June 30

Hertzelia, IL

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Luminary Award Recipient

Kim Popovits

Kim Popovits, Chairman, CEO & President, Genomic Health

Kim Popovits, Chairman, CEO & President, Genomic Health

Kim Popovits, the Chairman, CEO & President of Genomic Health, will be honored at PMWC 2013 Israel* for her pioneering efforts in successfully advancing personalized medicine into the clinical adoption phase, both in the US and globally. After working on Herceptin at Genentech, Kim oversaw commercialization efforts at Genomic Health starting in 2002, eventually bringing one of the first personalized medicine diagnostic test, OncoType DX, into clinics around the world in 2006. Israel’s Clalit was the first ex-US HMO to reimburse the assay.

Kim Popovits has served as president and CEO of Genomic Health since 2009 and as president and chief operating officer since 2002. Prior to joining Genomic Health, Popovits served in various roles, most recently as senior vice president of marketing and sales, at Genentech, Inc. During her 15 years at Genentech, she led the successful commercialization of 14 new therapies, including Herceptin. Before joining Genentech, Popovits served as division manager for American Critical Care. In 2008, Popovits was named Woman of the Year by the Women Health Care Executives, and she has been named one of the Most Influential Women in the Bay Area by The San Francisco Business Times from 2006 to 2011. She holds a bachelor of arts in business from Michigan State University.

Past Luminary Award Recipient & Committee

Brian Druker

Brian Druker, M.D., Co-inventor, Gleevec

Brian Druker, M.D., Co-inventor, Gleevec

Brian Druker M.D., Director of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute, JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, OHSU, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute After having trained in oncology at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Druker then returned to the lab to begin his research career studying the regulation of the growth of cancer cells and the practical application to cancer therapies. His work was instrumental in the development of Gleevec, a drug that targets the molecular defect in chronic myeloid leukemia. After completing a series of preclinical studies, Dr. Druker spearheaded the highly successful clinical trials of imatinib for CML. Imatinib is currently FDA approved for CML and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. His role in the development of imatinib and its application in the clinic have resulted in numerous awards for Dr. Druker, including the John J. Kenney Award from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the AACR-Richard, and many others.

George Church

George Church, Ph.D., Co-developer, Human Genome Project

George Church, Ph.D., Co-developer, Human Genome Project

George Church, Ph.D. Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences & Technology, Harvard and MIT With Walter Gilbert he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method in 1984 and helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 while he was a Research Scientist at newly-formed Biogen Inc. He invented the broadly-applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags,homologous recombination methods,and DNA array synthesizers. Technology transfer of automated sequencing & software to Genome Therapeutics Corp. resulted in the first commercial genome sequence, (the human pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in 1994. He initiated the Personal Genome Project (PGP) in 2005 and research on synthetic biology. He is director of the U.S. Department of Energy Center on Bioenergy at Harvard & MIT and director of the National Institutes of Health (NHGRI) Center of Excellence in Genomic Science at Harvard, MIT & Washington University. He has been advisor to 22 companies, most recently co-founding (with Joseph Jacobson, Jay Keasling, and Drew Endy) Codon Devices, a biotech startup dedicated to synthetic biology and (with Chris Somerville) founding LS9, which is focused on biofuels. He is a senior editor for Nature EMBO Molecular Systems Biology.

Janet Woodcock

Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation & Research, FDA

Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation & Research, FDA

Janet Woodcock is the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Woodcock has shown dedication to personalized medicine by fast-tracking individualized treatments through the FDA approval process and by encouraging collaboration between the regulatory and industry arenas. During her tenure, both of the individualized treatments Xalkori and Zelboraf received FDA approval paired with companion diagnostics. Dr. Woodcock has led many of FDA’s drug initiatives. She introduced the concept of risk management in 2000 as a new approach to drug safety. Since 2002, she has led the “Pharmaceutical Quality for the 21st Century Initiative,” FDA’s highly successful effort to modernize drug manufacturing and its regulation. In 2004, she introduced FDA’s “Critical Path” Initiative, which is designed to move medical discoveries from the laboratory to consumers more efficiently. Most recently, Dr. Woodcock launched the “Safety First” and “Safe Use” initiatives designed to improve drug safety management within and outside FDA, respectively. Dr. Woodcock previously served as FDA’s deputy commissioner and chief medical officer. She also led CDER as director from 1994–2005. Prior to joining CDER, Dr. Woodcock oversaw approval of the first biotechnology-based treatments for multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis in her position as director of the Office of Therapeutics Research and Review in FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Dr. Woodcock received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School, and her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University. She has held teaching appointments at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California at San Francisco. She joined FDA in 1986.

Kary Banks Mullis

Kary Banks Mullis, Ph.D., Nobel laureate & Inventor of PCR

Kary Banks Mullis, Ph.D., Nobel laureate & Inventor of PCR

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the UC Berkeley, after which Dr. Mullis became a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric cardiology at the University of Kansas Medical School. In 1977, he began two years of postdoctoral work in pharmaceutical chemistry at the UCSF. Dr. Mullis then joined the Cetus Corporation, where, for seven years, he conducted research on oligonucleotide synthesis and invented the polymerase chain reaction. Dr. Mullis received a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1993, for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a method of amplifying DNA which multiplies a single, microscopic strand of the genetic material billions of times within hours. Among his many other awards, Dr. Mullis was also awarded the Japan Prize in 1993 for the PCR invention and was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 1998.

Leroy Hood

Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., President, Institute for Systems Biology

Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., President, Institute for Systems Biology

Dr. Hood’s research has focused on fundamental biology (immunity, evolution, genomics) and on bringing engineering to biology through the development of five instruments; the DNA and protein sequencers and synthesizers and the ink-jet oligonucleotide synthesizer (making DNA arrays) for deciphering the various types of biological information (DNA, RNA, proteins and systems). These instruments constitute the technological foundation for modern molecular biology and genomics. He has applied these technologies to diverse fields including immunology, neurobiology, cancer biology, molecular evolution and systems medicine. Dr. Hood is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Association of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Hood is one of only 7 (of more than 6000 members) scientists elected to all three academies (NAS, NAE and IOM). Dr. Hood has also played a role in founding more than 14 biotechnology companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin and Rosetta. He is currently pioneering systems medicine and the systems approach to disease and has recently cofounded the company Integrated Diagnostics—that hopefully will become a platform company for P4 medicine.

