Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top California based Director operating in the Health Care space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Mariam Iqbal
Director Of Procurement of AstraZeneca
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About AstraZeneca: AstraZeneca is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines.
Dawn Timan
Senior Tax Director / Chief Compliance Officer of Norwest Venture Partners
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About Norwest Venture Partners: Norwest is a global venture capital and growth equity investment firm that specializes in venture and growth equity companies.
Ashley Mitchell
Director of Marketing of New Enterprise Associates
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About New Enterprise Associates: New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm investing in technology and healthcare.
Shanna Hendriks
Director, Portfolio Services – Business Development of New Enterprise Associates
Shanna joined NEA as a Director, Portfolio Services – Business Development in 2014. She focuses on communications and marketing support for the portfolio which includes supporting the PR needs of early-stage companies, acting as a resource to later-stage companies, and developing educational programs and events at NEA for portfolio companies of all levels of growth. She also supports the portfolio through business development and executive briefings. Shanna brings more than eight years of PR agency work at some of the leading PR agencies in the Bay Area to her role with NEA. She was one of the first hires at LaunchSquad where she learned the ropes of emerging tech PR. She then worked with a boutique firm where she represented some of the most well-known winter sport brands doing consumer PR. Realizing that she missed crafting the story that has become so important for technology companies, she went on to join Hill & Knowlton’s tech practice working with Fortune 500 companies such as Qualcomm, HP, and Yahoo!. Shanna then transitioned in-house to communications at Shutterfly working on corporate communications and the company’s photobooks and share site products. In 2012, Shanna joined Tesla Motors where she among other things, launched Model S, the Supercharger network, and provided comms support to the company’s retail rollout. Shanna moved to the Bay Area from Canada in 2004. Prior to that move, Shanna worked in PR at Ottawa’s famous Fairmont Chateau Laurier. She attended Algonquin College for Public Relations in Ottawa, Ontario.
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About New Enterprise Associates: New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm investing in technology and healthcare.
Brian Carlsen
Co-Founder & Director, Clinical Informatics of Ciitizen
Brian Carlsen is a clinical terminologist, previously for Apple Health. An advisory group member of SNOMED, he was an architect of the NLM’s UMLS and the NCI Metathesaurus, designed to help solve for semantically interoperable health records. He’s a software developer of web-based and open source tools for the leveraging of clinical terminologies across healthcare domains including labs and medications. He is an expert in creating computable representations of health data as a consistent way to index, store, retrieve, and aggregate medical data across payers, providers, and consumer devices.
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About Ciitizen: Ciitizen’s mission is empower patients with complete control of their health data.
Neil Poloso
Executive Director, Biological Research of Allergan
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About AbbVie, Allergan: Allergan is a global pharmaceutical company.
Tory Brady
Director of Product Engineering of Allergan
Tory Brady’s passion is building software with a keen eye on the customer and the jobs they’re hiring a product to do in their lives. He loves when beautiful design, performant code and comprehensive data intersect. He’s had a fruitful career as a Software Engineer, working for a variety of technology start-ups. Now Tory is applying these learned start-up methodologies to Allergan’s medical aesthetics business as they work to revitalize the digital relationship with their consumers.
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About Allergan: Allergan is a global pharmaceutical company.
Amy Tenderich
Editorial Director, Diabetes & Patient Advocacy at Healthline.com of Healthline Media
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About DiabetesMine.com, DiabetesMine.com, Healthline Media: Healthline Media is the 2nd largest and fastest growing consumer health publisher in the world, reaching 85 million people a month.
Nancy Satur
Medical Director & Dermatologist of Curology
Nancy Satur, MD is a licensed physician and a board-certified dermatologist based in San Diego, CA. Dr. Satur completed her undergraduate studies at Pennsylvania State University, graduating magna cum laude, and received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia as part of a 5-year accelerated medical program. Following an internal medicine internship and a year of specialty training in pathology, Dr. Satur completed her residency in dermatology at Case Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where she had the honor of serving as Chief Resident. Having practiced medicine in the San Diego area since 1984, Dr. Satur maintains membership in professional societies including the American Academy of Dermatology, the San Diego Dermatological Society, the American Telemedicine Association, and the American Acne and Rosacea Society. Highly regarded for her expertise and dedication in caring for her patients of all ages in her private practice in the San Diego area, Dr. Satur now enjoys helping patients across the country attain and keep healthy skin.
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About Curology: Curology is a cosmetic company that provides actual prescription skincare customized for their skin and delivered to their door.
Xue Snow Ge
Sr. Director, Clinical Pharmacology of Nektar Therapeutics
Xue Snow Ge serves as the Senior Director of Clinical Pharmacology at Nektar Therapeutics. She also serves as an Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck.
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About Nektar Therapeutics: Nektar Therapeutics develops therapeutics based on its advanced polymer conjugate chemistry technology platform.
Ryan Bell
Marketing Director at Comcast SportsTech of Boomtown Accelerators
Ryan A Bell is recipient of the Presidential Award for his volunteer work with Special Olympics and the youth in Oakland. He is a writer for The Good Men Project and a branding/marketing specialist for companies of all sizes. He also happens to be the most connected man on Periscope.
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About Boomtown Accelerators: Boomtown’s bespoke accelerator programs help startups turn ideas into profitable, scalable businesses.
Diane Gaswirth
Sales Director of UnitedHealth Group
Diane Gaswirth, B.S., M.S., is the sales director in San Diego county for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Solutions. She is responsible for growing membership in the Medicare portfolio of products. Prior, Diane was the sales manager for SecureHorizons/Pacificare and served in advertising, educational and service roles at Blue Cross of California. She also completed the Center of Excellence in Healthcare Management course through the University of Southern California.
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About UnitedHealth Group: UnitedHealth Group is a healthcare company that offers insurance products and services for everyone.
Ian Van Every
Co-Founder & UK Managing Director of Lemonaid Health
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About Lemonaid Health: Lemonaid Health is a telemedicine platform that uses technology to change the way people interact with health care.
Michael LaVance
Director & Business Development of Lively
Michael LaVance is the Director & Business Development at Lively.
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About Lively: Lively is a modern Health Savings Account (HSA) platform for employers and individuals.
Regan Wynne
Senior Director, Brand Marketing and Communications of TigerConnect
Extensive strategic B2B experience marketing Healthcare IT products, Internet of Things solutions, general IT services, augmented reality hardware & software, and other cutting-edge technologies. Over two decades of driving leads and conversions for a variety of companies from startup and early growth through ramp-up and expansion. Diverse background leading, developing, and executing strategies that build the marketing/sales funnel including content marketing, digital marketing, public relations, brand positioning, and thought leadership.
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About TigerConnect: TigerConnect is a healthcare collaboration platform that streamlines clinical workflows and systems.
Bret Henning
Sr Director and Information Technology of Tandem Diabetes Care
Bret Henning is currently the Sr. Director of Information Technology at Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. Bret is responsible for worldwide IT operations including infrastructure, cloud computing, collaboration technologies, enterprise applications, DEVOPS, call center and voice technologies. At Tandem Bret was involved in building the company from an early stage startup through product commercialization. He brings a diverse portfolio of experience managing everything from Facilities to Connected Heath. His background includes more than 30 years of hands-on experience in technology for electronics and medical device companies.
