0024 sapa2021

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81837860024?pwd=OE52UjZYYlVpNW44d3NqdkxSQnFiUT09

Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D

Bristol Myers Squibb

Senior Principal ScientistDrug Product Development Team Lead

Xiaodong is working as a drug product development team lead at BMS. He is leading matrixteams to recommend and implement development strategies for parenteral drug products andsupport regulatory submission throughout the development and commercialization. He co-authored three book chapters and a dozen publications. Xiaodong is actively involved inprofessional and community services: he is on the editorial advisory board of Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and invited reviewers for NIH contract proposals and scientificjournals. He has advised two NSF funded projects and served as session chairs in AiChe,AAPS, SMi Lyo Annual Conferences. He served as President of BMS Toastmaster club andArea Director of Toastmasters International at Area 43. In addition, he is leading PAN AsianNetwork Workplace at BMS. Xiaodong has also been a long-time volunteer and EC memberof SAPA since 2013, he is currently serving as President-elect of SAPA. Xiaodong receivedhis Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.

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ioAlways be curious, being interested in others and the world around us

Alessandra Rober Christensen, M.Ed

Novartis

Head of University Relations

Alessandra is the Head of University Relations at Novartis. Prior to joining Novartis, she worked forover 7 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During her tenure at MIT, she was theSenior Associate Director for Employer Relations and Recruiting Services at the Sloan School ofManagement and Senior Assistant Director for Employer Relations at the MIT Global Education andCareer Development Office. In both roles, she provided team management, operational leadership,coaching and drove strategies to implement high-touch recruiting services for all students andalumni. Prior to MIT, she worked at Brandeis International Business School and as Assistant to theDean of the Graduate School at University of Miami. In addition, she served on the Board of ALPFABoston, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing Latino leaders.

Alessandra is pursuing a Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris and has anExecutive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan School of Management, anM.Ed in Higher Education Administration and two Post-Masters certificates in EnrollmentManagement and Student Life and Development from University of Miami. She is also a graduate ofthe NACE Management Leadership Institute and Gallup’s Successful Strengths Coaching Certificateprogram.

The impossible journey is the one you never begin

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Yvonne Cheng, CICPA

Full-time MBA, NYU Sternex-Senior Manager, Novartis

Yvonne is an MBA candidate and Advancing Women in Business Scholar at the SternSchool of Business at New York University.

Prior to joining Stern, Yvonne has over six years of working experience in thepharmaceutical industry in China and the US. She started her career as an auditor atKPMG Shanghai and later joined Roche Shanghai in the financial planning & analysisfunction. Yvonne then moved to the US and joined Novartis in the Market AccessBusiness Planning team, accomplishing a seamless career transition betweenChinese and American companies and cultures.

In addition, Yvonne is actively involved in several non-profit organizations. She is anExecutive Council (EC) Member of SAPA and was also one of the ExecutiveCommittee members in the Chinese Culture Community at Novartis.

Embracing changes and moving forward

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Brian Freeman

PTC Therapeutics

Senior ManagerTalent Acquisition

Brian joined PTC Therapeutics in 2019 in the Talent Acquisition function supporting theCommercial, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs Departments.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Duquesne University and hasmore than fifteen years of experience in the Pharmaceuticals sector supporting multiplefunctional areas. Most recently, Brian comes to PTC Therapeutics from Stryker where heworked as a Talent Acquisition Lead. Prior to Stryker, he worked at Pfizer and Bausch andLomb. He has been integral in helping to grow talent acquisition teams aligning to the growth ofthe organization globally.

Brian is a volunteer with the Cranford Jaycees, a local community outreach program and ishighly active in endurance racing.

Through quality you will gain trust

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Chenchao Gao, PhD

Daiichi Sankyo

ManagerAlliance Team and Regulatory Strategy

Dr. Chenchao Gao is currently a manager in the Regulatory Strategy group at Daiichi Sankyo andhe also serves as the Alliance Team lead for a project with AstraZeneca.

