Speakers and Panelists

June 3, 2020: THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE: INNOVATION, CHANGE, & URGENCY

SARA JANE DEMY established Demy-Colton in 2008 to develop high value-added events and help reposition existing events in the life sciences industry.
She has taken her formidable experience and expertise to craft effective investor and CEO events that further business objectives. Her impressive background in supporting biotech’s growth includes being the founder of Biotech Showcase and the Biotech CEO Summits that are held in Napa and Europe. In addition, Sara was Vice President, Business Development & Investor Relations, and Head of the New York Office for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Sara understood the problems facing biotech companies and developed solutions to help advance the sector. She launched and developed the BIO CEO & Investor Conference, BIO Investor Forum, BIO’s regional venture conferences, CEO boot-camps, the Business Forum at BIO’s Annual Meeting, BioEurope, BioEurope Spring, and BIO Asia. Sara also built the prototype for “the partnering system,” which is used throughout the biopharmaceutical sector today.
JEREMY ABBATE is the VP & Publisher of Scientific American and its related titles. He is responsible for developing and executing new media programs, brand extensions and collaborative ventures serving the international opinion leadership that turns to Scientific American for the best views of the future.
He appears regularly at conferences and events to facilitate high-level discussions on healthcare, innovative science and technology. He has spearheaded co-branded partnerships with several international organizations including TEDMED, CES, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Carter Center. Working to bring important scientific ideas into a dynamic media environment, he has led projects serving some of the world’s largest corporate organizations, including Colgate Palmolive, Johnson& Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Amgen, BMS and others.
His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Psychology Today and other national publications. Abbate penned the forward to the popular medical travel guide, Patients Beyond Borders. He serves on several advisory committees in the life science and healthcare space.
RALPH SNYDERMAN, MD, Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University from 1989 to July 2004 led the transition of an excellent medical center into an internationally recognized leader of academic medicine. He oversaw the development of the Duke University Health System, one of the most successful integrated academic health systems in the country, and served as its first President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Snyderman has played a leading role in the conception and development of personalized health care, an evolving model of national health care delivery. He was among the first to describe personalized health care -- a personalized, proactive, patient-driven approach to care that is recognized as a dominant force to improve health and minimize the burdens of disease. The Association of American Medical Colleges has referred to Dr. Snyderman as the “father of personalized medicine.” He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and is the recipient of numerous scientific and leadership awards.

JUNE 17, 2020: DRUGGING THE UNDRUGGABLE: THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

DR. ROBERT J SCHNEIDER is a leading biomedical investigator and has been a biotech entrepreneur for more than 30 years. He combines innovative biomedical scientific research with disruptive models of business development to pioneer new therapies in for the benefit of patients. Dr. Schneider is a co-founding scientist of six biotechnology/small pharmaceutical companies: ImClone Systems (New York); PTC Therapeutics (New Jersey); Canji (San Diego); GenCell (Paris); Charterhouse Pharmaceuticals (London); and ENB Therapeutics (New York). Dr. Schneider is the Albert Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis and for seven years until 1/2020, the Associate Dean for NYU Technology Ventures and Partnerships (TVP) at NYU Langone Health/NYU School of Medicine. He oversaw the integration and transformation of NYU technology transfer that launched over 100 startup companies during that time. Dr. Schneider is a research scientist and maintains a productive lab performing basic and translational research on metastatic breast cancer, regulation of the immune response, and regulation of adult tissue stem cells for tissue regeneration. He is the author of more than 180 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and has been continuously funded by the NIH for more than 30 years.

DR. ABRAHAM HEIFETS is CEO and Co-Founder of Atomwise, where he and Co-Founder Dr. Izhar Wallach invented the use of deep convolutional neural networks for drug discovery. Dr. Heifets was a Massey Fellow at the University of Toronto—a center for AI innovation—and a Fellow of the Ontario Brain Institute. His doctoral work applied machine learning and classical AI techniques to organic synthesis planning, a long-standing challenge in chemistry. His vision of AI bringing better, safer and more potent drugs to patients was recently featured in the July 2019 Moonshot issue of Newsweek. Dr. Heifets is a thought-leader on the use of AI for drug discovery and is an author on 24 papers, patents and patent applications. Dr. Heifets has presented his work to the U.S. GAO, the National Institutes of Health, the American Chemical Society, and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
MARIAN NAKADA PhD, VP Venture Investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, has almost 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, starting her career at the laboratory bench at Centocor and moving to a research leadership role before Centocor’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 1999. She transitioned to Janssen Business Development where she executed deals to support the expansion of the Biologics portfolio. She joined JJDC, Johnson & Johnson’s corporate venture group in 2013. She is passionate about leveraging Johnson & Johnson’s capabilities to help her portfolio companies succeed. Marian has a BA in Biology from Harvard College and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently on the Boards of Navitor Pharmaceuticals, Twenty-eight Seven Therapeutics, Ribon Therapeutics, Artizan Biosciences as well as the New England Venture Capital Association where she is working to champion change as an active contributor to its Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
NOAM SOLOMON is the CEO and Co-Founder at immunai, the first and only company to map the entire immune system for better detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Leveraging single-cell technologies and machine learning algorithms, immunai has mapped out thousands of immune cells and their functions, building the largest proprietary data set in the world for clinical immunological data. Prior to co-founding immunai, Noam had a dual career in both the industry and academia. Noam is a double PhD, and served as a post-doctoral researcher in the Mathematics department at MIT, and in the center of mathematical sciences and applications at Harvard University. In his research, he developed and applied tools from algebra and Algebraic Geometry in the study of classical problems in combinatorics. Noam also worked as an algorithms developer in the Israeli defense forces and subsequently as a data scientist, consultant and head of data science in several hi-tech companies in Israel.
ALICE ZHANG is the CEO and Co-Founder of Verge Genomics. Alice has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Featured Honoree, MIT Technology Review’s Innovator Under 35, and SF Business Times’ 40 Under 40. Prior to Verge, she spent seven years at the forefront of systems biology research at the National Cancer Institute, the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, and UCLA. She spent five years in the UCLA-Caltech MD/PhD program, where she helped author several papers on gene networks involved in neuroregeneration. Alice received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in Molecular Biology and was a recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. In her spare time, Alice also is an angel investor and advisor for startups at the intersection of technology and biology.

JULY 1, 2020: ALZHEIMER'S: LIKE A TSUNAMI, BY THE TIME YOU SEE IT, IT IS TOO LATE

PHYLLIS BARKMAN-FERRELL is the Global Head of External Engagement for Alzheimer’s disease and Neurodegeneration at Eli Lilly & Company, where she previously served as the leader of the Global Alzheimer’s disease development team. Ferrell’s most recent prior position was Vice President of the Chief Commercial Services Officer for Eli Lilly and Company.
Ferrell has been with Lilly for more than 25 years and has held many leadership roles throughout the organization. She has led efforts in medical affairs, medical development, commercial capabilities, sales, marketing, recruiting, business development, strategy, transformation, Six Sigma, and corporate financial planning.
Ferrell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and management with minors in computational mathematics and Asian studies from DePauw University. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with Magna Cum Laude honors in 1994. She received an MBA in general management and a certificate in public management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2001 and graduated with both Arjay Miller Scholar honors and as the Arbuckle Award recipient.
DR. MYLEA CHARVAT became interested in the brain at age 13 when her grandmother began to suffer cognitive problems. A clinician with a business background, she was an early employee with Travelocity in the 1990s and went on to train as a clinical neuropsychologist and neuroscientist and in 2015 founded Savonix. At Savonix, Mylea drives strategy to address dementia globally with business and clinical leaders and works as a domain expert in digital cognitive assessment with partners from Boston University to Fortune 50 CEOs seeking to detect and prevent cognitive decline and dementias.
Mylea has authored several peer review publications in mental health and neuroimaging. She completed her fellowship in clinical neuroscience at Stanford and has been a lecturer at Stanford, The University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. She is a contributor for Psychology Today, has written for Tech Crunch and Huffington Post and appeared as a subject matter expert at many conferences including MedTech Showcase, The Atlantic Council, the NIH and NIA and with the Duke Leadership Program.
Mylea is committed to advancing the integration of cognitive health data into mainstream healthcare. The inspiration for Savonix came when her husband was severely injured in an accident and she experienced, first-hand, the difficulty in attaining vital health data needed to achieve recovery – including cognitive screening. She realized that if access was difficult for her with all her connections, that it must be virtually nonexistent for most people. She got to know the spouses and parents of other patients. What she learned in these conversations was a wake-up call. With a blossoming career ahead of her in academic medicine, Dr. Charvat left over a decade of work and a prestigious career path toward professorship to found Savonix.
HOWARD FILLIT, MD, Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, is an internationally recognized geriatrician, neuroscientist, expert in Alzheimer's disease and an innovative philanthropy executive.The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to rapidly accelerate the discovery and development of drugs to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Fillit has had a distinguished academic medicine career and is currently a clinical professor of geriatric medicine and palliative care, medicine and neurosciences at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Throughout his career, Dr. Fillit has maintained a limited private practice in consultative geriatric medicine with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Fillit has received numerous awards and honors including the Rita Hayworth Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, and has authored or co-authored more than 350 scientific and clinical publications.
PROFESSOR RITCHIE is a world-leading authority on dementia and has been a senior investigator on more than 30 drug trials of both disease-modifying and symptomatic agents for the condition. Professor Ritchie is leading the PREVENT project to identify mid-life risks for dementia, and the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia (EPAD) consortium, to understand early aspects of Alzheimer’s disease before dementia develops.
Professor Ritchie has extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, having sat on advisory boards of numerous pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and clinical research organizations, all with an interest in developing drugs and clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Ritchie is the Chair of the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium, Professor of the Psychiatry of Ageing and Director of the Centre for Dementia Prevention at the University of Edinburgh, Director of Brain Health Scotland, Associate Director of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and Co Coordinator at IMI-EPAD.

JULY 29, 2020: IN VIVO GENE THERAPY: PERSONALIZING THE ULTRA-RARE AND SCALING-UP FOR CHRONIC DISEASE

MICHAEL C RICE, MS, MBA Mike leads Cello Health BioConsulting’s Gene and Cell Therapeutics and Rare Diseases practices. He also co-heads the oncology practice focusing on hematologic malignancies and genetically defined cancers. Prior to Cello Health BioConsulting, Mike gained over a decade of experience creating new biotech ventures from academic inventions pertaining to nucleic acids and cellular platforms applied across monogenetic diseases and oncology. Industry positions involved translational research, strategic planning, technology transfer, finance and business development.
Mike holds an MBA, with a concentration in Biotechnology from the Alfred Lerner School of Business and Economics, at the University of Delaware, an MS in Molecular Pharmacology from Thomas Jefferson University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Delaware. Mike studied the molecular basis of cancer at the Kimmel Cancer Institute and is recognized for his extensive intellectual property and publication portfolio pertaining to cancer genetics, recombinational DNA repair, gene therapy, diagnostics, and agricultural trait improvement.
Mike is a member of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the Licensing Executives Society (LES), and the American Heart Association (AHA).
FARAZ ALI has been the Chief Executive Officer at Tenaya Therapeutics since 2018. Tenaya has a mission to discover, develop, and deliver curative therapies that target the underlying causes of heart disease, and that advance innovative science derived from three multi-modality product platforms: Regeneration, Gene Therapy, and Precision Medicine. Mr. Ali was previously Chief Business Officer at REGENXBIO, a leading in vivo AAV gene therapy company. Prior to that, he was a Vice President at bluebird bio, a leading ex vivo LVV gene therapy company. Mr. Ali also had roles of increasing global commercial leadership at Genzyme Corporation, where he helped launch multiple first-in-class enzyme replacement therapies for rare (orphan) diseases. He started his career at General Electric, including technical roles at GE Healthcare and business assignments at GE Corporate. Mr. Ali received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BS from Stanford University. He is the proud father of three little girls – including identical twins – who teach him more about nature vs nurture than can be gained from any biology textbook.
GEOFF MCDONOUGH, MD is the president and CEO of Generation Bio, which is developing a new class of gene therapy – redosable, titratable, and manufacturable at scale, with the potential for wide therapeutic reach in both rare and prevalent indications. Geoff formerly served as president and chief executive officer of Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) from 2011– 2017. Prior to Sobi, he held a variety of senior roles at Genzyme Corporation, including president of Genzyme Europe and senior vice president and general manager of the global lysosomal storage disease business. Geoff has a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating summa cum laude in both. He obtained his doctor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and completed his residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital.
SAPAN SHAH, PhD joined StrideBio as Chief Executive Officer in January 2019, and has led efforts to expand the company’s scientific platform, operations, and external partnerships to support an innovative pipeline of engineered adeno-associated virus vectors and gene therapy products targeting rare disorders. Dr. Shah has spent the past 20 years as an advisor, entrepreneur, founder and chief executive working with innovative companies advancing novel therapeutics for areas of unmet medical need. Prior roles have included CEO of ARMGO Pharma, CEO of Shionogi Inc., Co-founder and Chairman of Ezose Sciences, Founder and CEO of Novatherx, Entrepreneur in Residence at Yale University and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company. Dr. Shah holds a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and BA degrees in Mathematics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology from the Integrated Science Program at Northwestern University.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020: LESSONS FROM BERGAMO: DISCOVERIES IN TREATING CRITICALLY-ILL COVID-19 PATIENTS

SARA JANE DEMY established Demy-Colton in 2008 to develop high value-added events and help reposition existing events in the life sciences industry.
She has taken her formidable experience and expertise to craft effective investor and CEO events that further business objectives. Her impressive background in supporting biotech’s growth includes being the founder of Biotech Showcase and the Biotech CEO Summits that are held in Napa and Europe. In addition, Sara was Vice President, Business Development & Investor Relations, and Head of the New York Office for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Sara understood the problems facing biotech companies and developed solutions to help advance the sector. She launched and developed the BIO CEO & Investor Conference, BIO Investor Forum, BIO’s regional venture conferences, CEO boot-camps, the Business Forum at BIO’s Annual Meeting, BioEurope, BioEurope Spring, and BIO Asia. Sara also built the prototype for “the partnering system,” which is used throughout the biopharmaceutical sector today.
JEFFREY C LAURENCE, MD is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College, Attending Physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Director of the Laboratory for AIDS Virus Research at those institutions. He is the Senior Scientist for Programs at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, co-founded by Dr. Mathilde Krim and Dame Elizabeth Taylor. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Translational Research (the J of Lab and Clinical Medicine), now in its 105th year, and AIDS Patient Care and STDs, now in its 34th year. His current research focuses on mechanisms of HIV and HIV-treatment-associated cardiovascular and renal disease, and the thrombotic microangiopathies associated with complement activation and microvascular endothelial cell injury in HIV and other disorders including, most recently, COVID-19.
Dr. Laurence received his BA summa cum laude from Columbia University in 1972, and his MD with honors from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 1976. He was elected a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford University in 1973, and was a Henry Luce Scholar at the Institute for Cancer Research in Osaka, Japan from 1974-1975. He completed a residency in internal medicine, followed by fellowships in hematology and oncology at The New York Hospital, and a research fellowship in immunology at The Rockefeller University, where he first became involved in AIDS.
Dr. Laurence is a recipient of the Clinician-Scientist Award of the American Heart Association, the William S. Paley Fellowship in Academic Medicine, and an “Award of Vision” from the Red Ribbon AIDS Foundation. He is an elected Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He was featured prominently in the oral history “AIDS Doctors: Voices from the Epidemic” (Bayer and Oppenheimer, Oxford University Press, 2000) and in a documentary film, “The Battle of amfAR,” describing the early days of AIDS, which premiered at Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival (2013), was presented at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival, and shown on HBO. Dr. Laurence has three children, Auden, Galen, and Luca, and lives in Greenwich, CT.
MIGUEL-ANGEL PERALES, MD is the Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, as well as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy, and serves as Chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Transplantation and Cell Based Therapies Committee, and as a current member of the Board of Directors of Be The Match (National Marrow Donor Program - NMDP). From 2017 to 2020, he served as Secretary and member of the executive committee of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT, former ASBMT). He also holds leadership positions and has been extensively involved in activities of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) and Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN). Dr. Perales has over 200 publications including peer-reviewed articles, position papers, guidelines, book chapters, editorials and invited reviews, and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international meetings over the past twenty years. Dr. Perales received his MD from the Free University of Brussels, and completed postdoctoral training at the Tufts Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
ALESSANDRO RAMBALDI, MD began his career at the Bergamo Hospital as a Medical Assistant in Hematology, in 1996, before moving to the position of Medical Director and Head of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Since 2004, he has been the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program of the Bergamo Hospital. He is also Director of the Hematology Unit and the Department of Oncology and Hematology. He is also professor of hematology at the State University of Milan.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020: FUTURESCAPING OF ONCOLOGY

JEFFREY BOCKMAN is EVP, Oncology Practice Head at Cello Health BioConsulting (Previously Defined Health). Jeff has extensive commercial and strategic perspective on the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. He has directed hundreds of in-depth licensing opportunity, valuation and strategy assessments during his tenure at DH.
He often speaks at conferences on scientific and commercial issues in cancer, especially immuno-oncology. For example, Jeff recently chaired one of the main IO panels at BIO 2019.
He was a Senior Research Scientist developing oligonucleotide therapeutics for viral diseases and cancer at Innovir Laboratories in collaboration with Sidney Altman at Yale. Prior to this, Jeff was Assistant Research Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine. He received a BA from University of California at San Diego, a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley on prions in collaboration with Stan Prusiner at UCSF, and an MA in Creative Writing from New York University.
Jeff is a member of the Licensing Executives Society (LES), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS).
Jeff is on the advisory boards of ABL Bio, a Korean-based biologics platform company, and the Swiss-based immunotherapy company ImmunOS.
JAKE BECRAFT is a synthetic biologist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics, and serves on its Board of Directors. Together with colleagues at MIT’s renowned Synthetic Biology Center, he led the development of the world’s first synthetic biology programming language for mRNA. Jake has been featured in Fierce Biotech, Bloomberg, the Boston Business Journal, and BioCentury, among others, for his vision and mission at Strand of applying this unique platform for real world disease applications. He has also been the recipient of prestigious national and international awards for his scientific and entrepreneurial achievements, including the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Award, the Andrew Viterbi Fellowship of MIT, Amgen Fellowship, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb 2018 Golden Ticket for recognition of Strand as an innovative startup. Beyond his work at Strand, Jake’s broader interests span synthetic biology, biologically engineered organism-machine interfaces, and the intersection of tech and biotech methodologies. He is an advocate among the life science entrepreneurial ecosystem for supporting young founders in biotech entrepreneurship. Currently, he serves on the advisory board of Starlight Ventures, an early stage venture firm, and also serves on the Executive Board of Public Health United, a non-profit focused on helping scientists better communicate their research for maximum impact. Previously, he served as a Science and Technology advisor to legislators in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Jake received his PhD in Biological Engineering and Synthetic Biology from MIT and his BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating Magna cum Laude with distinction. He is an author or inventor on numerous high profile publications, patents and white papers, including in top tier journals such as Nature Chemical Biology and PNAS.
JENNIFER C PETTER, PhD is the Founder and CSO of Arrakis Therapeutics. Previously she was Vice President of Chemistry at Celgene, Vice President of Drug Discovery at Avila Therapeutics, Vice President of Research at Mersana Therapeutics, Director of Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Biogen, Section Head in Oncology Chemistry at Sandoz/Novartis, and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Petter graduated from Dartmouth College with an AB in chemistry, earned her PhD in organic chemistry at Duke University with Ned Porter, and was a post-doctoral fellow in Ron Breslow’s group at Columbia University. She has ushered multiple compounds into the clinic for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and sepsis.
ARTHUR T SANDS, MD, PhD, has served as the Chief Executive Officer at Nurix and a member of the company’s board of directors since September 2014. Prior to joining Nurix, Dr. Sands was the co-founder and served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the board of directors of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on target validation and pharmaceutical development, from 1995 to July 2014. Before founding Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Sands was an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Sands holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an MD and a PhD in Cell Biology from Baylor College of Medicine.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MIKE GAITO, GLOBAL HEAD OF HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT BANKING, JP MORGAN

