Michael Andreini
President and Chief Executive Officer, MMRF
Michael Andreini is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). Michael brings nearly 15 years of strategic consulting and operational experience in the life sciences industry.
Prior to joining the MMRF, Michael was an Associate Principal at IQVIA in the consulting services organization where he developed strategies for biopharma, medical device, and non-profit organizations to drive innovation and operational excellence across a diverse set of business challenges including R&D and launch strategy, commercial due diligence and portfolio optimization, and organizational effectiveness.
Before joining IQVIA, Michael worked at Fuld & Company, a boutique consulting firm specializing in competitive intelligence and strategy, and prior to that, at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in the Global Technical Operations group where he resolved technical issues for immunoassay reagents and systems. Michael earned a B.A. in chemistry with a minor concentration in economics from Colgate University.
Stephanie Oestreich, Ph.D., MPA
Managing Director, Myeloma Investment Fund
Stephanie Oestreich is Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) and serves on the boards of the German American Business Council in Boston and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women’s Network and is the chair of the McCloy Alumni Association. She is also on the faculty of MIT, a member of the Launchpad Venture Group, an advisor at grIP Venture Studio, to Biognosys (a Bruker company), Invitris, CART company CelineTx and to the drug development and investment company OrangeGrove Bio and a member of the W20 Entrepreneurship task force, the official engagement group of the G20.
Previously she was Chief Business Officer at Galecto, Vice President at cell therapy company Mnemo Therapeutics, a Venture Partner at RA Capital and Executive Vice President at Evotec where she built its North American investment arm and started an incubator with Samsara BioCapital. She also worked as International Business Leader at F. Roche Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and for Novartis in Business Development and in Commercial.
Stephanie conducted the research for her Ph.D. in biochemistry in the lab of a Nobel Prize winner at Harvard Medical School and obtained an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.
As a semi-professional violinist, she performs with Philharmonic orchestras in Carnegie Hall and other international venues and conducts workshops with live orchestras, demonstrating the similarities between teams and leadership in music and management.
Nicole Samuel, Ph.D.
Associate, Myeloma Investment Fund
Nicole Samuel, PhD, received her B.A. in Biology from Amherst College and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her doctoral work in cancer biology focused on leukemia and other blood disorders. Her work included the use of embryonic stem cells, genetic engineering and bioinformatic analysis to understand early genetic events leading to the onset of leukemia. Following her doctoral work, Nicole transitioned to biotechnology equity research to deepen her clinical trial skills/expertise and develop additional skills in financial valuation/modeling and due diligence.
Kurt Gish, Ph.D.
CEO & Co-Founder at Trilo Therapeutics
Kurt Gish has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Kurt is currently serving as the CEO and Co-Founder of Trilo Therapeutics, a position they have held since 2021. Prior to this, they co-founded the company and served as the Chief Scientific Officer.
Before their time at Trilo Therapeutics, Gish worked at various organizations in leadership roles. Kurt spent five years at AbbVie as the Associate Director II of Discovery, leading the ADC Discovery group in developing antibody-drug conjugates for oncology. Prior to AbbVie, Gish worked at Abbott Biotherapeutics Corp. as an Associate Director of Discovery, managing a team and focusing on the development of ADCs for oncology.
Gish also held the position of Director of Research at Facet Biotech, where they managed a team and worked on the development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for oncology. Kurt served as Director of Research at PDL BioPharma, managing a larger team and focusing on the development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune disease.
Before their leadership roles, Gish worked as a Senior Scientist at Eos Biotechnology, conducting genome-wide gene regulation studies for cancer-specific molecules. Kurt also worked at Affymetrix as a Scientist, focusing on gene regulation studies for cancer-specific genes. Gish began their career as a Postdoctoral Fellow at DNAX Research Institute, where they conducted novel gene discovery and gene regulation studies.
Throughout their career, Gish has accumulated expertise in the development of first-in-class antibody-drug conjugates and monoclonal antibody therapeutics for oncology.
Kurt Gish has a strong educational background in the field of biology. Kurt received their Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UC Irvine in 1987. Kurt then went on to pursue further education and obtained their Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University in 1994. Following their doctoral studies, Kurt Gish joined the DNAX Research Institute for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Immunology, where they engaged in research and scholarly activities from 1994 to 1997.