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About Tandem Diabetes Care: Tandem Diabetes Care develops medical devices for the treatment of diabetes offering diabetic insulin pumps for adults and children.
Tad Buchanan
Director of Fabric Genomics (formerly Omicia)
Mr. Buchanan co-founded the investment firm of Buchanan Investments, Inc. in 1998 with his father, Mike. Together, they have founded, invested in and raised equity and debt capital for numerous companies, including DM&E Railroad, Central Montana Resources, Opti Canada, White Oak Resources, AlphaClone, TabletCommand, Gensys Software, Tri Alpha Energy, OneSun Solar, and numerous other private companies. Prior to founding Buchanan Investments, Inc., Tad was an Executive Director at UBS Securities with primary responsibility for managing Asian equity sales and trading based in NY. He was also an equity analyst at UBS and W.I. Carr (Far East), Ltd. based in Hong Kong, with responsibility for covering financial services, software, industrial and energy companies in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Prior to joining W.I. Carr (Far East) Ltd., Tad was a credit analyst within the Corporate Lending Group of Wells Fargo Bank. He graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Economics and from Boston College with an M.B.A, International Finance. He currently serves on the boards of Central Montana Resources, AlphaClone, Tablet Command, and OneSun Solar. Tad is also a board observer of Tri Alpha Energy. He is married with three children, and is a Trustee of Marin Country Day School in Corte Madera, CA.
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About Fabric Genomics (formerly Omicia): Global healthcare platform for genomics-driven precision medicine. Fabric’ proven AI algorithms power genomic insights.
Alex Milligan
Co-founder & Marketing Director of Nugg
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About Nugg: Nugg allows mmj patients to find and order cannabis-based products from nearby collectives that deliver or offer pickup.
Bray Patrick-Lake
Director, Strategic Partnerships of Evidation Health
Bray is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Evidation Health. She develops collaborations to support the design and implementation of participant-centered studies, and serves on the All of Us National Advisory Panel, the Digital Medicine Society Scientific Leadership Board, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Health Science Policy Board. Previously, Bray led engagement for the Duke Clinical Research Institute Project Baseline Study Coordinating Center and served as co-chair on the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director that authored the Precision Medicine Initiative’s Cohort Program. Bray holds a BS degree from the University of Georgia, and an MFS degree from National University.
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About Evidation Health: We enable and empower everyone to participate in better health outcomes.
Brad Sloan
Managing Director of Questa Capital Management
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About Questa Capital Management: Questa Capital Management is a healthcare venture growth equity firm investing in breakout growth companies.
Tina Kroger
Director of Sales of Once Upon a Farm
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About Once Upon a Farm: Once Upon a Farm creates quality, eco-friendly, and nutritious food products for children.
Min Cui
Founder and Managing Director of Decheng Capital
Min Cui, PhD, is the Founder and Managing Director of Decheng Capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors of AccuraGen, Ariagen, ARMO BioSciences, CardioMed, EpimAb Biotherapeutics, GenapSys, GeneMDx, Ketai Medical, Levitas and SINOMED. Prior to founding Decheng Capital, Min was an investment partner at Bay City Capital and director of Strategic Investment for the Southern Research Institute. Min co-founded Pan Pacific Pharmaceuticals and Hucon Biopharmaceuticals. Min holds a PhD in Cancer Biology from Stanford University and BS and MS degrees in Molecular Biology from Peking University. Min was also a Co-Founder of CNetwork, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to serving Chinese communities in North America.
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About Decheng Capital: Decheng Capital is a venture capital firm that provides capital to early and growth stage life science companies.
Bret Evans
Sr Director IT of Johnson & Johnson
Currently Bret is the Sr. Director of IT Supply Chain for Johnson & Johnson Ethicon & CSS business.
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About Johnson & Johnson: Johnson & Johnson engages in the research and development, manufacture and sale of a range of products in the healthcare field.
Gillian Hanson
Director, Data & Informatics of PicnicHealth
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About PicnicHealth: PicnicHealth helps patients easily access their medical records and gives them the opportunity to contribute data to medical research.
Vandana Pant
Senior Director Design & Innovation of Sutter Health
Vandana has broad-ranging experience with social sector practice in the US and India and specializes in envisioning and implementing sustainable models for organizational growth. Prior to joining the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, she led strategic development at The Health Trust, a Silicon Valley-based operating foundation advancing solutions for health equity and wellness. Vandana has also consulted on strategic planning, program design and board development with several Bay Area organizations and continues to serve in an advisory role to build scale and capacity for nonprofit organizations. At PAMF’s Druker Center for Innovation, Vandana leads strategic initiatives to support deployment of the Center’s work including partnerships, program modeling & operations, communications and a student internship program. Vandana has a graduate degree in Mass Communications from the Mass Communications Research Center in New Delhi and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Delhi University.
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About Sutter Health: Sutter Health is a non-profit organization operating a network of hospitals and physicians in Northern California.
Veena Goel
Medical Director, Digital Patient Experience of Sutter Health
Goel is the Medical Director for Digital Patient Experience at Sutter Health, where she is responsible for providing clinical and change management leadership to garner patient engagement through digital health solutions. This includes My Health Online, the digital patient portal through which over 1.4 million Sutter patients to access their personal health records and activities as well as communicate with their providers. Over the past few years she has contributed significantly to the medical literature on her work using analytics and big data to improve bedside monitor alarm fatigue, and has also provided clinical informatics expertise and consultancy during local and international electronic health record implementations. Clinically, she practices as a pediatric hospitalist at PAMF, caring for newborns and hospitalized children, while helping patients and their families navigate the healthcare system.
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About Sutter Health: Sutter Health is a non-profit organization operating a network of hospitals and physicians in Northern California.
Steven Lane
Clinical Informatics Director, Privacy, Information Security & Interoperability of Sutter Health
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About Stanford University School of Medicine, Sutter Health, UCSF health: Sutter Health is a non-profit organization operating a network of hospitals and physicians in Northern California.
Jiahao Qiu
Member of the Board of Directors of Jaguar Health
Jiahao Qiu has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2014. Since 2010, . Qiu has served as a Principal of BioVeda China Fund, a life science investment firm. From 2009 to 2010, he served as an interpreter for the Delegation of the European Union to China. Qiu holds a B.S. in Biotechnology from the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China. We believe Qiu is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience with evaluating, managing and investing in life science portfolio companies for BioVeda China Fund.
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About : Jaguar Health brings naturally derived important health solutions to all animals of the world, as proprietary.
Barry Simon
Director & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of ImmunityBio
Dr. Simon served as ImmunityBio’s President and CEO from 2007 to 2015, and is currently a Director and CCAO. Dr. Simon is also a Director and the Chairman of the Compensation Committee at Cue BioPharma and Viracta Therapeutics. Dr. Simon has worked at F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Roche Labs, Connetics Corp., Immunomedics, Immusol, NorthSound Capital, LLC, and HealthPro BioVentures as a Vice President, senior level, and advisory role. Dr. Simon has extensive expertise in both the public and private sectors, having led product and portfolio divestitures and acquisitions, strategic licensing and joint ventures, commercial product launches, IND & BLA regulatory submissions, and life cycle management. Dr. Simon worked in a variety of therapeutic areas, including cancer, virology, and dermatology, and on the introduction of eight medications. Dr. Simon completed corporate training programs at the London School of Business and Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School of Business. Dr. Simon got his M.D. from the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center in New York and completed clinical training in Infectious Diseases, Anesthesiology, and Internal Medicine.