Prior to joining Daiichi Sankyo, Chenchao was a Clinical Regulatory Senior Specialist at Seagenand supported the company to successfully obtain FDA approvals for multiple Oncology drugs(Tukysa and Adcetris). Before that, he used to work at Genentech, where he helped theTECENTRIQ program to obtain FDA approvals for 4 new INDs. Before joining Genentech,Chenchao was an ORISE fellow at the FDA.

Chenchao also served many key leadership positions in several non-profit organizations. He wasan Executive Council (EC) Member of SAPA since 2013 and co-chaired or organized events,including Career Development, Scientific Symposium, Clinical Development and RegulatoryAffairs Seminars. In addition, he was the president of Rutgers Chinese Student & ScholarAssociation (RCSSA) at Rutgers University. Chenchao obtained his Ph.D. degree in Cellular andMolecular Pharmacology from Rutgers University.

Passionate and innovative

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Sara Ying Gao, MSc

University of Pennsylvania

Program DirectorWharton Executive Education

Born in China, educated in Europe, Sara Gao has worked in Europe, Asia and theUSA as a talent development expert in the past 16 years. Sara currently works asprogram director at Wharton Executive Education. Her passion is to bring seniorleaders from various industries around the world to a life changing learningexperience, so they are ready to create a positive impact for a better world. As acareer coach, Sara specializes in coaching Asian professionals to become successfulleaders in a multicultural environment.

Sara started her career at Universum, a global employer branding consulting firm.She led her team to introduce the concept of Employer Branding to China for the firsttime. Sara worked with many global corporations to help them improve their talentattraction and retention strategies. Her clients include companies such as Johnson &Johnson, Novartis, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and IBM. Sara graduatedfrom Stockholm School of Economics with a master degree of science majoring inbusiness.

SuperconnectorInterdiscipilinarySocial Impact

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Yong Guo, PhD, MBA

Fairleigh Dickinson UniversitySchool of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Professor of Pharmaceutical ScienceChair, Department of Pharmaceutical Science

Yong is currently Professor of Pharmaceutical Science and Chair of Pharmaceutical SciencesDivision at the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University(FDU). Dr. Guo joined the FDU School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2012 following a15-year career in pharmaceutical industry. At FDU, he teaches professional Doctor ofPharmacy (PharmD) students in the area of physical pharmacy, biopharmaceutics, andpharmaceutical biotechnology. Dr. Guo has published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articlesand 3 book chapters. His research focuses on separation mechanisms of chromatography andin-vitro drug release as well as quality assessment of herbal medicines. Prior to his academiccareer, Dr. Guo was an Associate Director at Janssen Pharmaceutical Research andDevelopment, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson. He was responsible forleading and managing project teams in support of new drug development and registration, andhas made significant contributions to successful NDA and MAA filings.

Living and Learning in both worlds

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Andy Han, M.Sc.

Accurant Biotech, Inc.

Marketing/Business Development Manager

Andy is currently a Business Development Manager at Accurant Biotech, Inc. His mainresponsibilities include exploring new leads and collaboration, maintaining businessrelationship and digital marketing using his R&D/engineering background and social mediamarketing skills. Prior to joining Accurant Biotech, Inc, Andy also worked as a TechnicalAccount Manager at Lifetein, LLC and a Research Associate at Columbia University.

In SAPA, Andy is a long-time volunteer and an Executive Committee member since 2019. Heserves in the Registration and Membership Department and participates in the earlydevelopment and maintenance of the new SAPA Website. Andy received his Master ofScience in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science inChemical Engineering from Syracuse University in 2016.

Be AuthenticBe Kind

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Xue Liang, PhD

Merck & Co

Senior Scientist

Xue is a Senior Scientist and Microbiome Project Lead at Merck & Co. and ispassionate about career planning and leadership development. In her daily job, sheleads and works in teams to uncover microbiome’s impact on xenobiotic metabolismand response to vaccine & cancer immunotherapies. Her work was published on topjournals such as Cell and PNAS, and she was invited to present at various domesticand international conferences. Xue has been an active volunteer and member ofExecutive Council of SAPA for 8 years, served as Lead of Volunteers, Lead ofInnovation, and Chair of 4 Career Development Workshops for biomedical students.Xue earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from University of Pennsylvania and B.S. inBiological Sciences from Chu Kochen Honors College at Zhejiang University. Xuewas awarded China’s National Scholarship in 2007, and the Inaugural Class of STATWunderkind in 2017.

