Professional Development Courses—Instructor Biographies
Advanced Business Development (June 13-June 15)
Joseph S. Dillon, PhD, MBA, President & CEO, SynerPhysics, Inc.; President, Dillon Capital Strategies
Joseph S. Dillon, PhD, MBA, is President & CEO of SynerPhysics, Inc. and President of Dillon Capital Strategies, the strategy and business analytics advisory arm of SynerPhysics. Dr. Dillon is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience. He has extensive experience in global pharmaceutical business development, planning and analysis, corporate finance, M&A, licensing, and technology valuations. Dr. Dillon has screened thousands of opportunities, valued over 400 deals and has been involved in over 45 closed transactions over the course of his career. Since forming Dillon Capital Strategies, Dr. Dillon has consulted dozens of companies and held interim senior positions, including CEO and CFO at select clients. Dr. Dillon also provides specialized, strategic and transaction focused training for biopharma professionals. Prior to this, Dr. Dillon held senior positions in pharmaceutical management consulting firms, most significantly as Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Development Services and Valuations for The Mattson Jack Group (now KantarHealth). Other previous positions include CEO, President, and Director of The Pharmaceutical Development Center (sold to AAI), a pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer; Executive Vice President and CFO of Vail Banks Inc., a multi-bank holding company (IPO, then sold to US Bancorp); CFO and Treasurer of Oread Inc., a contract pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer; and corporate positions with predecessor companies of Sanofi. Dr. Dillon is Past-Chairperson of the Licensing Executive Society Life Sciences Sector. He is a veteran speaker at BIO, LES, WBR, EBD, and other prominent industry organization events. Dr. Dillon holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics, an MBA in International Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Finance.
Lesley Stolz, BSc, PhD, Regional Vice President, Early Innovation Partnering, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Lesley 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.
Patrick Duxbury, JD, Of Counsel, Leader of Life Sciences (UK), Gowling WLG
Patrick leads Gowling WLG's UK Life Sciences team and brings academic distinction in the life sciences sector to his highly regarded transactional IP practice. He was originally a microbiologist and geneticist before re-qualifying as a lawyer in 1993 with first class honours. Thanks to his deep knowledge of the world in which he operates, Patrick delivers his clients a unique mix of regulatory, antitrust, IP, corporate and dispute resolution advice, helping many of the sector's key players.
Patrick is ranked as the only 'Star Individual' for Life Sciences: Transactional in Chambers UK 2024, is ranked in the Hall of Fame in Legal 500 2025 for his work in Life Sciences and is ranked as an IP Star in the 2024 edition of Managing Intellectual Property.
Patrick is also ranked in the Who's Who Thought Leader for Life Sciences publication and received 'Life Sciences - Transactional Lawyer of the Year 2022' at the prestigious, international, Who's Who Legal Awards 2022. He has since been named in Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2024 for 'Life Sciences – Transactional', recognising him among the top 2% of all Who's Who Legal-recognised legal practitioners from around the world.
Sharmela Kalmer, LLB, LLM, Partner, Gowling WLG
Sharmela is a trusted advisor to a number of emerging and established innovative technology and life sciences companies operating in a range of sectors, including biotech, medtech, foodtech and agritech. She has healthcare industry experience having worked in-house at Sanofi, Virgin Care Limited and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Sharmela is also a member of the West London & GTAC (Gene Therapy Advisory Committee) NHS Research Ethics Committee and is involved in the ethical review of research involving cutting-edge technologies.
Clients in the technology and life sciences sectors have varied needs and face an ever-changing legal landscape. Sharmela's sector knowledge and insight has given her a solid understanding of the opportunities and issues faced by clients shaping the future and how to navigate these issues to access new market opportunities. She provides strategic and pragmatic advice across a company's lifecycle, from early development of technologies or medicines through to commercialisation of approved products or services. She has experience negotiating a variety of commercial and IP related contracts from licence, technology transfer and R&D agreements to manufacture and distribution agreements. Sharmela also provides advice on clinical trial-related agreements, interactions with regulatory authorities and compliance with ABPI Code of Conduct and industry best practices.
Kenneth Krisko, JD, Partner, Cooley, LLP
Ken Krisko's practice focuses on the representation of public and private life sciences companies in a broad range of commercial and corporate finance matters, and he is the head of Cooley’s life sciences corporate partnering and licensing practice group. He advises clients regularly with respect to complex commercial transactions designed to maximize the value of pharmaceutical products and technology assets, including technology licenses and acquisitions, research and development collaborations, distribution and manufacturing agreements, and profit-sharing and co-promotion arrangements. Ken also regularly counsels clients on a wide array of corporate and securities matters, including spin-outs, private financings, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and corporate governance. Ken has been a guest speaker on strategic partnering and corporate issues affecting life sciences companies at various conferences. He also is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches a course on emerging company legal issues and venture capital finance. Prior to attending law school, Ken worked as an engineer for the Department of the Navy.
Become a Biotech or MedTech Entrepreneur (June 14-June 15)
James F. Jordan, MBA, CHT, President & CEO, StraTactic Inc., Distinguished Service Professor of Healthcare & Biotechnology Management, Carnegie Mellon University
James (Jim) F. Jordan is President and CEO of StraTactic, Inc., which enables both Fortune 500 and start-up companies to develop their go-to market, commercialization, and business development strategies. He is also a Distinguished Service Professor of Health Care and Biotechnology at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, where he has published numerous articles and books on innovation, start-ups, intellectual property, and health systems.
