SPEAKERS
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Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice,
Yale School of Management
Founder and President,
Chief Executive Leadership Institute
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is currently the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, the world’s first nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance. Professor Sonnenfeld has informally advised five US presidents, three Democrats and two Republicans, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential corporate governance and business scholars in the nation. He previously served as full tenured professor at Emory’s Goizueta Business School for a decade and a professor at the Harvard Business School for a decade.
Professor Sonnenfeld is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books, including Trump’s Ten Commandments, which was widely recognized as an instant New York Times bestseller, USA Today bestseller, and Amazon #1 bestseller; The Hero’s Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession; and another best seller, Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience in the face of adversity. Professor Sonnenfeld’s related research has been published in 100 scholarly articles which appeared in the leading academic journals in management such as Administrative Sciences Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Social Forces, Human Relations, and Human Resource Management.
Professor Sonnenfeld’s work is regularly cited by the general media in such outlets as: BusinessWeek, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, The Economist, Financial Times, The Washington Post, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC, as well as PBS, and he is a staff contributor for CNBC and a staff columnist for FORTUNE, TIME, Chief Executive, and Corporate Board Member.
Sonnenfeld was recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine as the 2022 Professor of the Year in recognition of his high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after the invasion of Ukraine, and was named to Worth Magazine’s “Worthy 100 Leaders,” an annual global listing of the most influential leaders across society. Sonnenfeld received the 2023 Greatest Impact on Corporate Boards award by Corporate Board Member magazine and received the Academy of Management’s 2023 Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award.
Sonnenfeld has advised the US State Department, US Treasury Department, and Council of Economic Advisers on Russian economic sanctions and business retreats and has testified to the US Congress; in addition, he has been profiled by various media outlets including TIME, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Washington Post, and Business Insider. BusinessWeek listed Sonnenfeld as one of the world’s 10 most influential business school professors and Directorship magazine has listed him among the 100 most influential figures in corporate governance.
He is the first academician to have rung the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, having done so ten times. Professor Sonnenfeld earned the 2018 Ellis Island award from the US Ellis Island Foundation. He was Harvard’s first John Whitehead Faculty Fellow and won outstanding educator awards at Yale, Emory, and the American Society for Training and Development.
He is now a member of the board of Lennar, the leading American homebuilder, as well as IEX, Atlas Merchant Capital, and the Ellis Island Honor Society. Professor Sonnenfeld was appointed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to serve as co-chair of Advance CT, where he helped lead the state’s economic development, including attracting and retaining leading global businesses and developing the state’s workforce. Sonnenfeld also serves on the Board of Directors of Connecticut Innovations, which is focused on building the innovation and business ecosystem within the state of Connecticut.
Partner, Medical Technologies,
Deerfield Management
Avi Kometz, MD, is a Partner on the Medical Technologies team and joined Deerfield Management in 2014. Prior to Deerfield, Dr. Kometz was a Partner at Ascent Biomedical Ventures, where he led investment efforts in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare information technology. Before Ascent, Dr. Kometz served as the head of corporate development at a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on pediatrics. He was also a member of the Healthcare Practice at McKinsey & Company in New York, where he worked on matters including strategy, valuation, organizational change, and cost-reduction. Dr. Kometz received his medical doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, South Africa. He began his career as a clinician in South Africa and went on to found and build a group of clinics.
CEO and Founder,
Viver Health
Vicki Barghout, Viver Health’s CEO and Founder, has seen cancer care from both sides.
She was leading the oncology division at a major biopharmaceutical company when she was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before her second daughter was born. This experience gave her a unique perspective on the cancer care journey.
Vicki founded Viver Health, a health education company focused on creating evidence-based educational resources that empower patients and engage healthcare professionals with actionable tools to drive shared decision-making, better outcomes, and improved quality of life for people facing cancer and other chronic and rare diseases.
Vicki has more than 25 years of expertise in US and global market access, real-world evidence (RWE), strategy, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), pricing, and patient-reported outcomes. A health economist by training, she held executive leadership roles at Novartis and Bayer HealthCare, spearheading innovative projects from discovery through post-launch, conducting research instrumental to FDA and EMEA regulatory submissions, and contributing to numerous breakthrough designations and drug approvals.
She has published more than 45 manuscripts and presented more than 150 abstracts at international conferences, with her work mentioned in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Vicki is multilingual and has lived in Switzerland, England, Mexico, and Guatemala. She received her graduate degree from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Associate Professor, Therapeutic Radiology,
Yale School of Medicine
Sanjay Aneja, MD, is an Associate Professor within the Departments of Therapeutic Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Bioinformatics & Data Science at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Aneja is a physician scientist whose research group is focused on the application of machine learning techniques on clinical oncology. He received his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine serving as class president. During medical school, he completed a research fellowship at the Department of Health and Human Services in large scale data analysis. He later completed his medicine internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center followed by his residency in radiation oncology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. During his residency, he completed his postdoc in machine learning at the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), receiving a research grant from IBM Computing. He has received research grants from the NIH, NSF, American Cancer Society, and other foundations.
Director,
Yale Cancer Center
President and Physician-in-Chief,
Smilow Cancer Hospital
Dr. Eric Winer is Director of Yale Cancer Center and President and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital. He is also the Alfred Gilman Professor of Medicine and Deputy Dean for Cancer Research at Yale School of Medicine.
An internationally recognized expert in breast cancer, Dr. Winer has played a leading role in many clinical trials that changed the care of individuals with all stages and subtypes of the disease. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed research articles and has received numerous awards for his contributions to breast cancer research and mentorship.
Dr. Winer served as President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology from 2022–2023 and Chair of its Board of Directors from 2023–2024. He currently chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and has held leadership roles with the National Cancer Institute, Susan G. Komen, and CALGB/Alliance.
An alumnus of Yale College and Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Winer returned to Yale in 2022 after more than two decades at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. At DFCI, he led the breast cancer group, directed the Dana-Farber/Harvard SPORE in Breast Cancer for over a decade, and served the institute in a variety of leadership roles.
President,
Scheer & Company, Inc.
David I. Scheer, MS, is a life science entrepreneur, advisor, and company builder with more than 45 years of experience. He is President of Scheer & Company, Inc., providing strategic and transactional advisory services to the life sciences industry. He currently chairs the boards of several privately held companies, including Adela, Inc. (oncology diagnostics), Refactor Health (digital health), Apriligen (pediatric rare-disease gene therapy), and flourish Biologics (preclinical alopecia therapeutics), and serves on the boards of LadderBio (peptidomimetic drug discovery) and Kembi Therapeutics, Pty Ltd (clinical-stage oncology).
Mr. Scheer has advised numerous life science companies, not-for-profit research institutions, and health systems engaged in research commercialization. He has served as a transaction leader, co-founder, and board member/chair for spinoffs from corporate and university research, with experience spanning financings, licensing, collaborations, partnerships, IPOs, and M&A, including multiple liquidity events.
While part of the Health Care Investing Team at Oak Investment Partners, he helped launch his first four companies—all of which achieved successful exits, including three with transaction values of $1B+ and an aggregate exit value of approximately $7B. He co-founded Achillion Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Alexion in 2020; now part of AstraZeneca) and served on its board for 21 years, including as Chairman. He also helped launch and build ViroPharma, OraPharma, and Esperion Therapeutics, and later co-founded and supported additional companies across orphan disease, regenerative medicine, and neuroscience.
Mr. Scheer has served on a National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Consensus Panel on Therapeutic Innovation. A significant focus of his work has been advancing therapies for patients with high unmet needs, particularly in rare diseases. In that connection, he has had a multi-year advisory and collaborative relationship with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). For NORD, he has organized and moderated panels at its annual Breakthrough Summits.
He has also been a speaker over many years at a range of business schools, including Wharton, Johns Hopkins, and Yale, with a focus on entrepreneurship in the life sciences. He has also served as an advisor to the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, Progeria Research Foundation, and the Wolverine Foundation, all of which working toward treatments and/or cures in these rare disorders.
With respect to public service, he was a founding member of the Governor’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Committee tasked with reopening the State during the COVID pandemic era and is a member of the Bioscience Innovation Advisory Committee which is responsible for evaluating and approving investments by the State of Connecticut in the life sciences.