Randi Isaacs, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Werewolf Therapeutics
Dr. Randi Isaacs is Chief Medical Officer at Werewolf Therapeutics. She was previously Executive Director and Clinical Site Head of Translational Clinical Oncology at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research where she oversaw multiple clinical oncology programs and served as the clinical liaison for the Novartis CAR-T collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, and was the clinical liaison for the business development and licensing team, where she was responsible for evaluation and due diligence of potential assets for license or acquisition. She was previously Director of Global Oncology at Schering Plough, Head of Oncology Biologics at Merck, and Associate Director of Clinical Research at Sandoz.
Before moving into industry, she held academic positions including Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology division at the State University of New York Health Sciences Center, and Clinical Assistant Professor in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Her major research interests are in the area of novel therapeutic approaches in oncology, including biologic agents, molecularly targeted therapies, immunotherapy and CAR-T cells for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, as well as translational approaches for patient selection strategies and biomarker development.
Dr. Isaacs received her B.A. in chemistry from Wellesley College and her M.D. from Dartmouth Medical School. She spent one year in the MS program in epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. She was a resident and postdoctoral fellow at UCSF, and a medical Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Guru Muralimohan, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Guru Muralimohan is a team Leader with a strong scientific background and broad commercial experience in global strategic marketing, new product planning, business development & licensing (BD&L), and market access.
He is currently Executive Director at Bayer Pharmaceuticals for Oncology Early Pipeline Commercialization team. In addition to his portfolio responsibilities, has is also the commercial lead for BD&L efforts and collaborates effectively with Research, Early Clinical Development, Regulatory, Marketing and Market Access on several cross-functional initiatives.
Prior to Bayer, Guru spent nine years at Boehringer Ingelheim where he worked in US and Global Marketing, US Market Access, and US Strategy & Operations roles. He also has management consulting experience where he led several projects for pharmaceutical, biotech and private equity companies on venture investing, new product planning, search & evaluation and business development & licensing.
Guru started his career at Xcellerex Inc, a Boston biotech backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins and VantagePoint. In that role he made significant contributions to increase shareholder value eventually leading to acquisition by GE Healthcare.
Guru holds a PhD in Immunology from University of Connecticut Health Center where he explored the role of adaptive and innate immune system on tumor biology. He also holds an MBA from University of Connecticut, School of Business.
David R. Parkinson, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer, ESSA Pharma Inc.
Dr. Parkinson has considerable scientific, medical, development, regulatory, business and management experience in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industry. He has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ESSA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: EPIX) since January 2016, and as Director of the company since June 2015. Prior to joining ESSA, he had been a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates, Inc.
From 2007 until 2012, Dr. Parkinson served as President and CEO of Nodality, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the biological characterization of signaling pathways in patients with malignancy.
Until October 2007, he was SVP, Oncology Research and Development at Biogen Idec, where he oversaw all oncology discovery research efforts and the development of the oncology pipeline. Previously he had served as VP, Oncology Development, at Amgen and VP, Global Clinical Oncology Development, at Novartis. In those roles, he oversaw the successful clinical development of a series of cancer therapeutics, including Gleevec, Zometa, Femara, and Vectibix.
Dr. Parkinson worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1990 to 1997, serving as Chief of the Investigational Drug Branch and then as Acting Associate Director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP).
He is a past Chairman of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Biologics Advisory Committee, a past member of the FDA Science Board, and is a recipient of the FDA’s Cody Medal.
He is a past editor of the Journal of Immunotherapy and past president of the Society of Biological Therapy (now the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC). He has served on the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine and is a past co-chair of the Cancer Steering Committee of the NIH Foundation Biomarkers Consortium.
A past Board Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), he currently serves as a Board Director for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and chairs their Translational Research Committee. He served as Chairperson of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Finance and Audit Committee for 15 years, is a previous elected Board Director of AACR, and currently chairs the Project GENIE Oversight Committee for AACR.
Dr. Parkinson was a Director of Facet Biotech, Inc., until the acquisition by Abbott Pharmaceuticals, and was a Director of Ambit Biosciences until the acquisition by Daiichi Sankyo. He has also previously served as a Director at Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharmaceuticals (now DARE, Inc), and Tocagen, Inc (now Forte, Inc).
In addition to the ESSA board he currently serves as Director on the boards of 3SBio Inc (1530.HK) and CTI Biopharma, Inc (CTIC, NASDAQ). He also serves on the board of the private company Angiocrine Biosciences, and is a Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., also a private company.
He has held academic positions both at Tufts and at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Hugh Martin
Chairman of the Board, Myeloma Investment Fund
Hugh Martin joined Verizon through the acquisition of Sensity Systems by Verizon in October 2016. Hugh created the vision for Sensity Systems and the Light Sensory Network and is responsible for steering the company’s strategic course. His 35-year track record as an entrepreneurial leader of cutting-edge technology companies, new ventures, and high-growth businesses includes serving at the helm of numerous highly successful organizations.