Jim is an active industry expert in healthcare and the life sciences. With a life-long passion for learning, Jim’s business accomplishments, combined with his academic achievements, enable him to apply his broad field of knowledge and experience to his clients. A dynamic communicator, Jim is an active author, speaker, and consultant.
Previously, Jim served as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG), a public-private economic and venture fund owned by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Jim was at the PLSG from 2005 to 2020 and applied his more than 25 years of experience to work with over 493 life science startup companies, with direct investment in 93 of them.
Prior to joining the PLSG, Mr. Jordan served as Senior Vice President of a $3 billion division of McKesson Corporation and as a Vice President for Marketing at Johnson & Johnson. He has leveraged this experience in several startup ventures and is active on several Boards of Directors. Mr. Jordan’s experience also includes consulting engagements with numerous companies such as Medtronic, Frost & Sullivan, Circuit City, Philip Morris, Northrop Grumman, Schwartz Pharmaceutical and Otsuka Pharmaceutical, among others.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjordan4/
Company Web Page: https://stratactic.com/about/
Thanigavelan Jambulingam, PhD, Professor, Pfizer Fellow, Arrupe Research Fellow, Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Care Marketing, St. Joseph’s University
Dr. Thani Jambulingam is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing at St. Joseph’s University (SJU), Erivan K. Haub School of Business, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Jambulingam teaches both in the Pharmaceutical & Healthcare MBA program and in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing undergraduate program. He has served as the chair of the Department for 8 years and launched the first EMBA online program at SJU in 2002. He is trained in case method for teaching at Harvard University. Before his Ph.D., Dr. Jambulingam worked in the commercial of the pharmaceutical industry for several years. He then took his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
Dr. Jambulingam’s research interests are in pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing strategy. His work has been published in several refereed academic journals and trade publications in marketing and management. Dr. Jambulingam has served as the external reader for Ph.D. dissertations at Columbia University.
Dr. Jambulingam is a visiting Professor for the Wharton MBA program in their global programs in India. He is also a faculty at the Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Bootcamp held every year during the BIO International Convention. He has served as a consultant and facilitated educational training sessions in strategy for senior leadership and/or brand teams within several small, mid and large pharmaceutical firms and healthcare systems in the US.
As a Pfizer fellow, Dr. Jambulingan spent a year at Pfizer with the Prevnar Global Commercial Team contributing to developing healthy aging platform development, franchise positioning, vaccine business strategy for emerging markets, and pediatric expanded age expansion strategy (life cycle management). He conducted strategy sessions for executive leadership within the specialty care division of Pfizer. He also served as a mentor to several CEOs of start-up companies. Dr. Jambulingam has received several excellence awards in teaching and research at SJU. He was inducted into Rho Chi, the honor society for pharmacy and Beta Gama Sigma, the honor society for business. Dr. Jambulingam serves on the advisory board of two startup biotech/pharma companies and one went IPO in 2021. Also in 2021, Dr. Jambulingam received the prestigious Tangelmann Award for lifetime contribution to the excellence in teaching and outstanding commitment to research at SJU.
Benjamin Chen, PhD, Partner, Panacea Healthcare Venture
Dr. Benjamin Chen is a scientist, entrepreneur, investor, and merchant banker. He was most recently the CEO of ImaginAb, Inc., a venture-backed company developing a cutting-edge platform to address an urgent unmet need in immuno-oncology. Prior to that, he served as the Chairman and CEO of London-based Immune Targeting Systems, Ltd., leading the immune therapy company through significant strategic growth, innovative product development, and establishing a presence in France and North America. Before his return to operational roles, he spent nine years as a Managing Director at Burrill & Company, a global life sciences venture firm where he evaluated investment opportunities and assisted a global clientele in completing licensing, partnering and M&A transactions. He also played a key role in establishing the Malaysian Life Sciences Fund I and served as a director.
Earlier in his career as an R&D executive, he had experience in building talented research teams in immunology, stem cell biology, genomics, gene therapy, and molecular diagnostics in both biotechnology start-ups and multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Roche Diagnostics and Novartis.
Ben received his academic training in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University.
Ben received his academic training in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University. Questions for Dr. Chen can be sent via email: Benjamin.chen48@gmail.com
Steven M. Ferguson, CLP, MBA, MS, Special Advisor, National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Technology Transfer
Steven M. Ferguson currently serves as Special Advisor at the NIH Office of Technology Transfer where he has worked since 1990. The biomedical technology transfer program at NIH is one of the world’s largest with a portfolio that includes about 1700 active licenses with aggregate sales greater than $6B per year that is based upon research that has also generated 34 FDA-approved drugs & vaccines.
A former chemist at the National Cancer Institute and biotech industry product manager, Mr. Ferguson holds Master’s degrees in Business Administration (George Washington University) and Chemistry (University of Cincinnati) as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (Case Western Reserve University).
A registered Patent Agent and a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP), Mr. Ferguson is faculty and Technology Transfer Department Chair at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at NIH and the Biotechnology Industry Organization “BIO Boot Camp.”
He also serves as a business reviewer or advisory board member for the US-India Science & Technology Endowment Fund, Maryland Industrial Partnerships, Maryland Innovation Initiative, Virginia Bio-Life Science Gap Fund, the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, and the DOD Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program.
He has published extensively in the field of technology transfer and has also received the AUTM President’s Award (AUTM Band), the AUTM Volunteer Service Award, the NIH Director’s Award, the FAES Instruction Award, four “Deal of Distinction” awards, and the Frank Barnes Mentoring Award from the Licensing Executive Society, six Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards, and fifteen NIH Merit Awards in recognition of his service and activities in technology transfer.