DENNIS PURCELL is the original Founder of Aisling Capital LLC. Previously, he served as the Senior Managing Partner. Prior to Aisling Capital, Mr. Purcell served as Managing Director of the Life Sciences Investment Banking Group at Chase H&Q (formerly Hambrecht & Quist, “H&Q”). While at H&Q, he was directly involved with over two hundred completed transactions and supervised over $10 billion of financing and advisory assignments in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical products industries.
Mr. Purcell is a frequent commentator on the industry and has been honored in the “Biotech Hall of Fame” by Genetic Engineering News, named to the Biotechnology All-Stars list by Forbes ASAP, honored as one of the top 50 Irish-American businessmen and cited as one of the top 100 contributors to the biotechnology industry.
In the past, Mr. Purcell has served on numerous private and public healthcare company boards. He currently sits on the Boards of Real Endpoints, Summus Global, Inc., BioScience Managers Pty Ltd., and Ichnos Sciences. He sits on the Editorial Advisory Board at Life Science Leader Magazine; Member of the Board at NYBIO Association; Board Member at The University of Delaware Investment Visiting Committee as well as a member of the Biopharmaceutical Innovation Board at the University of Delaware.
Mr. Purcell received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BS in Accounting from the University of Delaware.
MICHAEL GAITO is the Global Head of J.P. Morgan's Healthcare Investment Banking Group. Over the course of his 24 years with the firm, Mr. Gaito has advised clients on transactions representing over $95 billion, primarily involving strategic advisory and financing assignments for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. He has advised on some of the largest transactions in the history of the biotechnology industry, including advising Pharmacyclics on its $21 billion sale to AbbVie, and Medivation on its defense and ultimate $14 billion sale to Pfizer. Mr. Gaito originally joined J.P. Morgan as part of Hambrecht & Quist's Healthcare Investment Banking Group, working in the New York office. He received his undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University, and his Masters of Business Administration from Columbia University, and currently resides in San Francisco with his wife, two daughters and their dog.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020: WOMEN'S HEALTH MOVES MAINSTREAM - RAPID GROWTH MEETS UNDERSERVED MARKET

CHRISTINA JENKINS, MD is a venture investor and strategic advisor with expertise spanning clinical medicine, venture capital, health systems, and managed care organizations. Her knowledge of healthcare providers, payers, and consumers enables successful innovation, growth, and improved outcomes.
As a Venture Partner for Portfolia’s FemTech and Active Aging and Longevity Funds, Dr. Jenkins invests in early-stage companies targeting women’s health, or that seek to leverage women’s role as primary health decision maker and caregiver.
She also serves as Executive Advisor for Lucania Partners, working alongside healthcare leaders to implement growth and redesign strategies in alignment with consumer and population needs. Previously, Dr. Jenkins was the founding CEO of OneCity Health Services, a subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), built to establish value-based payment capabilities for 1M lives. There, she scaled new integrated care models and technology platforms across 200 hospital and community-based organizations.
Dr. Jenkins is a Board Director for Independence Health Group (parent of Independence Blue Cross), a member of Springboard’s Women’s Health Executive Committee, a Board Observer for Madorra, and an advisor to value-generating healthcare companies including Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Elektra, Incredible Health, Babyscripts, and Wellth.
PATRICK JORDAN is CEO of Mycovia Pharmaceuticals and Partner at NovaQuest Capital Management. Mycovia is advancing a novel oral therapy for the treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, which affects 138 million women with significant physical, emotional, and financial consequence. Owing to Mycovia’s progress in addressing a major global health concern, Mr. Jordan was named 2020 CEO of the Year by Triangle Business Journal.
At NovaQuest, Mr. Jordan brings more than 25 years of healthcare leadership in corporate development, operations, and provider services to structure financing solutions for the biopharmaceutical industry.
Previously Mr. Jordan held numerous leadership positions at IQVIA, from data solutions to operations management. An original member of NovaQuest at its founding at Quintiles, Mr. Jordan led the group’s investment partnership strategy in Europe.
Mr. Jordan earned a BA from Duke University; an MA from the University of Durham, UK; and an MBA from Duke University.
KATE RYDER is the founder and CEO of Maven, the leading women’s and family digital health company. Maven offers virtual care and services across fertility, maternity, and pediatrics, and operates the largest women's and family health telehealth network. With Maven, employers and health plans can see improved maternal outcomes, lower costs, and attract and retain more parents in the workforce. Kate founded Maven in 2014, reimagining healthcare for women and families from the ground up after seeing first hand how the lack of access to care impacted those starting a family and returning to work as new parents.
Prior to founding Maven, Kate worked in venture capital and as a journalist, writing for the Economist from Southeast Asia, New York and London and for the New Yorker. In 2009, she worked with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, helping him write his memoirs about the financial crisis.
Named to Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” list, Maven has raised more than $87 million in capital from top investors, including Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT, and Icon Ventures. Kate has been named to Crain’s New York Business 40 under 40 and to Fast Company’s “Most Creative People.” She has spoken on stage at industry events including the Forbes Healthcare Summit, Fortune Brainstorm Health, the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit and HLTH. Kate received her BA from the University of Michigan and her MSc from the London School of Economics. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, son and daughter.
SURBHI SARNA, CEO and Founder of nVision Medical. When she was 13, Surbhi was a patient. It was then that she realized she wanted to fill the void in female-health related innovation. She attended UC Berkeley and then worked as an engineer. Finally, she decided to tackle some of the issues she witnessed in women’s health and became CEO and founder of nVision Medical. nVision developed a catheter based device for early detection of ovarian cancer. After raising $17M in venture funding, completing several clinical trials and obtaining FDA clearance, nVision was purchased by Boston Scientific for $275M in April of 2018. Surbhi has authored numerous patents, been an invited speaker at universities including UCSF and Harvard, and has been featured in publications such as Bloomberg, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc Magazine and GigaOm. She was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2014.
MYLENE YAO, Cofounder and CEO, has led Univfy® from technology invention and platform development to commercialization. Mylene’s vision is to combine healthcare AI, scientific validation and fintech to power access to the most effective and safest fertility treatments for women and couples. Mylene has more than 20 years of experience in clinical and scientific research in reproductive medicine. Prior to Univfy, she was faculty at Stanford University where she led NIH-funded fertility and embryo genetics research and developed the Univfy technology with the academic founding team. Mylene is co-inventor on Univfy's global IP portfolio, comprising patents issued in the US and other countries.
Mylene graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School and completed her OB/GYN residency training at McGill University. She received her clinical subspecialty training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University. Mylene received awards for her research on pre-implantation embryo development and uterine receptivity. She is co-author of the Infertility chapter in Berek and Novak’s Gynecology, the top medical textbook for OB/GYNs.

OCTOBER 14, 2020: THE FUSION OF TECHNOLOGIES: THE LINES ARE BLURRING BETWEEN PHYSICAL, DIGITAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

ART PAPPAS has over 40 years of experience as a pharmaceutical industry executive and venture capital investor in life science companies. Art founded Pappas Capital in 1994, and over the past twenty-five years the firm has managed more than $540 million in capital and invested in more than 85 companies.
Art currently serves as a director for Aura Biosciences, OrphoMed and Reneo Pharmaceuticals, and as a board observer for Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Balance Therapeutics and Real Endpoints. Prior to founding Pappas Capital, Art held senior leadership positions at Glaxo Holdings, Abbott International, Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company. He previously served as Chairman for CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, and on the boards of Afferent Pharmaceuticals, Arix Bioscience, Chimerix, Quintiles Transnational Corp., TYRX, Syntonix Pharmaceuticals, LEAD Therapeutics and Embrex; and board observer for Kezar Life Sciences, Milestone Pharmaceuticals and Plexxikon.
Art serves on the boards of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, The Wistar Institute, the Duke Cancer Institute, and the Medical University of South Carolina. Art is a decorated Vietnam veteran, having served as an officer in the US Army 101st Airborne Division and with 2nd PSYOP Airborne JFK Special Warfare. Art received a BS in biology from The Ohio State University and an MBA in finance from Xavier University.
AMY ABERNETHY, MD, PhD As the Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Amy P. Abernethy, MD, PhD, helps oversee the agency’s day-to-day functioning and directs special and high-priority initiatives that cut across offices overseeing FDA’s regulation of drugs, medical devices, tobacco and food. As acting Chief Information Officer, she oversees FDA’s data and technical vision, and its execution.
Dr. Abernethy, a hematologist/oncologist and palliative medicine physician, is an internationally recognized clinical data expert and clinical researcher. Her areas of expertise include cancer data, real world evidence, clinical trials, health services research, patient reported outcomes (PROs), clinical informatics, and patient-centered care.
Before coming to FDA, Dr. Abernethy served as chief medical officer, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president for oncology at Flatiron Health (a member of the Roche Group), where she led the research oncology, clinical operations and data science teams, and contributed to the overall strategic vision of the company, including directing their research vision on real world evidence.
Prior to that, Dr. Abernethy was professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, where she ran the Center for Learning Health Care in the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Duke Cancer Care Research Program in the Duke Cancer Institute. At Duke, she pioneered the development of technology platforms to spur novel advancements in the care of people with cancer and other serious life-limiting illnesses.

OCTOBER 28, 2020: BIOELECTRIC MEDICINE: SPARKING INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE

BETH ROGOZINSKI is a serial entrepreneur, technology professional, and business strategist who has spent the last several years focused on digital medicine. She has produced and published more than 30 games and apps, including over a dozen products for health and wellness. As Chief Product Officer at Pear Therapeutics, she led the development of Pear’s first clinical products and the product team submission of the De Novo 510k to the FDA. Pear’s ReSET™ was cleared by the FDA in 2017 as the first ever prescription digital therapeutic.
Beth is an advisor to many start-ups and accelerators and has consulted with international biopharma and venture groups around digital health investments. Beth serves on the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s committees for Digital Health and chairs the program for Brain Health. She has written and published on digital therapeutics and tech innovations and is a frequent speaker at technology and healthcare events.
PAOLO CASSANO is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Director of Photobiomodulation at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Division of Neuropsychiatry and at the MGH Depression Clinical and Research Program.
Since 2009, he has served as PI on multiple studies on Transcranial Photobiomodulation (tPBM) for several neuropsychiatric. These groundbreaking projects have demonstrated preliminary efficacy of near-infrared radiation for the treatment of mood disorders and for ameliorating cognition. Considerable press attention stemmed from these studies, with CNN and Washington Post coverage at the national level.
At the MGH Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation lab, he is actively pursuing the identification of biological targets of the effects of tPBM.
Dr. Cassano is particularly interested in studying tPBM, as a pro-cognitive intervention, in patients with cognitive impairment, and has reported with other groups on the use of tPBM to treat chronic traumatic brain injury and Down Syndrome, as well as to enhance cognition in healthy volunteers.
In Nov 2016, he co-founded a neurotech, Niraxx Light Therapeutics Inc., to facilitate the technology transfer from translational research to readily available products for the general public.
JUAN-PABLO MAS is a Partner at Action Potential VC in Palo Alto, CA. He represents APVC on the Boards of Cala Health, CVRx, Exo Imaging, Neuspera Medical, Presidio Medical, Saluda Medical, and SetPoint Medical. He was previously an investor at Lightstone Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures, where he was a Board observer at Ardian, Twelve, Nuvaira, Cabochon Aesthetics, and Miramar Labs.
Prior to investing, Juan-Pablo led efforts in R&D and Strategy in Medtronic’s CardioVascular Division, where he was named “Medtronic Inventor of The Year.” Subsequently, he was a member of the Global Brand Strategy team at Eli Lilly within the Cardiovascular business.
Juan-Pablo earned an MBA and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in EE from the University of Massachusetts. He now serves on the Oversight Committee for Stanford’s Neuroscience Institute (Wu Tsai), the Advisory Board for UCSF’s Rosenman Institute, and is a founding Board Member of LatinxVC.
RENEE RYAN has 25 years of building category-creating healthcare companies. She led the medical technology investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC) on the West Coast and Asia Pacific for 8 years. While at J&J, she made over 15 new investments, including the Series A for Cala Health. Previously, she was a healthcare investment banker at RW Baird, Jefferies and Goldman Sachs.

NOVEMBER 12, 2020: METABESITY: A HEALTHCARE BURDEN ON THE RISE

EMI GONZALEZ is a Principal for Social Starts and Joyance Partners spearheading investments in Boston. Our focus is to help catalyze innovation by investing in the emerging science and technology of health and happiness as well as delightful moments. Her main areas of investments include healthcare, life sciences, and biotechnology. She is an entrepreneur, running-enthusiast, investor and world traveler. Prior to Joyance Partners and Social Starts, she founded a diabetes digital health company, consulted for Half Court Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, and was the Director for Harvard’s premier undergraduate competition, i3 Innovation Challenge. She holds a BA in Molecular Biology from Harvard College and is a co-author in two publications related to cardiovascular regeneration in Circulation Research and Nature Communications. Emi is passionate about health equity and helping founders accomplish their goals.
JOHN L BROOKS III is the Managing Director of Healthcare Capital LLC, which advises early-stage life sciences companies. Mr. Brooks is on the board of a number of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and he recently managed as CEO and President a Phase III biotechnology company’s clinical development and managed a successful reverse merger.
Mr. Brooks is the former President & Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Joslin Diabetes Center, a Boston based diabetes research, clinical care, and education organization.
Mr. Brooks is a well-known life sciences executive. He has co-founded seven life sciences companies. He was a co-founder of Prism Venture Partners, a $1.25B venture capital firm.
Prior to that, Mr. Brooks was a senior medical device executive at Pfizer, and a senior manager at Arthur Andersen & Co. in Boston, MA, where he focused on early stage companies.
A native of Massachusetts, he holds an MS in Business Administration and a BBA cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and he is a Certified Public Accountant.
TOMAS LANDH was appointed the R&D Innovation Sourcing VP in 2014. He was previously Director Strategy and Innovation Sourcing at Novo Nordisk, Diabetes Research. Tomas joined Novo Nordisk in 2003.
Tomas is currently responsible for evaluation of external innovation regarding all aspects of diabetes, rare blood diseases and endocrine disorders. In addition, he works closely with the teams responsible for assessing innovation in the other therapy areas of Novo Nordisk, obesity, NASH, and CVD. Besides innovative therapies, Tomas is involved in the evaluation of a broad range of technologies, including new drug delivery systems and protein engineering means. Tomas is also involved in developing new strategic modes of accessing innovation in general.
Tomas has more than 25 years of experience of all stages of drug development, from academia, small businesses, foundations and big pharma/biotech. He received his PhD in Biophysical Engineering from Lund’s Institute of Technology. Tomas is currently an international advisor to LARTA/ NIH- and NSF-CAP programs.
CHRISTOPHER LENTO has 28 years of diversified healthcare experience. He has held positions of increasing scope and responsibility in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare technology, & digital health industries. Chris is currently employed by Noom, Inc. as Head of Healthcare Strategic Partnerships where he leads a newly created business unit working to establish partnerships with top life sciences organizations. He has recently held senior executive roles in digital health with both Pear Therapeutics & Palo Alto Health Sciences. Chris is also President of CSL Healthcare consulting where he assists digital health companies develop their go-to-market and commercial strategies. Chris resides in Falmouth, Maine.
KOMATHI STEM, COO of Glooko. Stem has served in a wide range of leadership roles in the life science industry with a focus on the use of real-world data and digital technologies to transform and accelerate clinical trials. In her previous role, Stem was founder and CEO of monARC Bionetworks, a health data collection and analytics company aimed at modernizing clinical research by empowering patients to share their real-world data generated from routine care and digital tools so it can be transformed into real-world evidence that accelerates research and improves care. Prior to monARC Bionetworks, Stem has led the transformation of clinical trials via her leadership roles at Science 37, Genentech, AstraZeneca, Amgen and Eli Lilly. She holds a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia.

NOVEMBER 18, 2020: COVID-19: SURPRISING CARDIAC FINDINGS & CONCERN ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT

SARA JANE DEMY established Demy-Colton in 2008 to develop high value-added events and help reposition existing events in the life sciences industry.
She has taken her formidable experience and expertise to craft effective investor and CEO events that further business objectives. Her impressive background in supporting biotech’s growth includes being the founder of Biotech Showcase and the Biotech CEO Summits that are held in Napa and Europe. In addition, Sara was Vice President, Business Development & Investor Relations, and Head of the New York Office for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Sara understood the problems facing biotech companies and developed solutions to help advance the sector. She launched and developed the BIO CEO & Investor Conference, BIO Investor Forum, BIO’s regional venture conferences, CEO boot-camps, the Business Forum at BIO’s Annual Meeting, BioEurope, BioEurope Spring, and BIO Asia. Sara also built the prototype for “the partnering system,” which is used throughout the biopharmaceutical sector today.
BOB S HU, MD, is Director of Cardiac MRI at Sutter Health. He is Board certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine, practices at PAMF's Palo Alto Center. His interests include anatomic vascular studies, non-invasive cardiac testing, transesophageal echocardiography, cardiac imaging, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Dr. Hu completed his medical training and residency at Stanford University. He is involved in the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association.
PROF EIKE NAGEL, MD, PhD, FESC, FACC, FRCR is a Professor and Director of the Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardiovascular Imaging at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main. From 2007 to 2015 he was Professor and Head of the Department of Clinical Cardiovascular Imaging at King's College London.
With 300 scientific publications, 30 book chapters and 20,000 citations, Nagel is a pioneer in the research and clinical use of MRI of the heart. In a groundbreaking paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019, Nagel and an international consortium were able to show that patients with stable chest pain (angina pectoris) can be guided as safely with noninvasive perfusion MRI as with the invasive cardiac catheterization currently used as the routine technique, saving many cardiac catheterizations. A large media response (Altmetric Score > 13451; 29th most discussed scientific paper for over 10 years) was achieved by a paper published in JAMA-Cardiology on cardiac involvement in patients after surviving COVID-19 infection. It was shown that in more than 3/4 of the infected patients the heart is affected and many people with benign courses of the disease (few symptoms, no hospital stay) have mild heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis) or pericarditis. While the long-term effects of these abnormalities are not yet known, there is strong evidence that COVID-19 can cause some damage of the heart.
In 2016 he received the Gold Medal of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) for his merits in the field of science and establishment of MRI for clinical applications.
ERIC TOPOL, MD, is the Founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, Professor, Molecular Medicine, and Executive Vice-President of Scripps Research. As a researcher, he has published over 1,200 peer-reviewed articles, with more than 280,000 citations, elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and is one of the top 10 most cited researchers in medicine. His principal scientific focus has been on the genomic and digital tools to individualize medicine.
In 2016, Topol was awarded a $207 million grant from the NIH to lead a significant part of the Precision Medicine (All of Us) Initiative, a prospective research program enrolling 1 million participants in the US. This is in addition to his role as principal investigator for a flagship $35M NIH grant to promote innovation in medicine. He was the founder of a new medical school at Cleveland Clinic, Lerner College of Medicine, with Case Western University. He has over 280,000 followers on Twitter (@EricTopol) where recently he has been reporting insights and research findings for COVID-19. Besides editing several textbooks, he has published 3 bestseller books on the future of medicine: The Creative Destruction of Medicine, The Patient Will See You Now, and Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. Lastly, Topol was commissioned by the UK 2018-2019 to lead planning for the National Health Service’s integration of AI and new technologies.