Philip R. Lee

Philip R. Lee, , M.D., Former Director of Health Services, USAID

Philip R. Lee, , M.D., Former Director of Health Services, USAID

Dr. Philip R. Lee is Senior Scholar, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and Professor Emeritus of Social Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been a member of the UCSF faculty since 1969. He retired in 1993 and resumed active Emeritus status in 1997. From July 1993 through January 1997, he served as Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Before going to Washington, Dr. Lee served as Director of the Institute for Health Policy Studies, which he founded with Lewis Butler, JD at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 1972. He served as chancellor of UCSF from 1969 to 1972. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty he was Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare from 1965 to 1969, and was Director of Health Services in the Agency for International Development from 1963 to 1965. A native of San Francisco, Dr. Lee received his M.D. from Stanford in 1948 and an M.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1955. He is the author or co-author of 145 articles in the health field, and he has co-authored numerous books, including “Pills, Profits and Politics”; “Primary Care in a Specialized World”; “Exercise and Health”; “Pills and the Public Purse”; “Prescriptions for Death: the Drugging of the Third World”; “Drugs and the Elderly: Clinical, Social, and Policy Perspectives”; and “Bad Medicine”. He has edited two books, one (The Nation's Health) is in its seventh edition. While at UCSF, his research and teaching endeavors in the field of health policy focused on physician payment, prescription drugs, reproductive health policy, health manpower and AIDS-related issues. His current research is focused on diversity in medical education, where the primary focus is a case study of Stanford and UCSF medical schools since 1960. He has just completed a study of Medicare and prescription drugs. Throughout his career he has served (officially and unofficially) as advisor and mentor for countless fellows and students who have gone on to important positions in government, academia and the private sector.

Ralph Snyderman

Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University

Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University

Ralph Snyderman, MD is Chancellor Emeritus, Duke University and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine in the Duke University School of Medicine. He served as Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at Duke University from 1989 to July 2004 and led the transition of this excellent medical center into an internationally recognized leader of academic medicine. He oversaw the development of the Duke University Health System, one of the most successful integrated academic health systems in the country, and served as its first President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Snyderman has played a leading role in the conception and development of Personalized Health Care, an evolving model of national health care delivery. He was amongst the first to envision and articulate the need to move the current focus of health care from the treatment of disease-events to personalized, predictive, preventive, and participatory care that is focused on the patient. Dr. Snyderman is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his contributions to research and to developing more rationale models of health care. In 2012, he received the David E. Rogers Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges who referred to Snyderman as “the father of personalized medicine.”

Track 1 Speakers

Alexandre Passioukov

Alexandre Passioukov, M.D., Ph.D., Biomarker Experimental Medicine Leader, Roche (pRED)

Alexandre Passioukov, M.D., Ph.D., Biomarker Experimental Medicine Leader, Roche (pRED)

Alex Passioukov is a Biomarker Experimental Medicine Leader in Roche’s Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED). Alex is responsible for Enabling the R&D organisation to develop and utilise cutting edge experimental medicine methodologies to deliver in the Personalized Health Care (PHC), with a particular focus on immune-active anticancer agents. Prior to his current role, Alex was the Head of Translational Research at European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) from 2003 till 2008 where he led on a number of strategic initiatives, including Network of Core Institutions (NOCI) and Virtual Tumor Bank (VTB) network construction. Alex is the author of a number of anti-cancer prodrugs designed to improve tumor targeting, as a part of his post PhD research activities.

Amir Handzel

Amir Handzel, Ph.D., Associate Director, Bioinformatics Astellas Pharma

Amir Handzel, Ph.D., Associate Director, Bioinformatics Astellas Pharma

Dr. Handzel is a seasoned quantitative scientist with experience that includes a decade in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in physics and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics. Dr. Handzel currently leads the Bioinformatics group at OSI Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas. His focus is on developing strategies and methods for drug discovery and translational medicine.

Anthony M. Magliocco

Anthony M. Magliocco, M.D., Chair, Anatomic Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center

Anthony M. Magliocco, M.D., Chair, Anatomic Pathology, Moffitt Cancer Center

Dr. Magliocco’s research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and the development of drug resistance with emphasis on breast cancer. In addition, he works on the development of clinical markers of radiotherapy resistance using cervical cancer as a model system. His clinical interests focus on molecular biomarker development for improving cancer treatment. In addition he has special expertise in breast and gynecological pathology. Finally, Dr. Magliocco has interests in developing approaches for improving the quality of cancer pathology laboratories.

David A Pearce

David A Pearce, Ph.D., VP Research, Sioux Falls Region, Sanford Health

David A Pearce, Ph.D., VP Research, Sioux Falls Region, Sanford Health

Dr. Pearce is Vice President for Research for Sanford Health and Director of the Sanford Childrens Health and Research Center in Sioux Falls South Dakota. He also directs the leading lab in juvenile Batten disease research. He completed his undergraduate Bachelors of Science Degree with Honors in Biological Sciences at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1986. He gained his Ph.D in 1990 at the University of Bath, UK, and did postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester, USA and Oxford University, UK. In his role as Vice President for Research for Sanford Health he oversees the integration of research and clinical trials within the healthcare system. This includes application and development of personalized medicine programs across the footprint of the largest rural healthcare provider in the USA.

