Cambridge, MA – MassBio, the state membership association for the biopharma industry, has announced that its Legislator of the Year Award will now honor the late Ann-Margaret Ferrante, longtime Gloucester state representative and co-chair of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Caucus. The recognition, presented annually at MassBio’s Policy Leadership Breakfast for nearly 15 years, is given to a member of the state legislature for their leadership and advocacy in support of the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem. Representative Ferrante, a recipient of the 2022 award, was a fierce advocate for the life sciences and a champion of policies that promoted innovation and patient access to life-saving medicines in the Commonwealth.
According to Ferrante, one of her proudest achievements was the creation of the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) and Gloucester Biotechnology Academy. She played a pivotal role in securing critical funding in 2015, which led to its launch. She was delighted that cutting-edge fisheries and life sciences research were being conducted on Cape Ann and that students from Cape Ann were being trained for careers in the field.
Ferrante passed away on November 27, 2025, after a long journey with pancreatic cancer. The MassBio 2025 Ann-Margaret Ferrante Legislator of the Year Award will be presented at MassBio’s Policy Leadership Breakfast on January 28, 2026, at the UMass Club.
“Being an effective legislator requires more than a strong belief system, as bringing about real change demands the ability to establish working relationships and to build coalitions united behind a common goal — skills that Ann-Margaret Ferrante embodied as much as anyone,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “As we continue to mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, I want to thank the folks at MassBio for honoring Ann-Margaret’s legacy as a legislator who was able to, time and time again, deliver results for her constituents and cultivate economic growth by working with folks from across the Commonwealth. The fact that this award now carries her name will undoubtedly mean a great deal to those who receive it.”
“Ann-Margaret Ferrante understood something fundamental: that the work we do in the life sciences isn’t just about innovation or economic growth—it’s about people. As a legislator, she championed policies that strengthened Massachusetts’ biotech ecosystem. As a patient, she fought with grace and determination for access to the treatments that could extend and improve lives. And she never separated those two roles,” said MassBio CEO and President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell. “Ann-Margaret saw the direct line between the research happening in our labs and the hope it brings to patients and families facing their toughest moments. Renaming our Legislator of the Year Award in her honor ensures that her legacy of passionate, patient-centered advocacy will continue to inspire the leaders who follow in her footsteps.”
“My daughter knew firsthand the life-saving potential of the innovations that come from the life sciences industry, and she believed deeply in the people and research behind that work. Naming this award in her honor means more to our family than words can express,” said Frances Ferrante, Ann-Margaret’s mother. “I am deeply grateful to MassBio for remembering Ann-Margaret in this way, and for the kindness and support that has been shown to our family during this incredibly difficult time.”
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About Ann-Margaret Ferrante (from her obituary)
Ann-Margaret was a lifelong resident of Gloucester who devoted her life to serving her community. She was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2008, and during her tenure served on a number of committees, eventually chairing the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses, and serving as the vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, the highest-ranking committee in the House of Representatives.
Throughout her legislative career, Ann-Margaret worked to ensure that Cape Ann always had a seat at the table in legislative matters. She was focused on her fishermen, jobs and economic development, and helping those in need. Ann-Margaret’s connection to the fishing industry through her father led her to be a lifelong advocate for the fishermen. She led the charge to end abusive practices taken by the federal government against fishermen and never stopped proposing and passing policies to support the fishing industry and the working waterfront.
Her mother’s job as a school librarian instilled a lifelong love of reading in Ann-Margaret. This love resulted in her paying for books to be distributed by the First R Foundation, bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Cape Ann’s children, and passing a law that would make a statewide Imagination Library possible.
About MassBio
MassBio is the driving force behind Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem, supporting innovation and industry growth by offering best-in-class resources to over 1,700 member organizations at all stages of the biopharma lifecycle. Founded in 1985, MassBio aspires to extend Massachusetts’ impact as the global center of excellence in biomedical breakthroughs. Through strategic cost-saving initiatives, robust business partnerships, educational and networking opportunities, and proactive advocacy, MassBio empowers its members to launch the next generation of medical advancements to deliver the cures and therapies that enhance patient lives.
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