Honoring the Momentum-Makers: 2025 Wisconsin Biohealth Awards Spotlight Scientific and Business Leaders
BioForward Wisconsin is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Wisconsin Biohealth Awards, which recognize extraordinary scientific discovery and visionary business leadership within the state’s thriving biohealth sector. Since 2015, these prestigious awards have honored individuals and organizations demonstrating exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact.
The Hector F. DeLuca Scientific Achievement Award celebrates transformative scientific contributions that advance biohealth and revolutionize healthcare, while the Wisconsin Biohealth Business Achievement Award highlights companies and leaders whose success, growth, and entrepreneurial spirit are accelerating economic development across the state. Presented annually at the Wisconsin Biohealth Summit, these awards spotlight the people and innovations shaping the future of healthcare in Wisconsin and beyond.
HECTOR F. DELUCA SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Dr. James E. Dahlberg – Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. James E. Dahlberg is recognized for a career that spans groundbreaking scientific research, biotech entrepreneurship, and visionary leadership. As Professor Emeritus of Biomolecular Chemistry at the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Dahlberg's curiosity-driven research led to the discovery of a novel enzyme activity that became the foundation for more accurate and sensitive genetic diagnostics.
In 1993, he co-founded Third Wave Technologies, which licensed patents from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to develop DNA-based diagnostic tools—including a transformative test that identifies high-risk strains of HPV associated with cervical cancer. The company's success culminated in its acquisition by Hologic for $580 million. Dr. Dahlberg’s innovations also helped enable Cologuard®, the at-home colon cancer test developed by Exact Sciences.
Through scientific rigor and entrepreneurial vision, Dr. Dahlberg has made lasting contributions to global healthcare while helping shape Wisconsin’s biohealth innovation economy.
WISCONSIN BIOHEALTH BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Dr. Scott Rathgaber – CEO, Emplify Health
Dr. Scott W. Rathgaber is honored for his forward-thinking leadership and enduring commitment to improving regional healthcare delivery. As CEO of Emplify Health—a health system formed from the 2022 merger of Gundersen Health System and Bellin Health—Dr. Rathgaber oversees a 15,000-person organization serving communities across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Upper Michigan, and Iowa.
A board-certified gastroenterologist, Dr. Rathgaber began his career at Gundersen in 1998 and steadily advanced through clinical and executive roles, including CEO of Gundersen Health System from 2015 to 2022. Under his leadership, Emplify Health has emerged as a model of value-driven care, emphasizing quality, access, and community well-being.
Dr. Rathgaber’s blend of clinical expertise and strategic leadership has redefined how integrated health systems can grow and evolve while remaining mission centered.
Lisa Johnson, CEO of BioForward Wisconsin, shared her enthusiasm for this year’s award recipients:
“Dr. Dahlberg exemplifies the spirit of the Hector F. DeLuca Scientific Achievement Award. His research has enabled diagnostic breakthroughs that continue to save lives and shape the global healthcare landscape. Similarly, Dr. Rathgaber’s leadership at Emplify Health demonstrates the bold, values-driven business innovation that defines Wisconsin’s biohealth community. Both honorees are proof of what’s possible when science and strategy come together with purpose.”
The 2025 Wisconsin Biohealth Awards will be presented during the Wisconsin Biohealth Summit, held October 14–15, 2025, at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin. This year’s theme— “Wisconsin Biohealth Momentum: Accelerating Discovery, Driving Impact”—celebrates the energy and innovation shaping Wisconsin’s position as a global biohealth leader.
Now a full two-day event, the Summit brings together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and health leaders to explore how Wisconsin’s thriving ecosystem is shaping the future of healthcare—locally and globally. New in 2025: expanded programming, an improved mobile app via EventMobi to foster connections, and a staggered Day 2 schedule that maximizes 1-on-1 partnering opportunities.
Attendees will engage in forward-looking sessions on:
• Breakthroughs in Personalized Medicine
• Using AI to Drive Efficiency in the Lab
• Trends in Biohealth Venture Investment and Wisconsin’s Startup Ecosystem
• Wisconsin’s strength in probiotics manufacturing & testing that impact global challenges and save lives
• Progress Reports from the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub
• Workforce Trends and the Tech Hub Workforce Project’s Talent Strategy
From impactful research to industry-wide collaboration, this year’s Summit captures the momentum driving Wisconsin’s biohealth future.
🔗 To learn more or register, visit: https://reg.eventmobi.com/wisconsin-biohealth-summit-2025
About BioForward
BioForward Wisconsin represents more than 250 member organizations across an integrated network of health solution leaders, including research institutions, biotech and biopharma, digital health, healthcare systems, medical devices, and diagnostics. It is an action-oriented association that focuses on initiatives to strengthen the state’s biohealth industry. Learn more about BioForward Wisconsin at www.bioforward.org.
Media Contact:
Rissa Guffey (she/her)
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
rguffey@bioforward.org
(608) 236-4693