Iris Grossman

Iris Grossman, Ph.D., Global Head of Personalized Medicine & Pharmacogenomics, Teva

Iris Grossman, Ph.D., Global Head of Personalized Medicine & Pharmacogenomics, Teva

Dr. Iris Grossman, Head of the Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics (PMP) unit for Teva Global R&D, has dedicated her research career, in both industry and academia, to the advancement of the field of personalized medicine. She is currently charged with defining and implementing the global PMP strategy for Teva, a top-10 global pharmaceutical company, covering both discovery and development R&D programs. Prior to joining Teva, Dr. Grossman was CEO and President of pharmacogenetics management consultancy, IsraGene Ltd., providing services to both the Pharma and Biotech sectors. This followed several years spearheading pipeline pharmacogenetic programs for industry and academia, as Director, Pharmacogenetics, at Cabernet Pharmaceuticals Inc.. Dr. Grossman moved into consultancy having been responsible for running large-scale pharmacogenetic programs at GlaxoSmithKline, with an emphasis on infectious and neurological diseases. In academia, Dr. Grossman was a key member of Professor David Goldstein's team at the Center for Population Genomics and Pharmacogenetics, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University. Dr. Grossman received her PhD from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where her research project, conducted in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute for Science, investigated pharmacogenetic markers of multiple sclerosis treatment response.

Jack Young

Jack Young, Director, Qualcomm Life Fund

Jack Young, Director, Qualcomm Life Fund

Jack heads up the $100M Qualcomm Life Fund (QLF) at Qualcomm Ventures, which was recently ranked as one of the most prolific venture investors in the digital health sector. His investment interests are focused in the areas of digital technologies and wireless health services and applications including: wellness and fitness, chronic disease management, aging in place, transitional care, clinical trials and telehealth/telemedicine. Jack currently serves as a board observer at QLF portfolio companies including Airstrip, AliveCor, ClearCare, goBalto and Telcare. In addition, he serves as a board observer at Jana, Modern Video, uCIRRUS, Validity and Visage Mobile. Prior to Qualcomm Ventures, Jack was EVP and US Country Manager at ZTE who helped establish the company’s US market presence. He was a sales and marketing executive at Nokia following the acquisition of Amber Networks where he was founding AVP of marketing. Early in his career, he held marketing and business development positions at 3Com, GDC, and Nortel. Jack earned a MSEE from University of Calgary and a MBA from McGill University.

Ketan Patel

Ketan Patel, Ph.D., Solutions Consultant, Oracle Health Sciences

Ketan Patel, Ph.D., Solutions Consultant, Oracle Health Sciences

Dr. Ketan Patel obtained his PhD in Bioinformatics in 2002 from The University of Oxford, at the time the Human Genome was just published. In his career he has led multiple teams and projects both at Pfizer and at Lilly working on Translational Bioinformatics in the fields of Oncology, Diabetes and Inflammation over a 9 year period. In his first role at Eli Lilly he worked in the nascent area of Systems Biology applied to predictive toxicology modeling. This led to a role working in a multi-disciplinary team focused on Oncology biomarker research. Ketan was part of a team at Lilly that discovered the first recurrent mutations in the AKT oncogene. As part of this work he led an informatics team to design and build a global Integrated Portal for Cancer Research, which combined several 'omics datasets and modalities. This portal was used by Lilly Scientists to discover newtherapeutic targets and find patient populations for compounds in development.

Marc Samuels

Marc Samuels, Managing Partner, HillCo HEALTH

Marc Samuels, Managing Partner, HillCo HEALTH

Marc Samuels is the Managing Partner of HillCo HEALTH and founded the firm in 2000. Mr. Samuels oversees the firm’s advisory services work, develops business and reimbursement strategy, identifies due diligence opportunities and monitors key health care segment portfolios. Prior to creating HillCo HEALTH, Mr. Samuels founded and was a partner in the Health Policy Group, a healthcare public policy and business strategy firm with J. Michael Hudson, former Deputy (and Acting) Administrator of CMS. Mr. Samuels spent 10 years in the public healthcare sector, most recently as the Chief of Staff to Texas Medicaid. Mr. Samuels spent the early part of his career in various executive-level positions within the Texas state and the U.S. federal governments, including advising both former President George Herbert Walker Bush and then-Texas Governor George W. Bush on healthcare issues in the White House Office of Policy Development.

Michael Beebe

Michael Beebe, Partner, HillCo HEALTH

Michael Beebe, Partner, HillCo HEALTH

Mr. Beebe advises clients on all aspects of reimbursement and strategic policy planning, including specific coding, coverage and reimbursement strategies in the physician office, laboratory and the hospital. Prior to joining HillCo HEALTH, Mr. Beebe spent 14 years at the AMA in coding and physician payment. His most recent position was Executive Director of CPT, in which he was responsible for all CPT content development and maintenance activities, as well as CPT education and licensing efforts in the United States and abroad. He was a central participant in AMA advocacy efforts involving public and private coverage, coding and reimbursement issues; including provider class action litigation, CMS physician payment negotiations, and local coverage determinations.

Neil de Crescenzo

Neil de Crescenzo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Health Sciences

Neil de Crescenzo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Health Sciences

Neil de Crescenzo is responsible for managing Oracle's industry solutions sold into the healthcare and life sciences markets worldwide. Prior to joining Oracle, Mr. de Crescenzo held a number of leadership positions at IBM, working with healthcare and life sciences clients worldwide. Prior to entering the IT industry, he held leadership positions in healthcare operations at multiple medical centers and a major health insurer. Mr. de Crescenzo began his career in investment banking, working with U.S. and European clients in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. In 2005, he was named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Consultants” by Consulting Magazine. Mr. de Crescenzo has a BA in political science from Yale University and an MBA in high technology from Northeastern University.

Nicky Lieberman

Nicky Lieberman, M.D., Head, Community Medicine Division, Clalit Health Services

Nicky Lieberman, M.D., Head, Community Medicine Division, Clalit Health Services

Specialized in Internal Medicine at Meir Hospital (Kfar Saba), becoming chief resident after 6 months and Deputy Director of the Hospital at the end of his fifth year of specialization. Medical Director of the Sharon-Shomron District in Clalit Medical Services. Clalit being the largest HMO in Israel and one of the largest in the world, and Sharon Shomron district being its second largest district. Held this position 1993–1998, and introduced risk management, quality assurance, and disease management in the district. Since 1998 I am Head of the Community Medical Division. Being one of the founders of the Israeli chapter of the ISPOR - in 2011 I was ellected as president of the Israeli chapter (Iternational Society for Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research). Other fields of interest – personalized medicine (especially in oncology), Cardiology, Pharmacoeconomics, And in general, creating and implementing heath programs in the community.