DECEMBER 9, 2020: HOW US POLICY AND TRENDS WILL SHAPE HEALTHCARE IN 2021

BETH HALPERN helps health care clients achieve coverage and reimbursement for innovative technologies. She advises pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, health care providers, and trade associations about Medicare and other payers' policies and develops strategies to improve access to care. Beth helps clients advocate before administrative agencies and Congress, and she advises about Medicare law for clients involved in litigation. The American Health Lawyers Association recognized Beth as a member of the Hogan Lovells team of Pro Bono Champions for their work with the D.C. Appleseed Center on HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia. Beth is a member of the Tahirih Justice Center's D.C. Advisory Council, and her work contributed to Hogan Lovells being recognized as Firm of the Year by Tahirih in 2015.
MARC ENGELSGJERD is the senior equity analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence specializing in the biotechnology sector. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Marc was a senior principal and oncology practice lead at inThought Research. His additional experience includes time spent in equity research at Banc of America Securities and UBS and as director of clinical affairs at Veritas Medicine, an eHealth startup.
Marc earned his MD at the UCSF School of Medicine followed by residency training at the Washington University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.
SAM FAZELI is a senior analyst and the EMEA head of Bloomberg Intelligence, a dynamic platform for in-depth research. Dr. Fazeli specializes in global pharmaceuticals. Dr. Fazeli brings with him over 22 years of experience conducting equity research as a pharmaceutical analyst, working at firms such as Nomura International and HSBC.
Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2010, Dr. Fazeli worked at Piper Jaffray, Ltd. as a pharmaceutical analyst and head of European research. Before transitioning to investment banking, Dr. Fazeli was a research scientist for seven years.
Dr. Fazeli has been ranked a top analyst by both the U.K. and Pan-European Extel surveys. He received a bachelor’s of science from Cardiff University, and a PhD in pharmacology from the University of London.
BRIAN RYE is a senior health care policy analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, a unique research platform that provides context on industries, companies, and government policy. Mr. Rye covers the impact of Washington legislation and regulations on the healthcare industry.
Prior to working with Bloomberg Intelligence, Mr. Rye was a Senior Healthcare Analyst with Bloomberg Government. He spent 12 years as an equity research analyst at SunTrust, Raymond James and Janney Montgomery Scott. In those capacities, he followed biotech, pharmaceutical and other health-care companies. Rye also served as a senior business management analyst for Booz Allen Hamilton’s civil health group.
He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

DECEMBER 16, 2020: THE NEW ALCHEMY OF INVESTING IN HEALTH

MIKE EDELHART is Managing Partner for Social Starts and Joyance Partners. A pioneering media and startup executive, Mike was the original Executive Editor of PC Magazine, and later was Executive Vice President at Ziff Davis. Mike has been CEO at many startups, including Olive Software, Inman News, and Zinio. Mike was a partner at Redleaf, a VC fund. At SoftBank, Mike directed content for the Seybold, Interop, and Comdex conferences, and launched new businesses. Mike has consulted to Bloomberg, Reuters, and AARP; authored more than 20 books; and currently hosts a podcast called Inception.Mike Edelhart is Managing Partner for Social Starts and Joyance Partners. A pioneering media and startup executive, Mike was the original Executive Editor of PC Magazine, and later was Executive Vice President at Ziff Davis. Mike has been CEO at many startups, including Olive Software, Inman News, and Zinio. Mike was a partner at Redleaf, a VC fund. At SoftBank, Mike directed content for the Seybold, Interop, and Comdex conferences, and launched new businesses. Mike has consulted to Bloomberg, Reuters, and AARP; authored more than 20 books; and currently hosts a podcast called Inception.
ALEXANDRA BAUSE is a Co-Founder and Investment Director at Apollo Health Ventures, an early stage investment fund focused on developing interventions that enhance human health and longevity.
As a trained pharmacist and biomedical science PhD, Alexandra has always been following her passion for improving healthy longevity. Her PhD studies at Harvard Medical School were focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms that contribute to cellular aging and could be targeted to increase mammalian health span. After her PhD, Alexandra worked with The Boston Consulting Group where she specialized on Pharma and Biotech Strategy to drive the development of innovative therapeutics.
At Apollo, Alexandra is leading the venture creation programs that conceptualize and develop strategies for innovative biotech ventures targeting the aging process at a molecular level. She is also managing the pipeline and diligence process for external investment opportunities, predominantly focusing on preclinical stage biotech companies.
DAVID GIAMPAOLO is the founder and Chief Executive of Pi Capital. He previously founded, built up and sold several businesses and health club chains in the US, Europe and Asia. David has financial interests in several other businesses and industries and has been involved as an investor, advisor and board member of some of the most successful health & fitness companies in the world including Fitness First, 24 Hour Fitness, and Zumba Fitness. David is Chairman of Gousto, Oga Fit, Sarva and EXi, non-executive director of Agronomics and also a senior advisor to AMG (Affiliated Managers Group, Inc.) and BC Partners. David is currently on the board of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, a member of YPO, the Chief Executives Organization and the Global Leadership Circle of ONE. In addition, he is a trustee of Speakers4Schools.org and Pro Bono Economics.
HARALD STOCK is a Life Science Entrepreneur, Board Director, and serial CEO with unique broad, global scope:
Leadership and Board track record in large multi-national, mid-cap and early-stage, public and private companies;
Experience in Consumer Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Medical Devices and Biotechnology;
Mentor for entrepreneurs and executives; supported development of more than ten individuals to take on and succeed as CEO / President;
Passionate about innovating Pain Therapies, Women’s Health and Oncology;
Driven by enabling equitable access of innovative healthcare for patients by building and shaping high performance teams of outstanding talent.

Harald is a former world top-10 triathlete with 100+ endurance event victories; previously was national-level skier and tennis player; and nowadays is a recreational runner, mountain-biker, fly fisher, golfer and skier. He currently is an active Co-Founder at CognifiSense, EptivA Therapeutics and alta, and a director at Blue Therapeutics, QDTI and Consilient Health.

FEBRUARY 25, 2021: GAIN YOUR COMMERCIAL EDGE: DEFINE YOUR VALUE STORY EARLY

GAUTAM AGGARWAL has twenty years of pharmaceutical and consulting experience and focuses on providing strategic guidance to clients within life sciences organizations. His previous employers have included GlaxoSmithKline, Boston Consulting Group, and Campbell Alliance.
His recent engagements have involved commercial assessment, indication prioritization, white-space strategy, commercial model design and in-licensing/out-licensing support. Gautam has provided strategic advice to a wide range of clients, spanning Top-5 pharmaceutical manufacturers, emerging biotechnology manufacturers, biopharmaceutical investors, and service providers to biopharmaceutical companies. He has spoken at several industry conferences (LES, CED, EBD, BIO-Windhover, CHLA, Banff Venture Forum) and has published a peer-reviewed article on deal-timing.
Gautam received his MBA. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke. He holds an MS and a BS in Bio-Statistics from UNC-Chapel Hill.
JUDY CAMPAGNARI is a passionate healthcare and pharmaceutical strategist with proven experience creating “value from vision”. She has over 28 years of pharmaceutical industry and consulting experience, the majority in new product drug development. She is currently Executive Director, Head of STAR (Solutions to Accelerate Results to Patients), Alexion’s patient centric idea & strategy incubator where she leads a team responsible for creating enterprise level solutions and ideas designed to break down barriers and accelerate Alexion’s products to patients living with rare disease. Prior to joining Alexion she held positions of increasing responsibility as a member of the Pfizer Commercial organization serving as the New Products Commercial lead for several currently marketed products including Tarceva® (erlotinib), Xeljanz® (tofacitinib), and Eliquis® (apixaban; co-promote with BMS). Ms. Campagnari received an AB degree from Smith College (Northampton, MA), an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, and an Executive MBA Certificate from the Harvard Business School.
WILLS HUGHES-WILSON is Head of Patient Access & Commercial Planning at Mereo Biopharma and a member of the company’s executive leadership team. She joined Mereo in March 2018 with responsibility for leading the company’s access and commercialisation strategies across the portfolio.

Prior to joining Mereo, Hughes-Wilson was Chief Patient Access Officer and SVP Patient Access & External Affairs at Sobi, with executive accountability for Sobi’s go-to-market approach across a broad orphan drug portfolio, including the company’s successful first-in-class haemophilia product launches; as well as market-oriented development across the company’s early-stage clinical development programmes. Previous to that, she was Vice President Health & Market Access Policy at Genzyme.

Hughes-Wilson has been an active participant in the field of rare diseases and orphan drugs since the early 2000s, spanning membership of the EMA’s COMP Working Group with Interested Parties, the European Commission’s EU Committee of Experts on Rare Diseases (EUCERD) and, currently, the Steering Group of the European Mechanism of Coordinated Access (MoCA).
Hughes-Wilson is an honours graduate in Law & Politics.
LORENZ MULLER has 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience serving startup-to-large multinational companies. He currently serves as the Chief Commercial Officer at Milestone Pharmaceuticals, where he is responsible for all aspects of the company’s transition from an R&D to a fully commercial organization. Prior to joining Milestone, he led the marketing team at Exact Sciences focused on the growth of the diagnostic Cologuard® for colorectal cancer. Before that Mr. Muller led the thrombosis franchise at Daiichi Sankyo with responsibility for the launch of novel cardiovascular blood-thinning drugs Effient® and Savaysa®. Prior to Daiichi Sankyo, he was Vice President of Marketing and Healthcare Outcomes at CV Therapeutics, where he oversaw the launch of Ranexa®, a first-in-class treatment for chronic angina. Mr. Muller received his BS in chemical engineering and life sciences and his MS in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his MBA from Harvard.
PETER PITTS is a Visiting Professor at the University of Paris School of Medicine and President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest. He is a former member of the United States Senior Executive Service and FDA Associate Commissioner. He a member of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) Expert Working Group to help advance patient involvement in the development and safe use of medicines. He is the lead author of many professional peer reviewed publications including the Lancet, Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science, and Nature Biotechnology. He is an Associate Editor of Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science (the official DIA journal), Advisory Board, Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of The Patient Magazine His new book is The Value Equation: A. Journey Through the Innovation Ecosystem in the Time of COVID.

MARCH 11, 2021: TARGETING mRNA: THE NEW FRONTIER OF TAILORED THERAPEUTICS

LINDA PULLAN is the founder of Pullan Consulting, which helps in all aspects of business development for fund raising and partnering, including outreach, evaluation, valuation, negotiation and strategy. Linda and her team have an extensive deal sheet from company acquisitions to Phase III to preclinical candidates to technologies, with deals and clients in the US, Europe, and Asia.

After a PhD in Biochemistry, Linda has over 20 years of industry experience, starting in drug discovery at Monsanto/Searle/Pfizer and ICI/Zeneca/AstraZeneca. She led teams that put Seroquel, a multi-billion-dollar antipsychotic, and other molecules into development. Business development began with in-licensing technology and early drug candidates at AstraZeneca, and continued as head of oncology hematology licensing for Amgen. She then joined Kosan Biosciences as VP of Business Development, focusing on out-licensing. Now she and her team serve as consultants to a wide array of biotechnology and pharma companies. She has taught business development for several companies, served as a grant reviewer for the Australian Medical Research Futures Fund, and has served as an expert witness in licensing litigation. She also served as CEO and on boards for several small companies and for the AUTM Foundation. Linda has spoken at many meetings, published papers and chapters.

The team at Pullan Consulting writes a free monthly newsletter Pullan’s Pieces (sign up on www.PullanConsulting.com), for thousands of readers. The website also includes links to webinars and whitepapers.
ROBERT A. COPELAND, PhD is the President, Co-Founder & CSO of Accent Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing oncology-focused, small molecule therapies in the emerging field of RNA modification. He was formerly President of Research and CSO of Epizyme, Inc. and before that, Vice President of Cancer Biology at GlaxoSmithKline. He has contributed to drug discovery and development efforts leading to 19 investigational new drugs entering human clinical trials. Robert has contributed more than 200 publications to the scientific literature, holds 14 issued U.S. patents and has authored five books in the areas of protein science and enzymology. He is a member of multiple editorial and advisory boards as well as a Fellow of the AAAS. He received his doctorate in chemistry from Princeton University and did postdoctoral studies as the Chaim Weizmann Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology.
JOAN HEATH PhD is a Laboratory Head in the Epigenetics and Development Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia. Her research is focused on finding new targets for the successful treatment of cancers with some of the lowest 5-year survival rates, namely those of the liver, pancreas and colon. To do this, she employed an ENU-mutagenesis screen in zebrafish to identify genes that are indispensable for the huge expansion of the digestive organs during vertebrate development. Her laboratory’s identification of the underlying genes in these zebrafish mutants uncovered a group of RNA processing genes, transcription factors and nuclear pore components that are essential for the rapid growth and proliferation of cells during organogenesis. Using a variety of genetically-engineered mouse models, she has since shown that several of these genes are also indispensable for tumorigenesis and could provide effective targets for cancer therapy.
CAROLYN NG is Managing Director at Vertex Ventures HC. At Vertex HC, Carolyn leads venture investments across biotechnology, medical devices and health technology fields. Carolyn currently serves on the Board of Directors for Epirium Bio, Obsidian Therapeutics, Twentyeight-Seven Therapeutics, Boundless Bio and Nuvaira. She led Vertex HC’s investment into Elevate Bio, and was also previously on the Board of Directors of Bicycle Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BCYC), and a Board Observer for Visterra before it was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical for USD430M. She has previously closely supported Vertex’s investment into Twelve (acquired by Medtronic for USD458M). Working across the US, Europe and Asia, she plays an active role in expanding the geographical reach of Vertex HC and its portfolio companies for cross-border collaborations, business development and syndication.

She started her healthcare training in the oncology pharmacy department of the National University Cancer Institute of Singapore, where first hand clinical experience inspired her to pursue scientific research in oncology. As an oncology scientist, she is deeply passionate about innovation that impacts patients’ lives. Prior to joining Vertex, Carolyn was also a Pharma Strategy Consultant at Deallus Consulting, a specialized London-headquartered life sciences consulting firm where she led global strategic projects for clientele comprised of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies.

Carolyn holds a PhD in Cancer Molecular Biology from the NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Technology (NGS), where she was a recipient of the prestigious NGS PhD Scholarship. As an inventor and patent holder of a novel small molecule nuclear receptor activator indicated for the treatment of neuroblastoma, her research work was awarded the AAPS-NUS Prize (American Association of Pharmaceutical Society-National University of Singapore). She also holds a BS degree in Pharmacy with First Class Honours from the National University of Singapore, where she received the PSS Prize for Pharmaceutics awarded to the top graduating student in the class.

Outside of Vertex, Carolyn is a retired competitive squash player, a high intensity interval training enthusiast, and an aspiring but untalented oil painter.
JENNIFER C PETTER, PhD is the Founder and CSO of Arrakis Therapeutics. Previously she was Vice President of Chemistry at Celgene, Vice President of Drug Discovery at Avila Therapeutics, Vice President of Research at Mersana Therapeutics, Director of Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Biogen, Section Head in Oncology Chemistry at Sandoz/Novartis, and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Petter graduated from Dartmouth College with an AB in chemistry, earned her PhD in organic chemistry at Duke University with Ned Porter, and was a post-doctoral fellow in Ron Breslow’s group at Columbia University. She has ushered multiple compounds into the clinic for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and sepsis.
DAVID SEGAL is a Senior Business Development Manager at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) specializing in facilitating the translation of novel cancer discoveries by WEHI scientists. Prior to joining the Business Development team at WEHI, David undertook over 15 years of commercially oriented academic research and industry roles focused on drug discovery and target validation in oncology and metabolic disorders.
David completed his PhD at the Australian National University in the immune response to retrovirus infections. He was a Fogarty Fellow in the NIAID at the NIH campus in Bethesda MD and undertook large scale gene expression analysis of chronic myelogenous leukemia.

MARCH 25, 2021: SEPSIS: A CRITICAL HEALTHCARE BURDEN NEEDING RAPID DIAGNOSTICS TO IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES

SARA JANE DEMY established Demy-Colton in 2008 to develop high value-added events and help reposition existing events in the life sciences industry.
She has taken her formidable experience and expertise to craft effective investor and CEO events that further business objectives. Her impressive background in supporting biotech’s growth includes being the founder of Biotech Showcase and the Biotech CEO Summits that are held in Napa and Europe. In addition, Sara was Vice President, Business Development & Investor Relations, and Head of the New York Office for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Sara understood the problems facing biotech companies and developed solutions to help advance the sector. She launched and developed the BIO CEO & Investor Conference, BIO Investor Forum, BIO’s regional venture conferences, CEO boot-camps, the Business Forum at BIO’s Annual Meeting, BioEurope, BioEurope Spring, and BIO Asia. Sara also built the prototype for “the partnering system,” which is used throughout the biopharmaceutical sector today.
PRABHAVATHI FERNANDES, PhD, has more than 35 years of pharmaceutical discovery, development and management experience having held executive leadership positions at pharmaceutical corporations including Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Abbott Laboratories and The Squibb Institute for Medical Research. During these years she was directly involved in the development of antibiotics, six of which have been approved, with one, clarithromycin, achieving sales over a billion dollars for Abbott laboratories. After leaving Bristol- Myers Squibb, she has founded and led four biotechnology and CRO companies as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of each of these companies, including Cempra, Inc., DarPharma, Ricerca and Small Molecule Therapeutics. Dr. Fernandes is the Chairperson of both the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, a DNDi/WHO initiative. She has also served as an advisor to the World Health Organization. She currently serves on the Boards of OpGen (OPGN), Ocugen (OCGN) and Aelin Therapeutics. She has authored over 250 publications and several reviews, book chapters and served as an editor for books. Dr. Fernandes obtained her undergraduate and Master’s degree training in India, worked at the University of Ghent, Belgium in Immunochemistry, received her PhD in Microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.
THOMAS HEYMANN has been part of Sepsis Alliance since 2007, serving as President and CEO since 2013. Tom has led Sepsis Alliance to consecutive years of growth including the organization’s drive to increase sepsis awareness from 19% to 71% and the expansion of sepsis.org to a site serving more than 2.5 million patients, family members, caregivers and medical professionals each year. Tom also led the organization’s efforts to launch the Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community and the Sepsis Alliance Institute which have trained more than 40,000 health professionals, and Sepsis Alliance Voices, a new platform for national and state advocacy. Tom earned his BS from Northwestern University and his MBA from Columbia Business School.
CIARA KENNEDY was appointed President and CEO of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals in 2016. Dr. Kennedy has a proven track record of delivering significant results and advancing therapeutic and diagnostic programs across multiple therapeutic areas and stages of development in the biotech industry. Amplyx has successfully raised over $150M to develop novel treatments for immunocompromised patients. Dr. Kennedy has successfully in-licensed, and advanced into Phase 2 studies, programs to address a variety of life-threatening conditions. Dr. Kennedy is also a founder of Reneo Pharmaceuticals and Mirum Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Kennedy serves as an independent Board member of Otonomy (OTIC) and privately held, Aristea Therapeutics.