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About ImmunityBio, NantKwest: ImmunityBio is an offshoot of Soon-Shiong’s NantWorks conglomerate, developing molecular-level cell-based treatments for diseases.
Margi McLoughlin
Executive Director of Pfizer
Margi McLoughlin, PHD is Executive Director, WWBD and Partner at Pfizer Ventures. Margi invests in companies working in areas aligned with the future directions of Pfizer. She currently has responsibility for Pfizer’s investments in 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Adapsyn, BioAtla, Cortexyme and System1. Through these investments, she works with the companies to help advance products and technologies of value to the pharmaceutical industry. Margi began her career at Mallinckrodt Medical, holding positions in Discovery Research, followed by Technology Planning. In 1999, she moved to Yale University where she worked as Associate Director in the Office of Cooperative Research. Since joining Pfizer Worldwide Business Development in 2001, she has had roles of increasing responsibility and led transactions with multiple biotech companies, including Ablexis, Gliknik and Excaliard. In addition, Margi played a significant role in defining Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation business model.
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About Pfizer, Pfizer Venture Investments: Pfizer provides access to safe and effective and affordable medicines and health care services.
Don Ross
Manging Partner Digital Health/Board Director of Life Science Angels
Don has 10 years Angel investing experience and currently is a Board Director, Sand Hill Angels (SHA) and Co-Chair, SHA Deal Quality Committee. His investments have included companies in mobile, tech, eHealth, diagnostics, and medical devices. Don has private board experience and startup operating experience as CEO and VP. He cofounded and sold a life sciences publishing company and is co-author of two college-level nutrition textbooks. Don earned a BA, Architecture with honors, Berkeley.
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About Life Science Angels, Sand Hill Angels: Life Science Angels offers angel capital to early-stage biotech and medical device companies as a California-based company.
Clare Ozawa
Managing Director of Versant Ventures
Clare became a Versant managing director in January 2017 and leads investments in San Diego and the Bay Area. Clare currently is responsible for strategic business development, operations and finance for the Inception Sciences research sites in San Diego, Vancouver and Montreal. During her tenure at Inception, she assumed leadership roles in the creation and management of six new companies launched in partnership with academic researchers and major biopharmaceutical companies. Clare joined as Inception’s founding chief business officer in 2011 and was promoted to COO in 2014. She previously was an investment professional at Versant, where she was involved in several successful investments including Flexion (NASDAQ:FLXN), Biotie (purchased by Acorda), and Quanticel (purchased by Celgene). She joined Versant from Novartis Pharma, where she worked in the Office of the CEO leading strategic initiatives for the Novartis Pharma Executive Committee. Previously, Clare was at McKinsey & Company where she advised clients across the biopharmaceutical sector. Clare earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences with honors and distinction from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University Medical School.
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About Versant Ventures: Versant Ventures caters to the healthcare sector with early and later stage venture, private equity, and debt financing investments.
Rebecca Robertson
Co-Founder and Managing Director Emeritus of Versant Ventures
Beckie Robertson has over 23 years of venture capital and operating experience in medical products as an engineer, entrepreneur, corporate executive, and investor. She is the managing director of [Versant Ventures](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/versant-ventures#/entity), a healthcare-focused venture capital firm specialized in early-stage investments in medical devices, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, healthcare services, and healthcare information technology. Prior to Versant Ventures, she served as a general partner at Institutional Venture Partners. Previously, Robertson was the vice president of business development at Chiron Diagnostics, where she led numerous deals in support of business and technology objectives of the company. Prior to joining Chiron, she was a co-founder and vice president at Egis, an IVP portfolio company, and held senior management positions in operations and finance at Lifescan, a Johnson & Johnson Company. Robertson holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University.
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About Versant Ventures: Versant Ventures caters to the healthcare sector with early and later stage venture, private equity, and debt financing investments.
Robin L. Praeger
CFO, Managing Director of Versant Ventures
Robin and his team have primary responsibility for Versant’s financial, legal, Investor Relations and administrative functions. Robin brings over twenty years of professional services and financial experience to Versant. Prior to joining Versant in 2000, Robin was a tax partner with Arthur Andersen, and has extensive experience in partnership formation and structuring issues. At Anderson his client base included large real estate partnerships and corporations. Robin received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Economics of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the AICPA and the California State Board of Accountancy. Robin currently sits on the Board of the West Coast Chapter of the Private Equity Chief Financial Officer Association and is a member of the NVCA CFO Task Force.
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About Versant Ventures: Versant Ventures caters to the healthcare sector with early and later stage venture, private equity, and debt financing investments.
Kirk G. Nielsen
Managing Director of Versant Ventures
Kirk Nielsen is a Minneapolis-based Managing Director. Kirk specializes in medical device investing at Versant and brings over a decade of venture capital and operating experience to his companies.Kirk joined Versant from Medtronic, where he was a sales representative in the company’s Cardiac Rhythm Management division. Previously, he worked in marketing and business development for Medtronic and for Fluidigm (a Versant portfolio company), and he has also served as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, where he advised clients in healthcare, private equity, and other industries. Prior to his business career, Kirk was a professional hockey player.
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About Versant Ventures: Versant Ventures caters to the healthcare sector with early and later stage venture, private equity, and debt financing investments.
Rob Faulkner
Managing Director of Redmile Group
Rob has been a Managing Director at Redmile since 2008. He has been an equity analyst in the medical device industry since 1994. His coverage areas have included, among others, cardiology, orthopedics, urology, vision care, aesthetic surgery and diabetes. Rob has held positions with Thomas Wiesel Partners, Prudential Financial and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Rob began his career on Wall Street at S.G. Warburg & Co. (now UBS) where he covered biotechnology and medical device stocks for three years. Prior to moving to sell-side research, he spent two years with The Wilkerson Group (now IBM), a consulting firm specializing in the assessment of the value of the healthcare technologies, and two years at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Rob graduated from Harvard College.
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About Redmile Group: Redmile Group is a healthcare investment organization that makes venture, growth, and crossover investing across healthcare.
Ming Fang
Managing Director of Redmile Group
At Safeguard, Ming is responsible for identifying and evaluating new opportunities, and supporting partner companies in the healthcare space. Before joining Safeguard, Ming was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he advised private equity firms, biopharma / medical device companies, and providers on acquisition and growth strategy opportunities. Ming also acquired a balanced global perspective with his extensive engagement experiences in China and Southeast Asia. Prior to McKinsey, Ming co-founded a medical device company that stemmed from the 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition winning project. During business school, he gained transactional experience as a Summer Associate with Merrill Lynch’s healthcare investment banking team. Ming also served Gilead Sciences as a Senior Manager in commercial operations, overseeing incentive strategies and business analytics. Ming began his career in healthcare with ZS Associates, where he forecasted product potential and implemented sales effectiveness strategies. Ming received an M.B.A in Healthcare Management and Finance from The Wharton School and a B.A. in Computer Science from University of California at Berkeley. – See more at: http://www.safeguard.com/our-team/deal-team/ming-fang#sthash.RGgnsdSF.dpuf
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About Redmile Group: Redmile Group is a healthcare investment organization that makes venture, growth, and crossover investing across healthcare.