He is Co-Chair of BioCT, serves on state and nonprofit advisory efforts, and is co-founder and Chair of the Soderstrom Scholars Fund supporting underrepresented Connecticut students pursuing STEM careers. He was a founding member and continues to serve on the Compassionate Use and Preapproval Access Working Group associated with NYU Langone Medical School. Mr. Scheer earned an AB, cum laude, in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College and an MS from Yale University.
Ventures Partner, Life Sciences,
GV (Google Ventures)
David Reshef is a computer scientist, physician, and a venture partner at GV, where he focuses on investing in machine learning, healthcare, and life sciences.
David’s career has focused on using machine learning to identify and characterize structure in high-dimensional data. His work has been published in high-impact journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Machine Learning Research, and The Annals of Applied Statistics. David holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and a PhD in computer science from MIT, where he was a Soros Fellow and a National Science Foundation Fellow. Prior to that, he studied statistics at the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar and computer science at MIT. Clinically, David trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which has been followed by fellowship in hematology/oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham.
Commissioner,
Department of Economic and Community Development
Chief Innovation Officer,
State of Connecticut
Dan was nominated as Commissioner of Economic Development by Governor Ned Lamont in November 2023. He has also served as the State’s first Chief Innovation Officer since July 2023.
Prior to public service, Dan was a technology investor for 25 years, most recently as a Managing Partner of Apax Partners, a global investment firm.
Dan serves on a number of civic and nonprofit boards, including the Board of Trustees at the University of Connecticut and at Brown University, the Board of Regents at CSCU, Vice Chair of Connecticut Innovations, Treasurer at AdvanceCT, and as Chairman Emeritus of the Opportunity Network, an education-focused nonprofit.
Dan holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he served as President of its Alumni Board, and an AB from Brown University, where he served as Class President.
Governor of the State of Connecticut
Ned Lamont was sworn into office as the 89th governor of Connecticut on January 9, 2019. He began his second term on January 4, 2023.
Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself. Later, as a member of both the Greenwich Board of Selectmen and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Lamont worked in a bipartisan effort to safeguard a multimillion-dollar budget and deliver results for constituents. For four years, Lamont also served as Chairman of the State Investment Advisory Council, overseeing a multibillion-dollar state pension fund.
Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, and Head of Development,
Bristol Myers Squibb
Cristian Massacesi, MD, executive vice president, chief medical officer, and head of development, Bristol Myers Squibb, oversees the company’s early- and late-stage product development across its core therapeutic areas: oncology/hematology, neuroscience, immunology, and cardiovascular disorders. He currently oversees a team of about 6,000 employees around the world, who are driving more than 100 ongoing clinical trials. He has a proven track record of advancing breakthrough science from early through late-stage development and global regulatory approvals, inspiring and encouraging his teams to identify novel strategies and take smart risks.
Cristian began his career in the healthcare field as a medical oncologist, bringing the ethos of putting patients first into his more than 20 years of drug development experience at the world’s top pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining BMS in August 2025, Cristian served as chief medical officer of AstraZeneca and Alexion and as oncology chief development officer at AstraZeneca, where he led a global organization of more than 3,000 employees. Under his leadership, AstraZeneca advanced more than 150 clinical studies and secured multiple regulatory approvals. Prior to his tenure at AstraZeneca, Cristian held senior R&D positions at Pfizer and Novartis, where he oversaw development programs across solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
Cristian earned his medical degree from Marche Polytechnic University and received medical oncology training at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the European Institute of Oncology. He has broad patient care and clinical research experience and has authored/co-authored more than 50 extended peer-reviewed publications and has also been recognized with numerous honors and awards during his career.
CEO and Co-founder,
Element Biosciences
Dr. Molly He is the CEO and co-founder of Element Biosciences, a multidisciplinary life science company democratizing access to advanced DNA and multiomic sequencing solutions. Since the inception of Element in 2017, Molly and her team have raised over $750M+ to fund the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of disruptive sequencing and multiomic solutions, including AVITI, AVITI24, and VITARI. Molly has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Forbes 50 Over 50 in 2023, and CNBC Changemaker in 2024. Previously, Molly was a Venture Partner at Foresite Capital Management. Prior to Foresite, Molly served as a Senior Director at Illumina, where she was responsible for global protein reagent innovation and improvements. She led her team to twice win the Innovation Award, the highest award for innovations with significant revenue impact at Illumina. Before Illumina, Molly was the Head of Protein Sciences at Pacific Biosciences, responsible for protein reagent development to improve the accuracy of its single-molecular real-time sequencing chemistry. Molly is a prolific inventor with more than one hundred patent applications, including many in the field of genomics and protein sciences. Molly holds a PhD from UCLA in protein biophysics.
Chief Executive Officer,
National Organization for Rare Disorders
Pamela K. Gavin is Chief Executive Officer of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), a leading national organization dedicated to improving the lives of more than 30 million Americans living with rare diseases. For more than four decades, NORD has worked across diseases and sectors to advance research and innovation, improve diagnosis and care, shape public policy, and strengthen rare disease communities.
Gavin has spent more than a decade at NORD, previously serving as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. Her work focuses on the challenges that persist between scientific discovery and patient impact—including accelerating diagnosis, strengthening access to specialized care, enabling research and therapeutic development, and ensuring that medical advances ultimately reach the patients who need them. She works across patient communities, academic and medical institutions, government, and industry to advance solutions to systemic barriers facing people with rare diseases.
SVP, Global Head of Oncology Therapeutic Area, R&D,
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
As Global Oncology Therapeutic Area Head for Johnson & Johnson, Yusri Elsayed, MD, MHSC, PhD, is responsible for the discovery, development, and life cycle advancement of the company’s robust oncology pipeline and portfolio. He leads a global team of scientists who bring together expertise in small molecules, advanced biologics, cell therapies, vaccine platforms, translational research, diagnostics, and immuno-oncology.
Discovery and development of new medicines for cancers are fast-paced and complex, and therefore Yusri and his team built a comprehensive approach that focuses on end-to-end internal capabilities, as well as a robust external innovation strategy to advance science and novel therapeutics in core disease areas, including hematologic malignancies, prostate cancer, bladder cancers, immuno-oncology, and lung cancer. The combination of these efforts has led to many successful oncology partnerships in the past across the life sciences ecosystem and continues to distinguish Johnson & Johnson as a partner of choice.
Prior to his appointment as Global Oncology Therapeutic Area Head, Yusri led the Hematologic Malignancies Disease Area within Johnson & Johnson Research & Development since 2013. In this role, he had responsibility for creating and executing the scientific strategy to advance internally and externally sourced discovery and development programs. Together with his team, Yusri is recognized for building an industry-leading hematologic malignancies portfolio that has been foundational for scientific innovation and has achieved many noteworthy milestones, including multiple US Food and Drug Administration Breakthrough Therapy Designations and major product approvals for several first-in-class transformational therapies such as IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib), DARZALEX®, CARVYKTI, TECVALI, and TALVEY.
Yusri joined Johnson & Johnson in 2005 as Medical Director. Since then, he has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Oncology Therapeutic Area, including Medical Leader for YONDELIS® (trabectedin), VELCADE® (bortezomib), and several early clinical development programs. Yusri played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Hematologic Malignancies DAS.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Yusri led early development studies of oncology drugs, including small molecules and monoclonal antibodies, at Bristol Myers Squibb.
Prior to transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry, Yusri served as Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. There he led numerous clinical research programs as a principal investigator and authored several publications. He also had the privilege of caring for many oncology patients during this time. Yusri completed his clinical fellowship training in Medical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute and in Hematology at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology. Yusri also earned a master’s degree in clinical research from Duke University and a doctorate from Kyushu University in Japan.
Venture Partner,
RA Ventures
Dr. David Weinstock is a Venture Partner at RA Ventures focused on the development of novel therapeutics for patients with cancer. Prior to Raven, he was the Vice President of Discovery Oncology for Merck and then the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Oncology, Pharma Research and Early Development at Roche. He was previously the Lavine Family Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, where he was a medical oncologist and directed a translational research program focused on novel therapeutics for lymphoid malignancies. He was a National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator, a Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator, and led the Leukemia Program for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Dr. Weinstock co-founded multiple companies, including Ajax Therapeutics that was recently acquired by Eli Lilly. He has mentored several junior scientists who now lead scientific groups in the US, Europe and Asia.
