PITTSBURGH, Pa, and NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The PGA TOUR and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. ("Astellas"), a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo: 4503), today will feature acclaimed researcher and author Dr. Helen Fisher at the Astellas Presents Executive Women's Day, a day-long forum focusing on professional, health-related and personal development discussions, at the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship.

"I'm honored to participate as a keynote speaker at the PGA TOUR's Executive Women's Day and have an opportunity to share my scientific findings on the Female Mind and how it's changing the business world," said Dr. Fisher, a biological anthropologist. "This new initiative is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the quality and quantity of successful female businesswomen in the local communities the TOUR visits."

Today's invite-only Executive Women's Day event also offers a breakfast panel, topic-specific breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Featured speakers include:

• Keynote Speaker Dr. Helen Fisher: A research professor at Rutgers University, Fisher has authored several books on gender, sexuality and relationships. She also serves as the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Internet dating site, Chemistry.com, a division of Match.com. Her keynote address is entitled, "The Female Mind: The Natural Talents of Women and How They are Changing the Business World."
• Panel Moderator Sally Wiggin: Wiggin is an anchor for WTAE Channel 4 Action News and co-host of "Black and Gold Primetime." In 2008, she was selected Best Female Newscaster by the readers of Pittsburgh Magazine, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh Radio & TV Foundation and the Humanitarian of the Year award for United Cerebral Palsy in 2003.
• Panel Speaker Melissa Murphy: Murphy is a Consultant in Branding Strategy & Communications. Most recently she served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources at StarKist Co. Murphy is a board member at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium and is actively involved with Strong Women, Strong Girls.  
• Panel Speaker Maris Ann Bondi, MPH, MHS: Bondi is a senior manager for the Marketing and Communications Department at UPMC Health Plan. She coordinates several charitable programs for UPMC Health Plan, including the company's United Way, Scouting for Food and March of Dimes programs.
• Panel Speaker Jennifer Lowry: Lowry is a Senior Vice President at GenCo Strategy where she is responsible for the thought leadership, project management and key strategic issues facing the company.
• Panel Speaker Dr. Linda Lane: Lane is Superintendent for Pittsburgh Public Schools. She was the first African-American woman to be named permanent Superintendent, after initially serving as Deputy Superintendent, beginning in 2006. During her tenure as Deputy Superintendent, the District achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for the first time in its history. In 2010, Lane received the Woman of Excellence award from The New Pittsburgh Courier, and the 2006 President's Award for Community Improvement.

Today's event is a component of the PGA TOUR's Women's Initiative, sponsored by Astellas and designed to provide women with information that promotes their overall well-being. Astellas and the PGA TOUR are working together to inform women about important health and wellness issues, encourage discussion on those topics and create opportunities to talk and learn about them.

"Astellas is thrilled to engage women in a meaningful and productive way through today's event," said Pamela Buford, Director, Consumer Marketing at Astellas. "We are committed to creating opportunities like these across the country that empower women to 'tee up the conversation' about health and wellness and are proud to be working with the PGA TOUR to help women obtain valuable information and contribute to the local community."

For more information, visit www.teeuptheconversation.com.     

About Astellas 

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., located in Northbrook, Illinois, is a U.S. affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. The organization is committed to becoming a global category leader in focused areas by combining outstanding R&D and marketing capabilities. For more information about Astellas Pharma US, Inc., please visit our website at www.astellas.us.

The Astellas culture and brand is committed to building community, helping others, encouraging integrity and inspiring people to make a difference, today, tomorrow and every day.

About PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and PGA TOUR Canada.

The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.

Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 945 million households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $130 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion.

The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma US, Inc.