Niko Drivas

Niko Drivas, Director of Business Development & Licensing, Abbott Molecular

Niko Drivas, Director of Business Development & Licensing, Abbott Molecular

Nicolaos (Niko) Drivas, is the Business Development and Licensing Director responsible for Companion Diagnostics (CDx) at Abbott Molecular Inc. For the past 25 years, Niko has worked in both the pharmaceutical and medical divisions of Abbott Laboratories. Niko graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in BioEngineering and from Roosevelt University with a Master’s degree in International Business. Niko has negotiated numerous CDx agreements with multiple pharma companies, most notably the Abbott-Pfizer Agreement to develop an ALK CDx for Xalkori, a novel NSCLC treatment jointly approved in August of 2011. He is a long time member of the Licensing Executive Society and on the board of several charitable organizations where he lends his expertise in business, negotiations and human diversity.

Patrice Hugo

Patrice Hugo, Ph.D., Senior Global Director, Scientific Affairs, LabCorp Clinical Trials

Patrice Hugo, Ph.D., Senior Global Director, Scientific Affairs, LabCorp Clinical Trials

Dr. Patrice Hugo, Senior Global Director at LabCorp Clinical Trials, has 20 years of biomarker experience. He obtained his Ph.D. at McGill University and completed 5 years of post-doctoral fellowship at the Walter Elisa Hall Institute in Australia, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Denver, Colorado. He was Principal Investigator at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and worked in biotechs EVP R&D and Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Hugo joined the Central lab industry as CSO of Clearstone Central Lab before its acquisition by LabCorp. He is author or co-author of over 80 scientific manuscripts.

Patrick F. Terry

Patrick F. Terry, Chairman, Grey Group Ventures, Inc.

Patrick F. Terry, Chairman, Grey Group Ventures, Inc.

Patrick is a serial entrepreneur who has founded a series of philanthropic, research, and commercial organizations based on the life sciences, applied technology, and social-network theory. He co-founded Genomic Health [NASDAQ: GHDX] and was former Director at the pioneering personalized medicine company based in California. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers, articles, and book chapters in the fields of genetics, rare disease, and translational medicine. Some of his activities included leadership positions on numerous trade associations, professional societies, corporate boards, and federal advisory bodies. He has experience coordinating genetics research, conducting research on rare diseases, and managing a life sciences patent portfolio. He has received many honors and awards in the business and scientific communities in the U.S. and internationally. He is currently a Director at MeMed Diagnostics (Israel-based Company), PXE International, and GRAND Therapeutics. He has also helped found the following organizations: US Personalized Medicine Coalition, 21st Century Medicine Coalition, European Personalized Medicine Diagnostic Association, PXE International, Genetic Alliance BioBank, BioLogos Foundation, Coalition for Research on the Eye, International Genetic Alliance, and GRAND Therapeutics, National Association of Healthcare Reimbursement, and Technic Solutions.

Paul Billings

Paul Billings, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, LIFE Technologies

Paul Billings, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, LIFE Technologies

Dr. Paul R. Billings is the first Chief Medical Officer of LIFE Technologies, a world leader in providing nucleic acid and other analytic tools for biomedical research and the delivery of personalized medicine. Prior to joining LIFE, Dr. Billings was the founding and acting Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Genomic Medicine Institute at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. From 2007-2009, Dr. Billings served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of CELLective Dx Corporation, a company sought to revolutionize cancer care through the provision of microfluidic products and services focused on circulating tumor cells. For five years until 2007, he was Senior Vice President and Senior Geneticist at Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Inc (LH).Prior to joining LH, Dr. Billings was Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of General Internal Medicine at the Palo Alto VA Healthcare System and Stanford Medical School, and then CMO and Deputy Network Director of VISN 17 in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Billings graduated with an AB in History summa cum laude from UC San Diego, received both his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard University.

Peter Fitzgerald

Peter Fitzgerald, M.D., Ph.D., Prof., Stanford, Partner, TriVentures & Latterell Venture Partner

Peter Fitzgerald, M.D., Ph.D., Prof., Stanford, Partner, TriVentures & Latterell Venture Partner

Peter Fitzgerald, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering (by courtesy), and Co-Director of the Center for Research in Cardiovascular Interventions at Stanford University School of Medicine. Additionally, he serves as Director of Core Cardiovascular Analysis Lab at Stanford. He is Professor in both the Departments of Medicine and Engineering at Stanford. He has led or participated in over 95 clinical trials, published over 300 manuscripts/chapters, and lectures worldwide. Dr. Fitzgerlald has been principle/founder of eleven medical device companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has transitioned eight of these start-ups to large medical device companies. He serves on several boards of directors, advised dozens of medical device startups as well as multinational healthcare companies in the design and development of new diagnostic and therapeutic devices in the cardiovascular arena. In 2001, he co-founded Latterell Venture Partners, a venture firm, focused on medical device and biotechnology start-ups in San Francisco. Currently, he is a consultant, contributing his more than 20 years of expertise in the medical device and healthcare industry. Additionally, he serves on the FDA Medical Device Advisory Panel. Dr. Fitzgerald received his Ph.D. and M.D. from Dartmouth, his R.A from Stanford, and M.S. from Rensselaer, and his B.S. degree from Santa Clara.

Peter R. Carroll

Peter R. Carroll, M.D., Co-director of Urologic Cancer, UCSF

Peter R. Carroll, M.D., Co-director of Urologic Cancer, UCSF

Dr. Peter Carroll received his undergraduate training at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating with honors from Georgetown University School of Medicine, he came to UCSF for his general surgery training and urology residency. He completed a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before returning to join the faculty in the Department of Urology at UCSF. Dr. Carroll organized the Urologic Oncology Service, one of the most active multidisciplinary programs at UCSF. In 1996, he assumed the chair of the UCSF Department of Urology, consistently ranked as one of the top urology departments in the country by U.S. News and World Report. He holds the Ken and Donna Derr-Chevron Distinguished Professorship, and he has served as surgeon-in-chief of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2003 through April of 2007. In September 2006, Dr. Carroll became the Director of Strategic Planning and Clinical Services of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Dean, School of Medicine. In May 2008, Dr. Carroll earned his MPH from UC Berkeley.Dr. Carroll has authored or co-authored over 500 publications. He is an active member of numerous professional medical societies. He is now Past President of the American Board of Urology (2006-2008). He is currently principal or co-investigator on numerous scientific studies. His major professional interests are the study and management of urologic cancers, innovative methods of urinary tract reconstruction, health services research, health policy and the impact of cancer detection and treatment on quality of life.Dr. Carroll was awarded the 2010 Eugene Fuller Triennial Prostate Award and the SUO Medal from the AUA and SUO, respectively.