Chairman of the Board,
Charles River Labs
Martin is the Co-founder and Chair of the Board at Rallybio, LLC formed in 2018 to develop transformative therapies for patients with devastating ultra-rare diseases. He has had a 35-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, most notably at Pfizer (1995–2010), AstraZeneca (2010–2013), and Alexion (2013–2017), where he led the R&D efforts of those companies. Martin is Chair of the Board of Charles River Laboratories (2017–present). Martin is on the Boards of Kailera, Beeline, and SAIL. He was on the Board of Novo Nordisk (2018–2025) and SpringWorks Therapeutics (2024–2025). He is a Scientific Advisor at Pivotal BioVenture Partners (2024–present) and Boston Children’s Hospital (2024–present). Martin is a Visiting Professor at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (2025–present). Martin obtained a First-Class Honors degree in Microbiology from Heriot-Watt University and his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Edinburgh.
Director, Early Phase Clinical Trials Program,
Yale Cancer Center
Dr. Patricia LoRusso has been a practicing academic medical oncologist performing clinical/translational research in early phase clinical trials for over 35 years. She has had continuous NIH/NCI peer review funding for 35 years, having held a U-grant for early phase clinical trials through the NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) for ~30 years. She has also collaborated on numerous other grants and has been an investigator of R01, R21, P01, P30, and UH2/UH3 funded projects. Understanding the need for team science, she has participated in P50 mechanisms and has been awarded team science grants through organizations like Stand Up to Cancer, the Department of Defense (DOD), and Komen Foundation.
Dr. LoRusso has also been involved in many service disciplines at the NCI and elsewhere. She has reviewed grants for many study sections. She has served on the NCI-CTEP Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC) since its inception and served as its chair from 2011–2013 and 2022–2024. She was a member of the White House steering committee that convened after the Blue-Ribbon Panel to execute on its recommendations. She served a 9-year term (2015–2024) on the Board of Scientific Council (BSC) NCI Intramural Program and served as its chair from 2018–2024. In 2024–2025, she served as an external member developing the Strategic Plan for the NCI Intramural Program.
In addition to the NCI, Dr. LoRusso has served in leadership positions of several other organizations. She has served on the Board of Directors and numerous scientific and education committees of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) as well as served as the AACR President from 2024–2025. She has served on education and scientific committees of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the steering committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Accelerating Anticancer Agent Development and Validation Workshop, as examples. Internationally, she has taught several clinical trials educational workshops, educating many physicians and scientists across the globe. She understands how critically important it is to train the next generation of early career investigators to be knowledgeable and proficient in clinical and translational research by providing them leadership opportunities and mentoring. She is currently the chair of the New Agents Committee (NAC) of the Cancer Research United Kingdom (CRUK), a UK Welcome Trust and the 2nd largest funding agency for cancer research internationally.
Chief Medical Officer,
Eli Lilly
Dr. David Hyman is the Chief Medical Officer for Eli Lilly and Company. In this role, David works closely with the Chief Scientific Officer, development leaders across therapeutic areas, and business development to advance Lilly’s portfolio of medicines. Previously, David served as Chief of the Early Drug Development service at Memorial Sloan Kettering. David received his MD from Weill Medical College and his BS degree in biology from Brown University.
EVP, Discovery Biology,
Parabilis Medicines
Jonathan Hurov, PhD, is a biotechnology research and development leader with extensive experience in company building, drug discovery, and translating emerging biology into new therapeutic programs. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Discovery Biology at Parabilis Medicines. During his tenure, he built the biology organization and led the b-catenin inhibitor program, zolucatetide, to IND. Prior to Parabilis, Jonathan contributed to the growth and pipeline of Agios Pharmaceuticals and Cygnal Therapeutics, helping build discovery organizations and advance innovative therapeutic concepts. Across these companies, he has contributed to corporate strategy, portfolio prioritization, business development, scientific due diligence, fundraising, and engagement with boards, investors, and partners. His work has encompassed small molecule and peptide therapeutics across oncology and metabolic disease, grounded in rigorous mechanistic science and a commitment to developing medicines for patients with life-threatening diseases.
President and Founding CEO,
Normunity
Rachel Humphrey has over 25 years of experience in clinical drug development, particularly in the field of cancer treatments and immunotherapies. Highlights of her career include leading the development of multiple blockbuster cancer therapies: the CTLA-4 inhibiting immunotherapy Yervoy® (ipilimumab) at BMS, the PD-L1 inhibiting immunotherapy Imfinzi® (durvalumab) at AstraZeneca, and the kinase inhibitor cancer drug Nexavar® (sorafenib) at Bayer. After working at these big pharmaceutical companies, Rachel took her drug development expertise to emerging biotech companies, where she served in the role of Chief Medical Officer at Black Diamond Therapeutics, CytomX Therapeutics, and Mirati Therapeutics, respectively. She previously served on the Board of Directors of CytomX Therapeutics and Xilio Therapeutics, respectively, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pyxis Therapeutics and Sporos Bioventures. Rachel started her career as an oncology fellow and staff physician at the National Cancer Institute. She received her training in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, her MD from Case Western Reserve Medical School, and her BA from Harvard University.
Professor of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology & Hematology),
Yale School of Medicine
Chief of Thoracic Oncology, Co-Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers,
Yale Cancer Center
Dr. Sarah Goldberg is Professor of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and serves as Division Chief for Thoracic Oncology and Co-Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers at the Yale Cancer Center. Her research focuses on clinical trials and translational studies for non-small cell lung cancer, with a specific focus on EGFR- and HER2-mutant lung cancer and brain metastases.
CEO
Valo Health, Inc.
Dr. Brian Alexander is Chief Executive Officer at Valo Health Inc. and a Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Prior to joining Valo Health in 2024, he was an SVP for R&D at Roche/Genentech, where he worked to leverage data science and AI/ML approaches for novel clinical development strategies. Previously, he led Foundation Medicine as CEO, advancing its mission to transform cancer care by leveraging molecular information to improve clinical decision-making and therapeutic development.
Dr. Alexander serves on the Board of Directors of MassBio and Champions Oncology. He is also a co‑founder and board member of the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research, a nonprofit organization focused on accelerating the discovery and development of treatments for patients with rare and deadly diseases through pioneering, patient‑centric clinical trial design. He was also the founding director of the Harvard/MIT Center for Regulatory Science.
Dr. Alexander previously served as an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and as a radiation oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He received his MD from the University of Michigan, MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and served as a White House Fellow in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Partner,
OrbiMed Advisors LLC
Tal joined OrbiMed in 2021 and is a Partner for the Private Equity team. Tal was recently the Chief Medical Officer at Moderna, where he led the development of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine and other key programs. Previously, Tal held senior leadership positions in drug development at major pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. Tal received his MD and PhD from the Ben-Gurion University and conducted postdoctoral research at the US National Institutes of Health.
Founding Member,
Whitehead Institute
Dr. Weinberg is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He is also a Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the first Director of the Ludwig Cancer Center at MIT.
Dr. Weinberg and his colleagues isolated the first human cancer-causing gene, the RAS oncogene, and the first known tumor suppressor gene, RB, the retinoblastoma gene. His current research focuses on how epigenetic cellular programs—particularly the epithelial-mesenchymal transition—confer traits of high-grade malignancy on carcinoma cells, including the ability to form metastatic colonies.
Dr. Weinberg is the author or editor of six books and more than 420 articles, including two editions of the comprehensive textbook The Biology of Cancer. His books for general audiences include One Renegade Cell, Racing to the Beginning of the Road: The Search for the Origin of Cancer, and Genes and The Biology of Cancer (co-authored with Dr. Harold E. Varmus, former Director of the National Institutes of Health).
He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Chief Investment Officer,
JP Morgan Life Science Private Capital
Stephen Squinto, PhD, is Chief Investment Officer of JP Morgan Life Science Private Capital (“LSPC”) within JP Morgan Private Capital, a division of JP Morgan Global Alternatives in JP Morgan Asset Management. Stephen joined JP Morgan Private Capital in 2022. Stephen leads the Life Science and Healthcare Private Capital investment platform at JP Morgan, which leverages the global scale, robust healthcare service ecosystem, and healthcare data intelligence of JP Morgan to invest in life sciences and healthcare companies.