James (Jim) E. Foley, PhD, Managing Director, Aqua Partners LLC
Jim’s career in the pharmaceutical industry began in 1977 at the Squibb Institute of Medical Research (E. R. Squibb and Sons). In 1989, he joined the Department of Licensing and Business Analysis at Squibb and relocated to Tokyo to further establish the company’s worldwide pharmaceutical licensing activities in Japan and relationships with Japanese R&D-based pharmaceutical companies. Jim joined SmithKline Beecham’s Worldwide Business Development Team in 1991 as Vice President and Director, Business Development- Japan/Asia, and remained based in Tokyo. He was a member of the International Management Committee representing the company’s worldwide licensing interests in Japan, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. He returned to the United States in 1995, where he continued his responsibilities based in Philadelphia.
In 2002, Jim returned to Bristol-Myers Squibb as Vice President, Business Development- Japan/International, focused on the identification of strategic R&D collaboration and product licensing opportunities from the Japan, Asia and Australia/New Zealand regions.
After retiring from BMS in 2006 through February 2008, Jim was President and CEO of SMART Biosciences, an early-stage discovery biotechnology company focused on neurodegenerative diseases.
Jim joined Aqua Partners, a corporate and business development advisory firm focused on strategy development, licensing, M&A and finance for early-stage biopharma companies worldwide, with a special expertise in cross-border relationships and deal making.
Jim serves or has served on the Board of Trustees of St. Peter’s School, Philadelphia, the Boards of Directors of SFJ Pharmaceuticals, Traxion, Sosei and Company (Tokyo), the Japan-America Society of Greater Philadelphia and the New York Pharma Forum, and the Advisory Boards of the Haub School of Business (St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia), the Marshall School of Business Global BioBusiness Initiative (University of Southern California, Los Angeles), and Sc Capital I (University City Science Center, Philadelphia). Most recently, he was invited to join the Advisory Council of the Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Jim co-chaired the TransPacific Health Sciences Dialogue, an annual meeting held in Philadelphia addressing healthcare issues/solutions in the U.S., Japan and Asia for 15 years. A member of the Licensing Executives Society (LES), Jim was honored by the organization with the Frank Barnes Mentorship Award. He was designated a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP™) by LES in 2008.
Jim holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from Thomas Jefferson University College of Graduate Studies and received a B.A. (Biology/ Chemistry) from Rutgers University. He was a NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow from 1975 to 1977 in the Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine.
Jessica M. Gibson, MBA, CEO & Co-Founder, Ariel Precision Medicine
Ms. Gibson is CEO and Co-Founder of Ariel Precision Medicine, a fully vertically integrated precision medicine company providing solutions to key stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem by integrating AI, computational biology and clinical expertise. She led the development and commercial launch of Ariel’s AI fueled ADVANCE® Platform, transforming genetic and clinical data into new insights for early diagnosis and the development of new therapeutics for complex health conditions. She served as Chief Commercial Officer of Ariel Precision Medicine until 2016, bringing over 15 years of leadership and experience in healthcare and biotech from previous roles at Purdue, Shionogi Pharmaceuticals and Gene Wiz Inc.
Ms. Gibson earned her Executive MBA from Liberty University and a BS in Emergency Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh and is Certified in Disruptive Strategy from Harvard Business School and AI in Healthcare from Stanford.
Vivian Lee, BS, Managing Director, Aqua Partners, LLC
Over 30 years’ experience in life science consulting, investment and portfolio management, advising biotech, pharma, diagnostics and device companies, investment firms, universities and government agencies worldwide. Co-founder, venture partner and key person of Global Biomedical Partners, managing International Biomedicine Holdings, a $400 million fund based in Basel, Switzerland. Former member of Board of Directors of Innodia, Inc. and Board observer of Syntonix Pharmaceuticals. Business analyst in the corporate venture capital office of WR Grace & Co. A breast cancer survivor since 2000, Vivian applies her personal experience as a patient and professional experience as a life science industry consultant to her cancer advocacy work. Vivian collaborates with research investigators at academic institutions across the US and abroad to provide patient perspective in shaping grant applications to, and research projects funded by, US Department of Defense (DoD), California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP), Susan G. Komen, Sidney Kimmel Foundation, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s Conquer Cancer Foundation and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She is an Advocate Advisor to the University of California’s Athena Breast Health Network, providing patient input for its WISDOM Study on personalized breast cancer screening, for which Athena has been awarded a $14 million Pragmatic Clinical Studies grant by PCORI. Vivian has served as a Consumer Reviewer for the DoD Breast Cancer Research Program, and as a Peer Reviewer for Komen grants on the national and local levels.
She has served as an Advocate Observer on the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) Community Impact Review Panel. Vivian serves on the Volunteer Leadership Council of the American Cancer Society’s California Chinese Unit and is a member of Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS), mentoring newly diagnosed patients. Vivian is a member of Komen’s Advocate In Sciences program and a graduate of National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD Institute as well as Research Advocacy Network’s Focus on Science scholar program.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Harvard University and conducted research in the Tumor Immunology department of Dana Farber Cancer Center.
David T. Lin, PhD, President, TS Pharma Experts LLC
Dr. David Lin is President of TS Pharma Experts LLC, an independent regulatory CMC (quality) consultant with expertise in FDA requirements for the development of pharmaceutical products. He has over 28 years of pharmaceutical regulatory experience in the technical, quality, GMP and regulatory requirements for chemical (small molecule synthetics), biopharmaceutical (biotechnological and biological) and combination product development. He currently provides regulatory and technical assistance to biotech and pharmaceutical companies that are planning to conduct clinical studies and to obtain approval for the marketing of prescription products (drugs and biologics) in the United States. This includes INDs, NDAs, ANDAs and BLAs (both innovative and biosimilar).