Robert Murphy
Member of the Board of Directors of Mindbody
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About Be Yoga: Mindbody is a wellness experience platform that allows users to find and engage with fitness, beauty, and integrative health services.
Colton Pierson
Director Of Engineering of Curative
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About Curative: Curative is a leader in on-demand public health programs and infrastructure. We’re building a healthier tomorrow, together.
Robert Gentleman
Executive Director of Harvard Medical School
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About Harvard Medical School: Harvard Medical School is a medical education and scientific research institution focused on education, research, clinical care and service.
Ralph Taylor-Smith
Managing Director of GE Ventures
Ralph is a Managing Director of Investing. He is based in Washington, DC, and joined the team in 2014. In collaboration with GE’s business units, he leads financial investments in innovative sensors, robotics, and data-com technologies for applications in factory automation, advanced manufacturing services, and digital health. Before joining GE Ventures, Ralph was Cofounder, General Partner, and Managing Director for Battelle Venture Partners and an Investment Banker in M&A for Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Previously, he worked at Bell Labs as a senior research scientist, engineer, and business development manager in hardware, software, and nanotech-enabled IT devices within the photonics and semiconductor microelectronics industry. He has a PhD and a master’s degree from Princeton University, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ralph is a board member of Sarcos, Inc., Omni-ID, Inc., Xometry, Inc., Clearpath Robotics, Ltd., and Upskill, Inc. Ralph’s athletic pursuits include scuba diving and épée fencing.
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About GE Ventures: GE Ventures combines capital, expertise, infrastructure, and the GE global network to help accelerate the growth of businesses.
Samara Freeman
Director, IP & Regulatory Affairs of Evolve Biosystems
Samara was one of the co-founders of Evolve Biosystems. Samara has qualifications in both science and management and has worked in research management and biotech in the US and internationally. Samara has co-authored numerous scientific articles and is an invited and keynote speaker at milk and dairy conferences.
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About Evolve Biosystems, Evolve Biosystems: Evolve Biosystems specializes in providing microbiome-based products designed to develop, restore, and maintain.
Elizabeth Swanson
Director, Human Resources of Cue
Elizabeth Swanson is a Director, Human Resources at Cue Health Inc.
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About Cue: Cue helps users track their health at the molecular level, revealing the interplay of activity, food, and sleep.
Andrew Hudak
Senior Director, Program Management of Cue
Andrew Hudak is the Sr. Director of Program Management at Cue Inc.
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About Cue: Cue helps users track their health at the molecular level, revealing the interplay of activity, food, and sleep.
Deborah Morris
Director of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs of Cue
Deborah Morris is the Director of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs at Cue Health Inc.
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About Cue: Cue helps users track their health at the molecular level, revealing the interplay of activity, food, and sleep.
Steve Venz
Director of Automation of Cue
Steve Venz is the Director of Automation at Cue Inc.
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About Cue: Cue helps users track their health at the molecular level, revealing the interplay of activity, food, and sleep.
Charles P. McKenney
Board of Directors of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Charles P. McKenney has maintained a government affairs law practice in Pasadena, California since 1989, representing businesses and organizations in their relations with government regarding their obligations under state and local land use and trade practices laws. From 1973 through 1989, he served as Attorney for Corporate Government Affairs for Sears, Roebuck and Co., helping organize and carry out Sears’ Western state and local government relations programs. Mr. McKenney has served two terms on the Pasadena, California City council, on several city boards and committees in Pasadena, including three city Charter Reform Task Forces.
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About : Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of medicine to treat diseases with a genetic origin.
Edward W. Frykman
Board of Directors of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Edward W. Frykman has been an Account Executive with Crowell, Weedon & Co. since 1992. Previously, Mr. Frykman served as Senior Vice President of L.H. Friend & Co. Both Crowell, Weedon & Co. and L.H. Friend & Co. are investment brokerage firms located in Southern California. In addition, Mr. Frykman was a Senior Account Executive with Shearson Lehman Hutton where he served as the Manager of the Los Angeles Regional Retail Office of E. F. Hutton & Co.
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About : Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of medicine to treat diseases with a genetic origin.
Brian Ruder
Managing Director and Co-Head of Global TMT Effort of Permira
Brian is Head of the Menlo Park office and Co-Head of the Technology team. He serves on the Investment Committee and the Executive Committee. He has worked on a number of transactions including Ancestry, Genesys, Informatica, LegalZoom, Magento, Metalogix, Minted, Renaissance Learning and TeamViewer. Prior to joining Permira in 2008, Brian was Partner at Francisco Partners where he covered investments in the Software and Services sector. He has also worked for Hellman & Friedman and in corporate finance for Morgan Stanley.
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About Permira: Permira is a global growth obsessed private capital investor.
Dave Ferrera
Director of Blockade Medical
Dave is Chief Technology Officer of Balt and a seasoned medical device executive with 20 years of experience working within the medical device and interventional neurovascular industry. Prior to Balt’s acquisition of Blockade Medical in 2016, he was a co-founding member of Blockade Medical, he also served as VP Product Development/Clinical Research & General Manager of MindFrame Inc.(acquired by Covidien in 2012), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive products for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke based in Irvine, CA. Prior to that he served as Director of Clinical Research/R&D for Microvention (acquired by Terumo in 2006), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive products for treatment of cerebral and vascular peripheral diseases based in Aliso Viejo, CA. His past roles have included Director of Technology Development of Micrus Endovascular (IPO in 2004 and acquired by J&J/Codman in 2010), Sr. R&D/Pilot Engineer of Boston Scientific in Watertown, MA, and R&D Process Engineer at IMPRA, Inc. in Tempe, AZ (acquired by C.R. Bard in 1996). Dave received a B.S. in Plastics Engineering from University of Lowell, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He holds several US and international patents for medical devices.
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About Balt, Blockade Medical, Sage Executive Group, Treadstone Holdings LLC: Founded in 2011, Blockade Medical is a privately held company dedicated the development of catheter based therapeutic devices for the
Melissa Lee
Director of Community Relations of Bigfoot Biomedical
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About Bigfoot Biomedical: Bigfoot Biomedical is a medical device company changing diabetes care for people with insulin-requiring diabetes.
Melissa Lee
Director of Community Relations of Bigfoot Biomedical
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About Bigfoot Biomedical: Bigfoot Biomedical is a medical device company changing diabetes care for people with insulin-requiring diabetes.