Stephen has had a 35-year career in biotechnology and drug development. He was an early team member and an early company builder of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Co-Founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and subsequently a highly successful investor at OrbiMed Advisors. While building Alexion, Dr. Squinto and his team were responsible for the discovery, development, approval, and commercial launch of several life-transforming biotechnology products worldwide serving several rare disease patient communities. During his eight years with OrbiMed, Dr. Squinto served on as many as 20 company boards, co-founded several OrbiMed-financed companies, and served as an operating executive of five. The investments led by Dr. Squinto at OrbiMed led to significant returns for the firm.
Stephen received his BA in Chemistry and PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. Dr. Squinto previously held various joint academic positions at the Tulane University and LSU Medical Schools.
Vice President, Oncology Discovery Research,
AbbVie
Dr. Andy Souers is Vice President of Oncology Discovery Research at AbbVie, where he leads discovery efforts across the company’s oncology programs and sites. In prior leadership roles, he led teams that advanced more than 15 clinical candidates, including the marketed drug Venetoclax (Venclexta). Dr. Souers has contributed to more than 140 publications and patents throughout his career. Prior to entering the pharmaceutical industry, he earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Chief Scientific Officer,
Revolution Medicines
Jan serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at Revolution Medicines, bringing extensive expertise in molecular pharmacology and a deep commitment to advancing small molecule drug discovery and development. With over two decades of experience in drug discovery R&D within the biopharmaceutical industry, Jan has played a pivotal role in identifying numerous clinical candidates spanning diverse disease areas.
Before joining Revolution Medicines, Jan held leadership roles at Theravance Biopharma and Roche Bioscience, further solidifying her leadership and strategic contributions in the field.
Jan’s significant contributions extend to academia, with her co-authorship on over 45 peer-reviewed publications and her role as a named inventor on several issued patents and applications. Her dedication to advancing scientific knowledge and improving therapeutic outcomes underscores her impactful career in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Jan graduated from the University of Bath, UK, earning a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK, and conducted her postdoctoral research at the University of California, Irvine, and the Sandoz Institute for Medical Research, London, UK.
General Partner,
Canaan Partners
Tim is currently a general partner at Canaan Partners, a leading venture capital firm. Tim was the founding executive chairman and lead investor of Arvinas, Halda, Normunity, and Quarry, all Connecticut-based, and was a lead early investor director at Civitas, Novira, CytomX, and Cidara. Prior to Canaan, he was the chief executive officer of CuraGen Corporation, and senior vice president for Global Clinical Development at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. He began his career as an assistant professor of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Tim received a BA in Chemistry from Amherst College and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine.
Chief Scientific Officer,
Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Peter Schulam, MD, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson MedTech, where he works across the medical and scientific communities to develop real-world policies, practices and technologies that improve outcomes for patients. A surgeon-scientist and healthcare innovator, Peter previously served as Global Head of Preclinical, Clinical and Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson MedTech and as Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at Yale New Haven Health.
Prior to his industry leadership roles, he held numerous academic and clinical leadership positions at Yale University and University of California, Los Angeles, including co-founding centers at both institutions focused on fostering technological innovation in medical device design. He is recognized for advancing the integration of clinical science, data, AI, and technology to improve healthcare outcomes.
Executive Partner, Private Equity,
Sofinnova Investments
Maha Radhakrishnan, MD, is currently Executive Partner at Sofinnova Investments and in her most recent role was Consultant to the CEO at Dyne Therapeutics, helping with the overarching strategy and direction of the company R&D and Commercialization efforts. Prior to that, she was the Chief Medical Officer at Biogen, responsible for the Worldwide Medical function since rejoining Biogen in January 2020.
Previously, from 2016–2019, Dr. Radhakrishnan was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Medical, Primary Care Business Unit at Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. At Sanofi, she led the medical strategy and operations for the diabetes and cardiovascular products and development programs. Prior to this, she held several key leadership roles at Bioverativ Inc. from 2016–2018, Biogen for the first time from 2013-2016, Bristol Myers Squibb from 2009–2013, United Health Group from 2006–2008, and Cephalon from 2005–2006.
Dr. Radhakrishnan has extensive experience in overseeing the medical strategy development, external scientific engagement strategy with academic institutions, top and emerging key opinion leaders, patient advocacy groups, media, investors, payers, policy makers, government, and regulators. She has overseen the launch preparations and execution of several blockbuster launches including Abilify, Orencia, Tecfidera, Praluent, Nusinersen, Qalsody, Leqembi, and Skyclarys, and clinical development including life cycle management of several critical programs in the Hemophilia, Immunology, Rare Disease, Cardiovascular, and CNS Therapeutic areas.
She received her MD in internal medicine with honors from the People’s Friendship University in Moscow, Russia in 1995, as well as a master’s degree in Russian language. She is also a certified Russian language instructor and interpreter.
President,
Hartford Healthcare Medical Group
President and CEO,
Integrated Care Partners
Padmanabhan Premkumar, MD, System Senior Vice President, President of Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, and CEO of Integrated Care Partners, leads the health system’s strategic efforts to enhance clinical quality, operational efficiency, and patient experience. His career reflects a strong commitment to aligning clinical practice with system-level improvements.
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Dr. Premkumar earned his undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto and his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Hartford Hospital through the University of Connecticut, where he also served as Chief Resident.
Dr. Premkumar has held several leadership roles across Hartford HealthCare, including Site Director and Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Assistant Professor at UConn. He has been actively involved in medical education, clinical documentation, and coding, and later transitioned into operational leadership as Vice President of Revenue Cycle—becoming the first physician to hold that role within the system.
As a former Academic Hospitalist, Dr. Premkumar brings a balanced perspective to both clinical care and administrative strategy. His work continues to focus on building integrated, patient-centered systems that support both providers and the communities they serve.
Joseph A. and Lucille K. Madri Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine,
Yale University
Deputy Director,
Yale Cancer Center
Katerina Politi studied Biology at the University of Pavia in Italy. She then moved to New York, where she obtained her PhD in Genetics and Development working with Argiris Efstratiadis at Columbia University. Following graduate school, she joined Harold Varmus’s lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and began her work on the molecular basis of lung cancer. She continues this work at Yale, where she is the Joseph A. and Lucille K. Madri Professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine and Deputy Director of the Yale Cancer Center.
Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer,
Bristol Myers Squibb
Robert Plenge, MD, PhD, executive vice president, chief research officer, leads scientific activities across nine research sites around the world, all focused on transforming patients’ lives through science.
Prior to his current role, Robert served as head of Discovery & Translational Sciences at BMS, a role that spanned all therapeutic areas at the company. Robert joined BMS as part of the Celgene acquisition in November 2019. At Celgene, he served as vice president, Immunology & Inflammation portfolio, Research & Early Development. Prior to joining Celgene, Robert was vice president and Head of Translational Medicine at Merck.
Robert received his MD and PhD from Case Western Reserve University and holds a BS from the University of California, San Diego. He completed his internal medicine residency as a molecular medicine fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. He served as a rheumatology fellow at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He was an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate member of the Broad Institute while practicing clinical rheumatology and running a research laboratory at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Robert is an author of more than 125 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals, and frequently posts updates to his personal blog, Plenge Gen, commenting on critical discovery moments with a focus on the resulting patient impact. He is a recipient of several academic and corporate awards and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Alltrna and the PhRMA Foundation.
Director of Precision Medicine,
Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital
Professor of Medicine,
Yale School of Medicine
The Jean and David W. Wallace Medical Director,
Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital
William K. Oh, MD, is Director of Precision Medicine at the Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, the Jean and David W. Wallace Medical Director of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital, and Professor of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. He serves as Chair of the American Cancer Society’s National Prostate Cancer Roundtable, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Medical Advisory Council for the Chemotherapy+ Foundation.