He received his PhD in organic chemistry in the area of protein chemistry in 1989 and a MBA in 2002. Dr. Lin’s regulatory product development expertise was developed at FDA while working as a CMC reviewer, CMC Team Leader, acting Deputy Division Director, and acting Division Director in the Office of New Drug Chemistry in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).
Bo Peng, MD, Associate, Panacea Venture
Bo is a physician entrepreneur and currently an associate with Panacea Venture. He focuses on early-stage biotech investment opportunities and has interests in longevity and regenerative medicine. Bo is a board observer for Actym Therapeutics and Biograph 55, and has an operating role in Feng Biosciences.
Prior to joining Panacea, Bo launched a collaboration with Utah Cancer Specialists to provide telemedicine services to patients in Wuhan, China. He co-founded Peng Consulting Group, LLC and worked as a health care consultant to develop strategies for US/China cross-border business ventures.
Bo was also co-founder and CEO of Beauvida Personal Care, a cosmetic product company and prior to that was VP of sales and marketing of ARCSino, Inc, the North America operations for ARC Medical, a China-based manufacturer of surgical devices.
Bo received his B.A. in Health and Societies from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Fulbright Scholar, conducting research on obstructive sleep apnea and acupuncture in Wuhan, China and later received his M.D. from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA, President & CEO, BioSource Consulting
Dr. Craig Shimasaki is a scientist, businessperson, and serial entrepreneur with a passion for translating scientific and medical discoveries into acutely needed products so that more patients can live longer, healthier lives. He co-founded multiple companies and participated in taking several public in the U.S. and Canadian stock exchanges. His experience is in translating basic research discoveries into business enterprises in the therapeutic, diagnostic, and medical device areas. He is the founder of BioSource Consulting Group and the co-founder and CEO of Moleculera Biosciences, a neuroimmunology precision medicine company focused on identifying the underlying roots of neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral disorders triggered by an autoimmune response. He has spent over 35 years working in the fields of molecular biology, viral pathogenesis, and infection-triggered neuropsychiatric disorders.
He started his career at Genentech and has experience across all stages of research, development, clinical trials, and regulatory approval of technology from bench to bedside. His scientific background includes epitope mapping of HIV proteins, genetic-based predictors of breast cancer risk, influenza and RSV diagnostics and therapeutics, and the pathogenesis of infection-triggered neuropsychiatric disorders. He has led multiple products through the FDA approval process and is a co-inventor on multiple patents.
He received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, his PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Tulsa, and his MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Business. He teaches entrepreneurship as an Adjunct Professor and Senior Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Oklahoma, Price School of Business. Dr. Shimasaki is a mentor to first-time biotech CEOs at the Termeer Foundation in Boston. Internationally, he teaches and mentors scientists, physicians, and biotech leaders on how to translate their discoveries into acutely needed medical interventions.
Dr. Shimasaki has authored and edited three books, The Business of Bioscience: What Goes Into Making a Biotechnology Product, Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Starting, Managing and Leading Biotech Companies, and the 2nd edition of Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Leading, Managing and Commercializing Innovative Products.
David S. Smith, JD, Senior Attorney, DLA Piper LLP
David S. Smith is a corporate lawyer focusing on company formation and governance, financings, intellectual property transactions and regulatory matters for life sciences companies and investors. He is an authority on the legal issues surrounding the use of human biological materials and the commercial development of tissue- and cell-based technologies.
David is a member of the board of the Foundation for Cell & Gene Medicine. He is a former officer of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) and TERMIS-Americas and has been elected a Fellow of TERMIS. He has previously served as a founding officer of and legal counsel for the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, Inc. (PTEI), and as a director of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association (now Life Sciences PA).
David was a co-founder and member of the management team of TissueInformatics.Inc, a tissue-based bioinformatics company. He has served as a member of the boards of directors of Predictive Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: POAI) and Cvergenics, Inc., and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Clinical Cell Culture, Ltd. (now Avita Medical).
He received a Director's Special Citation from the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health for his work as a member of the Agency-industry team engaged in developing an alternative medical device approval pathway.
Donald P. Taylor, PhD, MBA, CLP, Inaugural Chief Ventures Officer, UC Davis Health
Donald P. Taylor is the inaugural chief ventures officer of UC Davis Health Ventures, where he leads the Health Ventures Office. The office partners with the innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement teams at UC Davis to develop and commercialize intellectual property and advance research translation.
Before joining UC Davis Health, Dr. Taylor served as The Ohio State University’s executive director of licensing and the University of Pittsburgh’s assistant vice chancellor for commercial translation in the health sciences. At Pitt, Dr. Taylor also served as an associate professor of Biomedical Informatics in the School of Medicine.
A five-time life sciences entrepreneur, Dr. Taylor headed corporate development for Cellumen, Inc., a bio-tools drug discovery company, and for its spinoff, Cernostics, Inc., a cancer molecular diagnostics company. Prior to these positions, he led the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology marketing segments for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
In 2023, Dr. Taylor was conferred as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh for his pioneering work in biomedical entrepreneurship and research translation. He earned his BS degree in information systems from Carnegie Mellon University, his MS and PhD degrees in bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, and an MBA at Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business. He conducted postdoctoral research in pathology at Pitt’s School of Medicine.