Roman Yelensky

Roman Yelensky, Ph.D., Director, Clinical Genomic Analysis, Foundation Medicine, Inc.

Roman Yelensky, Ph.D., Director, Clinical Genomic Analysis, Foundation Medicine, Inc.

Roman Yelensky is the Director of Clinical Genomic Analysis at Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, MA., where he leads sequence data analysis, clinical data management, and reporting for pharmaceutical diagnostic partnerships and academic research collaborations. He co-developed the computational components of the FoundationOneTM test and led assay validation studies supporting laboratory CLIA/CAP accreditation. Prior to Foundation Medicine, Roman was a Senior Scientist in Biomarker Development at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Roman holds a PhD in Bioinformatics from MIT and an MS in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Ronen Tamir

Ronen Tamir, Pharma Segment Leader, GE Healthcare

Ronen Tamir, Pharma Segment Leader, GE Healthcare

Previously, he served as Chief Commercialization Officer at Rosetta Genomics Ltd, our since September 2008. Prior to, he was Vice President, Investor Relations for North America at Novartis AG. While Mr. Tamir was at Novartis, Novartis significantly increased its North American shareholder base and his team won numerous awards, including the “Best European IR Team in North America for 2005” by IR magazine, the “Silver Anvil” award by the Public Relations Society of America. Before that, Mr. Tamir held several key positions at Serono, including Director of Business Intelligence for North America and Global Product Manager, Neurology, where he oversaw the global launch of Rebif, the leading therapy for Multiple Sclerosis. In addition, Mr. Tamir was the Regional Product Manager for Neurology and Metabolism for Serono's Intercontinental Business Operations. Ronen holds a degree in Biology from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and an M.B.A. from Warwick Business School in the UK.

Ruth L. Katz

Ruth L. Katz, M.D., Professor of Pathology, Director of Image Analysis Lab, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Ruth L. Katz, M.D., Professor of Pathology, Director of Image Analysis Lab, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Ruth L. Katz, M.D. is a board certified Anatomic Pathologist and Cytopathologist who is currently Professor of Pathology, Chief of Research Cytopathology, and Director, Image Cytometry Diagnostic Laboratory at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Dr. Katz received her medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa. She completed a residency in anatomic pathology and hematopathology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa along with a residency in anatomic pathology at New England Medical Center Tufts Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She completed fellowships in Laboratory Medicine and Cytopathology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Her laboratory and research interests are in fine needle aspiration of all body sites, cytopathology of the bladder combined with special testing for molecular abnormalities by FISH and fine needle aspiration of lymphoma using a multiparameter approach. Presently her major research interest is in looking at genetic susceptibility to develop lung cancer, and she has developed a panel of novel molecular markers in sputum that are designed to predict those people at high risk for developing lung cancer. Currently she is working on developing a FISH assay to detect circulating tumor cells in lung cancer patients. She is active in numerous national and international associations including the American Society of Cytopathology, International Academy of Cytology, USCAP, and the American Association for Cancer Research. She is a well known Cytopathology lecturer and workshop leader both nationally and internationally. She has authored and co-authored over 200 articles in leading peer review journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Acta Cytologica, Diagnostic Cytopathology, Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, and Journal of the National Cancer Institute. She is listed in Top Doctors of America and is a key opinion leader in Doyen.com worldwide network of medical experts.

Sanjay Joshi

Sanjay Joshi, CTO, Life Sciences, EMC Isilon Storage Division

Sanjay Joshi, CTO, Life Sciences, EMC Isilon Storage Division

Based in Seattle, his 24 year career has spanned the entire gamut of life-sciences from clinical and biotechnology research to healthcare informatics to medical devices. His current focus is Big Data in Genomics and Proteomics. Sanjay was the recipient of a $425,000 NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for “proteomics processing using networked instrument routers”. He has also been a consultant on several NIH grants. He is actively involved in non-profit biotech networking and educational organizations in the Seattle area. His recent experience has included Cloud architectures for Healthcare EMR data and Life Sciences; multi-dimensional data analysis in Proteomics and Flow Cytometry; FDA and HIPAA computer systems validations; LIMS design and compliance for the genomics and biotechnology industry; translational research in embryology and imaging technologies. Sanjay received his Bachelors in Instrumentation Technology from Bangalore University with honors and Master of Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He also completed PhD courses in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Recent experience has included EMR; Proteomics and Flow Cytometry; FDA and HIPAA validations; LIMS; Translational genomics research and Imaging.

Sharon Terry

Sharon Terry, President and CEO, Genetic Alliance

Sharon Terry, President and CEO, Genetic Alliance

Sharon Terry is President and CEO of the Genetic Alliance, a network transforming health by promoting openness and is founding CEO of PXE International, a research advocacy organization for the genetic condition pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). Her memberships and advisories include the International Rare Disease Research Consortium and the Institute of Medicine Science and Policy Board. She was instrumental in the passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Among other awards she received was the Clinical Research Forum and Foundation's Annual Award for Leadership in Public Advocacy in 2011.

