UB professor Norma Nowak to receive Sponsors Award from Amherst Chamber of Commerce

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Each May, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce recognizes individuals and companies that support Western New York through their business and community service.

This year, the chamber honored Norma Nowak, executive director of the University at Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, with its Sponsors Award.

Nowak, PhD, is a professor of biochemistry at UB and founder and chief scientific officer of Empire Genomics LLC, a molecular diagnostics company focused on enabling personalized medicine.

The award is given to a business on behalf of the chamber’s sponsor, First Niagara Bank, which chose Nowak and Empire Genomics for their outstanding contributions to the region.

Nowak received the award today at the chamber’s Small Business Awards Luncheon and Showcase at Samuels Grande Manor, 8750 Main St., Williamsville.

Empire Genomics offers a wide range of best-in-class products and services that are used to detect genomic changes. The organization is a global leader in the field of personalized medicine and helps clinicians, drug developers and researchers answer key questions in disease diagnosis, prognosis, and selection of ideal disease therapy.

This year’s honorees represent the multifaceted small business community ranging from a 50-year old family-owned insurance company to a two-year-old mobile application software startup.