Robert Wanerman, JD, MPH, Partner, Epstein Becker Green
Rob Wanerman is a health care regulatory attorney at Epstein Becker Green in Washington DC. His clients include biotech companies, medical device manufacturers, diagnostics manufacturers and suppliers, companies integrating artificial intelligence into diagnostics and treatments, Medicare and Medicaid providers (hospitals, home health, hospice), precision medicine/genomics companies, and health care startups.
Rob has extensive experience advising innovators on coverage, coding, and reimbursement for new technologies and related procedures, as well as on general compliance with health care laws. Clients also rely on Rob for advice on matters arising under the False Claims Act, clinical research rules, grant administration rules, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, HIPAA, and EMTALA. In addition, Rob represents clients in government audits, investigations, litigation, and appeals involving the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Rob is a graduate of the University of Chicago, New York Law School, and the Columbia University School of Public Health. He frequently writes and lectures on health care regulations and innovation and is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology.
John M. York, PharmD, MBA, Principal & CEO, Akita Biomedical; Visiting Professor of Practice, UCSD; Assistant Professor of Medical Education, TCU Burnett School of Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (Rutgers University); Doctoral Candidate, Cranfield School of Management
John M. York, PharmD, MBA brings 35 years in the biopharmaceutical business. After receiving his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Michigan, York was the first graduate of the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program. He also completed his MBA at Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) and has certificates in life science, business management, and marketing from UC Berkeley. His industry career included increasing roles of responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, Allergan, and HDI. York has started three businesses: Akita Biomedical, MD Eyecare, and Ophthalmic Research and Education Consultants. His firm Akita Biomedical, a 22-year-old medical communications and strategy firm, has engaged with various life science firms (from startups to large multinationals) via publication programs, advisory boards, education programs, market research, and business planning. He has taught at the Orfalea College of Business (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo), the Rady School of Management and Jacobs School of Engineering at UC, San Diego, and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. He recently accepted a Visiting Professor of Practice (UCSD) and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Education (Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University) faculty designations. York has served in faculty and mentor roles at Ahmedabad University (Amrut Mody School of Management), the University of Tsukuba, the ANHS ScaleUp HealthCare Academy, the Global Entrepreneurship Accelerator program for Korea, and the National Science Foundation I-CORPS™ program at UC, San Diego, and the Arab Academy program at Cal Poly. His teaching responsibilities have included being the co-director of the capstone projects class for the translational medicine certificate program, lead instructor for the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur at UC, San Diego and Scripps Institution of Oceanography/Rady School of Management startBlue program, and adjunct faculty at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program. He has authored over 53 publications (with 36 in business and entrepreneurship) and 36 posters/professional presentations personally, with over 180 (including 14 translational medicine articles) for various clients. His case study on CVS Health and the Amazon/PillPack challenge received an Emerald Publishing Literary Award for outstanding publication in 2022. A past associate editor of Cancer Control, he serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and Archives of Business Administration. As invited faculty, York has presented at the California Entrepreneurship Educators Conference, R&D Pharma, Bio International, the International Cancer Congress, MBC Labs, Rutgers University, the University of Tsukuba/Kyoto Workshop, and the UCSD/JETRO Biotechnology Commercialization Workshop. His Bio Startup Bootcamp presentation ended up as his fifth in the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, and his Tsukuba/Kyoto workshop as two new additions to this journal. He serves as an advisor to multiple startups, including Cellix Therapeutics, COASTAR Therapeutics, Crestec Therapeutics, and JD Biosciences. Finally, York is a candidate for a PhD in leadership and management at the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom and will be defending his dissertation in the winter of 2025. His work focuses on entrepreneurship and strategy, which he will be presenting at the 2025 Babson Colloquia.
Kristina Zakurdaeva, MD, PhD, Founder & Chair of the Board, Foundation for Cancer Research Support
Dr. Zakurdaeva is an accomplished biopharmaceutical professional with an international interdisciplinary background in clinical studies and scientific research, as well as business development. She holds an MD degree in Internal Medicine & Hematology and a PhD in the Genetics of Acute Leukemia.
Upon completion of her training, Kristina worked as a Scientific Advisor for Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb and later headed Oncology and Immunology R&D projects in the Biomed Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation where she successfully launched the Cancer Center of Excellence. Subsequently, as a Chief Medical Officer at Gero, a drug discovery company focused on oncology, neurology, and aging, Dr. Zakurdaeva developed and executed clinical strategy for the company’s pipeline. Further on, she served as a Chief Executive Officer of Incuron, a drug development company in oncology. Kristina’s main goal at Incuron was to accelerate the strategy and move the company’s assets through clinical trials. In addition, she has served as an external expert at several companies and funds.
Dr. Zakurdaeva is an ASCO mentor and a speaker at clinical trial workshops. Kristina has authored numerous, recent, peer-reviewed publications and co-authored a scientific discovery in genetics. Dr. Zakurdaeva continues her research activities in oncology and hematology via collaborations with academia. In 2017, Kristina created the Foundation for Cancer Research Support in Russia which aims to back research projects in oncology. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Foundation Board.
Business Development Fundamentals (June 13-June 15)
Patricia Sinatra, Head of Licensing and Portfolio Strategy, Atomic AI
Patricia has over 25 years of licensing and commercial strategy experience where she has been responsible for leading business development and alliance management activities in the biopharmaceutical industry and has held both full-time executive and interim management roles for a variety of companies in the U.S. and, recently, China. She is currently Head of Licensing and Portfolio Strategy for Atomic Artificial Intelligence (Atomic AI), which is focused on developing RNA therapeutics, and is Managing Director of Vector Strategic Advisors, a licensing advisory firm. Her expertise entails both in/out licensing, product acquisitions and assessments, and portfolio strategy with a focus on novel technologies and platforms.