Sushma Selvarajan

Sushma Selvarajan, Ph.D., Head of Business Development & Strategy, Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD)

Sushma Selvarajan, Ph.D., Head of Business Development & Strategy, Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD)

Sushma Selvarajan is the Head of Business Development & Strategy for Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD), a world leader in molecular in vitro diagnostics. Sushma is responsible for RMD’s external partnerships from initial strategy through deal completion, including R&D collaborations, in- and out-licensing, and Companion Diagnostics partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Prior to her current role, Sushma was a Global Business Development Manager for Roche Diagnostics and focused on M&A transactions. She started her career at Roche as a Portfolio Strategy Manager at Roche Palo Alto, where she was responsible for portfolio management and strategic planning for Roche Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Roche, Sushma held various positions in operations and product development at Ingenuity Systems in Mountain View, CA. Sushma holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of California, San Francisco, California and an AB in Biochemistry from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Vance Vanier

Vance Vanier, M.D., VP, Global Commercial Operations, Verinata Health

Vance Vanier, M.D., VP, Global Commercial Operations, Verinata Health

Most recently, Dr. Vanier served as President and CEO of Navigenics, a preventative genomics company acquired by Life Technologies in July 2012. Dr. Vanier joined Navigenics as Chief Medical Officer in 2008. He was appointed CEO in late 2009, subsequently raised three rounds of venture capital financing and brought on strategic investors and distribution partners. Prior to Navigenics, Dr. Vanier served as a partner in the life sciences practice at Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), where he invested in, and worked together with, diagnostic service businesses including CardioDx and Crescendo Biosciences. Dr. Vanier received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, and Highland Hospital in Oakland. He received an M.B.A. from Stanford University, as well as dual bachelor’s degrees with honors. He was named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute in 2011, and continues to serve on the clinical faculty of Stanford Medical Center in Emergency Medicine.

Track 2 Speakers

Alexandra V. Eberhard

Alexandra V. Eberhard, Ph.D., MBA, Senior VP, Life Sciences, d&a

Alexandra V. Eberhard, Ph.D., MBA, Senior VP, Life Sciences, d&a

Alexandra joined d&a in 2009 and brought international experience in both life science R&D and business development. She earned her PhD in Immunology/Virology at BioMerieux (France) and her post-doctorate at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel). She co-authored more than 15 peer-reviewed international publications and received 6 academic awards. From 2007 to 2012, she served as Associate Partner of Quilt Solutions, a Swiss company customizing business development and market access in life sciences. From 2009 to 2010, she served as VP—Business Development and then as CEO of Recogene Ltd., a biotech start-up within RAD BioMed Accelerator (Israel), developing innovative systems in gene therapy. Since 2009, she joined Cukierman & Co. Life Sciences (CLS) as a partner, managing the joint venture between d&a and CLS and other business development, marketing, and fundraising activities within the group. Dr. Alexandra V. Eberhard earned her PhD in Immunology/Virology of the University Claude Bernard Lyon I (France) and earned an International MBA from Bar Ilan University (Israel).

Amir Onn

Amir Onn, M.D., Director, Center of Pulmonary Oncology, Sheba Medical Center

Amir Onn, M.D., Director, Center of Pulmonary Oncology, Sheba Medical Center

Dr. Onn is a graduate of the Hadassah and Hebrew University School of Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, affiliated with Tel Aviv University. He continued with post-doctoral fellowship and a clinical fellowship in interventional pulmonary oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas. He then became a member of the faculty of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at MDACC and as an Assistant Professor received the prestigious Physician Scientist grant. Since his return to Israel in 2006, Dr. Onn has developed the Pulmonary Oncology service and became the Director of the Center of Pulmonary Oncology at Sheba Medical Center, the largest medical center in Israel. Dr. Onn is also a co-director of the Sheba Medical Center Institutional Tumor Bank, and the Program Director of the Sheba Medical Center and MDACC Sister Institution Program. He initiated the first Israeli multidisciplinary conference on lung cancer in 2011, and since then he is the chair of these annual conferences. Dr. Onn is a member of the directorate of the WIN consortium, and serves as a global coordinators for tissue procurement and processing for the WINTHER clinical trial.

Chaim Birnboim

Chaim Birnboim, M.D., Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, DNA Genotek

Chaim Birnboim, M.D., Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, DNA Genotek

Prior to founding DNA Genotek, Dr. Birnboim was a physician, a university professor and a long-time research scientist at the Ottawa Health Research Institute. He has over 3 decades of experience in DNA and RNA research. He is the author of 10 issued and pending patents and over 100 scientific papers. In 1979, Dr. Birnboim published a scientific paper describing an innovative method for purifying plasmid DNA from bacteria, a method that rapidly became the standard procedure in biotechnology labs around the world. In 2000, he was named the Regional Innovation Forum's 'Innovator of the Year' by Canada's National Research Council (NRC). He is the inventor of Oragene•DNA, Oragene•RNA, GenoFix and other products in DNA Genotek's portfolio.

David Sidransky

David Sidransky, M.D., Chairman, Champions Oncology

David Sidransky, M.D., Chairman, Champions Oncology

David Sidransky, M.D. was appointed the Chairman of the Board of Directors in October, 2007. Dr. Sidransky is a renowned oncologist and research scientist named and profiled by TIME magazine in 2001 as one of the top physicians and scientists in America, recognized for his work with early detection of cancer. Since 1994, Dr. Sidransky has been the Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Research Division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Professor of Oncology, Otolaryngology, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Urology, Genetics, and Pathology at John Hopkins University and Hospital. Dr. Sidransky is one of the most highly cited researchers in clinical and medical journals in the world, in the field of oncology during the past decade, with over 300 peer-reviewed publications. He has contributed more than 40 cancer reviews and chapters. Dr. Sidransky is a founder of a number of biotechnology companies and holds numerous biotechnology patents. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, and was, until the merger with Eli Lilly, a director of ImClone Systems, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing oncology care. He is the Chairman of Alfacell Corporation and serves on the Board of Directors of Xenomics. He is serving and has served on scientific advisory boards of MedImmune, Roche, Amgen and Veridex, LLC (a Johnson & Johnson diagnostic company), among others. Dr. Sidransky serves as Director (2005-2008) of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He was the chairperson of AACR International Conferences (2006 and 2007) on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development: Maximizing Opportunities for Personalized Treatment. Dr. Sidransky is the recipient of a number of awards and honors, including the 1997 Sarstedt International Prize from the German Society of Clinical Chemistry, the 1998 Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Health by the American College of Chest Physicians and the 2004 Hinda and Richard Rosenthal Award from the American Association of Cancer Research. Dr. Sidransky received a B.A. from Brandeis University and M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine.