Prior to Amplyx, Dr. Kennedy served as COO at Lumena Pharmaceuticals, until the company’s acquisition by Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2014 and as Vice President, Head of Cholestatic Liver Disease at Shire post acquisition. As COO of Lumena, Dr. Kennedy played a critical role in the development of assets licensed from Pfizer and Sanofi, financing the company and preparing to take the company public. Prior to Lumena, Dr. Kennedy held several positions at Cypress Bioscience Inc. where she played a key role in the company’s FDA approval and launch of Savella® for Fibromyalgia, corporate acquisitions and the in-licensing of several clinical assets. Prior to joining Cypress Bioscience, Dr. Kennedy held several positions in the Program and Alliance department of Biogen Idec, managing multiple projects spanning the drug discovery and development continuum. A PhD scientist by training, Dr. Kennedy received her doctorate at the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 2004 Dr. Kennedy became a member of the inaugural class of the Rady School of Management at UCSD and graduated with a Master of Business Administration in 2006.
JOHN SPERZEL is President and CEO of T2 Biosystems (NASDAQ: TTOO), a leader in the rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens. From 2014 to 2020, he served as President and CEO of Chembio Diagnostics (NASDAQ: CEMI), a point-of-care diagnostics company focused on infectious diseases. John previously served as President and CEO of ITC Medical, a privately-held point-of-care diagnostics company owned by Warburg-Pincus, and previously held executive and commercial leadership positions at Axis-Shield (Abbott), Bayer Diagnostics (Siemens), Instrumentation Laboratory, and Boehringer Mannheim (Roche). John earned his Bachelor of Science in Business/Management from Plymouth State University. He serves on the Board of Directors of Ontera Bio and serves as a Board Advisor to Sepsis Alliance.

APRIL 14, 2021: THE BIOTECH SPAC-TACULAR: RESHAPING THE WAY HEALTH CARE THINKS ABOUT FUNDING

ANN-HUNTER VAN KIRK is a Senior Equity Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence covering the Biopharmaceutical sector. She particularly focuses on gene editing, animal health, aesthetics, generics, and eyecare industries. Prior to joining Bloomberg Intelligence, Ann-Hunter worked in sell-side equity research at Barclays Investment Bank, BMO Capital Markets, and Cantor Fitzgerald. Ms. Van Kirk holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics and two bachelor's degrees from Southern Methodist University with honors.
ALI J. SATVAT joined KKR in 2012 and is Co-Head of the Health Care industry team within KKR’s Americas Private Equity platform and Head of Health Care Strategic Growth, for which he chairs the Health Care Strategic Growth Investment Committee and the Health Care Strategic Growth Portfolio Management Committee. He currently serves on the boards of directors of AcuFocus, Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Blue Sprig Pediatrics, BridgeBio Pharma, Clarify Health Solutions, Coherus BioSciences, Eidos Therapeutics, Headlands Research, Impel NeuroPharma, Slayback Pharma and Trilogy MedWaste and has been actively involved with KKR’s investments in Ajax Health, Falcon Vision, GenesisCare, Gland Pharma, Panasonic Healthcare, PRA Health Sciences and Spirox. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Satvat was a principal with Apax Partners, where he successfully led or participated in many of its health care private equity and growth equity investments. Previously, he held various positions with Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Audax Group and The Blackstone Group. Mr. Satvat holds an AB, magna cum laude, in History and Science from Harvard College and an MBA in Health Care Management and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the board of directors of the Healthcare Private Equity Association.
BRENTON L. SAUNDERS, Former Chairman, President and CEO, Allergan. Mr. Saunders is currently Chairman and CEO of Vesper Health Acquisitions Corp. He is Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allergan and had served in the role of President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2014 and of Chairman since October 2016, having previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, and as director, of Forest Laboratories, Inc., prior to its acquisition by Allergan.

Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Bausch + Lomb Incorporated, a leading global eye health company, serving in this capacity from March 2010 until August 2013. Mr. Saunders also held a number of leadership positions at Schering-Plough, including the position of President of Global Consumer Health Care and was named head of integration for the company’s merger with Merck & Co. and for Schering-Plough’s acquisition of Organon BioSciences. Before joining Schering-Plough, Mr. Saunders was a Partner and Head of Compliance Business Advisory at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Prior to that, he was Chief Risk Officer at Coventry Health Care and Senior Vice President, Compliance, Legal and Regulatory at Home Care Corporation of America. Mr. Saunders began his career as Chief Compliance Officer for the Thomas Jefferson University Health System.

Mr. Saunders serves on the Board of Directors of Cisco Systems, Inc. and BridgeBio Inc., and is a member of the Business Council.
KEVIN SHERIDAN is a Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Jefferies, responsible for advising large-cap biopharmaceutical companies in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Prior to joining Jefferies, Mr. Sheridan spent 11 years at UBS, where he advised biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the United States. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Sheridan was employed as a Senior Management Consultant in the Healthcare Industry. Mr. Sheridan graduated from Columbia Business School and received his BA from Rutgers University.

APRIL 28, 2021: VC TRENDS IN HEALTHCARE INVESTING: THE POWER OF CONVERGENCE

KIMBERLY HA is an experienced communications strategist and influencer, Kimberly has advised leaders from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups, crafting organizational narratives and serves as a strategic communications advisor.

She has helped some of the world’s most respected leaders and organizations tell their story, developing corporate narratives and executive positioning plans and investor pitches for startups and entrepreneurs. Providing counsel on all aspects of communications strategy.

She was previously Senior Director at FTI Consulting (NYSE:FTI), where she advised a broad range of clients from Fortune 500 to early-stage companies on business transformation, corporate and executive positioning, crisis and issues management, and financial communications.

Kimberly was previously Global Editor at Biopharm Insight, the Financial Times Group. She is regularly invited to speak at industry events and has deep institutional knowledge and network within M&A, IPO and Media markets.
ANN DEWITT is a General Partner of the investment team at The Engine. Ann is a Board Member at Biobot, Mori, Cellino, E25Bio, Kytopen, Lucy Therapeutics, Syzygy & Vaxess. Ann was most recently at Sanofi where she held senior roles in business development and strategic venture investment. Prior to Sanofi, she was at Flagship Ventures. Ann started her career in R&D at 3M Company, working across fields of materials, biology, engineering. Ann holds an MBA from Harvard and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT. She serves on the Board of Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology and on the Life Science Council of Springboard Enterprises.
ALEX MORGAN (Twitter: @genomicsdoc) is currently a Partner at Khosla Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm which invests broadly in technology from seed stage funding to later stage capital. Alex has a special focus in biotechnology, healthcare, data science, and AI/ML and serves on the boards of a number of Khosla Ventures portfolio companies. Alex has an MD and PhD in biomedical informatics from Stanford. As a scientist, he has published over 50 scientific publications, primarily at the intersection of computer science, biology, and healthcare, and has licensed IP to three separate companies. Prior to working in venture capital, Alex was involved with a number of startups, and worked as a senior artificial engineer for the MITRE Corporation.

Example Investments: Advanced Chemotherapy Technologies, Arpeggio Bio, Atrendex, BioAge, Bionaut, Cellino, Deep Genomics, DiscernDx, Docbot, Earli, Ellipsis, Faeth, Flow Neuroscience, Fountain Biotherapeutics, Hello Heart, Invoy, Karius, Kernel, Known Medicine, Loop Genomics, Menten AI, Mirvie, Nebula Genomics, Ochre Bio, Oncobox, Overture, Pardes Bio, Prellis, Probably Genetic, Rubedo, Q Bio, StimScience, STIMIT, Syllable Corporation, Vitro Labs
BENJAMIN QUIROGA is a general partner at Humboldt Fund. He was a Former Director at Australis Sea Food, a Chilean salmon farming market, which was acquired by Legend Holdings for $880M. He was also a proprietary trader at LarrainVial, and a co-founder at Kreas. He graduated from the Universidad Catolica de Chile.

MAY 20, 2021: STRATEGIC PRICING FOR OPTIMAL VALUATION

TED HAACK joined LatticePoint in July 2016 and provides advisory services to early-stage companies in the cell and gene therapy space and has advised on market access, EMA Adaptive Pathways, international expansion, talent acquisition, and key customer relationships. Prior to consulting, he spent 17 years working in the pharmaceutical industry and headed the Market Access function for Genzyme’s Rare Disease Business Unit and Pfizer’s Head of Head of Market Access, Primary Care BU. Before joining Pfizer, he spent 7 years at Schering-Plough in various regional and affiliate finance roles. Ted began his career at Deloitte & Touche, including two years in Frankfurt, Germany and is a qualified SEC Audit Committee Financial Expert. He was appointed as an Independent Director of Promethera Biosciences (BE) in April 2019. He has a BS degree in accounting from Villanova University, a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, and an MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. He speaks fluent German in addition to his native English.
JUDY CAMPAGNARI is a passionate healthcare and pharmaceutical strategist with proven experience creating “value from vision”. She has over 28 years of pharmaceutical industry and consulting experience, the majority in new product drug development. She is currently Executive Director, Head of STAR (Solutions to Accelerate Results to Patients), Alexion’s patient centric idea & strategy incubator where she leads a team responsible for creating enterprise level solutions and ideas designed to break down barriers and accelerate Alexion’s products to patients living with rare disease. Prior to joining Alexion she held positions of increasing responsibility as a member of the Pfizer Commercial organization serving as the New Products Commercial lead for several currently marketed products including Tarceva® (erlotinib), Xeljanz® (tofacitinib), and Eliquis® (apixaban; co-promote with BMS). Ms. Campagnari received an AB degree from Smith College (Northampton, MA), an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, and an Executive MBA Certificate from the Harvard Business School.
JESSICA MARTINEZ is a Senior Program Officer in the Global Health Strategy and Portfolio Management organization at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She leads life science industry engagements and partnerships as well as ecosystem shaping, access to innovation, and sustainable financing efforts. Recently, she has been heavily focused on COVID-19: convening vaccine development alliances, securing manufacturing capacity for LMIC- and LIC-bound therapeutics, and facilitating the launch of monoclonal antibodies in LMICs and LICs.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jessica was a senior member of Pfizer’s Corporate Strategy Team specializing in long-term risk management, revenue durability, and commercial model innovation. Before that, Jessica was a founding member of Pfizer’s Center of Excellence for Strategic Pricing and Reimbursement, and she was the global pricing and reimbursement lead for Pfizer’s largest assets.

Before switching to industry, Jessica was a consultant with IMS/IQViA Consulting and LEK Consulting. Jessica holds a BA in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
DENNIS PURCELL is the original Founder of Aisling Capital LLC. Previously, he served as the Senior Managing Partner. Prior to Aisling Capital, Mr. Purcell served as Managing Director of the Life Sciences Investment Banking Group at Chase H&Q (formerly Hambrecht & Quist, “H&Q”). While at H&Q, he was directly involved with over two hundred completed transactions and supervised over $10 billion of financing and advisory assignments in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical products industries.
Mr. Purcell is a frequent commentator on the industry and has been honored in the “Biotech Hall of Fame” by Genetic Engineering News, named to the Biotechnology All-Stars list by Forbes ASAP, honored as one of the top 50 Irish-American businessmen and cited as one of the top 100 contributors to the biotechnology industry.

In the past, Mr. Purcell has served on numerous private and public healthcare company boards. He currently sits on the Boards of Real Endpoints, Summus Global, Inc., BioScience Managers Pty Ltd., and Ichnos Sciences. He sits on the Editorial Advisory Board at Life Science Leader Magazine; Member of the Board at NYBIO Association; Board Member at The University of Delaware Investment Visiting Committee as well as a member of the Biopharmaceutical Innovation Board at the University of Delaware.

Mr. Purcell received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BS in Accounting from the University of Delaware.
DENISE‌ ‌SCOTS-KNIGHT‌ ‌is‌ ‌CEO‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌board‌ ‌member‌ ‌of‌ ‌Mereo‌ ‌BioPharma‌ ‌(NASDAQ:MREO),‌ ‌a‌ ‌company‌ ‌focused‌ ‌in‌ ‌oncology‌ ‌and‌ ‌rare‌ ‌diseases‌ ‌which‌ ‌she‌ ‌co-founded‌ ‌in‌ ‌2015.‌ ‌She‌ ‌has‌ ‌led‌ ‌the‌ ‌company‌ ‌through‌ ‌financings‌ ‌of‌ ‌over‌ ‌$300m‌ ‌including‌ ‌in‌ ‌an‌ ‌IPO‌ ‌and‌ ‌also‌ ‌through‌ ‌a‌ ‌recent‌ ‌corporate‌ ‌transaction‌ ‌with‌ ‌Ultragenyx.‌ ‌She‌ ‌has‌ ‌over‌ ‌25‌ ‌years’‌ ‌experience‌ ‌in‌ ‌venture‌ ‌capital‌ ‌and‌ ‌R&D‌ ‌management.‌ ‌She‌ ‌was‌ ‌an‌ ‌investment‌ ‌manager‌ ‌at‌ ‌Rothschild‌ ‌Asset‌ ‌Management‌ ‌before‌ ‌heading‌ ‌Nomura's‌ ‌life‌ ‌science‌ ‌investment‌ ‌as‌ ‌Managing‌ ‌Director‌ ‌for‌ ‌over‌ ‌12‌ ‌years‌ ‌leading‌ ‌the‌ ‌MBO‌ ‌in‌ ‌2010.‌ ‌She‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌a‌ ‌board‌ ‌member‌ ‌on‌ ‌many‌ ‌US‌ ‌and‌ ‌European‌ ‌private‌ ‌and‌ ‌public‌ ‌companies‌ ‌and‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌current‌ ‌board‌ ‌member‌ ‌of‌ ‌Elanco‌ ‌Animal‌ ‌Health‌ ‌(NYSE:ELAN)‌

MAY 26, 2021: INVESTING AT THE SPEED OF INNOVATION

CHRIS APOLITO has over 20 years of pharmaceutical and strategy consulting experience, with positions in discovery research, business development, and management consulting. His previous employers include GlaxoSmithKline, Becton Dickinson, AVOS Life Sciences, and Campbell Alliance.

While at GlaxoSmithKline, Chris’s scientific accomplishments led to multiple patent authorships and peer-reviewed publications. In business development roles, Chris was responsible for corporate strategy and reviewing in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities. For the last 15 years, Chris has led consulting engagements focused on corporate strategy, R&D portfolio strategy, and commercial assessments across the life science sector.

Chris earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society. He has an MS from the University of Buffalo and a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester.
SARAH JIMS has over a decade of experience in the life sciences industry within academic research, industry settings, and consulting. Recent engagements have included portfolio strategy, commercial assessment, commercialization strategy, and launch readiness, spanning a variety of therapeutic areas and modalities including gene therapy/gene editing, rare disease, neurology, and immuno-oncology. Previously, Sarah worked in a gene therapy laboratory where she co-authored peer-reviewed publications and spoke at national conferences regarding gene therapy vector biology, therapeutic optimization, and therapeutic strategies for a variety of disease states.
MIKE DOMBECK, COO, Arcellx, Inc. brings nearly 25 years of experience in pharma and biotech strategy and licensing. Most recently, Mike served as SVP of Corporate Development for Precision BioSciences, where he led transactions worth more than $2 billion, including a CAR-T co-development and co-promotion partnership with Baxalta that won the 2016 LES Deal of Distinction award, and in vivo gene editing collaborations with Gilead and The University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program. Previously, Mike worked at GlaxoSmithKline in R&D Strategy and Portfolio Management, supporting portfolio analysis, business development, innovations in clinical trial design, evaluation and adoption of digital transformation initiatives, and optimization of global IP filings. Mike has worked with a wide range of start-up, small, medium, and large therapeutics companies, both private and public, and was a co-founder of Cempra Pharmaceuticals. Mike holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, an MPP from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and a BS in biology from the Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Science.
GEOFF GLASS has spent more than 25 years helping lead services and therapeutic companies in the Life Sciences sector. Having started his career in EY’s consulting practice, Geoff spent nearly 10 years running major accounts and practice areas for the firm. At Valeant (now Bausch Health), Geoff served on the executive team for nearly five years, first as CIO and then running the company’s Asia business. In 2009, he was recruited to help lead the turn-around of Patheon. During a seven-year tenure at Patheon, Geoff had leadership of key functions that included Strategy, Corporate Development, Sales, Marketing, Pricing and Contracting, and concluded his tenure as the President of the Banner Life Sciences division. He has also served as the CEO of Sancilio Pharmaceuticals and worked with many Private Equity groups, including as an Operating Partner at LongueVue Capital. In addition to leading Kiniciti, Geoff also currently serves as the Chairman of Avadel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVDL).
TOM MATHERS joined Pappas Capital in 2018 and has more than 29 years of executive management experience in the life science and medical device industries. He is located in Boston and focuses primarily on company formation. Tom is the founder of Allievex Corp., and currently serves as its President and CEO, as well as a director. Allievex is developing novel therapies for the treatment of rare pediatric neurodegenerative diseases. Allievex’s lead product candidate is tralesinidase alfa, an investigational enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of children with Sanfilippo syndrome type B or mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB).

Prior to Pappas Capital and Allievex, Tom was the President and CEO of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCD), a Pappas Ventures III portfolio company founded by Pappas Capital, which focused on the development of lasmiditan for the acute treatment of migraine headaches. Eli Lilly & Company acquired CoLucid in March 2017 in an all cash transaction worth nearly $1 billion. Prior to CoLucid, Tom was President and CEO of Peptimmune, Inc.; President and CEO of Cell Based Delivery, Inc.; Vice President and General Manager of Cardion AG; and Vice President of Strategic Development at Genzyme Corporation.
JOE ZENKUS, MS PT, MBA, is the Head of Business Development and Strategic Alliances at Sarepta Therapeutics. An accomplished biopharma leader with an established track record of value creation while undertaking expanding roles, Joe has executed on a wide range of deal types globally, from early discovery research collaborations to clinical / commercial stage M&A. Prior to joining Sarepta, Joe served as the Business Development Lead for Pfizer’s Rare Disease Business Unit. He previously held various leadership roles at Mylan in Corporate Development and Sales Operations. Earlier in his career, he held sales roles at Schering-Plough / Merck. Joe earned an MBA in Finance from London Business School and an MS in Physical Therapy from the University of Massachusetts.

JUNE 23, 2021: PSYCHEDELICS GET SERIOUS

WALTER GREENLEAF, PhD, is a neuroscientist and a medical technology developer working at Stanford University. With over three decades of research and development experience, Walter is considered a leading authority in the field of digital medicine and medical virtual reality technology

As a research scientist and medical product developer, Walter’s focus has been on computer-supported clinical products, with a specific focus on virtual reality and digital health technology, including systems to treat Post-traumatic Stress, Anxiety Disorders, Stroke, Addictions, Autism, and other difficult problems in behavioral and physical medicine. He has had a principal role in several pioneering medical product companies, including Pear Therapeutics, Virtually Better, MindMaze, and InWorld Solutions.

Walter is currently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s MediaX Program, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, and the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Innovation Center. He previously served as the Director of the Mind Division, Stanford Center on Longevity, where his focus was on age-related changes in cognition. Walter was the founding Chief Science Officer for Pear Therapeutics, and is currently the Chief Science Officer for Interaxon.

Walter a member of the Board of Directors for Brainstorm: The Stanford Laboratory for Brain Health Innovation, for Sine Wave, and for Cognitive Leap. In addition to his research at Stanford University, Walter is the technology and neuroscience advisor to several early-stage medical product companies and accelerator / incubator programs.
ADAM GAZZALEY, MD, PhD is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at the UC San Francisco, and the Founder & Executive Director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center engaged in technology development and scientific research of novel brain assessments and optimization tools. Dr. Gazzaley is co-founder and Chief Science Advisor of Akili Interactive, Sensync and JAZZ Venture Partners. He has been a scientific advisor for over a dozen technology companies including Apple, GE, Nielsen, Deloitte. He has filed multiple patents - notably his invention of the first video game cleared by the FDA, authored over 150 scientific articles, and delivered over 675 invited presentations around the world. He wrote and hosted the nationally televised PBS special “The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley”, and co-authored “The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World”, winner of the 2017 PROSE Award. Dr. Gazzaley has received many awards and honors, including the 2015 Science Educator Award and the 2020 Global Gaming Citizen Honor.
CHARLIE HARTWELL is the Managing Partner of Bridge Builders Collaborative, a group that have been pioneering investors in the space of mindfulness, mental health, digital therapeutics for the last 10 years. They’ve invested in companies such as Headspace, Happify Health, Pear Therapeutics, Interaxon, Insight Timer and others. Bridge Builders is committed to investing in companies that provide invitations for people to Go Deeper, to awaken human potential and create opportunities for deeper levels of conscious awareness and transformation.