Patricia has been the organizer and an Instructor for the BIO Business Development Fundamentals course since 2010 and has served on several educational committees. She also mentors start-up ventures through the UCSF entrepreneurship program and California Life Science Institute’s FAST program. She received her undergraduate degree in biology from SUNY and conducted post-graduate doctoral studies in microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical in Dallas, Texas.
For more information, please see www.linkedin/in/patriciasinatra and www.vstratadvisors.com.
Véronique Riethuisen, MS, Managing Director, VR Strategic Advisors LLC
Véronique is a seasoned global executive with extensive experience in company building, value creation strategies, financing, BD and M&A. She has negotiated over 100 transactions throughout her career, both on the buy-side and the sell-side in the field of pharmaceuticals, biosimilars, diagnostics, digital and consumer health. She helped reshape R&D pipelines, develop strategic options, and raise capital. Véronique's work contributed to the availability of several medicines for patients, including Yervoy®, Steglatro®, Truxima®, Herzuma®, Decapeptyl®, Cabozantinib®, and Sohonos®.
Véronique is currently a strategic advisor to several biotechs and foodtechs. Prior to her advisory roles, she was CBO & Head of Finance at Cedilla Therapeutics, a venture-backed series B biotech focused on precision oncology. At Cedilla, Véronique helped secure $25M in series B financing expansion, and an asset acquisition by Bayer of its CDK2 program. Prior to Cedilla, Véronique was SVP Global BD and Alliance Management at IPSEN. Prior to IPSEN, Veronique held various BD, M&A, and Alliance Management roles of increasing responsibilities at Pfizer, Takeda, Teva, BMS, and Monsanto.
Véronique currently also serves on the Board of Directors of Persephone Biosciences Inc. She has past Board experience with Portal Instruments, Aviir, and iCardiac.
She is an Executive Coach since 2018 for the MassNextGen program and since 2022 for the SpringBoard program, mentoring female CEOs with strategy, finance, and BD.
Véronique holds a BS and a MS in Economics from Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium.
Anjan Aralihalli, BSc, MBA, MSc, Founder, Raya Therapeutic, Inc.
Prior to starting his own company Raya Therapeutic in 2019, Anjan worked at a variety of biotechs and pharma companies and is a venture partner at CTI Life Sciences (Canada). He has 25+ years of international experience across several functions including investor relations, corporate development, venture and angel financing, in & out-licensing, sales, marketing, & clinical trial management. He continues to provide strategic advice to various biotech companies.
Based in the Princeton, New Jersey area, Anjan is also a steering committee member of a NYC-based angel investment group called Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA). He received his BSc from Concordia University, MBA from Queen's University, and MSc in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University.
Anjan is a corporate fundraiser for Wings Over Wall Street, a NYC based ALS charity, the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins University, and a member of the board of directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in the United States.
Mark Cooper, JD, Principal, Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC
Mark is an accomplished and versatile corporate and transactional lawyer who has advised clients in the life sciences industry for almost 30 years. Mark represents companies in structuring, drafting and negotiating strategic transactions at all stages of the product lifecycle - from research and development through commercialization, frequently involving cutting-edge technologies, including RNAi, cell therapy, gene therapy, multi-specifics antibodies and CRISPR, as well as devices, device-drug combinations and diagnostics.
Mark knows that every deal is different, often posing challenges demanding bespoke solutions across disciplines. Mark’s business acumen, deep industry knowledge and broad transactional experience enable him to translate complex scientific and IP concepts into practical business solutions for his clients.
Mark began his career as an attorney at a top-tier international law firm in New York, working in M&A and securities law, and structured finance. He then spent over 17 years in-house at Pfizer, where he handled several high-profile business transactions; advised C-suite executives and senior leadership teams for the company’s R&D organization; and for over a decade led a team of attorneys focused on sophisticated and complex life sciences transactions. Queries for Mark can be sent to: mark.cooper@faberlawgroup.com
Patrik Frei, PhD, CEO and Founder, Venture Valuation AG
Dr. Patrik Frei is the founder and CEO of Venture Valuation AG, Switzerland, the company he started in 1999 based on a collaboration with the Novartis Venture Fund, which became his first client. Since then, he has been involved in over 800 valuations around the globe for investors as well as Biotech, Pharma, and Medtech companies. Venture Valuation runs two additional services/businesses: 1) Biotechgate, a global business development database. 2. HelloPartnering, a leading one2one partnering software, including the Biotechgate Digital Partnering event (www.digitalpartnering.com). Patrik graduated from the Business University of St. Gallen in Finance and completed his PhD thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL in Lausanne. Patrik has experience as a board member of public and private companies, published numerus articles, and provides valuation workshops around the world.
Wyatt Gotbetter, MPA, Global Head Evidence, Value and Access, Cytel Inc.