In prior roles, Dr. Oh was Chief Medical Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Chief Medical Officer of Sema4, a publicly traded health intelligence company spun out of Mount Sinai, System Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mount Sinai Health System, Deputy Director of the NCI-designated Tisch Cancer Institute, and Clinical Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
Corporate Strategy Officer for Health & Life Sciences,
Yale Ventures
With over thirty years of scientific and administrative experience, Janie partners with faculty teams and university leaders to forge research-based alliances between academia and industry, focused on health and life sciences. As part of the Yale Ventures Corporate Strategy and Engagement Office, she works to build partnerships to leverage Yale’s research excellence to advance translational science at scale.
Janie’s scientific career has spanned the intersection of science and service, applying high-throughput molecular technologies—including protein folding, genome sequencing, gene expression, and protein microarray profiling—to diverse biological and biomedical questions across industry, academia, and nonprofit research institutions. As Director of Yale University’s Center for Molecular Discovery for thirteen years, she translated novel disease-target concepts into small molecule and siRNA screening and hit validation programs, with Faculty Director Craig Crews.
Manager Director, Healthcare Group,
Lazard
Mike is a Managing Director in Lazard’s Healthcare group. He provides a broad range of advisory services focused on the Life Sciences sector (including Pharma, Biotech, and Spec Pharma) and has experience in cross-border buy-sides, sell-sides, asset sales, collaboration agreements, restructurings, and special committee advisory.
Prior to joining Lazard, Mike was a Consultant at Monitor Group/Deloitte. He advised Life Sciences companies on a range of strategic issues, including product launch, growth strategy, acquisitions, innovation, and scenario planning.
Previously, Mike had been a New York City public school special education teacher through Teach For America.
Fulbright Scholar; Harvard Business School, MBA with distinction; University of Chicago, BA with honors
Martin J. Gavin Endowed Chair and Scientific Director, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders,
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Professor,
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Ching Lau, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist and is the Martin J. Gavin Endowed Chair and Scientific Director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Lau graduated from Rice University with a BA in Chemistry and subsequently received his PhD in Pharmacology and MD from Harvard Medical School. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Cancer Genetics at Dana-Farber Cancer Center. He completed his Pediatrics Residency and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine. His research interests include the molecular biology of pediatric brain and bone tumors and the clinical applications of genomic technologies. He is a strong advocate for team science research in academia and is experienced in leading NCI-funded multidisciplinary teams of research. Dr. Lau has published more than 160 papers in prestigious peer-reviewed journals on cancer genetics and genomics and is a highly sought-after speaker who has given more than 120 invited lectures in international and national meetings.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner,
Oak HC/FT
A multi-time Forbes Midas List honoree, Annie co-founded Oak HC/FT in 2014 to support entrepreneurs reshaping two of the economy’s most essential industries, fintech and healthcare. Before launching Oak HC/FT, she spent nearly three decades at Oak Investment Partners, serving as Managing Partner. Over her career, Annie has backed category-defining companies including Whole Foods, athenahealth, One Medical, VillageMD, Castlight Health, iHealth Technologies, which became Cotiviti, and Aspire Health. She also helped pioneer the hospice industry through its first IPO and spurred investor momentum in mental health with the largest mental health IPO of the twentieth century. She also served as a core participant of the Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary’s Innovation and Investment Summit (DSIIS). In addition to her portfolio company board seats, Annie serves on the Board of Directors for Bloomberg Inc. and has served on the Board of Trustees for Stanford University, from which she holds a BA degree.
Chief of Oncology and Hematology,
Yale Cancer Center
Ian Krop, MD, PhD, is currently the Associate Cancer Center Director for Clinical Research and Chief Clinical Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center. He also directs the Cancer Center’s Clinical Trial Office and is Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Starting October 1, 2026, he will take on the role of Section Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology in the Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Krop serves as the Chief Scientific Officer for the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC).
Dr. Krop is a medical oncologist and translational investigator focused on the development of novel molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies for breast cancer, and elucidating the mechanisms of resistance to these treatments. The majority of his effort is concentrated in the area of HER2-positive breast cancer. He has been a leader in the development of antibody-drug conjugates in breast cancer, including trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan.
Vice President and Head of Data, AI & Genome Sciences,
Merck Research Laboratories
Dr. Iya Khalil is Vice President and Head of Data, AI & Genome Sciences at Merck Research Laboratories, where she leads efforts to drive an AI-first, data-driven approach to early discovery biology. Prior to Merck, she founded and led the first AI Innovation Lab at Novartis, advancing AI applications across research, clinical development, and commercialization. A physicist by training, Dr. Khalil is a pioneer in applying artificial intelligence to life sciences and healthcare, with more than 20 years of experience spanning drug discovery, clinical development, real-world evidence, and healthcare innovation. She co-founded Aitia Bio and helped develop its causal AI platform. Dr. Khalil currently serves on the board of Invaio Sciences and is a frequent speaker on the application of AI in biomedical research. She has been recognized by PharmaVOICE, Endpoints News, Forbes, and Inc. for her contributions to biotechnology and artificial intelligence.
Chief Scientific Officer,
Halda Therapeutics
Dr. Kat Kayser-Bricker is an accomplished drug discovery leader with experience across several therapeutic areas, with core expertise in small molecule cancer drug discovery. Kat is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Halda Therapeutics, which is a biotechnology company founded by Professor Crews from Yale University that was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2025 for $3.05B. Halda was founded with the vision of creating novel medicines to cure human diseases and has been successful in the invention and establishment of a novel drug modality called RIPTAC™ Therapeutics. Kat also recently served as an independent director on the board of Yale spinout Modifi Biosciences and serves on the board of Connecticut Innovations and BioCT. Previously, Kat spent 10 years as a key scientific leader at FORMA Therapeutics. Kat received her PhD in organic chemistry from Yale University and her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Chief Executive Officer,
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Dr. Hudis is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He also serves as the Executive Vice-Chair of Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation. Dr. Hudis previously served in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles at ASCO, including as its President during the Society’s 50th anniversary year (2013–14). Before coming to ASCO full-time, he was the Chief of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City and Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. As CEO of ASCO, Dr. Hudis is responsible for delivering on the board’s strategic goals through research, education, and delivery of the highest quality of care by the Society’s more than 50,000 members in more than 170 countries.
Executive Director,
Connecticut Oncology Association
Dawn Holcombe, President of DGH Consulting LLC, has experience in payer trends and relations, practice strategy and operations, quality/value programs, physician network and state association issues, USP Chapter 797 and 800 compliance, and business development, especially in the field of oncology.
Dawn Holcombe’s decades in healthcare have included executive and strategic positions in health systems as well as physician practices.
She is the Editor-at-Large of the national Oncology Practice Management journal, a past President of the national Administrators in Oncology Hematology Assembly (AOHA) of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and is a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), earning her MBA at the University of Michigan.
She also serves as a Founding Partner and past President of the National Oncology State Network (NOSN), the Executive Director of the Connecticut Oncology Association, and the Director of the Oncology Institute for the NAMCP Medical Directors.
Vice President, CTO Manufacturing Business Division,
Charles River Laboratories
Dr. Matthew Hewitt is Vice President and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the Manufacturing Business Division at Charles River Laboratories (CRL), where he leads global strategy across Testing and Microbial Solutions. With 20 years of experience in small molecule, biologics, and advanced therapeutics, he partners closely with senior leadership to drive innovation, operational excellence, and scientific advancement across CRL’s global network.
Prior to joining CRL in 2021, Matt held leadership roles at Lonza, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, and the University of Pennsylvania, where he focused on therapeutic development and innovation. He earned his PhD in physiology and immunology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University. Matt serves on the boards of several companies in the therapeutic development space.
Vice President, Therapeutic Area Head, Early Stage Oncology, Global Clinical Development,
Merck Research Laboratories
Jane Healy, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist and physician-scientist dedicated to advancing innovative oncology drug development to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients. She leads early clinical development and clinical pharmacology/pharmacometrics in oncology at Merck.
Dr. Healy earned her MD and PhD in Biochemistry at Duke University and completed her internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, followed by a hematology/oncology fellowship at Duke. Before transitioning to industry, she practiced and conducted research in hematologic malignancies at Duke University.