RONAN LEVY is the Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Field Trip.
An entrepreneur and a visionary, Ronan is one the founders of Field Trip. Concurrent with his work at Field Trip, he is a partner at Grassfed Ventures, a venture capital and advisory firm focused on the cannabis and biotech industries and is Chief Strategy Officer and Member of the Board of Directors for Trait Biosciences Inc., a leading biotech company in the hemp and cannabis industries. Prior to his current roles, Ronan (along with Joseph, Hannan and Ryan) co-founded Canadian Cannabis Clinics and CanvasRx Inc., the latter of which was acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) in 2016, after which he served as Senior Vice President, Business and Corporate Affairs for Aurora. A lawyer by training, Ronan started his career as a corporate lawyer at Blake, Cassels Graydon LLP and Legal Counsel at CTVglobemedia Inc. (now Bell Media Inc.) He holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, both from the University of Toronto.

EKATERINA MALIEVSKAIA is the Chief Innovation officer and Co-Founder of COMPASS.
Ekaterina received her medical degree from St Petersburg Medical Academy in St Petersburg, Russia, and then moved to the US where she completed her Internal Medicine residency training. She worked in private practice, academic medicine and public health for more than 15 years in the greater New York area. She was a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as a Research Professor at City University of New York.
After moving to London in 2011, Ekaterina worked in global health and medical philanthropy, focusing on improving outcomes in maternal and child health. She founded COMPASS Pathways with her husband George Goldsmith in 2016, having experienced at first hand the challenges in accessing evidence-based and effective mental health care for a family member.
BERRA YAZAR-KLOSINSKI, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation and Deputy Director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit, MAPS. Dr. Yazar-Klosinski is responsible for development of strategic, catalytic, and capacity-building activities to facilitate research on psychedelics in compliance with the global regulatory landscape. She has been actively involved in the clinical development of MDMA-assisted therapy, LSD-assisted therapy, cannabis, and ibogaine. After gaining experience in clinical research laboratories with Geron Corporation and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Yazar-Klosinski joined MAPS in 2009 to work with an organization where profit wouldn't dictate the agenda of scientific research. She has supported MAPS clinical research and regulatory affairs through all stages of growth for over a decade. Dr. Yazar-Klosinski earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Drama from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

JUNE 30, 2021: HUMANS VS. MACHINES: THE CLINICAL TRIAL PREDICTION CHALLENGE!

LY NGUYEN-JATKOE: As head of the Custom Intelligence team for the Americas and lead for cell and gene therapy thought leadership at Informa, Ly Nguyen-Jatkoe partners with clients to develop personalized solutions using Informa’s suite of pharma data and insights. She has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry and extensive experience in market research and analysis.

While at Informa, Ly has led research in therapy areas including oncology, autoimmune, and infectious diseases, offering expert opinion on strategy as well as disease, epidemiology, and drugs. Prior to her current role, she was Vice President of Disease Analysis and Strategy where she led a global analyst and market access team across the Datamonitor Healthcare and Biomedtracker solutions at Informa. Ly has served as Commercial Strategy Director where she oversaw the content strategy and thought leadership team and as Director of Product and Service Development in the U.S., where she focused on developing content and building relationships with clients. Ly first joined Informa in 2010 as an analyst for Datamonitor Healthcare, an Informa Pharma Intelligence product that specializes in in-depth market assessments and drug forecasts. She has a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and carried out her postdoctoral research with the Immunology team at Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company.
DANIEL CHANCELLOR has a decade of experience as an analyst in the biopharma industry, spanning roles in drug discovery, market analysis, competitive intelligence, and strategic consulting. He now develops and leads Informa Pharma Intelligence’s thought leadership program, producing materials that help clients across a range of hot topics in the biopharma industry, most recently including COVID-19, immuno-oncology, tumor-agnostic drug development, advanced therapies and M&A.

As part of this, Daniel regularly participates in webinars, conferences and other speaking arrangements, and he is featured across leading publications such as Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Scientific American, Scrip, In Vivo and Vice. Prior to joining Informa, Daniel worked as a medicinal chemist at the UK biotech company Summit Therapeutics and graduated with First Class Honours in Natural Sciences from the University of Bath.
MARK GORDON is the founder and CEO of Diviner, a disruptive startup applying prediction science and biopharma experts to forecast clinical trial outcomes and their impact on biotech stocks. Mark has spent 20 years helping biotech and pharma companies adopt software, data and analytics to improve R&D pipelines and get drugs to market. During the last decade he has held leadership positions in product strategy, product management, innovation, and M&A in large business intelligence units at Informa and Thomson Reuters.
Since 2017, MATTHIAS KOPF, PhD, has been the Head of Product Management at Molecular Health, responsible for software products in the oncology and pharma space. From 2015-2017, he was the Product Manager at Molecular Health. Matthias studied biology with a focus on molecular biology and bioinformatics at the University of Freiburg (Germany) from 2006–2012. Matthias was awarded his PhD in bioinformatics from the University of Freiburg (Germany) in 2015.
DANIEL MYTELKA has spent the last twenty-five years looking for value at the border between science and business in the biopharma industry. Originally trained in the biosciences (AB Molecular Biology from Princeton, PhD Genetics from UC Berkeley), he received an MBA from the University of Chicago before spending almost twenty years at Eli Lilly in diverse roles including strategy/portfolio management, business development and market access. After a stint as director of simulation and policy for the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation, he joined Diviner where he is the Head of Methodology.
FRIEDRICH VON BOHLEN is Co-Founder & CEO of Molecular Health GmbH. He is also co-founder and managing partner of dievini Hopp BioTech Holding GmbH & Co. KG. He holds a diploma in biochemistry from the University of Zurich and a PhD in neurobiology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). He held various positions at Fresenius AG, FAG Kugelfischer KGaA and WASAG Chemie AG. In 1997 he founded LION bioscience AG whose CEO he was for seven years. He is chairman of the Board of Apogenix AG and Novaliq GmbH and board member of CureVac AG, Heidelberg Pharma AG and Co-Chair of the Evaluation Board of the Wyss Translational Center Zurich.

JULY 8, 2021: FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES FOR EUROPEAN BIOPHARMA COMPANIES

NOOMAN HAQUE is the Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare at Silicon Valley Bank for EMEA. He leads a team supporting early, growth-stage and established multinational businesses in all sectors of life sciences. Nooman is responsible for expanding the bank’s business across Europe. As part of an international team he helps clients with innovative financing solutions through the bank’s broad platform of investment & commercial banking, asset management and capital connections. He is a frequent panelist, writer and spokesperson for the industry.
Nooman’s background includes management consulting and investing. He was also a Government economist specialising in competition & innovation.
DR. ANTONIN (TONY) DE FOUGEROLLES joined Evox Therapeutics in late 2017. Evox is engineering exosomes, the body’s natural delivery system, to enable a wide variety of drugs to reach previously inaccessible tissues. Evox, based in Oxford UK, was founded in 2016, raised $46m Series B (Sept 2018), $95m Series C (Feb 2021), and completed 2 large pharmaceutical multi-target exosome partnerships in 2020 with Takeda (rare disease) and Eli Lilly (RNAi) with combined total deal value >$2b.

Previously, Tony played a key role in pioneering and advancing 3 approved new transformative drug classes (mRNA, RNAi, and VHH Nanobodies) and helping build multi-billion-dollar businesses from start-up. Previously, Tony was CSO of Ablynx, founding CSO of Moderna (where he developed the underlying mRNA chemistry and formulations used in the covid-19 vaccines), and VP Research at Alnylam. Tony earned his PhD in Immunology from Harvard University.
DENISE SCOTS-KNIGHT is CEO and a board member of Mereo BioPharma (NASDAQ:MREO), a company focused in oncology and rare diseases which she co-founded in 2015. She has led the company through financings of over $300m including in an IPO and also through a recent corporate transaction with Ultragenyx. She has over 25 years’ experience in venture capital and R&D management. She was an investment manager at Rothschild Asset Management before heading Nomura's life science investment as Managing Director for over 12 years leading the MBO in 2010. She has been a board member on many US and European private and public companies and is a current board member of Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN).
TIM KNOTNERUS is CEO and member of the Board of Directors of AgomAb, a Belgian based biotech company developing therapies that modulate regenerative pathways. The team raised around $100M financing from top US and EU investors. Prior to AgomAb, Tim held the position of VP Corporate Development at AM-Pharma where he and the team executed a Phase IIb trial in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury, secured a $600M option-to-buy deal with Pfizer and raised $133M in a private financing round. Prior to that, Tim was a Senior Associate at Aescap Venture, a VC fund investing in European medical companies. Tim is a Henri Termeer Fellow and holds an executive MBA from IMD, where he was named Valedictorian. He earned a Science and Innovation Masters and a Drug Innovation Masters from Utrecht University.
STEFFEN SCHUSTER, Dipl.-Kfm. has been Chief Executive Officer of ITM Isotopen Technologien München AG (ITM) since December 2011. During his time with ITM, Steffen has greatly expanded the development and production of medical radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals internationally and successfully led ITM from a pure radioisotope manufacturer to a global biotechnology and radiopharmaceutical company. In addition, he has concluded important strategic partnerships, secured relevant equity and debt financing, including a loan from the European Investment Bank, and opened new sites in Germany and USA as part of ITM’s growth course.

Prior to his work at ITM, Steffen was a General Partner at TVM Capital. Before that, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the publicly listed cycos AG. Earlier in his career, Steffen worked for the Siemens Network Division where he held a variety of leading roles including international M&A as well as Co-founder of the Mustang Ventures fund with headquarters in Silicon Valley where he acted as Managing Director and Investment Partner.

Steffen received a Master’s Degree in Economics (Dipl.-Kfm.) from the University of Saarbrücken (Germany).
MARTIN WELSCHOF, PhD, is currently the CEO for BioInvent International. Before joining BioInvent, Martin was the CEO of Opsona Therapeutics, Managing Director and co-founder of Affitech A/S in Oslo/Norway and Copenhagen/Denmark. Prior to joining Affitech A/S, Martin was the Director of Technology at Axaron Bioscience AG, Heidelberg, Germany. During his period at Axaron he worked also in the parent company of Axaron Bioscience, LYNX Therapeutics Inc. in Hayward, California. Martin brings significant senior executive experience in the biotech sector having launched and built successful businesses focused on drug development and drug discovery platforms. He holds a PhD in the field of recombinant antibody technology from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. Martin also serves on the board of UTR AS, Nextera AS, APIM Therapeutics and BioMe.

JULY 21, 2021: OPHTHALMIC DRUG DELIVERY: EYE ON INNOVATION

LAURA RANDA is a visionary commercial leader with three decades of experience building high-performing commercial teams. She has been an executive leader at Novartis, GSK, Abbott and Regeneron and brings her experience with over 30 new drug launches driving pre-commercial activities early in the R&D cycle. She revolutionized C-Suite stakeholder engagements to build the Regeneron brand for Dupixent through payer innovation, personalized medicine and early clinical study design collaborations using Real World Evidence. Ms. Randa has been recognized twice by PharmaVoice magazine as one of the 100 Most Inspiring Leaders in the Life Sciences and is most recognized for her revolutionary C-Suite/payer stakeholder engagement strategy to drive commercial success.
KERRIE BRADY is a seasoned biotechnology entrepreneur and strategic business leader with more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical sector, more than ten of them dedicated to launching and building innovative startups.

Kerrie joined OcuTerra in 2020 to build and lead the company through the next stage of development for OTT166, its Phase 2, disruptive non-invasive treatment for retinal disease. Prior to this, in 2013 Kerrie co-founded Centrexion where she served as CBO and EVP of Strategy and was instrumental in building the pipeline to five clinical programs, raising over $150M and led a $1B out license deal to big pharma for a Phase 1 asset.

She received her BPharm from the Victorian College of Pharmacy, earned her MBA from the Melbourne Business School (Award of Distinction) and her MSc in Biopharmaceuticals from the University of South Wales (UNSW) Sydney.

Kerrie is a mentor for the MIT Venture Mentoring Service and the Sloan School of Management Delta V Board. She is the recipient of several awards including Quartz Top 10 US Women Start-Up Founders and Entrepreneurs, and PharmaVOICE 100 Most Inspiring People.
JEFFREY L CLELAND, PhD, has 30 years of industry experience in research and development, including more than a decade at Genentech, Inc. His experience in startups includes major roles in obtaining more than $450 million in capital at stages from Series A through D and exit via IPO including over $300 million in capital raised as CEO. As the founding CEO of Versartis (VSAR), he led one of top biotech IPOs of all time. After Versartis, he led the Series B financing and clinical translation of novel Johns Hopkins University technology as CEO of Graybug Vision (GRAY). He held executive management positions at BaroFold, Novacea and Targesome, and has managed directly all aspects of drug development and late-stage research. While at Genentech, Dr. Cleland served in product development and manufacturing roles. He held important leadership roles in the successful approval of two drugs, Herceptin® and Nutropin Depot®, as well as in early work on Lucentis®, Avastin®, and Kadcyla®. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Cleland has authored more than 100 articles and four books, and holds several issued patents. He serves on the Boards of BIO, Exicure, and Zylem and has advisory roles with small emerging biotechnology companies.
LLOYD DIAMOND is a seasoned medtech executive and CEO with 25 years of disruptive technology commercialization experience in the life science industry. He most recently served as the CEO of Precise Light Surgical, a commercially ready medical device company in Silicon Valley. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Bonesupport AB, a European orthobiologic company, where he drove rapid market penetration in Europe and the US which led to a successful IPO on the NASDAQ OMX in Stockholm. Lloyd has first-hand experience in the ophthalmology segment as he was responsible for managing Lumenis’ global surgical and vision franchises. He has commercialized many other disruptive technology platforms including at Kyphon and Laserscope. Lloyd received a dual degree in Biochemistry and Marketing from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
MINA SOOCH is Founder, CEO and President of Ocuphire Pharma (Nasdaq: OCUP). With over 25 years of pharma and biotech experience as CEO, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and strategist, Mina has successfully raised hundreds of millions of dollars for over 10 biotech companies and led 3 successful public Nasdaq listings. She was co-founder & CEO of Gemphire Therapeutics, a public, clinical-stage cardiovascular company as well as co-founder & CEO of ProNAi Therapeutics, a public, clinical-stage oncology company. Mina also co-founded in 2003 Apjohn Ventures Fund with a focus on early-stage life sciences companies. Earlier in her career, she served as a global account manager at Monitor Group, a top-tier global strategy consulting firm based in Boston. She has served on the boards of over 12 private, public, and nonprofit firms, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including one of the 2016 Deal Makers of the year by Crain’s Detroit Business. Mina received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University in Michigan.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021: A BILLION DOLLAR DECISION - TO LAUNCH OR OUT-LICENSE IN EUROPE

SEAN MORGAN-JONES spent most of his career in senior leadership positions within the Life Sciences Industry and so understands from an operational and strategic perspective, the unique challenges faced by biotechnology organisations as they grow from academic spin out, through to listing on the public markets.

Sean specialises in C-Suite/Board appointments and can advise on board structure and governance and has built a portfolio focused primarily on Rare Diseases and Immuno-oncology and newer therapeutic modalities of Regenerative Medicine and Cell and Gene Therapies.
BARRY E. GREENE joined Sage as CEO in December of 2020, bringing more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience to this position. He previously joined the Sage Board of Directors in October of 2020. Prior to Sage, he served as president of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since 2007, and he previously held the position of chief operating officer when he first joined the company in 2003. Prior to his 17 year tenure at Alnylam, Mr. Greene was the general manager of Oncology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the Company’s global strategy and execution for its oncology business, including strategic business direction and execution, culminating in the successful U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and launch of VELCADE® (bortezomib) in mid-2003. Prior to joining Millennium in 2001, Mr. Greene served as executive vice president and chief business officer for Mediconsult.com, a healthcare consulting company. Earlier in Mr. Greene’s career, he held multiple leadership positions at AstraZeneca (formerly AstraMerck), and was a partner of Andersen Consulting, where he was responsible for the pharmaceutical/biotechnology marketing and sales practice. He is a member of the board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

He received his BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and served as a Senior Scholar at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
STEPHANIE LÉOUZON is Partner and Head of Torreya Europe. She has worked on over 100 strategic and financing transactions in the biopharmaceutical industry, with an aggregate value of over $75 billion.

Stephanie joined Torreya in 2011. Previously, she was a Managing Director and Senior Advisor at Credit Suisse in London. She has also worked at Salomon Brothers, as a Director of Healthcare Investment Banking, and as a Vice President in the Investment Banking divisions of JP Morgan, and Lehman Brothers in New York.

Highlights of Stephanie’s strategic advisory experience include the $34.6 billion Astra and Zeneca merger, the $6.8 billion Pharmacia & Upjohn merger, Hoechst’s $7 billion acquisition of Marion Merrell Dow; the creation of Syngenta through the merger of the agricultural businesses of AstraZeneca and Novartis; and the $3.1 billion Warner Chilcott LBO.

Stephanie earned a BA cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and an MA and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.
DAVID MEEKER, MD, a member of Rhythm’s Board of Directors since 2015 and Chairman of the Board since 2017, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in July 2020. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of KSQ Therapeutics for approximately three years.

Previously, David was the Executive Vice President and Head of Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty-care global business unit of Sanofi that focused on rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, oncology and immunology. He joined Genzyme in 1994 as Medical Director and, over the course of his tenure, served the company as Vice President of Medical Affairs, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer.

He led Genzyme’s commercial organization and global market access functions and managed the launch of several treatments for rare genetic diseases, including Aldurazyme®, Fabrazyme® and Myozyme®.

Prior to his tenure with Genzyme, David was Director of the Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Ohio State University. Dr. Meeker earned his MD from the University of Vermont Medical School and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.
ANANT MURTHY is currently the General Manager, Europe for Argenx, a global immunology company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases. In this role, he is responsible for establishing and leading the company’s footprint in the broad and diverse European market.

Prior to Argenx, Dr. Murthy was the Vice President and Head of the Mid-Size Market Region at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and was also the Head of Pricing, Market Access and Policy. He has previously held positions at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals and Incyte Corporation, following Incyte’s acquisition of ARIAD’s European operations, Celgene Corporation in both Europe and the US, and Medtronic. He was a legislative advisor to a member of the US House of Representatives and served as a strategy and management consultant with Ernst & Young LLP. On behalf of life sciences companies seeking to grow their businesses outside of the US, Dr. Murthy has directly negotiated with authorities to secure market access for specialty therapeutics in more than 30 countries.

Dr. Murthy, a native New Yorker, earned his PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA from the University of Rochester.