Wyatt is a seasoned life sciences executive and strategy consulting leader experienced in asset and franchise growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions/transaction advisory support. He currently leads the Evidence, Value and Access business for Cytel, and was previously Sr. VP for the Market Access and Health Economics business for global CRO Parexel, and Partner for Parexel consulting subsidiary Health Advances. Prior to this, Wyatt was with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the head of New Product Commercialization for Biogen. He has led domestic and global teams in marketing strategy, portfolio management, new product commercialization, and market access. He offers expertise in strategy development, life cycle management, valuation, diligence, and digital health, and has advised or supported the integration of >$40B in life sciences transactions. Wyatt also serves as independent Board member of Diceros Therapeutics. Queries for Wyatt can be sent to: wyatt.gotbetter@cytel.com
Angele Maki, PhD, Chief Business Officer, Hummingbird Bioscience
With twenty years of deal-making experience spanning small biotech and Big Pharma, Dr. Angèle Maki is Chief Business Officer of Hummingbird Bioscience, a clinical-stage biotechnology company with proprietary and differentiated antibody discovery and dual-payload ADC platforms, developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
Prior to Hummingbird, Angèle held business development roles with increasing responsibility starting at Medarex followed by Bristol Myers Squibb (which acquired Medarex), Genentech, 23andMe, Merck & Co, Eli Lilly, and ReCode. During her career, she has successfully led diligence and negotiations for numerous in- and out-licensing transactions, from early-stage research technologies to clinical-stage assets. She was also a key player within the corporate venture arm of Lilly.
Angèle has a PhD in biological chemistry from Stanford University and a BSc in chemistry from the University of Winnipeg in Canada.
Robert Silverman, PhD, JD, Founder & CEO, Revere Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Silverman is the founder and CEO of Revere Pharmaceuticals, an oncology-focused biotech company based in Boston. Prior to Revere, he was the General Counsel of Concert Pharmaceuticals from 2007 to 2017, helping the company become public in 2014. He currently serves as an advisor for Concert and on the advisory board for Larmor Biosystems. Previously, Dr. Silverman was Associate General Counsel at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda) where he led the company’s chemical patent practice. Prior to Millennium, he served in various legal roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and FMC Corporation.
Dr. Silverman started his career as a research chemist. He has over 20 US patents. Dr. Silverman received his BA degree from Lehigh University, his PhD from the U of New Mexico and did post-doctoral training in organic chemistry at Stanford University. He received his JD from Rutgers Law School.
Kate Skrable, MBA, MS, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Pfizer
Kate Skrable is an expert in the field of alliance management, specifically complex collaborations and international partnerships. She recently joined Pfizer as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. For more than 20 years, she was a member of Seagen with her last leadership role as the Vice President of Strategic Alliances. Prior to her time at Seagen, she spent close to 10 years at Genentech/Roche as a leader in alliance management, asset management, and bio-analytics. She also has held a number of roles at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Connetics Corporation and Dow Pharmaceuticals. Kate is well-versed in mergers/acquisitions, licensing (both sell and buy-side), and strategic alliances. She holds an MBA from Santa Clara University and a Master of Science from the University of Arizona.
Christiana X. Zhang, PhD, Partner, Intellectual Property and Information Technology Practice Group, McCarter & English LLP
Dr. Christiana Zhang is a partner in the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Practice group at McCarter & English, LLP. She has more than fifteen years of experience in patent prosecution and management. Her practice focuses in the area of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Prior to joining McCarter, Christiana was an in-house patent counsel at a medium-sized biotechnology company in the Boston area, where she was responsible for designing patent strategy and overseeing patent prosecution. She has extensive experience in U.S. and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, patent validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions, as well as due diligence and patent landscape analysis.
Christiana received her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University. She then went on to post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied the mechanism of cisplatin and other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs. After post-doctoral research, Christiana conducted independent research as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has published a number of scientific articles in journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Commercialization Readiness from Preclinical to 1st Launch: The First Time CEOs Playbook (June 15)
Russ Belden, PhD, Scientific Advisor and Instructor, Biotech Primer
Russ is a biotech commercialization leader with over 35 years of senior leadership experience in strategic marketing, sales management, operations, sales training, and product development. Starting as employee 15 in Genentech’s SSF Commercial organization, he spent 16 years there launching products/indications across multiple therapeutic areas, including a pivotal role in launching their BioOncology franchise and left as the Director of Hematology Sales.
As Founder/President & CEO of Bridge – Your iCCO Company, he has worked with over 100 emerging biotech companies over the past 17 years. Russ provides critical commercial leadership to Phase III emerging biotech companies as an interim Chief Commercial Officer (iCCO). As the company’s iCCO he leads all the commercialization imperatives, establishes the “blueprint” for the Commercial / Medical Affairs organization and develops a 3-year expense budget including all commercialization costs enabling the company to successfully position its lead product(s) for commercial launch while absorbing the risk of a potentially negative Phase 3 readout. Russ is currently the iCCO at five Phase 3 companies.
Bridge also develops rigorous commercial assessments for pre-clinical to Phase 2 companies whose outputs are used for portfolio decisions and to support investor/Business Development initiatives. That work also defines the early differentiation of the asset.
Russ is the co-developer and leader of the Biotech Primer two-day course, “BioPharma” Revenue Forecasting that Drives Decision Making and Investments. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of New York at Buffalo.
Guide to Raising Institutional Private Capital (June 15)
Andy Meyerson, Managing Director, Locust Walk
Andy is a Managing Director and the Global Head of Strategic Transactions at Locust Walk, where he advises life science companies on all forms of corporate transactions, including collaborations and M&A, whether as a buyer/licensor or seller/licensee. In addition, Andy is actively involved with the Locust Walk’s Capital Markets and Strategy and Analytics groups and has extensive experience advising life science companies across all aspects of their corporate development and executing high-value transactions.