Benjamin Cravatt
Director and Co-Founder of Boundless Bio
Benjamin F. Cravatt, Ph.D., is a the Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute. His research group develops and applies chemical proteomic technologies for protein and drug discovery on a global scale and has particular interest in studying biochemical pathways in the nervous system and cancer. Dr. Cravatt is a co-founder of Activx Biosciences (acquired by Kyorin Pharmaceuticals), Abide Therapeutics (acquired by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals), and Vividion Therapeutics. His honors include a Searle Scholar Award, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, a Cope Scholar Award, the ASBMB Merck Award, the Royal Society of Chemistry Jeremy Knowles Award, and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ben obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University, receiving a B.S. in the Biological Sciences and a B.A. in History. He then received a Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in 1996, and joined the faculty at TSRI in 1997.
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About Boundless Bio, Vividion Therapeutics: Boundless Bio is a precision oncology company developing therapeutics directed against extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in aggressive cancers.
Thomas J. Kenny
Board Of Director of Aflac
Thomas J. Kenny has served as a TIAA-CREF Trustee since December 2011. He also currently serves as the chair of the TIAA-CREF Funds Investment Committees as well as the TIAA-CREF Funds Operations Committees. Prior to his role at TIAA-CREF, Mr. Kenny held a variety of leadership positions at Goldman Sachs for 12 years, most recently serving as partner and advisory director. He also held the position of co-head of Global Cash and Fixed Income Portfolio team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he was responsible for overseeing the management of more than $600 billion in assets across multiple strategies with teams in London, Tokyo and New York. Before joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. Kenny spent 13 years at Franklin Templeton. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree in finance from Golden Gate University. He is a CFA charter holder. Mr. Kenny’s extensive experience in investment management and financial markets provide the Board with valuable insight and expertise.
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About : Aflac is a company that offers individuals and companies supplemental disability insurance.
Merinda Do
Global Director of Human Resources of Paramit Corporation
Merinda joined Paramit in 2005 as the Director of Human Resources. She is responsible for all HR and employee development functions. Prior to joining Paramit, Merinda has held various HR Management positions at Zeta Defense Technology, CMAC, Solectron, and Fortinet. Merinda holds a BS in Economics Management, SPHR certified, and is a member of NCHRA, SHRM.
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About Paramit Corporation: Paramit designs and manufactures medical devices and life science instruments.
Mano Aryapour
Sr. Director of Program Management of Paramit Corporation
Mano Aryapour is the Senior Director, Program Management at Paramit Corp.
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About Paramit Corporation: Paramit designs and manufactures medical devices and life science instruments.
James Merson
Director of Product of ClearCare
James began advising ClearCare in 2010 while working for a Home Care and Care Management organization in the Bay Area. He formally joined as an employee in November of 2012 after ten years in the Home Care and Home Healthcare fields and leads the Customer Success team at ClearCare, the largest of its kind in the home care industry. He holds a BS in Industrial Technology and an MBA.
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About ClearCare: ClearCare is a web-based software solution that helps home care agencies efficiently focus on what’s important: providing better care.
Bobbi Jo Price
Sr. Director of U.S. Sales of ClearCare
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About ClearCare: ClearCare is a web-based software solution that helps home care agencies efficiently focus on what’s important: providing better care.
Dave Godin
Sr. Director of Customer Success of ClearCare
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About ClearCare: ClearCare is a web-based software solution that helps home care agencies efficiently focus on what’s important: providing better care.
Ivan Lai
Senior Director, Global Supply Chain of Stryker
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About Dexcom, Koderon, Stryker: Stryker is a medical technology company that offers products and services in orthopaedics.
Mark Mastandrea
Senior Director, Supply Chain of Stryker
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About Stryker: Stryker is a medical technology company that offers products and services in orthopaedics.
Deepak Chopra
Chairman, Founder & Director of The Chopra Foundation
Founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a whole health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization.
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About Chopra Global, Osi Systems, The Chopra Foundation: The mission of the Chopra Foundation is to advance the cause of mind/body spiritual healing, education, and research.
Richard Harroch
Managing Director of VantagePoint Capital Partners
Richard joined VantagePoint in 2003 from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, bringing with him an extensive body of transactional and business expertise.He is a successful entrepreneur, founder and Chairman of two companies: LawCommerce.com (sold to LexisNexis) and Allbusiness.com (sold to Dun and Bradstreet.) He is a noted author, having written and edited a number of legal and best-selling business books on start-up companies, partnerships, and joint ventures. Richard has been involved in negotiating or structuring more than 100 Internet related partnerships, financings, distribution deals, web content and license agreements and e-commerce contracts. Richard has also been involved in more than 250 mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings and strategic alliances. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley (BA) and the University of California, Los Angeles (JD), where he was Managing Editor of the Law Review.
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About All Business, Evisionary Ventures, Talix, VantagePoint Capital Partners: VantagePoint Capital Partners (formerly VantagePoint Venture Partners, until 2011) has more than $4.5 billion in capital under management
Jim Marver
Co-Founder & Managing Director of VantagePoint Capital Partners
Jim co-founded VantagePoint in 1996 and is experienced in every element of venture fund management. Over the past three decades, Jim has worked closely with hundreds of public and private companies on all aspects of their operations, especially strategy and finance. He has run global technology practices at leading investment banks and has served as a senior consultant at SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute). He is Chairman of the Board of Advisors, Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. And he is a member of the Board of Directors of The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Jim attended Williams College (BA) and the University of California, Berkeley (MPP, PhD).
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About VantagePoint Capital Partners: VantagePoint Capital Partners (formerly VantagePoint Venture Partners, until 2011) has more than $4.5 billion in capital under management
Neil Wolff
Managing Director & General Counsel of VantagePoint Capital Partners
With thousands of completed transactions during his 30+ year legal career, Neil has provided an experienced perspective as an advisor for the Firm’s investments as well as to its portfolio companies since he became VantagePoint’s General Counsel in 2006. Neil was one of VantagePoint’s key outside attorneys when he was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, which he joined in 1984. While at Wilson Sonsini he represented a number of VantagePoint portfolio companies. Neil is a graduate of Oxford University (MBA) and UCLA School of Law (JD).
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About Oxford Angel Fund, VantagePoint Capital Partners: VantagePoint Capital Partners (formerly VantagePoint Venture Partners, until 2011) has more than $4.5 billion in capital under management
Thomas A. Bevilacqua
Managing Director & Group Co-leader of VantagePoint Capital Partners
Thomas A. Bevilacqua has served as a member of our Board since November 2009, as a member of our compensation committee since February 2010, as a member of our nominating and corporate governance committee since February 2011, and as Lead Independent Director since October 2018. Mr. Bevilacqua has served as a Managing Director with VantagePoint Capital Partners, a venture capital firm, since November 2007, where he focuses on investments in the Internet and information technology market. Prior to joining VantagePoint, Mr. Bevilacqua served as Executive Vice President of E*TRADE Financial from 1997 to 2002, where he served in a variety of operational roles and established E*TRADE’s acquisition and investment strategies. While at E*TRADE, Mr. Bevilacqua founded ArrowPath Venture Partners, an early stage venture capital fund that was later spun out from E*TRADE, and served as the Managing Partner of that firm from 1999 to November 2007. Mr. Bevilacqua was previously a partner at two leading Silicon Valley law firms, Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Mr. Bevilacqua received a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a B.S. in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley. We believe that Mr. Bevilacqua possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors and to serve as a member of our compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee, including his knowledge of technology investments and Internet services, his financial literacy and his general business and legal experience.