In 2011, he was named CEO for Fortune magazine’s ‘Executive Dream Team: The startup edition,’ acknowledged for his ‘management chops’ and for successfully taking public two companies, in two different industries. Most recently, the World Economic Forum recognized Hugh and Sensity as a Technology Pioneer.
Thomas Conheeney
Retired President, SAC Capital
Tom was appointed President of SAC Capital in July 2008. He joined SAC in October 1999 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining SAC, Tom was President of Investment Management Services, Inc (“IMS”) from 1996 to 1999. He retired from SAC in December 2014, but remains an active member of the MMRF leadership team.
Dana LaForge
Partner, Brera Capital Partners, LLC
Dana LaForge is a Partner at Brera Capital Partners, a private equity fund, and the Founder and Managing Partner of Colonnade Financial Group, a private equity services firm. Prior to Brera and Colonnade, Dana was head of Financial Institutions Investment Banking and Chief of Staff of Banking and Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank and its predecessor companies.
LaForge was one of the earliest Directors of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation joining the Board in 1999 and helping guide the Foundation from start up through today.
William S. McKiernan
President, WSM Capital, LLC
Bill McKiernan is president of WSM Capital, LLC, a private equity firm he founded to invest in payment and other technology companies. Prior to founding WSM Capital, Bill founded CyberSource Corporation in 1994. CyberSource provides payment processing and other related services to online businesses. He was Chairman and CEO for 16 years.
Michael Andreini
President and Chief Executive Officer, MMRF
Michael Andreini is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). Michael brings nearly 15 years of strategic consulting and operational experience in the life sciences industry.
Prior to joining the MMRF, Michael was an Associate Principal at IQVIA in the consulting services organization where he developed strategies for biopharma, medical device, and non-profit organizations to drive innovation and operational excellence across a diverse set of business challenges including R&D and launch strategy, commercial due diligence and portfolio optimization, and organizational effectiveness.
Before joining IQVIA, Michael worked at Fuld & Company, a boutique consulting firm specializing in competitive intelligence and strategy, and prior to that, at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in the Global Technical Operations group where he resolved technical issues for immunoassay reagents and systems. Michael earned a B.A. in chemistry with a minor concentration in economics from Colgate University.
Julius Knowles
Partner, Mass General Brigham Ventures
Jay is a business development professional with more than 25 years in the biotech industry and has helped to guide multiple early stage companies through drug discovery and development. He was previously CEO of X-BODY Biosciences (sold to Juno), an emerging biotech focused on generating antibodies against GPCRs and ion channels. Prior to this, he was Head, Platforms, Strategic Alliances for Novartis, where he led a team responsible for creating technology-based and drug discovery collaborations, forging a number of major strategic alliances with biotech companies.
Jay was also President of Novalar Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company that brought a drug from idea stage through the clinic and onto the market. He was also Vice President, Business Development, at Novacea and at Structural Genomix, and Director, Research and Development Planning at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has an MBA in Finance from Wharton Business School, an M.Sc. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, and a BA with Distinction in Chemistry from Carleton College. He represents Mass General Brigham Ventures on the board of Abcuro, Keros, Paros, Proximity, and SwanBio, and as a board observer at ROME, QurAlis, and Triplet Therapeutics.
Hugh Martin
Chairman of the Board, Myeloma Investment Fund
Hugh Martin joined Verizon through the acquisition of Sensity Systems by Verizon in October 2016. Hugh created the vision for Sensity Systems and the Light Sensory Network and is responsible for steering the company’s strategic course. His 35-year track record as an entrepreneurial leader of cutting-edge technology companies, new ventures, and high-growth businesses includes serving at the helm of numerous highly successful organizations.
In 2011, he was named CEO for Fortune magazine’s ‘Executive Dream Team: The startup edition,’ acknowledged for his ‘management chops’ and for successfully taking public two companies, in two different industries. Most recently, the World Economic Forum recognized Hugh and Sensity as a Technology Pioneer.
Rob Miani
Chief Financial Officer, MMRF
Rob Miani is a seasoned financial executive with over two decades of leadership experience, renowned for his strategic acumen and expertise in financial management across various industries. Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the MMRF, Rob has played a pivotal role in shaping the financial landscape of the organization dedicated to advancing research and treatment options for multiple myeloma patients.