Dr. Healy joined Merck Research Laboratories in 2016 in Early Clinical Development, Oncology, where she has led early development teams from first-in-human studies through transition to late-stage development and served as an early development section lead. She has also been an asset strategy lead for two late-stage programs: V940, an individualized neoantigen therapy in collaboration with Moderna, and vibostolimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting TIGIT.
In her current role, she oversees early oncology pipeline strategy; first-in-human and Phase 1 studies; and quantitative pharmacology and advanced modeling across the oncology portfolio, including support for pembrolizumab QLEX approvals. She also leads portfolio-level exploratory biomarker and companion diagnostic strategy for Phase 1-2 trials. Her experience spans dose-escalation and dose-finding, platform and randomized trial designs, and biomarker/CDx development across modalities including vaccines, small molecules, cell-based therapies, and antibody therapeutics.
Dr. Healy has authored numerous scientific publications and is an active contributor to leading oncology and immunotherapy organizations, including SITC, AACR, ASCO, and FOCR.
Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer,
Adela
Dr. Anne-Renee Hartman is a medical oncologist and precision-medicine executive with more than 20 years of experience advancing diagnostic technologies across the cancer care continuum, from early detection through diagnosis and therapy selection. She is a recognized expert in liquid biopsy approaches, having conceived and launched the first multi-cancer early detection test while at GRAIL and coined the term “MCED,” now standard across the industry. She led the development of the Galleri test, building one of the largest clinical genomics programs for cancer screening. At Myriad Genetics, she spearheaded the company’s first FDA-approved companion diagnostic, MyChoice CDx, and led development of MyRisk, BRACAnalysis CDx, and MyPath Melanoma. Today, as Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Adela, she is advancing genome-wide methylation technology for early cancer detection and management. Dr. Hartman completed her residency at the University of Chicago, her medical oncology fellowship at Stanford University, and held a faculty appointment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She was recently named a 2025 Top Woman Leader in Healthcare Technology by the Healthcare Technology Report.
State Senator, 35th District
Dr. Jeff Gordon was elected to represent Connecticut’s 35th State Senate District in 2022, serving 13 communities in northeastern Connecticut. A physician with more than 30 years of experience in hematology and oncology, he has held numerous hospital leadership positions and served in state and national medical leadership, including as President of the Connecticut State Medical Society and a member of the American Medical Association’s Council on Legislation. In the Connecticut Senate, Dr. Gordon serves as Republican Leader of the Planning and Development Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, while also serving on the Appropriations, Public Health, and Public Safety Committees. A longtime community leader, he chaired Woodstock’s Planning and Zoning Commission for 15 years and has held leadership roles with several local civic and nonprofit organizations. His public service is guided by a commitment to strong communities, quality healthcare, fiscal responsibility, and effective government.
President and Chief Executive Officer,
BioCT
Jodie brings over 25 years of experience in large pharma and biotech, having started her career in advocacy and hospitals in the US and abroad. With vast expertise leading key functions, she is sought after as an advisor to Incubators and Innovation Centers and as a consultant for biotech, AI, RWE, digital health, and nonprofit organizations. Jodie most recently served as the SVP of Corporate Affairs and Patient Advocacy at Peptilogics. She previously served as the Chief Patient Officer and Head of Clinical Affairs at Abeona Therapeutics. At Pfizer, Jodie was the Global Medical Lead, Patient Engagement, for the Rare Diseases Business Unit and the Director, Medical Communications. Prior to Pfizer, Jodie was the Head of Patient Advocacy and Professional Affairs with Achillion Pharmaceuticals. Previously, she served as the Head of the Chief Medical Office (CMO) of AstraZeneca and held additional roles as the Global Communications Lead at Novartis, Director of Medical Education for Oridion Medical, and as a Health Economist with the Israeli Center for Disease Control and Ministry of Health. She holds a Master of Public Health with a dual degree in Health Economics and Epidemiology from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a BSFS from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.
Yale Senior Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Managing Director,
Yale Ventures
Josh Geballe is Senior Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Yale University and Managing Director of Yale Ventures. He is responsible for a wide range of services and programs for students, faculty, and the broader New Haven community to launch new startups based on Yale research, provide training in entrepreneurship and innovation, expand external research partnerships, and foster the growth of the local innovation and entrepreneurship community.
Prior to launching Yale Ventures in 2022, Josh served as Chief Operating Officer for the State of Connecticut under Governor Ned Lamont. With responsibility for all executive branch agencies covering 30,000 employees, he led successful initiatives to modernize government operations and led the state’s nationally recognized response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to his three years in public service, Josh spent his career in the technology industry, most recently as CEO of Core Informatics, a venture-backed scientific software company that was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific where he went on to serve as Vice President and General Manager of Digital Science. Previously, he spent 11 years at IBM in a variety of international executive roles.
Josh serves on the boards of directors of several non-profit organizations, including ClimateHaven, where he is the founding board chair, Connecticut Innovations, AdvanceCT, BioCT, and the Mory’s Association.
Josh holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from Yale University.
Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology R&D,
AstraZeneca
Susan has over 23 years of Oncology pharmaceutical development experience. She joined AstraZeneca in 2010 and became EVP of Oncology Haematology R&D in 2021. She has been responsible for transforming the productivity and scientific output from AstraZeneca Oncology Haematology R&D. Susan has helped develop 13 approved medicines, including olaparib, osimertinib, acalabrutinib, durvalumab, selumetinib, savolitinib, tremelimumab, trastuzumab deruxtecan, capivasertib, and datopotamab deruxtecan. In her prior role at Bristol-Myers Squibb, she was instrumental in the development of nivolumab, ipilimumab, and elotuzumab.
Susan is a member of the Cambridge Cancer Centre Executive Committee and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). From 2021 to 2024 she served on the Board of Directors of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and currently serves on the European Association of Cancer Research (EACR) Advisory Council.
Susan trained as a Clinical Oncologist in the United Kingdom. She studied Medicine at Manchester and Cambridge Universities. She was admitted to Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1992 and then trained in Clinical Oncology in London. She gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists in 1997. She then completed a PhD at the University of London involving translational work on a vascular-targeting agent. In recognition of her contributions to oncology drug development, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Medical Science from the ICR in 2017, admitted to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2018, and elected to the Academy of the AACR in 2024.
President, Research & Development,
EvolveImmune Therapeutics
Jay Fine is President, Research & Development at EvolveImmune Therapeutics. Jay possesses over 30 years of strategic leadership in drug discovery and development, covering immunology, immuno-oncology, inflammatory diseases, respiratory disorders and tissue fibrosis. Prior to joining EvolveImmune, Jay served as Senior Vice President, Global Therapeutic Area Head and Research Site Head at Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, CT and Biberach, Germany. His teams played seminal roles in the discovery and development of Skyrizi™, Spevigo™ and Jascayd™ and delivered over 30 molecules into clinical development. Previously, Jay held leadership positions at Roche and Schering-Plough, and at the National Cancer Institute. He received his B.S. degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Rochester Medical School. He is the author of over 75 scientific publications and patents and has received numerous honors and awards throughout his career.
Board Director & Strategic Advisor
Dr. Mikael Dolsten holds an MD and PhD in Tumor Immunology from Lund University, Sweden, where he also serves as an Adjunct Professor. He is Chair of the Boards of BenchSci, Orbis Medicines, Mast Cell Sciences, and Quarry Thera, and serves on the boards of Agilent Technologies, SOBI, ChAI Discovery, FairJourney Biologics, Immunai, Arbor Biotechnologies, Enveda Biosciences, and several emerging biotechnology companies. He also serves as Chair of the R&D Investment Committee at Formation Bio and is a Senior Advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences, ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, GV (Google Ventures), Bain & Company, and other leading life sciences groups.
Previously, Dr. Dolsten served as Chief Scientific Officer and President of Worldwide Research & Development at Pfizer, where he led the discovery and development of more than 35 approved medicines and vaccines, including Comirnaty and Paxlovid. His current work focuses on AI-native drug discovery, biotechnology company building, corporate governance, and investing at the intersection of biology, medicine, and artificial intelligence.