ExperienceEmbraceEmpower

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John is a passionate practitioner and advocate for career planning and development.Currently he is a Global Program Lead at Novartis, and had served as GlobalAnalytics Project Manager and Global Program Team Director in different franchisesand units. Before Novartis, John held positions with increased R&D responsibilitiesfrom Whitehall-Robins, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, and Sanofi-Aventis.Over the years, John has actively volunteered in various professional organizations,served as Chair of Project Management Community in DIA, SAPA President-Electand Career Lead, Chair of Chinese Culture Community, President of NovartisToastmasters Club and Area Director of Toastmasters International at District83. John had presented in various domestic and international symposia on PM anddrug development. John obtained his PhD in pharmaceutics from VirginiaCommonwealth University, MBA from Rutgers University, and BMed from BeijingUniversity of Traditional Chinese Medicine. John is a certified Project ManagementProfessional (PMP) and trained in black-belt for lean six-sigma.

John Sun, PhD, MBA, PMP

Novartis

Global Program Lead

Introspect and inspire

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Catherine Wadhwani

Fox Rothschild, LLP

Partner & Co-ChairImmigration Practice Group

Catherine Wadhwani is co-chair of the Fox Rothschild Immigration practice group and a member ofthe firm's Labor & Employment Department. For more than 25 years, she has focused her practiceexclusively on immigration law, representing clients primarily in the health care, academia,business, technology and manufacturing industries. Catherine advises employers on issues relatedto work status, visa applications, immigration compliance and J-1 waiver applications. She alsocounsels individuals regarding their immigration options. Catherine is active in immigration issuesprofessionally and through volunteer organizations. She is a frequent writer and speaker onimmigration law issues, their evolution and impact on the business, academic and health carecommunities. She is the Chair of the Health Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association,a Member of the Bar’s Immigration Practitioner’s Committee, and a Member of the InternationalMedical Graduates Taskforce. Catherine is a past Chair of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the AmericanImmigration Lawyers Association.

Making the most of each connection

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Li Wan, Ph.D

Alphamab Oncology

VP, Head of Regulatory Affairs

Dr. Li Wan has over fifteen years of industry experience in the clinical development andregulatory affairs for innovative small molecule and biological oncology, CNS and ophthalmicproducts. He is currently the VP, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Alphamab Oncology and Headof Regulatory Affairs Department at SAPA.

Before joining Alphamab Oncology, Dr. Wan was the VP, Head of Global Regulatory Affairs atLuye Pharma Group Ltd. Prior to Luye, he worked in the world-renowned big pharmaceuticalcompanies including Pfizer and Novartis. He has successfully led many global IND/CTA/NDAsubmissions and obtained approvals in the US, EU, and China, etc. He is a well-known expertin global regulatory affairs and has been an invited speaker at many professionalorganizations and conferences.

Dr. Wan holds a doctoral degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Rutgers University and is acertified regulatory affairs professional by the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, USA.

Stay foolishStay hungry

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Siyu (Susie) Wang, Ph.D.

Inzen Therapeutics – FlagshipPioneering Company

ScientistProteomics/Chemical Biology

Susie is currently a proteomics/chemical biology scientist at Inzen therapeutics, early-stagebiotechnology company that was founded by Flagship pioneering and explores ThanokineTM Biologyas a surprising and important driver of disease. Susie serves as Proteomics lead in the foundingresearch team to develop a product platform to interrogate how living cells respond to the informationreleased from dying cells. Prior to join Inzen, Susie was a postdoc fellow at University ofPennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, leading research projects in proteomics and biomarkerresearch. Susie received both B.S. (sum cumma laude) and Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2014and 2018, respectively.