Jacob BenArie

Jacob BenArie, MBA, B.Sc. CEO, Orgenesis Ltd.

Jacob BenArie, MBA, B.Sc. CEO, Orgenesis Ltd.

Prior his joining to Orgenesis, Jacob served for the last 5 years as the CEO of Beta-Stim Ltd, a privately held company that developed a therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetics. Jacob also co-founded Beta-Stim, Slender Medical and the Medical Device Design & Manufacture Israel conference. Jacob has over 15 years of experience in different management and R&D positions in life science start–up companies. Mr. BenArie holds a B.Sc. in electronic engineering and MBA, both from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Joseph Bach

Joseph Bach, Partner, Nixon Peabody

Joseph Bach, Partner, Nixon Peabody

Mr. Bach has more than a decade of legal experience in all aspects of intellectual property law, including patent prosecution and litigation. Joseph has developed methodologies for, and counsels clients on, efficiently building and managing effective patent portfolios. Joseph has successfully handled and managed cases in a broad range of technologies and has litigation experience before the International Trade Commission and federal courts. Joseph was formerly Senior Director of Intellectual Property at Applied Materials, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company's intellectual property internationally. He hold a law degree from the Duke University School of Law and a B.S. Engineering and Applied Science from California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Lars Mecklenburg

Lars Mecklenburg, Ph.D., Vice President Clinical Operations/Biobank, Indivumed, Inc.

Lars Mecklenburg, Ph.D., Vice President Clinical Operations/Biobank, Indivumed, Inc.

Lars Mecklenburg received his Ph.D. in veterinary pathology from the School of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover. After more than 10 years of experience in drug development and extensive experience in diagnostic and experimental pathology Dr. Mecklenburg joined Indivumed in 2012. At Indivumed he is responsible for the clinical operations and the biorepository.

Lindsey Rolfe

Lindsey Rolfe, MBChB, VP Clinical Development, Clovis Oncology

Lindsey Rolfe, MBChB, VP Clinical Development, Clovis Oncology

Dr Lindsey Rolfe has served as Vice President Clinical Development at Clovis Oncology since early 2010 and is responsible for the development of rucaparib, an orally available PARP inhibitor and CO-1686, an orally available mutant selective EGFR inhibitor. She has previously held oncology-focused clinical development roles at Celgene, CAT, UCB and Celltech. She qualified in medicine from Edinburgh University and has UK specialist accreditation in pharmaceutical medicine.

Mickey Kertesz

Mickey Kertesz, Ph.D., Co-founder & CEO, Moleculo

Mickey Kertesz, Ph.D., Co-founder & CEO, Moleculo

Mickey was co-founder of Moleculo and served as CEO until its acquisition by Illumina in December 2012. Prior to co-founding Moleculo, Mickey conducted research at Stanford University, where as part of his post-doc he developed novel methods for sequencing the genetic diversity of human viruses. His research was published in Cell (2007), Nature Genetics (2007), PNAS (2008), and Nature (2010). He holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science from the Tel-Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Computational Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Noam Shomron

Noam Shomron, Ph.D., Director, RGI-Israel, Tel Aviv University

Noam Shomron, Ph.D., Director, RGI-Israel, Tel Aviv University

Dr. Noam Shomron is a lecturer and heads a research laboratory at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Dr Shomron co-founded and manages the Functional Genomics Laboratory at Tel Aviv University. Prior to his current position, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2004-2008), he trained at investigating sequences and functions of the human genome. His current team at Tel Aviv combines experimental and computational approaches for the purpose of deciphering mysteries of the human genome and bringing genomic information to clinic reality.

Takashi Kido

Takashi Kido, Research Manager, Riken Genesis

Takashi Kido, Research Manager, Riken Genesis

Dr. Takashi Kido is a research manager of Riken Genesis (and in Japan Science and Technology Agency) in Japan. He is currently studying on personal genome information environment with AI technologies, which is supported by Japanese national research grant (JST Sakigake grant). He had been a visiting researcher of Genetic department in Stanford University from 2006 to 2009. He received Ph.D in computer science (Artificial Intelligence) in Keio University, Japan (1996).

Yaky Yanay

Yaky Yanay, VP Finance & CFO, Pluristem

Yaky Yanay, VP Finance & CFO, Pluristem

Mr. Yanay was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Pluristem in November 2006 and since then he has been in charge of the company’s financial strategy. Prior to joining Pluristem, Mr. Yanay was the Chief Financial Officer of Elbit Vision Systems Ltd., before which he served as manager of audit groups of the technology sector at Ernst & Young Israel. Mr. Yanay is a member of the Board of Directors of several private and public companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in business administration and accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in Israel.

Zvi Livneh

Zvi Livneh, Ph.D., Professorial Chair in Biomedical Research, Weizmann Institute of Science

Zvi Livneh, Ph.D., Professorial Chair in Biomedical Research, Weizmann Institute of Science

Prof. Zvi Livneh is an expert in DNA repair, mutagenesis, and cancer. He combines basic molecular research on DNA damage tolerance in mammals, with translational research aimed to harness the power of DNA repair for cancer risk assessment and early detection using functional biomarkers. Prof. Livneh did his PhD at the Weizmann Institute, and his post doctorate at Stanford University School of Medicine. In 1984 he joined the faculty of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and served as head of the Biochemistry Dept, now Biological Chemistry Dept. during 1993-1997 and 2002-2007. Since 2010 he is Dean of the Faculty of Biochemistry.