Prior to joining Locust Walk, Andy was an associate at Gunderson Dettmer, one of the nation’s leading business law firms for entrepreneurs, emerging growth companies and venture capitalists. Andy’s legal practice encompassed all areas of general corporate and securities law, with extensive experience in corporate financings, including public and private offerings of equity and debt, licensing transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Andy also represented life sciences companies in all stages of their lifecycles, from start-ups to public companies. Andy was also previously an associate in the Corporate and Financial Services group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Andy holds a MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, a JD from New York University School of Law and a BSE in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke University.
Daniel Brog, Senior Vice President, Locust Walk
Daniel brings broad life sciences experience across corporate development and strategy, financing, and company building to Locust Walk. With the firm, he has worked on private financing, sell-side, buy-side, IPO advisory, and strategy consulting engagements for life sciences clients as well as company creation for Locust Walk Founded companies. Daniel brings deep experience in oncology/immunology, neurology, and regenerative medicine therapeutic areas with a special focus on advanced modalities including gene and cell therapies.
Prior to Locust Walk, Daniel was a team leader at Health Advances, a global healthcare management and strategy consulting firm, where he led projects with biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and private equity clients. His work encompassed multiple strategy engagement types across a range of companies from startups to large biopharma, with significant functional experience in portfolio and transaction strategy, asset and M&A due diligence, and asset forecasting, and valuation.
Daniel holds an MS in Biotechnology and a BS in Biology and Business from Brandeis University. He enjoys skiing, hiking, cooking, and weightlifting in his free time and co-organizes an LGBTQ beer club in Boston.
Alex Hogenhuis, Vice President, Locust Walk
Bimal Shah, MBA, Managing Director, Locust Walk
Mr. Shah has focused on the life sciences and broader healthcare industry for over two decades, serving in senior corporate development and financial roles. Mr. Shah most recently was the Chief Financial Officer of Corium LLC, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Corium, he served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance and Strategy, for Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Mr. Shah previously held business development, finance, and strategic commercial roles at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genentech Inc. (part of Roche). He also worked in the financial sector at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Warburg Pincus, where he was responsible for executing a wide range of deal transactions, including financings, investments, acquisitions, and alliances.
Mr. Shah currently serves on the board of directors and is chair of the audit committee of Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biotech company.
Mr. Shah has advised many companies during his career and also served as an expert witness on multiple legal proceedings involving the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr. Shah received his Master’s in Business Administration, Master of Arts in International Policy Studies and Bachelor’s in Economics from Stanford University.
Master the Art of Business Development Negotiations (June 15)
Harm-Jan Borgeld, PhD, MBA, CSAP, Vice President, Head Asia Pharma Partnering Asia, Roche
Harm-Jan Borgeld is leading Roche’s Pharma Partnering team in Asia. He is based in Shanghai. The Asia Partnering team is responsible for seeking and executing partnerships with exciting biotechs and pharma companies working on novel therapies in Japan, China, and South-Korea. Roche Asia Partnering is an integral component of the global Pharma Partnering unit, a team consisting of 120 people based across the globe who are looking for and maintaining lasting partnerships for Roche and Genentech’s R&D unit as well as the broader late-stage pharma division.
Prior to joining Roche, Harm-Jan led the Global Alliance Management Department at Merck Healthcare KGaA. The department was responsible for the commercial, development, and research alliances. Before heading the Global Alliance Management Department, he was leading a project team that worked on developing a novel immunotherapy to treat cancer. He started his work at Merck KGaA in the licensing and business development department. Prior to Merck, he was responsible for Business Development in Europe for the Japanese firm, Kyorin Pharmaceuticals. He received his MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands / Haas Business School, US, and his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nagoya, Japan, and graduated from the Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
Stefanie A. Schubert, PhD, CSAP, Professor of Economics and Department Chair of International Business,
SRH University Heidelberg
Stefanie A. Schubert is Professor of Economics at SRH University Heidelberg, ICF-certified Executive Coach and Negotiation Advisor. In her university role, she is the Lead of the Economics Group and Director of the International Bachelor Program. As a coach, she challenges leaders to achieve their goals. In the role of an advisor, she supports clients in their strategic thinking and influencing negotiations on the basis of game theory. Apart from Higher Education, she has experience in Alliance Management and the Biopharma Industry and is active member of the Association of Alliance Management (ASAP) and the DACH Chapter Co-Lead of European Women on Board (EWOB).
Product & Company Valuation (June 15)
Patrik Frei, PhD, CEO and Founder, Venture Valuation AG
Dr. Patrik Frei is founder and CEO of Venture Valuation AG, Switzerland, the company he started in 1999 based on a collaboration with the Novartis Venture Fund, which became his first client. Since then he has been involved in over 800 valuations around the globe for investors as well as Biotech, Pharma and Medtech companies. Venture Valuation runs two additional services/businesses: 1) Biotechgate, a global business development database. 2. HelloPartnering, a leading one2one partnering software including the Biotechgate Digital Partnering event (www.digitalpartnering.com). Patrik graduated from the Business University of St. Gallen in Finance and completed his Ph.D thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL in Lausanne. Patrik has experience as a board member of public and private companies, published numerus articles and provides valuation workshops around the world.
Gergely Ivanyi, PharmD, Senior Consultant, Venture Valuation AG
Gergely is a Senior Consultant at Venture Valuation, specializing in biotech valuation for fundraising, licensing, and M&A. He has led over 100 valuation projects for Fortune 500 companies, established biotech firms, and startups, providing strategic insights into value creation. He holds a Pharm.D. from Semmelweis University (Budapest) and an M.Sc. in Bioentrepreneurship from Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm), combining scientific expertise with a business perspective to support investors and innovators.