Passionate Pivoter

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Xiaowen Wang, Ph.D.

Merck & Co.

Postdoctoral FellowBiologics Process Development

Xiaowen is currently an MRL (Merck Research Laboratories) Post-Doctorate Fellow in the BiologicsProcess Development group at Merck & Co. Dr. Wang received her Master's degree inPharmaceutical Analysis from Zhejiang University and her Ph.D. degree in Cellular and MolecularPharmacology from Rutgers University. Dr. Wang has a research background in cancer biology andcellular biology. Dr. Wang is a SAPA member and served as a SAPA volunteer since 2018. Dr. Wanghas been elected to SAPA Executive Council member in 2019-2021.

Be your best self

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Jing Zhen, Ph.D

Viela Bio

Sr. ScientistAnalytical Science

Studied pharmaceutical chemistry between 2011 -2016 at Rutgers University. Aftergraduation joined Teva Pharmaceutical and worked in biologics characterization andanalytical method development group in support of manufacturing. Lead the massspectrometry lab and contributed to the regulatory filing of fremanezumab, which wasapproved in 2018. Currently working at Viela Bio, a spinout of AstraZeneca, insupport of analytical technical transfer and analytical activities management of CMO.Having 5 IND and 1 BLA filing experience.

Curiosity Drives

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Yulan Zhang, MS

KMK Consulting Inc.

AssociateHealth Economics & Outcome Research

Yulan is a healthcare consultant specialized in Health Economics & OutcomesResearch and experienced in real-world data analytics. Yulan advises clients onHEOR protocol design and data analysis to evaluate products’ real-world efficacy andsafety and to inform provider and payer strategies. Yulan led analysis for landscapeassessment and outcomes-based contracts to provide evidence and insights for thenegotiation of product tier and contract pricing. Currently, Yulan is conducting drugsafety evaluations related to real world adverse event reporting of newly launcheddrugs. Next she will explore strategies for launching drugs and oncology HEOR.

Yulan holds a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics from Columbia University MailmanSchool of Public Health and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry & Cell Biology andManagement Science from University of California San Diego.

Forward-looking explorer in Pharma

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Organizing CommitteeShuhui ChenXiaodong ChenYvonne ChengChenchao GaoAndy HanYanming (Brian) JiangYining JiangJohn SunXiaowen WangYulan ZhangYiming Zhao

Organizing Committee

Workshop LeadYong Guo

About SAPAThe Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA) was establishedin 1993 and is headquartered in the center of the pharmaceutical corridor in NewJersey, USA. Since its inception, SAPA rapidly became one of the most active Chineseprofessional associations in the US with eight chapters and more than 6,000 members.

SAPA’s members are primarily from large and mid-sized pharmaceutical and biotechcompanies in the US, with areas of expertise covering almost every aspect ofpharmaceutical research and development as well as production.

The organization’s large membership base and their superb scientific and technicalabilities has allowed SAPA to be a key source for knowledge exchange on the latestdevelopments in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and generic drug industries.

As a non-profit organization registered in the US, SAPA receives generous sponsorshipand support from numerous multinational companies in the US and overseas. SAPAwill continue to provide a broad platform for scientific and technical discussion, talentexchange, and training for the colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry from the USand China.

h t t p s : / / s a p a w e b . o r g

SAPA MissionAs a global organization, SAPA’s mission is:• To promote the advancement of pharmaceutical science and biotechnology• To contribute to public health education• To promote entrepreneurship, healthcare investment and business cooperation• To foster the career growth of pharmaceutical professionals

Follow SAPA on: Website: https://sapaweb.org

Information@sapaweb.orgWeibo: http://weibo.com/sapaweb LinkedIn: SAPA-HQTwitter: @SAPA_001WeChat: SAPAFacebook: SapaSapa

Sino-American PharmaceuticalProfessionalsAssociation

Sino-American PharmaceuticalProfessionalsAssociation

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