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About VantagePoint Capital Partners: VantagePoint Capital Partners (formerly VantagePoint Venture Partners, until 2011) has more than $4.5 billion in capital under management
Irene Choi
Director, Drug Discovery of Verge Genomics
Irene has nine years of experience leading multiple neuroscience drug discovery programs from idea to clinic. Prior to Verge, she led early discovery, pharmacology, and program teams at Nektar Therapeutics. There, she helped bring several drugs to clinic, including NKTR-181, a first-in-class mu-opioid analgesic currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. Irene completed her post-doctoral training in Catherine Rivier’s group at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and received her Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the University of New Mexico.
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About Verge Genomics: Verge Genomics uses machine learning and human genomics to accelerate drug discovery.
Michael Raftery
Senior Director of Manufacturing and Quality of Breathometer
Mike has over 20 years’ experience in engineering and management. His roles have spanned a variety of areas including engineering, quality, operations, product development, and customer support.
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About Breathometer: Breathometer develops a breath analysis technology that helps people make smarter decisions and improve their lives.
Dave Schulte
SVP, Managing Director of McKesson Ventures
Dave has more than 15 years of experience, as an investor and investment banker, partnering with entrepreneurs to build innovative health care and technology businesses. He joined Kasier Permanente Ventures in 2003 and helped build KP’s investment program. He is now responsible for managing the Fund’s investment strategy and day to day activities. Prior to KP Ventures, Dave was a health care and software investment banker at J.P. Morgan, UBS, and Piper Jaffray. He serves or served as a Board Director or Observer for several companies: Atheromed, Baxano (sold to Trans1), Hemosphere (sold to Cryolife) , MetricStream, Nursefinders (sold to Goldman Sachs), Proteus Biomedical, Pulmonx, ValenTx, Valeritas and Xanitos. Dave is a graduate of St. John’s University and earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.
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About McKesson Ventures: McKesson Ventures is a California-based venture capital that focuses on the healthcare industry.
Samantha Cardenas
Director of Operations of Surglogs
Samantha Cardenas is the Director of Operations at SurgLogs.
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About Surglogs: Surglogs streamlines and automates administration of logbooks, medications, supplies, in-services and drills in healthcare facilities.
Paul F. Truex
President & CEO, Director of Anthera Pharmaceuticals
Mr. Truex has served as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer since the inception of Anthera in 2004.He was responsible for negotiating Anthera’s product license for A-623, our anti-BAFF peptibody program from Amgen.Prior to founding Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Truex served as a Founder, Director, President and CEO of Peninsula Pharmaceuticals.During that time Mr. Truex raised over $81 million of institutional capital (including $21 million from a strategic partner) and negotiated both of Peninsula’s product agreements with Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Doribax®, doripenem) and Takeda Chemical Industries (Teflaro®, ceftaroline). Peninsula was acquired by Johnson and Johnson in April of 2005 for $245 million in an all cash transaction.The remaining entity, Cerexa was subsequently acquired in 2006 for $480 million in cash.During his career, Mr. Truex has successfully raised over $150 million in venture investments and more than $500 million in various public and private equity and debt offerings including Anthera’s Initial Public Offering in 2010 and Versicor’s IPO in 2000.Mr. Truex has extensive experience in sales’ marketing and business development in several industries including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, consumer electronics, and telecommunications.Prior to Peninsula, Mr. Truex was Vice President of Commercial Development for Versicor Incorporated (acquired by Pfizer) where he directed early commercial efforts for their infectious disease portfolio and participated in the company’s successful $55 million initial public offering.Prior to joining Versicor, Mr. Truex worked at Eli Lilly and Company where he served in various marketing and sales roles during the launch of three different products for the primary care physician market (Actos®’ Evista®’ and Humalog 75/25®). His business development experience includes the Lilly ICOS LLC joint venture’ two majorproduct divestitures and numerous small research collaborations. While there Mr. Truex also worked with several product teams on various divestiture strategies.Mr. Truex obtained his Masters of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Waterloo.Mr. Truex is a member of the Board of Directors of Trius Therapeutics, Milestone Pharmaceuticals and Waterloo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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About Anthera Pharmaceuticals: Anthera Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing products to treat diseases associated with inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
David Cory
President and Chief Executive Officer, Board Director of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals
David Cory is an entrepreneur and industry veteran with 25-years experience in large pharmaceuticals, emerging stage biotechnology, and specialty pharmaceutical organizations with an established track record of operational, transactional, and financial success.Mr. Cory is currently the President and CEO of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals since 2008. He is responsible for negotiating Eiger’s multiple product licenses from Merck and Astra Zeneca. Cory was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, an Orphan CNS specialty pharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Biovail Pharmaceuticals for $160 million in 2008. Cory was Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at CoTherix, an Orphan Pulmonary Hypertension company, which was acquired by Actelion for $425 million in 2006. Cory began his start up career as Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at InterMune, a public biotechnology company focused on developing Orphan products for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was as a key executive in the InterMune IPO, building and managing the company’s commercial organization, in-licensing 4 products and raising over $400 million in the capital markets. Mr. Cory spent the first 12 years of his career in operating positions of increasing responsibility at The Upjohn Company, Glaxo, Glaxo Wellcome, and Glaxo Smith Kline leading teams in CNS, Critical Care, Oncology, Infectious Disease, and Respiratory therapeutic areas, where he directed 10 pharmaceutical product launches and the commercialization of 20 brands.David Cory is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College of Pharmacy, is board certified in Pharmacy, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.
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About Eiger BioPharmaceuticals: Eiger is a biopharmaceutical company that develops new antiviral agents against novel targets in the treatment of hepatitis.
James Atkinson
Medical Director of UCLA Health System
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About UCLA Health System: UCLA Health has provided the best in healthcare and the latest in medical technology to the people of Los Angeles and throughout the world.
David Heber
Professor and Director, Center for Human Nutrition of UCLA Health System
David Heber is internationally prominent in the fields of nutrition, metabolism, obesity and its associated complications. He has published seminal research articles on the causes of obesity, weight loss strategies, and the relationship of obesity to cancer and cardiovascular disease. David Heber is the Founding Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, a Professor of Medicine and Public Health, the founding Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Medicine.He directs the NCI-funded Clinical Nutrition Research Unit and the NIH Nutrition and Obesity Training Grants at UCLA. Heber is board-certified in Internal Medicine, and Endocrinology and Metabolism by the American Board of Internal Medicine and in Clinical Nutrition by the American Board of Nutrition. He earned his MD at Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Heber served as a Director of the American Board of Nutrition and past chair of the Education Committee of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition. He is included in the 2000 listing of The Best Doctors in America, based on a survey of over 35,000 doctors throughout the nation, and is listed in Who’s Who in America for 2001. Heber’s primary areas of research are obesity treatment and prevention, the role of nutrition, phytochemicals,and botanical dietary supplements in the prevention and treatment of common forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 25 book chapters, and two professional texts.
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About UCLA Health System: UCLA Health has provided the best in healthcare and the latest in medical technology to the people of Los Angeles and throughout the world.