Vice President,
Pfizer Ventures/Equity
Michael C. Diem, MD, is the Senior Managing Partner of Pfizer Ventures and Vice President, Worldwide Business Development. Mike is a member of Pfizer’s WWBD Leadership Team, where he is responsible for leading Pfizer Ventures, managing the corporation’s equity portfolio, as well as overseeing equity-based transactions that support business development. Mike has spent the last two decades as an executive and investor in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Before joining Pfizer, Mike was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer at Century Therapeutics. Prior to joining Century, he was Senior Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Amicus Therapeutics, and prior to that, he held a similar role at Aevi Genomic Medicine. Earlier, Mike was the Global Head of Corporate Strategy and Corporate Development at AstraZeneca, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and managed the company’s strategic investment activities and MedImmune Ventures.
Corporate Senior Vice President and Global Head of Business Development & Licensing,
Boehringer Ingelheim
Scott DeWire, PhD, is Corporate Senior Vice President and Global Head of Business Development & Licensing at Boehringer Ingelheim, leading the company’s worldwide BD&L strategy across all therapeutic areas. He is based in both Ridgefield, CT, and Cambridge, MA. Scott earned his BS in Cellular Biology from the University of Connecticut and began his scientific career at Pfizer in Groton, CT. He subsequently completed his PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of North Carolina and conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Robert Lefkowitz at Duke University, focusing on G protein-coupled receptor signaling. In 2007, Scott co-founded Trevena Inc., where he helped drive the discovery and development of Olinvyk®, a novel therapy for acute pain. He later joined Boehringer Ingelheim, contributing to early discovery programs that advanced into the approved medicines Skyrizi® and Spevigo®. Scott subsequently transitioned into Business Development ten years ago, where he specialized in oncology partnering before being appointed Global Head of BD&L in January 2025.
Founder and CEO,
Kembi Therapeutics
Associate Professor Christine Chaffer is head of the Cancer Cell Plasticity Lab at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Director of the Cancer Plasticity and Dormancy Program, where her research established plasticity as a validated, druggable target in therapy-resistant cancers. A/Prof Chaffer’s high-impact publications in Cell, Science, Cancer Discovery, and Nature Cell Biology have fundamentally reshaped understanding of how cancer cells acquire resistance, forming the scientific foundation of Kembi Therapeutics. A/Prof Chaffer is also the leader of the international AllClear research program, which was awarded the first and landmark $25 million collaborative research accelerator grant by the National Breast Cancer Foundation in August 2025.
Senior Vice President and Oncology Therapeutic Area Head,
Gilead Sciences
Mika Kakefuda Derynck, MD, is Senior Vice President and Oncology Therapeutic Area Head at Gilead Sciences, where she leads the Oncology Clinical Development organization. With more than 30 years of experience in oncology research and drug development, she has played a key role in the approval and global development of more than a dozen therapies across multiple tumor types and therapeutic modalities. Prior to joining Gilead in 2025, Dr. Derynck served as Executive Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head of Oncology at Vir Biotechnology, Chief Medical Officer at Amunix Pharmaceuticals, and Global Head of Conditional Biologics at Sanofi following Sanofi’s acquisition of Amunix. She previously spent 15 years at Genentech/Roche in leadership roles spanning oncology early and late-stage development, including breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cancer immunotherapy programs. Dr. Derynck earned her BA and MD from Boston University, completed her Internal Medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and her Medical Oncology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she also conducted translational research and served on faculty.
Vice President, Protein Degrader Platform,
Foghorn Therapeutics
Danette Daniels is a Vice President of the Protein Degrader Platform at Foghorn Therapeutics developing therapeutic degraders in the areas of chromatin regulation and oncology. She was an early leader in the field of targeted protein degradation, pioneering approaches to monitor cellular kinetics of degradation, understanding mechanism of action, and co-developing a new PROTAC modality. She is the 2026 Chair-Elect of the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Committee, Chair of the inaugural 2026 Induced Proximity Modalities and Therapeutics Gordon Research Conference, and member of the Scientific Expert Review Panel for The Chemical Probes Portal. In February of 2023, she founded the Women in TPD and Induced Proximity Initiative, which has over 1,200 members and offers a mentorship program in addition to conference travel scholarships to early career scientists. Prior to Foghorn Therapeutics, she received her PhD in Biophysics at Yale University, was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford School of Medicine, and a Group Leader at Promega Corporation.
Chief Executive Officer,
OncoVerity
Max Colao, MBA, is the founding Chief Executive Officer of OncoVerity, bringing over 30 years of biotechnology leadership to the role. Prior to OncoVerity, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at Aurinia, where he built and led the commercial team through a successful launch. His extensive experience also includes progressively senior roles at Alexion, where he headed US commercial operations and spearheaded multiple rare disease therapy launches. He also dedicated two decades at Amgen, holding senior positions and launching numerous therapies in hematology, oncology, and autoimmune disorders, contributing to Amgen’s evolution from a small biotech into a pharmaceutical powerhouse.
Chief Medical Officer,
Medtronic Endoscopy
Dr. Austin Chiang is an interventional gastroenterologist and inaugural Chief Medical Officer of Medtronic’s Endoscopy business, where he helps shape product strategy, clinical innovation, evidence generation, and commercial enablement across the GI portfolio. He also practices as an Associate Professor of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Dr. Chiang earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his MD from Columbia University, completed Internal Medicine training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and specialized in gastroenterology and bariatric endoscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He earned an MPH from Harvard and completed advanced endoscopy training at Jefferson Health.
A leading advocate for patient education, Dr. Chiang reaches more than 700,000 followers and has generated over 180 million social media views. He has spoken at SXSW and Aspen Ideas: Health, serves on the YouTube Health Advisory Board, and authored Gut: An Owner’s Guide (DK/Penguin Random House), published in 2024.
Director of AI/Q Fund,
Connecticut Innovations
Gwen Cheni leads the $50M early-stage fund focused on artificial intelligence and quantum at Connecticut Innovations and is co-founder of a stealth AI startup. She was previously a Partner on the investment team at Khosla Ventures and a Partner at IndieBio/SOSV covering bio and AI. Prior to IndieBio, Gwen was the founder and Managing Partner of Galapagos Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on applied AI/ML. Prior to Galapagos Ventures, she was a Director at StudioX (machine learning venture studio funded by Shell and Boston Consulting Group) and a Venture Partner at Fusion Fund (early-stage fund focused on AI/ML, robotics, and devices). Gwen was on the Board of Advisors at Singularity University Ventures, an impact-focused accelerator, and helped launch their first batch of startups in the Nordics.
Prior to venture, Gwen spent eighteen years on Wall Street investing in public equities, started her career at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and was promoted to portfolio manager at a $300 million innovation-themed hedge fund.
On the computer science side, she received her bachelor’s degree in economics (math track) with a minor in computer science electrical engineering from Yale University, with a perfect 4.00 GPA, summa cum laude. One of her four MBA concentrations from the University of Chicago was econometrics/statistical learning. She graduated from the University of Chicago in two years with honors, on a full scholarship, while working full-time as an associate at JPMorgan. She has completed thirty AI/ML programming courses: twenty machine learning certification courses by DeepLearning.ai, four reinforcement learning courses by the University of Alberta, and six genomic data science courses via Johns Hopkins. On the science side, Gwen spent two years at UCSF researching immunotherapy for glioblastomas, and was second author on two publications. She spent summers researching x-ray protein crystallography, nitric oxide as an oncology therapeutic, and image recognition of breast cancer histology. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Yale University School of Medicine.
Gwen is the author of a chapter in a Physics textbook on lasers, second author on two publications in immuno-oncology, and co-owner of a patent on magnetic resonance. Gwen has traveled to 70 countries, lived in five, attempted to learn six languages but speaks none of them (well).
Professor of Medicine, Division Chief Hematology-Oncology,
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
As a clinician-scientist, trained immunologist, and practicing medical oncologist, I have focused my career on understanding how the immune system may be modified to improve outcomes in patients with cancer. My publications cover a spectrum from clinical trials to translational studies to basic immunology research. I am the Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Neag Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center and a Professor of Medicine with joint appointments to the Departments of Medicine and Immunology. I also lead the Callahan laboratory, an NIH-funded effort focused on translational and mechanistic studies in the area of biomarker research for immunotherapy.