Prior to his role at MMRF, Rob held the position of VP and Corporate Controller at Aptuit, LLC, a global contract research organization specializing in integrated services from early drug discovery to mid-phase drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. His tenure at Aptuit showcased his proficiency in financial oversight within the dynamic and highly regulated industry.
Rob’s professional journey extends beyond the pharmaceutical industry, as he has made significant contributions to various sectors. His managerial roles in renewable energy, private equity, internet, and technology sectors reflect a versatile skill set and an ability to adapt to diverse business environments. Notably, he has supported numerous private and public companies, leaving a lasting impact on organizations such as Davenport Newberry, Oak Investment Partners, and INT Media Group. Rob initiated his career at Arthur Andersen LLP, where he worked in the Assurance and Business Advisory Services Division. This early experience provided a solid foundation for his subsequent roles and shaped his approach to financial management.
Rob’s commitment to professional excellence, extensive leadership experience, combined with his strategic vision and financial expertise, underscores his valuable contribution to the MMRF team. His ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and diverse industries positions him as a dynamic and accomplished financial executive.
Rob is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and earned his BS degree in Accounting from Fairfield University.
Stephanie Oestreich, Ph.D., MPA
Managing Director, Myeloma Investment Fund
Stephanie Oestreich is Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) and serves on the boards of the German American Business Council in Boston and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women’s Network and is the chair of the McCloy Alumni Association. She is also on the faculty of MIT, a member of the Launchpad Venture Group, an advisor at grIP Venture Studio, to Biognosys (a Bruker company), Invitris, CART company CelineTx and to the drug development and investment company OrangeGrove Bio and a member of the W20 Entrepreneurship task force, the official engagement group of the G20.
Previously she was Chief Business Officer at Galecto, Vice President at cell therapy company Mnemo Therapeutics, a Venture Partner at RA Capital and Executive Vice President at Evotec where she built its North American investment arm and started an incubator with Samsara BioCapital. She also worked as International Business Leader at F. Roche Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and for Novartis in Business Development and in Commercial.
Stephanie conducted the research for her Ph.D. in biochemistry in the lab of a Nobel Prize winner at Harvard Medical School and obtained an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.
As a semi-professional violinist, she performs with Philharmonic orchestras in Carnegie Hall and other international venues and conducts workshops with live orchestras, demonstrating the similarities between teams and leadership in music and management.
David R. Parkinson, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer, ESSA Pharma Inc.
Dr. Parkinson has considerable scientific, medical, development, regulatory, business and management experience in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industry. He has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ESSA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: EPIX) since January 2016, and as Director of the company since June 2015. Prior to joining ESSA, he had been a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates, Inc.
From 2007 until 2012, Dr. Parkinson served as President and CEO of Nodality, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the biological characterization of signaling pathways in patients with malignancy.
Until October 2007, he was SVP, Oncology Research and Development at Biogen Idec, where he oversaw all oncology discovery research efforts and the development of the oncology pipeline. Previously he had served as VP, Oncology Development, at Amgen and VP, Global Clinical Oncology Development, at Novartis. In those roles, he oversaw the successful clinical development of a series of cancer therapeutics, including Gleevec, Zometa, Femara, and Vectibix.
Dr. Parkinson worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1990 to 1997, serving as Chief of the Investigational Drug Branch and then as Acting Associate Director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP).
He is a past Chairman of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Biologics Advisory Committee, a past member of the FDA Science Board, and is a recipient of the FDA’s Cody Medal.
He is a past editor of the Journal of Immunotherapy and past president of the Society of Biological Therapy (now the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC). He has served on the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine and is a past co-chair of the Cancer Steering Committee of the NIH Foundation Biomarkers Consortium.
A past Board Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), he currently serves as a Board Director for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and chairs their Translational Research Committee. He served as Chairperson of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Finance and Audit Committee for 15 years, is a previous elected Board Director of AACR, and currently chairs the Project GENIE Oversight Committee for AACR.
Dr. Parkinson was a Director of Facet Biotech, Inc., until the acquisition by Abbott Pharmaceuticals, and was a Director of Ambit Biosciences until the acquisition by Daiichi Sankyo. He has also previously served as a Director at Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharmaceuticals (now DARE, Inc), and Tocagen, Inc (now Forte, Inc).
In addition to the ESSA board he currently serves as Director on the boards of 3SBio Inc (1530.HK) and CTI Biopharma, Inc (CTIC, NASDAQ). He also serves on the board of the private company Angiocrine Biosciences, and is a Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc., also a private company.
He has held academic positions both at Tufts and at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.