Rachel Linonis
Title Director of Digital Solutions, UCLA Division of Population Behavioral Health of UCLA Health System
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About UCLA Health System: UCLA Health has provided the best in healthcare and the latest in medical technology to the people of Los Angeles and throughout the world.
Geoffrey Parker
Board of Directors of ChemoCentryx
Geoffrey M. Parker has served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2010, after serving in a consulting capacity since December 2009. From July 2009 to July 2010, Mr. Parker served in a consulting capacity as the Chief Business Officer of InteKrin Therapeutics, a privately held biopharmaceutical company in Los Altos, California. From 1997 to April 2009, Mr. Parker was a Vice President, then Managing Director and finally Partner at the global investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., leading their West Coast Healthcare Investment Banking practice during this time. Mr. Parker also served in various capacities with Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from 1990 to 1995 and 1986 to 1988. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Parker was Vice President at Feibusch & Co., a venture capital firm in Larkspur, California. Mr. Parker is currently a member of the board of directors of Genoptix, Inc., a specialized laboratory service provider and ChemoCentryx, Inc., a clinical stage privately held biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Parker received an A.B. from Dartmouth College in Engineering Sciences and Economics and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
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About Tricida: ChemoCentryx develops orally administered small molecule therapeutics that target chemokine receptors and related chemo-attractants.
Sam Hanash
Director of MD &erson’s Red & Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection & Treatment of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
I was recruited to join MD Anderson in July 2012 to lead the Red and Charline McCombs Institute for Cancer Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer. My interests and expertise focus on the development and application of integrated approaches for the molecular profiling of cancer, with emphasis on the application of proteomics technologies for the development of blood based markers to identify subjects at increased risk of developing cancer and markers for early detection of cancer and for tumor classification. The work involves sorting through tens of thousands of protein forms in the blood most of which occur at exceedingly low abundance to identify those that are most relevant to particular cancer types. I serve as program principal investigator for many multi-investigator projects aimed at discovery and validation of cancer markers. I led a consortium of investigators working on molecular profiling of lung cancer to identify molecular risk factors for developing lung cancer among smokers as well never smokers that can be used to develop a blood test for lung cancer risk. Another goal is to develop blood based markers for the early detection of lung cancer. I have also led similar efforts to identify markers for the early detection of other cancers notably breast, ovarian, pancreas and colon. I pioneered strategies for the discovery of cancer markers which include molecular profiling of blood that was collected one or more years prior to a diagnosis of cancer to determine the changes that can be detected in blood that could be used for assessing risk or for detecting cancer at an early stage. Another approach pioneered is the use of mouse models of cancer in which cancer causing genes are turned on and blood is collected serially to identify the earliest changes in the blood that occur with tumor development. Findings from mouse studies are validated using human blood to confirm the relevance of these markers for the early detection of cancer in humans.
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About The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: The MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers in the United States established by the National
Alex Ermolaev
Director Of AI of Change Healthcare
AI applications on and off ever since he got his original degree in this subject more than 20 years. His experience includes enterprise AI, AI platforms/tools, NLP, imaging and self-driving cars. Alex currently works as Director of AI for Change Healthcare – one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the world.
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About Change Healthcare: Change Healthcare is a healthcare technology company that focuses on accelerating the transformation of the healthcare system.
Scott Cressman
Director of Sales Engineering of Human API
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About Human API: Human API is a real-time health data network that gives consumers a simple way to view and share their health data from everywhere.
Li Weng
Director of AccuraGen Holdings
Li currently leads AccuraGen’s R&D. With her extensive knowledge and industry experience in genomic technology, she has spearheaded the development of a next generation sequencing (NGS)-based ctDNA assay suite which includes an amplicon-based NGS technology for SNV and fusion detection. Li is responsible for translating new technology developments into clinical actionables (LDT and potential IVD kit) for AccuraGen’s clinical labs in China as well as for GMP production. Li received her PhD in cancer biology from the University of Chicago and completed her postdoctoral studies at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where she worked on a sequencing-based assessment of human disease. She then moved to Affymetrix and later to Sequenta, where she managed the development and FDA-approval process of the company’s flagship product, a NGS-based technology for immuno profiling and MRD detection in patients with lymphoid cancer.
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About AccuraGen Holdings: A cancer early detection company
Thomas Lines
Founder and Director of FRS
Thomas Lines is the founder and director of [FRS](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/frs#/entity), a line of nutritional products that include ready-to-drink beverages, chews, powdered drink mixes, shots, and concentrates. He currently resides in Foster City, California.
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About FRS: FRS offers a line of nutritional products that include ready-to-drink beverages, chews, powdered drink mixes, shots and concentrates.
Robert Finocchio
Director, Audit Committee Chair of Nuance Communications
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About Nuance Communications, Santa Clara University: Nuance Communications provides conversational AI innovations that bring intelligence to everyday work and life.
Ryan Nelson
Director of Education of Drunk Elephant
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About Drunk Elephant: Drunk Elephant is a non-toxic skin care brand.
David-Alexandre Gros
Co-Founder, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Imbria Pharmaceuticals
David-Alexandre is the co-founder, director and chief executive officer at Imbria Pharmaceuticals.
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About Imbria Pharmaceuticals: Imbria Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company with locations in San Diego, CA, and Boston, MA.
Claire Knebl
Director of Marketing of Ritual
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About Ritual: Ritual is a health technology company that is re-inventing consumer products.
Xiang Qian
Medical Director, International Medical Services of Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Dr Xiang Qian is a Pain Medicine Faculty and Physician at Stanford University. He is specialized in treating various pain conditions utilizing the combination of medicine, interventional procedure, physical therapy, and others. He is the co-director of Stanford Neuro Interventional Facial Pain Program and leads the only CT-guided interventional program in west coast of the US. Dr Qian is the Medical Director of International Medical Services at Stanford University. He helps oversee the provision of clinical care, medical chart review, and remote second opinion of Stanford international patients, along with colleagues at IMS. He helps review and optimizes telemedicine consult and international patient referral protocols, policies, and procedures. In addition, He has been working in collaboration with the faculty and hospital administrations to promote international collaborations aligned with Stanford Medicine vision. Dr Qian is the Founding President and the current Chairman of the Society of Chinese American Physician Entrepreneurs, SCAPE, one of the largest non-profit organizations of American physicians with Chinese heritage. SCAPE is a unique platform based in the United States for Chinese American Physicians to exchange ideas and to network. Members are from 50 states of the US, across over 30 different subspecialties, in both private practice and prestigious academic medical centers.
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About Stanford Health Care, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford University, Stanford University School of Medicine: Stanford Hospital & Clinics operates as a hospital that provides patient care services in the United States.
Cynthia Elkins
Board Director of WW International
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About Juno Therapeutics: WW International is a global wellness company and the world’s leading commercial weight management program.
Raj Khandwalla
Director of Digital Therapeutics of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Raj Khandwalla, MD is Director of Cardiovascular Education, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cedars Sinai Heart Institute.