OCTOBER 27, 2021: THREE STRATEGIES FOR ATTRACTING EARLY STAGE INVESTMENT

SKIP SANDS, MD’s 35-year professional career has spanned the biopharmaceutical, academic, and private medical practice worlds. He has led and contributed to numerous clinical programs from IND through sNDA/sBLA/MAA, including programs in neuroscience, cardio-metabolic, vaccines, cancer and others.
Skip joined Parexel Biotech as Senior Medical Officer in 2019, and prior to that served as the Chief Medical Officer at Selecta Biosciences, Targacept and Plasma Surgical. He spent time with Solvay Pharmaceuticals/Abbott Laboratories in a series of roles of increasing responsibility culminating as Executive Vice President, Market Access and Senior Vice President of Research and Development. Skip earned his Medical Doctor Degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and has completed courses in the Executive MBA program at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
RITO BERGEMANN leads the HEOR team with a holistic view to be part of the wider RWE & Access Consulting group. He and his team helps clients get health technologies / drugs onto worldwide markets with a positive and best achievable reimbursement decision.

Prior to joining Parexel, Rito held leadership roles in CROs in the field of HEOR including, RWE and Network Meta-Analysis on an international scale. He was responsible for HEOR of Rare Diseases at GSK and the main architect of the health economic and evidence generation program for Humira at Abbott/AbbVie. Rito was also an Adviser for a Hedge Fund focused on biologics and gene therapies.
BALAZS FELCSUTI has over 15 years of healthcare experience in corporate development, strategy, finance and operational positions. He joined Health Advances after a successful career with biopharma companies ranging from industry leading biotechnology firms to small start-up operations.

Balazs brings to Health Advances a combination of big picture strategic approach and hands-on implementation experience. Throughout his career he was responsible for solving strategic problems, executing high value business development transactions and building high-performing organizations.
MARIAN NAKADA, PhD, VP Venture Investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, has almost 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, starting her career at the laboratory bench at Centocor and moving to a research leadership role before Centocor’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 1999. She transitioned to Janssen Business Development where she executed deals to support the expansion of the Biologics portfolio. She joined JJDC, Johnson & Johnson’s corporate venture group in 2013. She is passionate about leveraging Johnson & Johnson’s capabilities to help her portfolio companies succeed. Marian has a BA in Biology from Harvard College and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently on the Boards of Navitor Pharmaceuticals, Twenty-eight Seven Therapeutics, Ribon Therapeutics, Artizan Biosciences as well as the New England Venture Capital Association where she is working to champion change as an active contributor to its Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

DECEMBER 1, 2021: BIOTECH COMPANIES LIVE & DIE BY THEIR DATA: HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR OUTCOMES

ROBERT SCHNEIDER, PhD, is a leading biomedical investigator and has been a biotech entrepreneur for more than 30 years. He combines innovative biomedical scientific research with disruptive models of business development to pioneer new therapies in for the benefit of patients. Dr. Schneider is a co-founding scientist of six biotechnology/small pharmaceutical companies: ImClone Systems (New York); PTC Therapeutics (New Jersey); Canji (San Diego); GenCell (Paris); Charterhouse Pharmaceuticals (London); and ENB Therapeutics (New York). Dr. Schneider is the Albert Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis and for seven years until 1/2020, the Associate Dean for NYU Technology Ventures and Partnerships (TVP) at NYU Langone Health/NYU School of Medicine. He oversaw the integration and transformation of NYU technology transfer that launched over 100 startup companies during that time. Dr. Schneider is a research scientist and maintains a productive lab performing basic and translational research on metastatic breast cancer, regulation of the immune response, and regulation of adult tissue stem cells for tissue regeneration. He is the author of more than 180 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and has been continuously funded by the NIH for more than 30 years.
BARRY BUNIN, PhD is the CEO of Collaborative Drug Discovery. Dr. Bunin has overseen $50 million in business transactions over the last two decades. Prior to CDD, he was an Entrepreneur in Residence with Eli Lilly & Co. Dr. Bunin is on a patent for Kyprolis™ (Carfilzomib for Injection) — a selective proteasome inhibitor that received accelerated FDA approval for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma that was widely viewed as the centerpiece of Amgen’s $10.4 Billion acquisition of Onyx Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Bunin was the founding CEO, President, & CSO of Libraria (now Eidogen-Sertanty). At Libraria, he led a team that integrated exhaustive reaction capture (synthetic chemistry) with gene-family wide SAR capture (medicinal chemistry). On the scientific side, he co-authored “Chemoinformatics: Theory, Practice, and Products” (Springer-Verlag), a text that overviews modern chemoinformatics technologies, and “The Combinatorial Index” (Academic Press), a widely used text on high-throughput chemical synthesis.

In the lab, Dr. Bunin did medicinal synthetic chemistry developing patented new chemotypes for protease inhibition at Axys Pharmaceuticals (now Celera) and RGD mimics to inhibit GP-IIbIIIa at Genentech. Dr. Bunin received his B.A. from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, where he synthesized and tested the initial 1,4-benzodiazepine libraries with Professor Jonathan Ellman.
AMY RIPKA, PhD, is CEO of Lucy Therapeutics, a Boston-based, mitochondrial platform biotech revolutionizing treatments for rare and neurological diseases. Prior to her role at LucyTx, she served on the executive leadership teams at SAI Life Sciences and WuXiAppTec. Dr. Ripka previously held positions of scientific leadership at EnVivo(FORUM), Daiamed and Infinity Pharmaceuticals. She received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and subsequently worked in the lab of Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless. She has over 30 issued patents and has participated in over 6 INDs in different therapeutic areas. She has deep connections in the medicinal chemistry community - chairing the 2012 Medicinal Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, working on the ACS MEDI Executive Committee as well as on Caraway and Q BioMed SABs. In her spare time, she plays classical violin professionally and has performed with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan and Smokey Robinson.
CHRIS J. VLAHOS, PhD joined Ipsen in November 2018 as Global Head of Rare Disease and Neuroscience External Innovation (EI). Chris leads EI efforts to identify and evaluate innovative external opportunities in Rare Disease and Neuroscience, as well as the development and implementation of an External Innovation strategy in these areas.

Chris has more than 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical research across a broad range of therapeutic areas including 10 years in external innovation and due diligence. Chris started his career at Lilly Research Laboratories, where he held various positions of increasing responsibilities in Cardiovascular Discovery Research. In 2008, he was named Director, External Innovation-Endocrine where he was responsible for identification, and scientific and technical evaluation of in-licensing and M&A opportunities in multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Ipsen, Chris provided independent consultation on preclinical drug discovery, development and strategy, due diligence and business development in diverse therapeutic areas.

Chris holds a BS (cum laude) in Chemistry from Santa Clara University, and a Master of Science and a PhD, both in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan.

DECEMBER 15, 2021: BEYOND THE BUSINESS PITCH AT JP MORGAN: KEY ISSUES FOR EMERGING COMPANIES AND INVESTORS IN 2022

KRISTIN CONNARN leverages her background in biotechnology and cancer research to effectively guide clients through strategic patent portfolio development and management. Her practice focuses on life sciences patent prosecution, portfolio development, and management in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
DAVID DE GRAAF is CEO of Abcuro. He is a pioneer in the biotech industry with an impressive track record of advancing programs into the clinic. Most recently, he was the CEO of Comet Therapeutics. Prior to Comet, he was CEO of Syntimmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing novel treatments for IgG-mediated autoimmune diseases. His experience includes leadership roles at Apple Tree Partners, Selventa, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. He holds a PhD in genetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
KYP SIRINAKIS has over 25 years of experience in creating and growing companies both as an early-stage venture capitalist and a senior executive in various start-up companies. Kyp is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Epidarex Capital, a venture capital firm which invests in seed and early stage life science and health technology companies in under-ventured markets within the US and UK.  Prior to launching Epidarex, she was part of the senior management team of MASA Life Science Ventures and the Founder and Managing Director of WomenAngels.net LLC.  Kyp currently serves on the Investment Committees for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology BioLife Fund, the Momentum Fund (University System of Maryland), University of Florida’s Innovate Venture Fund and the University of Virginia’s Ivy Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of a number of portfolio companies and industry groups. Kyp is a graduate of Boston College.
CLIFFORD STOCKS is the Founder and CEO of OncoResponse, Inc. which was formed as a broad strategic alliance between Theraclone Sciences and MD Anderson Cancer Center to focus on the treatment of cancer. Prior to OncoResponse he was the CEO of Theraclone Sciences, Inc. where he was responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s efforts to discover and develop novel therapeutic antibody immunotherapies for the treatment of infectious disease. Previously he was CBO of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the partnering and M&A teamwork that resulted in the acquisition of Calistoga by Gilead for $600 million.

Prior to Calistoga, Mr. Stocks spent over 15 years at ICOS Corporation, where he served as an Executive Officer and Vice President of Business Development. While at ICOS, he led acquisitions and joint venture activities, as well as alliance formation, strategy, licensing, and deal making. He played an instrumental role on the leadership team that developed and launched Cialis® and was a key architect of the Lilly ICOS joint venture partnership leading to the $2.3 billion acquisition of ICOS in 2007.

Mr. Stocks's early career includes a turn as a management consultant in the Health Services practice of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, as well as academic research in the department of immunology at the University of Utah and the department of molecular genetics and cell biology at the University of Chicago.

Mr. Stocks received an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth Graduate School of Business, and a BS in biology from the University of Utah.
ANDREW STRONG is an experienced trusted advisor and counsel to global life sciences, pharmaceutical, and emerging technology clients on matters involving corporate formation, public and private financing, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border licensing and joint ventures, employment and executive compensation, and intellectual property.

MARCH 17, 2022: GETTING TO THE NEXT NORMAL: A ROADMAP FOR LIVING WITH COVID

SHERYL GAY STOLBERG is a Washington Correspondent covering health policy. In more than two decades at The Times, she has also covered the White House, Congress and national politics. Previously, at The Los Angeles Times, she shared in two Pulitzer Prizes won by that newspaper’s Metro staff.

Ms. Stolberg joined The Times in 1997 to cover health policy, and spent five years writing extensively on bioethics issues like the death of a gene therapy patient and an experimental artificial heart. She became a Congressional correspondent in 2002, and went on to cover the White House during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. As a national political features writer in 2012, Ms. Stolberg was a lead author of The Times’s Long Run series of biographical profiles of that year’s Republican presidential contenders, including Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney.

As mid-Atlantic bureau chief from 2015 to 2017, she focused on America’s cities, notably Baltimore, covering issues of race and policing surrounding the death of Freddie Gray. She returned to covering Congress in 2017 but switched to health coverage in 2020, amid the coronavirus crisis.

At The Los Angeles Times, Ms. Stolberg shared in two Pulitzer Prizes won by that newspaper’s Metro staff, for coverage of the 1992 riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King, and the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake. At The New York Times, she shared in a 2009 Gerald Loeb Award for financial journalism, for coverage of President George W. Bush’s role in the mortgage meltdown, as part of a 2008 series, The Reckoning.

She is the proud mother of two amazing daughters, a novice painter and loves stories that involve politics, art, culture and history, as well as health.
RICK BRIGHT is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Pandemic Prevention Institute (PPI) at The Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Bright leads the development of the Foundation’s pandemic data-to-action platform that integrates modern technology, data analytics and global partners to help the world detect, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats to achieve containment as quickly as possible.

Prior to this role, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Bright has also gained extensive experience in the biotechnology industry where he served in senior leadership and executive management roles. He has held senior scientific leadership positions in non-governmental organizations where he championed innovative vaccine development and expanded vaccine manufacturing capacity to multiple developing countries. He also spent a decade in vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics development at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For this work, Dr. Bright received the Charles C. Shepard Science Award for Scientific Excellence.

Dr. Bright serves as an international subject matter expert in biodefense, emergency preparedness and response, pharmaceutical innovation, vaccine, drug and diagnostics development and served as an advisor to the Biden Administration, World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats. Dr. Bright serves as a Sr. Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association.

Dr. Bright received a PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University and a BS magna cum laude in Biology and Physical Sciences from Auburn University at Montgomery.
EZEKIEL J. EMANUEL, MD, PhD, is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor, Co-Director of the Health Transformation Institute. From January 2009 to January 2011, he served as special advisor for health policy to the director of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House. From 1997 to 2011, he was chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health. He is also a breast oncologist.

Dr. Emanuel received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his PhD in political philosophy from Harvard University. After completing his internship and residency in internal medicine at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and his oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School. He has since been a visiting professor at UCLA, the Brin Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School, the Kovitz Professor at Stanford Medical School and visiting professor at New York University Law School.

Dr. Emanuel has written and edited 15 books and over 300 scientific articles. He is a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC, and often publishes pieces in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.

In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He is also on the Board of Regents at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

He is the author of the New York Times best-selling 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, in which he not only details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day but lays out a nine-point strategy on how to address them, with preventing a global flu pandemic at the top of the list.

In addition, Dr. Osterholm is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council of Foreign Relations. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. In July 2008, he was named to the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center’s Academy of Excellence in Health Research. In October 2008, he was appointed to the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics.

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors for his work, including an honorary doctorate from Luther College; the Pump Handle Award, CSTE; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal, FDA; the Squibb Award, IDSA; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, UMN; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, American Public Health Association. He also has been the recipient of six major research awards from the NIH and the CDC.

APRIL 20, 2022: THE FOUNDATION: THE BASICS OF MARKET ACCESS AND WHY THEY MATTER BEFORE PHASE IIIS

ALICE VALDER CURRAN advises pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding drug pricing matters, with a particular emphasis on compliance obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the Medicare average sales price (ASP) reporting requirement, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Alice works directly with C-Suite executives on the government pricing (GP) implications of common commercial strategies, and the strategic role that these programs can play for certain drugs. She also works with commercial and finance personnel on the nuts and bolts of implementing GP obligations. She teams with her white collar colleagues on GP-related enforcement matters, often taking the lead when interacting with enforcement authorities on the specifics of Medicaid, Medicare, and 340B programs.

Alice counsels pharmaceutical companies on the treatment of various commercial strategies in the government pricing calculations – from wholesaler, GPO, and managed care proposals, to product launch strategies and patient programs. Working with manufacturers of all sizes and maturities, Alice brings valuable insight on the strengths and weaknesses of commercialization trends across the industry. Alice develops GP policy documents, "reasonable assumptions" in support of calculation methodologies, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and HRSA 340B recalculation disclosure submissions.

Policy advocacy rounds out Alice's practice. Her knowledge of these programs and how they impact a manufacturer's day-to-day operations, as well as its strategic interests, make Alice a sought-after resource for evaluating legislative and policy proposals. She also represents manufacturers directly before CMS and HRSA on general policy issues, as well as advocating for company-specific actions.
At Amgen, KAVE NIKSEFAT currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of the Inflammation Business Unit where he has P&L responsibility for Amgen’s inflammation portfolio of Rheumatology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, and Respiratory therapies.

Kave first joined Amgen in 2015 as Executive Director of U.S. Pricing and Contracting where he led Amgen’s U.S. government programs and distribution strategy. In December 2017, he was promoted to Vice President, U.S. Pricing and Contracting where he led all pricing and contracting activities in the U.S. Kave was then promoted to lead the overall U.S. Value and Access team in March 2019 where he had responsibility for value, market access, pricing, reimbursement, and patient support for Amgen’s portfolio within the U.S. He moved into my current role in December 2020.

Prior to joining Amgen, Kave served for more than a decade as a leading consultant with several professional services firms; most recently as a Senior Consulting Principal with IQVIA. In his consulting practice, he established himself as a highly sought-after thought leader and strategic advisor to leading biopharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations.

Kave earned his bachelor’s degree in public policy and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and he is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.
For the past two decades, BETH ROBERTS has helped life science companies optimize the value of their innovations. She helps clients navigate the complex coding, coverage, and reimbursement challenges faced by their new technologies.

Beth counsels on Medicare and other health care issues and lobbies the U.S. Congress and regulatory agencies on her clients' behalf. Her clients include health care providers; pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device manufacturers; investors; and professional and trade associations.

Beth is a creative problem solver who is passionate about improving patient access to care. She works collaboratively to solve bet-the-company issues in innovative ways. She helps turn reimbursement challenges and changes into business opportunities. She also explains complicated laws and regulations in a simple and straightforward way.

Beth guides clients from reimbursement strategy through implementation. She applies for new International Classification of Disease (ICD-10), Health Care Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. She helps clients obtain favorable coverage for their products through the Local Coverage Determination (LCD) and National Coverage Determination (NCD) processes and advises on the opportunities and pitfalls of coverage with evidence development (CED) and parallel review. She also helps clients obtain appropriate payment, often through new technology add-on payments (NTAPs), drug and device pass-through payments, and new technology ambulatory payment classifications (APCs). Over and above, Beth advises on seizing opportunities through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), including Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and the Oncology Care Model (OCM). When existing mechanisms do not work, Beth creates new solutions through policy initiatives or by amending the law.

Beth gains great satisfaction from her pro bono work and giving back to the community.

MAY 4, 2022: MAKING IT REAL: WHAT DOES AN EARLY-STAGE MARKET ACCESS STRATEGY LOOK LIKE?

ALICE VALDER CURRAN advises pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding drug pricing matters, with a particular emphasis on compliance obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the Medicare average sales price (ASP) reporting requirement, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Alice works directly with C-Suite executives on the government pricing (GP) implications of common commercial strategies, and the strategic role that these programs can play for certain drugs. She also works with commercial and finance personnel on the nuts and bolts of implementing GP obligations. She teams with her white collar colleagues on GP-related enforcement matters, often taking the lead when interacting with enforcement authorities on the specifics of Medicaid, Medicare, and 340B programs.

Alice counsels pharmaceutical companies on the treatment of various commercial strategies in the government pricing calculations – from wholesaler, GPO, and managed care proposals, to product launch strategies and patient programs. Working with manufacturers of all sizes and maturities, Alice brings valuable insight on the strengths and weaknesses of commercialization trends across the industry. Alice develops GP policy documents, "reasonable assumptions" in support of calculation methodologies, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and HRSA 340B recalculation disclosure submissions.

Policy advocacy rounds out Alice's practice. Her knowledge of these programs and how they impact a manufacturer's day-to-day operations, as well as its strategic interests, make Alice a sought-after resource for evaluating legislative and policy proposals. She also represents manufacturers directly before CMS and HRSA on general policy issues, as well as advocating for company-specific actions.
TESS CAMERON is a Principal, Strategic Finance at RA Capital Management. Tess’s primary responsibility is to partner with our portfolio companies as a strategic finance advisor. Tess comes to RA from Foghorn Therapeutics, where she was Head of Finance. Prior to Foghorn, Tess held finance leadership roles at Wave Life Sciences, where she was responsible for FP&A and corporate finance, and Biogen, where she was the finance lead for the CMO and the neurodegeneration portfolio. Prior to joining biotech/pharma, she was a specialist in the corporate finance team at McKinsey & Co, focused on corporate transactions. Tess has a BA with a double major in Economics and Peace & Conflict studies from the University of Toronto, Canada.
ADRIENNE ELLMAN focuses on M&A and Private Equity transactions, representing corporate and financial buyers and sellers of public and private companies in domestic and cross-border transactions.

Recognized nationally as a “Leading Lawyer” in middle market M&A by Legal 500 across a wide range of sectors, her practice has a particular focus on the life sciences and health care, and technology industries and the overlap between them. Adrienne’s transactional work has included experience with mergers, leveraged buyouts, tender offers, going-private transactions, de-SPAC acquisitions, carve-out and spin-off transactions and minority and growth investments.

Adrienne’s M&A practice is bolstered by her strong experience in corporate governance matters. She routinely counsels boards and executive officers on their significant transactions, including fiduciary duty issues, and general corporate matters. Adrienne also regularly works with emerging growth companies on general corporate and financing matters.

Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Adrienne was previously the co-chair of a U.S.-based law firm’s M&A and Private Equity Transactions Practices, co-lead of that firm's New York office, and a member of that firm’s Diversity Committee. She also served rotations on that firm’s Hiring Committee and Policy and Procedure Against Discrimination and Harassment Committee.

