Dr. Dinesh Patel is being honored with the Utah Genius Lifetime Achievement Award on May 12, 2009 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Patel is well known among Utah’s entrepreneur and biotech community. A few of his many achievements include:

* Founding managing director of vSpring Capital
* Founder, and former Chairman, President & CEO of Ashni Naturaceuticals, Inc.
* Currently holds 15 US Patents and Foreign Counterparts
* Has been an active angel investor in over 20 biotech and technology companies
* Co-founder and former Chairman of Salus Therapeutics, Inc.
* Co-Founder, and former Chairman of The Board of Directors and President & CEO of TheraTech, Inc., a biotechnology company which he took public and eventually sold for $350 million to Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Patel also serves on a number of non-profit boards, and has received various awards, such as 2006 Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame Inductee, 2006 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, US Small Business Administration’s Business Achiever Award, Scientific and Technology Award (State of Utah), Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Mountain West Venture Group) and Scientific and Technology Development Pioneer of Progress Award.

Dr. Patel is also a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneurs, served as co-chair of Utah Governor Huntsman’s transition team, and is currently on the board of the Utah Policy Partnership (UPP). Recently Dr. Patel was appointed Chairman of the USTAR Governing Authority board.

You can learn more about UTAH GENIUS at www.utahgenius.com.