Master Of Ceremonies
Iris Grossman

Iris Grossman, Ph.D., Global Head of Personalized Medicine & Pharmacogenomics, Teva

Iris Grossman, Ph.D., Global Head of Personalized Medicine & Pharmacogenomics, Teva

Dr. Iris Grossman, Head of the Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics (PMP) unit for Teva Global R&D, has dedicated her research career, in both industry and academia, to the advancement of the field of personalized medicine. She is currently charged with defining and implementing the global PMP strategy for Teva, a top-10 global pharmaceutical company, covering both discovery and development R&D programs. Prior to joining Teva, Dr. Grossman was CEO and President of pharmacogenetics management consultancy, IsraGene Ltd., providing services to both the Pharma and Biotech sectors. This followed several years spearheading pipeline pharmacogenetic programs for industry and academia, as Director, Pharmacogenetics, at Cabernet Pharmaceuticals Inc.. Dr. Grossman moved into consultancy having been responsible for running large-scale pharmacogenetic programs at GlaxoSmithKline, with an emphasis on infectious and neurological diseases. In academia, Dr. Grossman was a key member of Professor David Goldstein's team at the Center for Population Genomics and Pharmacogenetics, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University. Dr. Grossman received her PhD from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where her research project, conducted in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute for Science, investigated pharmacogenetic markers of multiple sclerosis treatment response.

KT Moortgat

KT Moortgat, Startup Consultant former Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures

KT Moortgat, Startup Consultant former Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures

KT’s career has focused on the early stage translation and commercialization of disruptive fundamental technologies. KT has supported healthcare startups in business development, commercial partnerships, product marketing, as well as assisted in recruiting young technical talent. Formerly a member of the Mohr Davidow venture capital investment team, she led initiatives fostering the commercialization of technologies originating in universities and national labs; including medical diagnostics, mental health, synthetic biology, and clean energy. Prior to joining Mohr Davidow, KT founded and directed the Center for BioEntrepreneurship, at UC San Francisco and the QB3 Institute. The Center established UCSF’s hub for training, mentoring, and networking for entrepreneurial scientists and clinicians, and engaged over 1000 participants annually. At the University of Southern California’s Stevens Institute for Innovation, KT was a member of the Board of Councilors in 2011-2012. KT was awarded a Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC San Francisco. She holds a doctorate in Biophysics for research conducted at the Salk Institute and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Physics from UC San Diego and UC Berkeley, respectively.

Uri Goren

Uri Goren, GM, e-pochonderiac

Uri Goren, GM, e-pochonderiac

Uri Goren is the GM of e-pochonderiac, a digital health consultancy. before that he worked at Neopharm Group as the PR and Digital Media manager since 2009. I have extensive experience in the health and pharmaceutical marketing and communications field. Before joining Neopharm, I was the head of the health division at the 'Shalom Tel Aviv' PR agency, working with companies including: Teva Pharmaceuticals, Perrigo, and Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health maintenance organization. Prior to that I was the head of the healthcare division at the Euro RSCG Tel Aviv agency working with large pharmaceutical companies including Sanofi-Aventis and MSD, as well as Lundbeck, Reckitt Benckieser, The Israeli Society for Plastic Surgery, and the Israel Society of Anesthesiologists. I have a BA in Communication and Management from the College of Management and an MA in Philosophy and Digital Culture from the Tel Aviv University. E-pochonder.com is also my blog (its in hebrew).

TOP 3 Competition Judges
Anat Naschitz

Anat Naschitz, Managing Director, OrbiMed

Anat Naschitz, Managing Director, OrbiMed

Anat Naschitz, LLB, MBA, is a Managing Director at . She has over 17 years of healthcare experience. Anat spent seven years with McKinsey & Company in London, where she was an Associate Partner, managing strategy and M&A projects for senior management of the world's preeminent pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Among other accomplishments, Anat led pharmaceutical spinout work resulting in the creation of two European biotech companies, which subsequently had IPOs for over $1 billion. Anat then joined Apax Partners, where she focused on life sciences investments. Subsequently Anat served as a director/advisor to the boards of life science companies and investors. She earned her MBA at INSEAD and her LLB at Tel Aviv University.

Jack Young

Jack Young, Director, Qualcomm Life Fund

Jack Young, Director, Qualcomm Life Fund

Jack heads up the $100M Qualcomm Life Fund (QLF) at Qualcomm Ventures, which was recently ranked as one of the most prolific venture investors in the digital health sector. His investment interests are focused in the areas of digital technologies and wireless health services and applications including: wellness and fitness, chronic disease management, aging in place, transitional care, clinical trials and telehealth/telemedicine. Jack currently serves as a board observer at QLF portfolio companies including Airstrip, AliveCor, ClearCare, goBalto and Telcare. In addition, he serves as a board observer at Jana, Modern Video, uCIRRUS, Validity and Visage Mobile. Prior to Qualcomm Ventures, Jack was EVP and US Country Manager at ZTE who helped establish the company’s US market presence. He was a sales and marketing executive at Nokia following the acquisition of Amber Networks where he was founding AVP of marketing. Early in his career, he held marketing and business development positions at 3Com, GDC, and Nortel. Jack earned a MSEE from University of Calgary and a MBA from McGill University.

Max Kahn

Max Kahn, Investment Principal, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund

Max Kahn, Investment Principal, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund

Max Kahn is an Investment Principal in the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and is responsible for venture investments in emerging companies delivering breakthrough solutions in the healthcare services and information technology markets, adjacent to Merck’s traditional business. Prior to Merck, Max developed new business models to leverage the changing healthcare landscape at Johnson & Johnson, worked as a consultant in the healthcare practice at McKinsey & Co., and invested in emerging healthcare services and information technology companies as an investment banker. Max holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Paul Billings

Paul Billings, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, LIFE Technologies

Paul Billings, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, LIFE Technologies

Dr. Paul R. Billings is the first Chief Medical Officer of LIFE Technologies, a world leader in providing nucleic acid and other analytic tools for biomedical research and the delivery of personalized medicine. Prior to joining LIFE, Dr. Billings was the founding and acting Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Genomic Medicine Institute at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. From 2007-2009, Dr. Billings served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of CELLective Dx Corporation, a company sought to revolutionize cancer care through the provision of microfluidic products and services focused on circulating tumor cells. For five years until 2007, he was Senior Vice President and Senior Geneticist at Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Inc (LH).Prior to joining LH, Dr. Billings was Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of General Internal Medicine at the Palo Alto VA Healthcare System and Stanford Medical School, and then CMO and Deputy Network Director of VISN 17 in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Billings graduated with an AB in History summa cum laude from UC San Diego, received both his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard University.”

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