Earlier in Adrienne’s career, she worked as a law clerk for The Honorable Margaret Hinkle of the Massachusetts Superior Court and as an intern at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in the Securities Fraud Unit and the General Counsel’s office of Alere Inc.
As Co-Head of the firm's Life Sciences & Health Care industry sector and partner in our Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology practice, LYNN WHIPKEY MEHLER advises clients on a range of FDA and DEA regulatory matters. She has worked extensively on the approval processes for new drugs and biologics; on safety issues that include Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS); and on unique regulatory issues raised during the development and marketing of controlled substances.

Drawing on her 12 years with the FDA's Office of the Chief Counsel, Lynn has a deep understanding of the FDA. Her experience as the primary attorney handling all FDA issues related to controlled substances provides her with unique insights into both the FDA's and DEA's regulatory processes for controlled substances. She advised the agency on drug safety matters, including at approval and those leading to labeling changes, REMS, and even product withdrawal, and she applies that understanding to help clients create effective solutions for FDA regulatory matters.

Lynn has worked with a range of clients, getting their products approved, developing and modifying REMS, and negotiating shared REMS with generic applicants. She draws on her deep experience in the FDA approval process to represent pharmaceutical clients in formal dispute proceedings within the agency.

Having counseled the FDA on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, she now guides clients in the submission of user fee waiver requests and helps them understand the agency's administrative management of drug applications. She has extensive experience in the FDA and DEA drug scheduling process and has worked with clients to effectively manage the process to minimize the delays to product launch. She has a deep understanding of the web of regulatory requirements governing the research and development of controlled substances and guides companies on matters from initial clinical trials to approval and marketing.

MAY 18, 2022: FUTURE-PROOFING: HOW TO PREPARE A VALUE-BASED MARKET ACCESS STRATEGY

ALICE VALDER CURRAN advises pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding drug pricing matters, with a particular emphasis on compliance obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the Medicare average sales price (ASP) reporting requirement, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Alice works directly with C-Suite executives on the government pricing (GP) implications of common commercial strategies, and the strategic role that these programs can play for certain drugs. She also works with commercial and finance personnel on the nuts and bolts of implementing GP obligations. She teams with her white collar colleagues on GP-related enforcement matters, often taking the lead when interacting with enforcement authorities on the specifics of Medicaid, Medicare, and 340B programs.

Alice counsels pharmaceutical companies on the treatment of various commercial strategies in the government pricing calculations – from wholesaler, GPO, and managed care proposals, to product launch strategies and patient programs. Working with manufacturers of all sizes and maturities, Alice brings valuable insight on the strengths and weaknesses of commercialization trends across the industry. Alice develops GP policy documents, "reasonable assumptions" in support of calculation methodologies, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and HRSA 340B recalculation disclosure submissions.

Policy advocacy rounds out Alice's practice. Her knowledge of these programs and how they impact a manufacturer's day-to-day operations, as well as its strategic interests, make Alice a sought-after resource for evaluating legislative and policy proposals. She also represents manufacturers directly before CMS and HRSA on general policy issues, as well as advocating for company-specific actions.
MICHAEL ROTHROCK brings over 20 years of experience within both the Managed Care as well as the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) industry, working in both National and Regional Health plans as well as a large National PBM. He has an excellent reputation for negotiating skills, leadership, delivering financial results, resolving problems, building relationships, and overall Healthcare industry and PBM drug formulary tactics.

As a former Pharmacy Senior leader across multiple lines of business, Michael provides a high-level approach to payer strategy by leveraging a variety of perspectives, including clinical, financial, trade relations, trend/utilization management, contracting, and formulary tactics. Michael has a vast amount of experience within Pharmacy Benefit Management, Contracting GPOs, pharmacy and medical benefits as well as a variety of reimbursement options and decision-making methodologies.

Before creating Allegheny Strategic Partners LLC, Michael was the VP of Pharma Strategy and Contracting at Express Scripts, where he was responsible for leading Commercial and Medicare formulary contracting and strategy, as well as leading a team of Contracting Directors that consistently delivered results for their downstream clients. Prior to his time at Express Scripts, Michael worked at Aetna and Coventry Health Care, Inc. in a variety of areas, including Commercial and Medicare formulary management, manufacturer contracting, specialty drug management, retail networks, MAC pricing, medical benefit contracting and JCODE pricing.

Michael received his MBA/MHA degree from the University of Pittsburgh as well as his Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.
PETER RUBIN serves as Executive Director for No Patient Left Behind (NPLB), a non-profit dedicated to creating and maintaining patient access to affordable prescription drugs.

With more than 20 years of health policy, strategic advocacy, and public affairs experience, Mr. Rubin has held senior-level positions spanning public and private sector payers, innovators, and regulators. His experience includes working for United Healthcare’s Medicare business and leading Aetna’s federal government affairs team during implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He also has worked for biopharma companies where he advised the entities on a range of policy and regulatory issues.

Mr. Rubin’s government experience includes serving as Majority Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Retirement and Aging and Legislative Director for a senior member of the U.S. House Ways and Means and Budget Committees.
Bridging his experience at the highest level of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical and biotech practice, LOWELL ZETA outrivals by providing sophisticated legal counsel to life science clients on critical regulatory and compliance matters, while navigating an ever complex and evolving regulatory landscape.

Lowell rejoins Hogan Lovells after serving as Senior Counselor to the FDA Commissioner, where he provided leadership on cross-cutting and high-priority initiatives promoting innovation and addressing public health issues. He was responsible for leading FDA's COVID-19 PREPP initiative to help guide the agency's response and strategic planning. He worked closely with FDA leadership, HHS, the White House, and Senate and House committees.

Emerging and established companies and their investors seek his strategic guidance on regulatory matters that require an integrated analysis of the science, data, and the law. He excels by leveraging his awareness of the pressures facing life science companies, and his perspective on FDA and inter-agency decision-making processes and priorities.

Core elements of his practice include product development and lifecycle considerations in oncology and other serious diseases, real-world evidence (RWE) platforms, AI/machine-learning techniques, patient-focused drug development, and advanced manufacturing technologies to improve quality and supply chain resiliency.

He counsels extensively on compliance matters involving current good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements, pharmacovigilance and postmarket safety, global supply chain, and FDA inspection and enforcement. He handles unique regulatory issues involving both FDA and DEA, including REMS risk strategies and controlled substance research programs.

He was a Global Health Scholar with the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and is a published author on life science topics in peer-reviewed journals.

July 20, 2022: BIOTECHNOLOGY MIDYEAR OUTLOOK

BARBARA RYAN is the CEO of Barbara Ryan Advisors, a life sciences capital markets strategic advisory firm and a Senior Advisor at EY. Previously, Ms. Ryan was a Wall Street sell-side research analyst covering the biopharmaceutical industry for 30 years. She was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank/Alex Brown and Head of the Company’s Pharmaceutical Research Team for 19 years and began her research career covering the pharmaceutical industry at Bear Stearns in 1982.
In her role as a consultant, Barbara has provided senior strategic counsel and tactical support for several of the highest profile deals in the biopharma industry, including Shire/Abbvie, Shire/Baxalta, and Allergan/Valeant. Barbara has raised over $1.5B for emerging biopharma companies in IPOs, follow-ons, PIPEs, and convertible debt transactions.

Ms. Ryan is the Founder of Fabulous Pharma Females, a non-profit dedicated to advance women in biopharma, and is passionate about supporting and mentoring women. Barbara writes a monthly Finance Column for Pharma Executive and is a board member at MiNK Therapeutics and INVO Biosciences. Barbara serves on Gilda's Club NYC Board of Directors, Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Advisory Board, the Executive Advisory Board for the Prix Galien Foundation, a member of the Life Sciences Council of Springboard Enterprises, and is a Faculty member at the GLG Institute.
MARC ENGELSGJERD is the senior equity analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence specializing in the biotechnology sector. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Marc was a senior principal and oncology practice lead at inThought Research. His additional experience includes time spent in equity research at Banc of America Securities and UBS and as director of clinical affairs at Veritas Medicine, an eHealth startup.

Marc earned his MD at the UCSF School of Medicine followed by residency training at the Washington University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.
MICHAEL SHAH graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Accounting and Finance. He has been focused on the healthcare sector for the past ten years, initially assisting with U.S and European Large Pharmaceuticals coverage before transitioning to Biotech.
DUANE WRIGHT is a Senior Analyst for the health team at Bloomberg Intelligence. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he was a Vice President in the Government Affairs department for the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) where he was team lead on diagnostics, coverage and reimbursement issues, and led industry efforts to repeal the medical device tax in 2019.

Prior to AdvaMed he was a Vice President at Finsbury Glover Hering, a multi-client consultant firm, and America’s Health Insurance Plans. Prior to his private sector work he was lead health staff for Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and a Legislative Assistant to former Congressman Jim Davis (D-FL).

Wright holds a law degree from The George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

AUGUST 31, 2022: RUNWAY EXTENSION IN DIFFICULT TIMES

LESLEY STOLZ is Regional Vice President, Early Innovation Partnering at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, California. In this role, she leads identification, incubation, due diligence, negotiation, execution and on-boarding for high-impact partnerships and collaborations in external innovation. Lesley also oversees the regions partnership portfolio and is responsible for a wide range of dealmaking solutions including research collaborations, licensing options, venture investments, new company formations, and incubation to establish value-creating partnerships with promising early-stage innovators. Lesley’s career includes over 25 years of corporate development and organizational leadership in small and large companies in the biopharma industry.
DAWN BELL, Pharm.D. is a global biopharma executive and board director with 20+ years of proven success starting and scaling life-sciences businesses from academic spinouts to Top 5 Pharma. She’s led development and launch of a dozen medicines including Entresto ($3.5B) for heart failure, obtaining Fast Track and Break Through status from the FDA. Her diverse experience across the value chain includes buy and sell-side BD&L, portfolio strategy, clinical development, and commercialization. At Novartis, Dawn has held leadership roles across strategy, medical affairs, business development, and global drug development over the past 10 years. Currently, as Global Development Head, Strategic Partnerships, she advises on portfolio strategy and business development for whitespace opportunities. She is a start-up thought leader and sought-after mentor for life-science founders. As Executive Council Member at EIT Health’s Gold Track, she helped ventures raise €500M, secure 24 partnerships and achieve three exits totaling over €1B in four years.
PHILIPPE LOPES-FERNANDES joined Ipsen as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer in 2020. With more than 20 years of leadership and expertise in global business development and acquisitions within the pharmaceutical industry, Philippe is responsible for driving Ipsen’s external innovation strategy and strengthening alliances across its key therapeutic areas of Oncology, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases. He has an extensive track record of creating successful business development deals in multiple therapeutic areas in Europe, Asia and North America.
Prior to joining Ipsen, Philippe worked at Merck KGaA where he was the Senior Vice President, Global Head of Business Development and Alliance Management. Before that, he held a variety of roles at Merck KGaA in Business Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Finance and Marketing in Germany, France, Portugal, Switzerland and the United States. Philippe received his degree from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (ISG) in Paris in 1994. He is a French External Trade advisor (Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur) and board member of several companies. He is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. UCIANE SCARLETT is responsible for investment identification, due diligence, business development and new company creation activities at MPM Capital. Prior to joining MPM, Uciane was a Principal at Oxford Sciences Enterprises (OSE, UK), an Oxford-affiliated firm, where she co-led the life science sector. While at OSE, Uciane led financings and built several companies including T-Cypher Bio, where she served as interim Executive Chair, Alethiomics, PepGen and Endlyz. She represented OSE on the boards of T-Cypher, PepGen, Miro Bio, Scenic Bio, and DJS. Prior to OSE, Uciane was on the investment team at Atlas Venture where she drove company creation activities and financings for Dyne Therapeutics (DYN) and Quench Bio as well as served in operational roles for AVROBIO (AVRO) and KorroBio. Uciane was the Director of BD & Strategy at Compass Therapeutics prior to Atlas and prior to Compass was a Manager at the life sciences consultancy, Clarion.

Uciane holds a PhD in cancer immunology from Dartmouth College. She received her BSc, first-class honors, in biotechnology (major) and zoology (minor) from the University of the West Indies.

NOVEMBER 30, 2022: RAISING MONEY IN THIS MARKET: CAN IT BE DONE?

KIMBERLY HA is Founder and CEO of KKH Advisors, a life sciences and digital health strategic communications firm. She was previously Senior Director at FTI Consulting, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Capital Markets, where she advised a broad range of clients from Fortune 500 to early-stage companies on business transformation, corporate and executive positioning, crisis and issues management, and financial communications with a focus on IPO readiness.

Prior to FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN), a global business advisory firm, she was Global Editor at BioPharm Insight, a business intelligence product launched by the Financial Times Group. She started her career as an M&A reporter in Hong Kong covering Asia-Pacific healthcare, and transferred to New York to cover US pharmaceuticals in 2007.

Kimberly is a frequent guest speaker at major industry conferences, including BIO International, Prix Galien Forum, Biotech Showcase, FierceBiotech, Davis Polk IPO Seminars, and others. She has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University and Georgetown University on change management communications and a guest speaker at Weill Cornell Medicine Bioventure eLab.

Kimberly is a Board Member for the Galien Foundation. She is a judge for UCSF Health Hub, Springboard Enterprises, and a Limited Partner at Array Ventures, a SF-based deeptech VC fund. She is on the editorial board of the World Korean Medical Journal. She has a BA in Psychology from New York University.
MAHA KATABI, PhD is an experienced investor with over two decades in managing public and private biotech companies through bull and bear markets. She is focused on investing in development stage biopharmaceuticals and is currently a member of the board of directors of Aerovate (AVTE), Quanta, RayzeBio, and Vera (VERA), and was recently a board member of Gyroscope (acquired by Novartis) and Amplyx (acquired by Pfizer).

Prior to joining Sofinnova in 2019, Maha co-invested with our team in multiple companies: Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS), Ascendis Pharma (ASND), and Trius Therapeutics (TSRX-acquired by Cubist). Maha was Managing Partner of Oxalis Capital. Prior to founding Oxalis, Maha was Partner at Sectoral Asset Management, where she formed and led a dedicated investment team and advisory board to drive investments in private companies. Additionally, she was a Portfolio Manager for a family of funds that invested in small cap healthcare companies. She started her career in venture as a principal investor with associate and principal roles at T2C2/Bio and Ventures West.

Maha received her BSc In Biology and PhD in Pharmacology from McGill University, where she was a Cancer Research Society fellow, and is a CFA charter holder since 2011. She currently serves as Chair of the board of Exactis Innovation, a not-for profit oncology precision medicine network and has served on the Canadian Task Force for COVID-19 Therapeutics until February 2021.
NINA KJELLSON invests in biopharma and digital health companies that serve unmet therapeutic and access needs. As a leader of Canaan’s Women of Venture program, Nina is a vocal advocate for women entrepreneurs and investors. She serves as a mentor to Blueprint Health and Springboard Life Sciences and on the boards of Essential Access Health, the California Leadership Council for The Nature Conservancy and the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Center. Nina is also a 2018 Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. Previously, Nina was a General Partner at Interwest Partners. She holds a BA in human biology from Stanford University.
As a venture investor and a member of the Greater Boston community, MARIAN NAKADA, PhD, works on many fronts to positively impact human health. Through her role with Johnson & Johnson Innovation –JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), Johnson & Johnson’s strategic venture arm, Marian leads investments in East Coast biotechs and startups seeking to solve critical healthcare needs.

Marian earned her AB in Biology from Harvard College and PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career at a lab bench at Centocor, and later transitioned into research leadership and business development after the Johnson & Johnson acquisition.

Marian is energized to help her portfolio companies succeed by providing more than just capital by sharing her R&D expertise and connections to Johnson & Johnson experts. She also is a Board Member of the New England Venture Capital Association and a past reviewer for the NIH Cardiovascular Sciences Pharmacology Study Section. Outside work, Marian is a Board Member at InterCity Weightlifting and a hospice volunteer.

FEBRUARY 8, 2023: THE POST JP MORGAN/BIOTECH SHOWCASE OUTLOOK FOR EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES

As a venture investor and a member of the Greater Boston community, MARIAN NAKADA, PhD, works on many fronts to positively impact human health. Through her role with Johnson & Johnson Innovation –JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), Johnson & Johnson’s strategic venture arm, Marian leads investments in East Coast biotechs and startups seeking to solve critical healthcare needs.

Marian earned her AB in Biology from Harvard College and PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career at a lab bench at Centocor, and later transitioned into research leadership and business development after the Johnson & Johnson acquisition.

Marian is energized to help her portfolio companies succeed by providing more than just capital by sharing her R&D expertise and connections to Johnson & Johnson experts. She also is a Board Member of the New England Venture Capital Association and a past reviewer for the NIH Cardiovascular Sciences Pharmacology Study Section. Outside work, Marian is a Board Member at InterCity Weightlifting and a hospice volunteer.
ED SALTZMAN is Head of Biotech Strategy for Lumanity, an Arsenal Capital Partners company. Lumanity’s mission is to improve patient health by accelerating and optimizing access to medical advances. Ed came to Lumanity via Arsenal’s 2020 acquisition of Cello Health where he previously served as Executive Chairman of Cello Health BioConsulting, having led the sale of Defined Health to Cello Health in 2017. Ed founded Defined Health in 1993 and guided the company to its preeminent position as a strategic advisor to senior managements and Boards of biotech companies, especially those developing novel drug discovery platforms.

Over his 3+ decades of industry experience Ed has led consulting teams advising numerous client companies including many achieving multi-billion dollar exits and/or significant financings. Within recent years these have included supporting the strategic development of pipeline programs including inclisiran, the first siRNA medicine for dyslipidemia, while under development by The Medicines Company (sold to Novartis in 2019 for $9.7 bln and now branded as Leqvio) and AVX 101, the first gene therapy for spinal muscular therapy while under development by AveXis (sold to Novartis for $8.7 bln in 2018 and now branded as Zolgensma). Ed has also advised dozens of companies and senior management teams on development of strategic approaches that have supported significant private and public financings and strategic partnerships.

Ed is a highly in demand strategist, especially regarding the intersection of scientific and clinical innovation and business models and has been recognized widely as an early “spotter” of key trends that go on to have significant impact within the life sciences industry, especially as these pertain to the licensing and business development field. He has spoken over the past several decades to large audiences at Defined Health’s Therapeutic Insight and Cancer Progress conferences, the Licensing Executives Society Annual Meeting and numerous industry conferences. In addition to these public events, Ed has presented targeted strategy briefings and held discussions privately with scores of boards of directors, executive management committees and licensing and business development teams at large pharma, specialty pharma and biotech companies as well with the leading life sciences venture capital firms. He notably coined the term “Proof of Relevance,” to describe indisputable demonstration of clinical and economic value in drug development. He is a recent recipient of the LES Frank Barnes Mentoring Award for his contributions to education in the life sciences sector.

Ed held prior positions at the Ayerst Laboratories unit of American Home Products, where he had responsibility for evaluation and forecasting of compounds being considered for licensing, and at FIND/SVP, where he managed the Healthcare Information Center.

Ed serves on the Board at Nurix Therapeutics and as a Venture Advisor to the Israel Biotech Fund and Hibiscus Capital Management. Prior Board roles include Vidac Pharmaceuticals, Saniona AB as well as numerous strategic advisory boards. He is a graduate of New York University.