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About American College of Cardiology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Brennan Spiegel
Director of Health Services Research of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Brennan Spiegel is the Director of Health Services Research for Cedars-Sinai Health System and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Master’s Degree Program in Health Delivery Science. Spiegel directs a multidisciplinary team that investigates how digital health technologies, including wearable biosensors, smartphone applications, virtual reality, and social media, can improve people’s lives. His team developed the largest and most widely-documented medical virtual reality program in the world at Cedars-Sinai. Spiegel has published numerous best-selling medical textbooks, editorials, and more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is listed in the “Top 100 Influencer” lists for digital health and virtual reality. His digital health research has been featured by major media outlets, including Bloomberg, CBS News, Forbes, Huffington Post, LA Times, NBC News, Reuters, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. His virtual reality research won the 2017 “Webby Award” for best technology on the internet. His research team receives funding from the NIH, PCORI, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Hearst Foundation, Veterans Administration, State of California precision medicine program, and industry sources. Spiegel is Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the leading clinical gastroenterology journal in North America.
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About Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Gi Health: Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit, academic, community-centric medical center in Los Angeles, California.
Tao Fu
President, COO & Director of Zai Lab
Tao Fu has been our President & Chief Operating Officer since September 2018. Prior to joining Zai Lab, he worked with Portola Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial and Business Officer, responsible for commercial operations, marketing, sales and business development functions. Prior to joining Portola in June 2015, Tao was Vice President and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Alliance Management at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). At BMS, he was responsible for the company’s corporate development, alliance management and venture activities. Between 2003 and 2014, he held several leadership positions with increasing responsibilities at Janssen, the pharmaceuticals group of Johnson & Johnson, most recently as Vice President, Business Development, where he led global M&A activities. He also has experience in business development, commercial strategy and management consulting with McKinsey & Company, Becton Dickinson, etc. Tao holds an M.S. in biology from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A in finance and marketing from Vanderbilt University. He did his undergraduate studies in biology at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
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About Zai Lab: Zai Lab brings transformative medicines for cancer, autoimmune, and infectious diseases to patients in China and around the world.
Mark Mactas
Board of Director of Envision Healthcare
Mark Mactas was most recently deputy chairman, president and chief operating officer for Towers Watson until his retirement in 2011. He was formerly chairman and chief executive officer of Towers Perrin (before it merged with Watson Wyatt) from 2001 to 2009. With 14,000 associates around the world, Towers Watson offers professional services in benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk and capital management. Mark is currently vice chairman of the board of Save the Children, where he has been a trustee since 2006. Since 2011, he has served on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of Lehigh University. In 2013, he joined the Envision Healthcare board, which offers an array of healthcare-related services to consumers, hospitals, healthcare systems, health plans and local, state and national government entities. He also was president of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and served on its board as well as that of the American Academy of Actuaries.
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About : Envision Healthcare offers array of healthcare-related services to consumers, hospitals.
Liz Rockett
Managing Director of Kaiser Permanente Ventures
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About Kaiser Permanente Ventures: Kaiser Permanente Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm investing in healthcare companies.
Amy Belt Raimundo
Managing Director of Kaiser Permanente Ventures
Amy Belt Raimundo joined Kaiser Permanente Ventures as managing director. Amy brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare investing, start-up and corporate operations and hospital system consulting. Immediately prior to joining Kaiser, Amy was the Chief Business Officer of digital health start-up Evidation Health founded by GE Ventures and Stanford Healthcare where she led all commercial and business development activities. Previously, Amy spent close to a decade in venture capital focused on healthcare technology as a Vice President at Covidien Ventures and Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV). She led investments in Medina Medial (acquired by Medtronic) and Nevro Corporation (NYSE: NVRO) among others. Earlier in her career, Amy held operating roles at Guidant Corporation (acquired by Abbott Vascular) including leading the international launch of the Xience drug eluting stent and managing product lines across the US, Europe and Asia. She began her career as a management consultant for APM/CSC Healthcare, optimizing operations and clinical guidelines for major hospital systems. Amy is a Kauffman Venture Fellow as well as founder and president of MedtechWomen. She holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.
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About Covidien Ventures, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, MedTech Women: Kaiser Permanente Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm investing in healthcare companies.
Sam Brasch
Senior Managing Director; KP Venture of Kaiser Permanente Ventures
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About Kaiser Permanente Ventures: Kaiser Permanente Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm investing in healthcare companies.
Chris Grant
Executive Managing Director of Kaiser Permanente Ventures
Chris Grant is a senior vice president at Kaiser Permanente and serves as a member of the senior executive management team. In addition to overseeing Corporate Development, Mergers and Acquisitions and Care Delivery Strategy, Grant is managing director of Kaiser Permanente’s venture capital group. Grant co-founded the investment program in 2000 and has overseen more than 50 investments in highly innovative medical technology companies. Kaiser Permanente’s successful venture investment function is designed to support the company’s health care mission while generating venture capital rates of return. Grant has served as a board director or advisor to over a dozen medical technology and service companies. Prior to the formation of the venture fund in 2000, Grant was responsible for creating, developing and managing a portfolio of new products and business lines for the organization. Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 1995, Grant held several positions on the Business Development and Financial Management Team of Rockwell International Corp. He served on Gov. Brown’s Job Creation Advisory Committee and currently serves on the boards of the East Bay Foundation for Health Education, the Pleasanton partnerships in Education Foundation and the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Council. He is a trustee of his local school district and serves as an advisor to the California Healthcare Foundation’s investment program and the Health and Science Department of Dominican University.
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About Kaiser Permanente Ventures: Kaiser Permanente Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm investing in healthcare companies.
Arthur Keledjian
Member of the Board of Directors of VG Life Sciences
Arthur Keledjian has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2001. Arthur Keledjian has been involved with us since our inception and is a valuable addition to our Board of Directors due to his longevity with us and extensive strategic advising experience. Arthur Keledjian is responsible for procuring and managing over $10 million in annual sales with SCI – Hispana in his business development role. He is based in Los Angeles, CA. Arthur Keledjian graduated from California State University, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Marketing.
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About : VG Life Sciences discovers and develops drug therapies for cancers, infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune disorders.
Nicholas Moore
Independent Director of Gilead Sciences
Nicholas G. Moore joined Gilead’s Board of Directors in March 2004. Moore is the retired global Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a professional services firm formed in July 1998 by the merger of Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. Prior to the merger, Moore was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coopers & Lybrand (U.S.) in 1994 and Coopers & Lybrand International in 1997. Moore is the lead independent director of NetApp and a director of Bechtel Group, Inc., Wells Fargo, N.A. and E2 Open. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s College of California. Moore is an inactive member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Bar Association, and the California and New York Society of Certified Public Accountants.
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About AICPA, California Society of Certified Public Accountants, Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes therapies for critical diseases.
Teresa Wang
Director, Investor Relations of Gilead Sciences
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About Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes therapies for critical diseases.
Brian Peters
Senior Director, Procurement of Gilead Sciences
Brian Peters is the senior director of procurement at Gilead Sciences.
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About Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes therapies for critical diseases.
Joel Bercu
Sr Director of Gilead Sciences
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About Gilead Sciences, Gilead Sciences, Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes therapies for critical diseases.
Steve Archer
Sr. Director, Electrical Dev of NeuroPace
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About NeuroPace: NeuroPace develops and markets implantable devices for the treatment of neurological disorders.
