JOSH CARPENTER

vice PRESIDENT & CHIEF INTEGRATION OFFICER, MOFFITT CANCER CENTER / president, Speros, PASCO COUNTY

Speros is a 775-acre life sciences innovation campus in Pasco County powered by Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center, dedicated to delivering next-generation medicine to prevent and cure cancer. With more than $600 million invested in new construction since 2022, Speros connects Moffitt's researchers and patient base with commercial partners to accelerate cancer breakthroughs.

EDUCATION: University of Alabama at Birmingham (BS), University of Oxford (MS, Ph.D.)

NOTABLE TRENDS: Radiopharmaceuticals are transforming oncology — targeted therapies that diagnose and treat cancer with the same molecule. The convergence of radiopharmaceuticals and immunotherapy is especially promising. Meanwhile, proximity to patients and translational researchers is becoming the critical differentiator for life sciences campuses competing for investment and talent.

NEXT BIG FOCUS: Building Speros into the premier destination for cancer-focused life sciences companies — particularly in radiopharmaceuticals and immunotherapy. Our proximity to Moffitt's patient base and translational researchers is unlike anything else in the country. The next year is about converting that advantage into partnerships, talent and investment.

DAILY RITUAL: The “habit of mind” I try to embody is that if we are not learning, we will be left behind. I carve out weekly blocks of uninterrupted time to read, listen and learn new science and understand the trends shaping our industry.

IN MY DOWNTIME: Poetry. My first job was with Teach For America teaching literature and theater to high schoolers in rural Alabama, and that still shapes how I think and reset.

FOOD FIX: Cappy's Pizza and Toffee To Go ice cream with my family in South Tampa.