Executive Committee,
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Angela Cacace serves as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Arvinas. Prior to her role as CSO, Dr. Cacace most recently served as Senior Vice President, Neuroscience and Platform Biology. Dr. Cacace has three decades of drug discovery experience in neuroscience and oncology research across modalities. During her time at Arvinas, Dr. Cacace has led the continuous evolution of Arvinas’ PROTAC Discovery Engine to employ new E3 ligases and cross the blood-brain barrier for multiple neurologic disease targets.
Previously, Dr. Cacace served as the Vice President of Biology at Fulcrum Therapeutics, where she built the biology platform, grew talented scientific teams, delivered the first development candidates, and guided the development of translational biomarkers to enable clinical development programs.
Additionally, Dr. Cacace served in positions of increasing responsibility at Bristol Myers Squibb, including as the Director of Neuroscience and Genetically Defined Diseases, where she spearheaded alternative therapeutic modalities and was a co-inventor on several development candidates. Throughout her time at Bristol Myers Squibb, she was responsible for building research-wide teams and initiatives, including the Lead Discovery and Optimization functions. While serving as a Senior Principal Scientist in Cancer Biology at Pfizer, together with her team, she discovered a novel anti-angiogenic antibody development candidate. Dr. Cacace currently serves on the Board of Directors for BioCT.
Dr. Cacace received her BS in Biology from Fairfield University, her PhD in Pharmacology from Columbia University, and completed her postdoctoral research in Oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb and the National Cancer Institute.
US Head of Oncology and Emerging Disease Areas,
Boehringer Ingelheim
Vicky Brown currently serves as US Head of Oncology and Emerging Disease Areas at Boehringer Ingelheim, where she leads efforts to advance innovative cancer therapies and improve outcomes for people facing some of the most complex and difficult-to-treat cancers. With more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience across US and global markets, Vicky brings deep expertise in commercialization strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and launch excellence. Vicky is committed to accelerating scientific innovation while helping ensure patients can benefit from advances in precision medicine, early diagnosis, and biomarker-driven care.
Throughout her career, Vicky has championed a patient-centered approach that brings together members of the ecosystem to address barriers across the cancer care continuum. She is a passionate advocate for expanding access to biomarker testing and personalized treatment approaches that enable more patients to receive the right therapy at the right time.
Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Vicky served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Rare Disease at Apellis Pharmaceuticals and held a variety of commercial leadership roles at Biogen. She began her career at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, building a track record of advancing innovation for patients with serious diseases and high unmet medical needs. She holds a Bachelor of Science with honors in Health Sciences from the University of Aberdeen, UK, and resides in Boston, MA.
Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Therapeutic Radiology,
Yale School of Medicine
Dr. Ranjit Bindra, MD, PhD, is the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Therapeutic Radiology at the Yale School of Medicine and Scientific Director of the Yale Brain Tumor Center. A physician-scientist and radiation oncologist, he treats adult and pediatric patients with primary brain tumors and brain metastases using advanced radiation and radiosurgery.
His research focuses on uncovering fundamental DNA repair vulnerabilities in cancer and translating these discoveries into new therapies. His laboratory discovered that IDH1/2-mutant cancers harbor a profound defect in DNA repair that creates a powerful therapeutic vulnerability to PARP inhibition, work published in Nature, Nature Genetics, and Science Translational Medicine that has helped reshape the understanding of DNA repair targeting in cancer. More recently, his group reported a new strategy to exploit DNA repair defects through targeted DNA modification, published in Science, opening new avenues for therapeutic development.
Dr. Bindra is also an active biotech entrepreneur and has founded multiple biotechnology companies based on discoveries from his laboratory, including Cybrexa Therapeutics, Alphina Therapeutics, and Modifi Biosciences. Under his leadership as interim CEO, Modifi Biosciences was acquired by Merck in 2024.
He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his MD and PhD from the Yale School of Medicine and completed his residency and postdoctoral research training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
President,
Sand Street Advisors, LLC
Michael Apkon, MBA, MD, PhD, is the President of Sand Street Advisors, a healthcare and life sciences management and strategy consultancy.
Dr. Apkon is a physician executive and scientist serving in leadership roles at top academic hospitals in the US and Canada as well as an advisor to healthcare and life sciences companies. Beginning as a pediatric intensivist and cellular physiologist, his career evolved to apply systems principles to the transformation of healthcare as a physician executive. He has extensive international management experience in both adult and pediatric-oriented healthcare with a unique perspective on both the US system and the single-payer systems. He most recently served as the CEO at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Prior to that, Dr. Apkon was the President and CEO at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario. He has also held senior executive roles at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as well as Yale University School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Health System. In addition, he has held faculty positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. He is currently a lecturer at the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health teaching Healthcare Strategy.
Dr. Apkon has consulted widely on business development, capacity development, and management systems as well as quality and safety improvement. He has served as an advisor and director for healthcare and life sciences companies from early-stage through exit to the public markets and acquisition, including 7D Surgical and MindBeacon. He currently serves as an independent director for Coverys, a multinational medical-professional liability mutual insurer and serves as an advisor or venture partner for healthcare and life sciences investment funds.
Dr. Apkon has a BSc degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University as well as MD and PhD degrees from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Global Head, Oncology Development,
Servier Pharmaceuticals
Peter C. Adamson, MD, FASCO, is Global Head of Oncology Clinical Development at Servier and Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Pharmacology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Adamson brings deep expertise in oncology drug development and clinical pharmacology.
Previously, he served as Global Head of Oncology Development and Pediatric Innovation at Sanofi. Prior to his industry roles, Dr. Adamson held the Alan R. Cohen Endowed Chair in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and served as Group Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research.
Dr. Adamson was appointed by President Barack Obama and served on the National Cancer Advisory Board. He was a member of the NCI Blue Ribbon Panel for the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. In 2023, Dr. Adamson received the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Pediatric Award.
Chief Clinical Innovation Officer,
NEJM Group
Editor,
The New England Journal of Medicine
Raja-Elie E. Abdulnour, MD, is an Editor at the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Clinician, and Chief Clinical Innovation Officer at NEJM Group. He brings a physician-editor’s perspective to artificial intelligence (AI) education in medicine and to its responsible use in clinical practice. He is an Associate Physician in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a part-time Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, where he focuses on clinical reasoning and medical education. An internationally renowned advocate for lifelong learning and safe AI integration in patient care, he earned his MD from the American University of Beirut, trained at Johns Hopkins and Harvard, and is a highly cited researcher in AI applications in healthcare.
Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer, Platform, Schrödinger
Robert Abel, executive vice president, chief scientific officer, platform, joined Schrödinger in 2009 and is responsible for advancing Schrödinger’s computational science platform. He also leads the computational chemistry team within Schrödinger’s drug discovery group. Robert obtained his PhD from Columbia University, where he was awarded NSF and DHS research fellowships. His thesis work with Professor Richard Friesner involved developing methods to quantify the role of solvent in protein-ligand binding. Robert has co-authored multiple patent applications and continues to publish extensively on a wide variety of topics in computational chemistry.
Senior Vice President, Global Head Oncology, Research & Development, GSK
Dr. Hesham A. Abdullah is Senior Vice President, Global Head Oncology, Research & Development at GSK. Hesham is a seasoned physician-scientist who uniquely combines a clinician’s understanding of the impact cancer has on patients with deep expertise in identifying transformational opportunities to improve cancer treatment and care. With over 20 years of experience spanning AstraZeneca, Amgen, and GSK, he has led the development and registration of 13 novel precision oncology products, setting numerous drug development precedents across multiple global pharmaceutical companies. Throughout his career, he has built and led high-performing scientific and clinical teams and has played a pivotal role in establishing GSK’s oncology organization, shaping its strategic direction, therapeutic priorities, and R&D infrastructure into a competitive, science-first engine within oncology. Known for developing talent and empowering the teams around him, he continues to shape GSK’s approach to oncology drug development.
CEO, ASCO
I am the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and also serve as the Executive Vice Chair of its Conquer Cancer Foundation. I previously served in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles at ASCO including as its President during the Society’s 50th anniversary year (2013-14). Before coming to ASCO full-time in 2016 I was the Chief of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City and Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. As CEO of ASCO I am responsible for delivering on the board’s strategic goals through education, research, and support for the delivery of equitable and highest quality care by the Society’s nearly 50,000 members around the world.