MAY 3, 2023: MARKET ACCESS AND VALUATION: KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR MULTI-INDICATION PRODUCTS

TED HAACK has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is currently Vice President at LatticePoint Consulting, working with clinical and commercial-stage companies, including various rare diseases.  His specialties are pricing, market access, business development, licensing and valuation. He is a former member of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s Reimbursement Committee and has published on the topic of pricing and reform for cell and gene therapies. Ted is also an independent director of Promethera Biosciences, a clinical stage cell-therapy company based in Belgium, and a Director of the National Association for Corporate Directors (NACD) Utah Chapter.

Prior to LatticePoint, he was VP of Market Access for Genzyme’s Rare Disease Business Unit and was Pfizer’s Head of Market Access for the Primary Care Business Unit. Before joining Pfizer, Ted spent 7 years at Schering-Plough working in international finance, and began his career at Deloitte & Touche, including two years in Frankfurt, Germany. He has a BS in accounting from Villanova University, an MA in International Affairs from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and an MBA from NYU Stern.
JUDY CAMPAGNARI is Executive Director and Head of Alexion’s Global Patient Insights and Solutions (GPIS). She leads a team of innovators responsible for creating solutions and strategies to support decision-making related to the company’s drug development and commercial activities, thus creating beneficial change for people living with rare diseases. Prior to leading GPIS, Judy was Head of New Product Strategy, the team that provides global strategic commercial input and guidance to Alexion’s early R&D portfolio candidates including preclinical, Phase 1, and Phase 2 (POC) clinical development programs, and Business Development transactions.

Judy is a passionate healthcare and pharmaceutical strategist with proven experience creating “value from vision”. She has extensive experience developing strategic Commercial plans for candidates from the pre-clinical/discovery phase through proof of concept. She has experience working on and managing matrix teams to develop solution-focused strategies based on an organization’s market opportunities and missions. Judy has broad therapeutic & disease area expertise including rare disease, neurology, metabolic diseases, bone diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, immunology, and oncology.

Judy started her professional career with Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture) as a Change Management Services consultant. During her time with Andersen, Judy assumed roles of increasing responsibility including working on reengineering the financial reporting and marketing processes for Pepsi Cola and developing a new organizational structure for GE Capital.

In 1996 Judy moved from consulting to the pharmaceutical industry joining Pfizer Inc’s Market Assessment Group. Over 17 years with Pfizer, Judy was the New Products Commercial lead for several currently marketed products including Tarceva® (erlotinib), Xeljanz® (tofacitinib), and Eliquis® (apixaban; co-promote with BMS). In 2014 she joined Alexion Pharmaceuticals to create the company’s New Product Strategy Team. During her Alexion tenure, in addition to creating strategies for many of the drug candidates, Judy has also been instrumental in several of Alexion’s business development transactions.

Judy has a bachelor’s degree from Smith College (Northampton, MA), an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business (University of Pittsburgh), and an Executive MBA Certificate from the Harvard Business School.
ELIZABETH JEFFORDS, President & CEO of Iolyx Therapeutics, is a team-focused executive and director with cross-lifecycle expertise including company formation & fundraising, clinical development, commercial launches, a >$9B+ global P&L, and M&A. She has launched >12 products in ophthalmology, oncology, neurology, immunology, and rare disease, and chaired business and pricing governance cross-portfolio. Prior to Iolyx, Ms. Jeffords was the Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer of Alkahest which she helped lead to acquisition in 2020. At Genentech and Roche, Ms. Jeffords served as Vice President US Ophthalmology, CEO Roche Norway, Global Business Unit Head of Established Products, Global Head of Commercial Operations, US Head of Pricing & Contracting, and US Head of Market Analysis & Strategy. She also served as the first Strategic Lead for Genentech’s Personalized HealthCare initiative. Before Genentech, she worked as a researcher at Yale and UCSF, a strategy consultant, and in healthcare software business development. Ms. Jeffords is an angel investor with Portfolia and currently serves on the Boards of Iolyx, BIO, and Springboard’s Women’s Health Executive Committee, and previously with Akorn, HBA Europe, and Roche Norway Pharma & Diagnostics. She holds a BS in Biology & Management from Yale and a Masters of Business & Technology from UNSW, Australia, which she attended as a Fulbright Scholar.

AUGUST 9, 2023: CAR T-CELL, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

QUERIDA ANDERSON is the former managing editor for Fierce Biotech, Medtech, Pharma and Healthcare. She oversaw the group’s news, analysis and special reports as well as ‘The Top Line’ and ‘Podnosis’ podcasts. Before joining Fierce in June 2021, she was the editor in chief of GlobalData’s investigative pharma news team, formerly known as BioPharm Insight when it was owned by the Financial Times Group and subsequently BC Partners. Prior to that, she was the managing online editor at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Querida has also produced science news stories and documentaries for various networks like ABC, NBC, The Discovery Channel and National Geographic and has a Master’s in Science Journalism. 
MALCOLM K BRENNER is the Founding Director, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital and the Fayez Sarofim Distinguished Service Professor at BCM. Dr. Brenner obtained his medical degrees and his PhD from the University of Cambridge, England. He moved to the USA in 1990, to head the Cell and Gene Therapy Program at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, where his group performed the first human gene transfer studies outside of the NIH and the first anywhere to use marrow stem cells as the target. In 1998 he moved to his current position. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Brenner has devoted his career as a physician-scientist to the field of stem cell transplantation through the therapeutic use of T cell immunologic approaches and genetic engineering strategies, particularly in the treatment of cancer. His interests now include combining oncolytic virotherapy with cellular immunotherapy. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy and as former President of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy. Dr. Brenner has earned widespread recognition for his scientific achievements and leadership in the field, including the ASGCT Outstanding Achievement Award, Human Gene Therapy’s Pioneer Award, the American Society of Hematology Mentor Award and the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Outstanding Achievement award. For his contributions to the field, Dr. Brenner has been elected a member of the American Association of Physicians and of the National Academy of Medicine.
HELEN HESLOP is Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children’s Hospital. She is also the Dan L. Duncan Chair and the Deputy Director of the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Trained as a physician-scientist, Dr. Heslop is engaged in translational research focusing on adoptive T cell immunotherapy to improve hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cancer therapy. In collaboration with Drs. Brenner and Rooney, her initial studies were the first to demonstrate the feasibility of using EBV-specific T cells to prevent and treat EBV-associated malignancy in stem cell transplant patients, thereby validating the safety and efficacy of adoptive T cell transfer as a therapeutic modality. Dr. Heslop was a Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Research Scientist and has served as the President of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), the Foundation for Accreditation of Cell Therapy (FACT) and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. She is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians and the National Academy of Medicine.
STEVE BROZAK, DMH is the Managing Partner and President of WBB Securities. Before co-founding WBB Securities, Dr. Brozak held various positions in finance at several prominent Wall Street firms including Alex. Brown & Sons, Cowen & Company, Dean Witter, and Salomon Brothers. 

 As the firm’s Senior Equity Analyst, Dr. Brozak is an award winning analyst whose research has been singled out from his peers for accuracy and performance year after year by the financial industry’s most highly regarded rankings organizations. His research is currently monitored by the Bloomberg, StarMine and FactSet platforms. Most recently in 2013, Dr. Brozak was selected as a top analyst in the pharmaceuticals sector by the StarMine/Financial Times Industry Analyst Awards system. The Wall Street Journal distinguished Dr. Brozak as its Best on the Street Medical Equipment and Supplies financial analyst in its 19th Annual Best on the Street Survey. In 2010, Dr. Brozak received the StarMine Thompson Reuters/Financial Times Best Brokerage Analyst award in the Biotechnology space. 

 With a 30-year track record in sales, banking and analysis in life sciences, Dr. Brozak is a highly sought after media commentator on the life sciences sector by prominent news agencies on the web, television, and in print media. As a speaker, Dr. Brozak is invited to address major institutional audiences at numerous industry conferences and summits to share his ideas and expertise in identifying trends in healthcare. Dr. Brozak is a published author in multiple scientific journals such as Nature, The British Medical Journal, and Brain Stimulation. He is also a contributor to Forbes and ABC News where he expresses his views about healthcare. 

 Dr. Brozak served in the United States Marine Corps retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel and in retirement served on the Secretary of the Navy’s Navy and Marine Corps Retiree Council, where he focused on healthcare, benefits and other veteran issues. Dr. Brozak received his BA and MBA from Columbia University, and his Doctorate in Medical Humanities (DMH) from Drew University. Dr. Brozak’s doctoral focus was on the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Brozak holds FINRA licenses 3, 7, 8, 24, 63, 65, 79, 86, 87 and 99. 
MARK FROHLICH is the current CEO at Indapta Therapeutics. Mark has over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, specializing in oncology drug development.

Frohlich began their career at Dendreon Corporation in August 2005 as EVP R&D and Chief Medical Officer. Mark then moved to Juno Therapeutics in January 2014, where they served as Executive Vice President of Portfolio Strategy. In October 2017, they became a Consultant for Innovative Drug Development, LLC. Mark has also served on several scientific advisory boards for oncology biotechnology companies.

Frohlich has been with Indapta Therapeutics since its inception and has played a vital role in its success. Under their leadership, the company has developed groundbreaking new therapies for cancer patients. In recognition of their achievements, they were named CEO in February 2022.

Mark W. Frohlich attended Kinnelon High School. Mark then went on to Yale University and graduated with a BS in Economics and Electrical Engineering. After that, they attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology where they received a degree in Computer Engineering. Afterwards, they attended Harvard Medical School and received their Doctor of Medicine - MD. Finally, they completed an Internal Medicine Residency Program and Chief Residency at the University of California, San Francisco. Mark is currently completing an Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of California, San Francisco.

Some direct reports include Guy DiPierro - Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder, Austin Bigley - VP, Research, and Robert Sikorski - Chief Medical Officer.
JUAN F. VERA is President and CEO of Marker Therapeutics. For the past 19 years, Dr. Vera has worked extensively on developing novel T cell therapies for clinical applications and has an extensive expertise in performing research in the field of adoptive T cell therapy. Dr. Vera has made several contributions in the field, specifically in the areas of developing and streamlining therapeutic candidates from the research bench to the clinic and from academia to industry.

Dr. Vera is a co-founder of Marker Therapeutics and AlloVir, and he has previously collaborated with Celgene and Bluebird Bio in developing novel CAR T cell therapies.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Dr. Vera served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of Marker Therapeutics. Before joining Marker, Dr. Vera was Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. He is a co-investigator on several clinical trials for T cell therapy in both infectious disease and cancer. Dr. Vera has published more than 30 articles and is a named inventor on 13 published patents.

In recognition of his work, Dr. Vera has received several prestigious awards including the Idea Development Award from the Department of Defense and Mentored Research Scholar Award from the American Cancer Society. Dr. Vera attained his MD from the University El Bosque in Bogota, Colombia.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023: Exploring Solid Tumor Treatment at its Core: A conversation with prominent KOLs and its future 

QUERIDA ANDERSON is the former managing editor for Fierce Biotech, Medtech, Pharma and Healthcare. She oversaw the group’s news, analysis and special reports as well as ‘The Top Line’ and ‘Podnosis’ podcasts. Before joining Fierce in June 2021, she was the editor in chief of GlobalData’s investigative pharma news team, formerly known as BioPharm Insight when it was owned by the Financial Times Group and subsequently BC Partners. Prior to that, she was the managing online editor at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Querida has also produced science news stories and documentaries for various networks like ABC, NBC, The Discovery Channel and National Geographic and has a Master’s in Science Journalism. 
STEVE BROZAK, DMH is the Managing Partner and President of WBB Securities. Before co-founding WBB Securities, Dr. Brozak held various positions in finance at several prominent Wall Street firms including Alex. Brown & Sons, Cowen & Company, Dean Witter, and Salomon Brothers. 

 As the firm’s Senior Equity Analyst, Dr. Brozak is an award winning analyst whose research has been singled out from his peers for accuracy and performance year after year by the financial industry’s most highly regarded rankings organizations. His research is currently monitored by the Bloomberg, StarMine and FactSet platforms. Most recently in 2013, Dr. Brozak was selected as a top analyst in the pharmaceuticals sector by the StarMine/Financial Times Industry Analyst Awards system. The Wall Street Journal distinguished Dr. Brozak as its Best on the Street Medical Equipment and Supplies financial analyst in its 19th Annual Best on the Street Survey. In 2010, Dr. Brozak received the StarMine Thompson Reuters/Financial Times Best Brokerage Analyst award in the Biotechnology space. 

 With a 30-year track record in sales, banking and analysis in life sciences, Dr. Brozak is a highly sought after media commentator on the life sciences sector by prominent news agencies on the web, television, and in print media. As a speaker, Dr. Brozak is invited to address major institutional audiences at numerous industry conferences and summits to share his ideas and expertise in identifying trends in healthcare. Dr. Brozak is a published author in multiple scientific journals such as Nature, The British Medical Journal, and Brain Stimulation. He is also a contributor to Forbes and ABC News where he expresses his views about healthcare. 

Dr. Brozak served in the United States Marine Corps retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel and in retirement served on the Secretary of the Navy’s Navy and Marine Corps Retiree Council, where he focused on healthcare, benefits and other veteran issues. Dr. Brozak received his BA and MBA from Columbia University, and his Doctorate in Medical Humanities (DMH) from Drew University. Dr. Brozak’s doctoral focus was on the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Brozak holds FINRA licenses 3, 7, 8, 24, 63, 65, 79, 86, 87 and 99. 
ANDREW DEAN, MBChB, MRCP (UK), FRACP, trained initially in Liverpool in the UK and obtained Membership of the College of Physicians (UK) in 1988. 

After moving to Australia, he continued his training in Internal Medicine and Palliative Care at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 1993. 

On returning to Perth, Dr. Dean established the Palliative Care service at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and St John of God Subiaco Hospital and was appointed Associate Professor of Palliative Medicine by Edith Cowan University.

In 2001, having recognized a gap in health care information, Dr. Dean established a quality health information website, as a resource for patients, their families and health professionals. Together with a host of IT initiative awards, his efforts were recognized by the 2004 Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in community business partnerships for Western Australia. Through this website, Dr. Dean was able to sponsor a scholarship for two medical students to attend a cancer elective in Lund (Sweden) for several years.

Driven by his passion to help patients with life-threatening illnesses, Dr. Dean furthered his training in medical oncology and began working full-time as a medical oncologist in 2006, initially at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and St John of God Subiaco Hospital. He is currently the head of the Department of Medical Oncology at St John of God Subiaco Hospital and at Genesis CancerCare at Shenton House in Joondalup, providing patients in Perth’s northern suburbs access to care closer to home. A keen pilot, he also flies to rural and remote areas of Western Australia to provide outreach medical oncology services for those that can’t travel to Perth.

Recognizing the inequity in cancer research for tumors with poor outcomes, he established a charitable foundation WARPNINE (Western Australian Research into PaNcreatic, gastroINtestinal, and rarE cancers). This charity has received great community support and has already donated significant funds towards Research into pancreatic cancer, gastrointestinal, cancer, and artificial intelligence initiatives.

While providing treatment across all adult solid tumors, Dr. Dean’s key areas of interest are upper gastrointestinal and gynecological tumors. He has published numerous articles on symptom control, novel therapies for ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastroesophageal cancer and the molecular profiling of solid tumors. He regularly participates in and led a number of international clinical trials and continues to be a major contributor to pancreatic, gastric and ovarian cancer studies.
DAVID J. MAZZO, PhD was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of what is currently Lisata Therapeutics on January 5, 2015. Dr. Mazzo brings to Lisata almost 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Lisata, Dr. Mazzo served from August 2008 to October 2014 as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board of directors of Regado Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGDO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel antithrombotic drug systems for acute and sub-acute cardiovascular indications. Prior to leading Regado, from March 2007 to April 2008, Dr. Mazzo was President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Æterna Zentaris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEZS), a publicly held international biopharmaceutical company. From 2003 until 2007 Dr. Mazzo served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Chugai Pharma USA, LLC, a biopharmaceutical company and U.S. subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Japan and a member of the Roche Group. Dr. Mazzo has also held senior management and executive positions in research and development and was a director of the Essex Chimie European subsidiary at Schering-Plough Corporation, a publicly held pharmaceutical company that was subsequently acquired by Merck & Co., Inc.; Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Hoechst AG, that was subsequently acquired by Sanofi, a multinational pharmaceuticals company; and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc., a subsidiary of Rhone-Poulenc SA, a French pharmaceuticals company, that was subsequently acquired by Hoechst AG. He previously served on the board of directors of publicly held (Nasdaq: EYPT) EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly known as pSivida Corp.), a biopharmaceutical company, from October 2005 to June 2020, Seneca Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNCA), a therapeutics development company focused on CNS applications that merged with Palisade BIO, from April 2019 to April 2021 and Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., from October 2005 through January 2015, a pharmaceutical company that was sold to Otsuka Holdings in 2015. He currently serves on the board of directors of VTI, Inc. (ASX: VTI), a developer and seller of therapeutic contact lenses, where he has served as Chairman of the Board since February 2020 and Feldan Therapeutics, a private company developing technology for the intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents, where he has served as a director since January 2021 and as Chairman of the Board since August, 2023.

Dr. Mazzo earned a BA in the Honors Program (Interdisciplinary Humanities) and a BS in Chemistry from Villanova University. In addition, Dr. Mazzo received his MS in chemistry and his PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He was also a research fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
ERKKI RUOSLAHTI, MD, PhD, a recent winner of the prestigious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, is the scientific founder of the CendR Platform® from which Lisata Therapeutics’ lead development program, LSTA1, is derived. Dr. Ruoslahti previously served on Lisata’s board of directors and as Chair of its Science and Technology Committee. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Cend Therapeutics board of directors since 2015 and as its Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer from 2015 to 2020. In 2020, Dr. Ruoslahti became a Consultant for Cend. He has over 30 years of experience in biotechnolgy that includes founding Impilo Therapeutics, Inc., where he served as a Director until about September 2020 when it was acquired by Cend. Most significantly, from January 1976 to September 2020, Dr. Ruoslahti served as Researcher, Scientific Director, President, Chief Executive Officer of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute where he took it from a fledgling 50-person research organization to a world-renowned research institution. When he stepped down as Chief Executive Officer, the institute had 500 employees and was ranked number one among all research organizations in world in the number of citations its publications received in the cell/molecular biology literature. Currently, Dr. Ruoslahti has an informal emeritus relationship with the institute. From 2005 to 2008 he served as a Director for Advances Technologies, Inc, a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq. From 2000 to 2002, he co-founded and was a Director of Targeted Molecules, Inc., from 1993 to 1996 he served as a Director of Canji and from 1987 to 1995, he co-founded and served as a director of Telios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a publicly traded company on Nasdaq. Mr. Ruoslahti received his MD, and PhD from the University of Helsinki, Finland. From 1968 to 1970 he was a Postdoctoral fellow at California Institute of Technology. Dr. Ruoslahti is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
KAZUKI N. SUGAHARA, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, New York. Dr. Sugahara studies drug delivery systems to enhance the diagnosis and therapy of various cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer. He has developed various tumor-targeting peptides that deliver compounds selectively to cancer tissue, and reported them in a number of high-profile journals such as Science. One of his peptides, the iRGD tumor-penetrating peptide, is now in a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Dr. Sugahara’s work has been recognized through grants and awards from national agencies such as the NIH, Department of Defense, and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and also from international societies such as the Japan Society of Drug Delivery Systems.

After receiving his medical degree from Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan, Dr. Sugahara underwent surgery residency at Tazuke Kofukai Kitano Hospital, Osaka, Japan, received a PhD in cancer biology and immunology from the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California. He came to Columbia University in 2013 to take dual appointment as a categorical resident and a research faculty at the Department of Surgery. He now continues to pursue his career as a surgeon scientist with a special focus on pancreatic cancer.