Empowering Innovation in Women’s Health
October 9, 2024 | 2:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Hybrid Boston, Massachusetts
NCI SBIR is excited to announce an afternoon of dynamic discussion with innovators developing technologies for improving women’s health!
Have a startup? An idea? Thinking about entrepreneurship? Join us on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at Empowering Innovation in Women’s Health, a two-part event featuring discussions with National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, American Cancer Society (ACS) Senior Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science Dr. Christina Annunziata, and leaders of NCI- and ACS-funded companies that are developing life-saving technologies addressing women’s health. Join the experts for an afternoon of insights on the following topics:
- NCI’s and ACS’s commitment to supporting women’s health
- The National Cancer Plan and the NCI Director’s priorities
- NCI- and ACS-funded startups that are bringing a positive impact to women’s health
- The inspiring entrepreneurial journeys of these Biopharma and MedTech innovators
- How to engage with NCI and ACS for future funding
This is a hybrid event. If you are interested in participating in this event, please submit an application via the link below and indicate your preferred attendance (in-person in Boston or virtually).
Event Agenda
Registration and Opening Remarks
2:30-3:00 p.m. ET
Speaker:
Tatiana Yglesias Ulloa, M.B.A., Executive Director, Portal Innovations
NCI and ACS Leadership Fireside Chat
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
This fireside chat with the leading grant makers for cancer research will delve into the vision, priorities, and overall goals of the NCI and ACS and specifically in women’s healthcare. Each leader will also share their journey as a female leader and the hurdles faced on the way to their current roles. Through the conversation, leaders will share how and why each organization funds the research it does and how NCI and ACS align to support female entrepreneurs bringing innovation to patients.
Moderator: Brittany Connors, Director, NCI Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Investor Initiatives
Speakers:
W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.H.C., Director, NCI
Christina Annunziata, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Extramural Discovery Science, ACS
Roundtable Discussion: Empowering Innovation in Women's Health
4:15-5:15 p.m. ET
This roundtable will feature female CEOs who have been funded and supported by NCI SBIR/STTR, ACS, or both. These leaders will share stories about the impact their technologies are having on women's health, how SBIR and ACS have played a key role in the growth of their companies, key lessons learned as CEOs, and their advice for emerging entrepreneurs. The conversation will culminate with an audience Q&A focused on how to bring more female entrepreneurs into the NCI SBIR/STTR and ACS programs in order to bring their technologies from the lab to the market.
Moderator: W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.H.C., Director, NCI
Speakers:
- Dawn Mattoon, Ph.D., CEO, Mercy BioAnalytics
- Eve McDavid, CEO & Co-founder, Mission Driven Tech
- Anu Parvatiyar, Co-founder & CEO, Ananya Health
- Maria Luisa Pineda, Ph.D., Co-founder & CEO, Envisagenics
- Shadi Saberi, Ph.D., Founder & CTO, iSono Health
- Kristin Sherman, M.B.A., CEO, Kovina Therapeutics
Reception and Industry Panel hosted by Portal Innovations Boston (In-person only)
5:15 - 7:00 p.m. ET
Registration and Networking (In-person only)
5:15 – 6:00 p.m. ET
Panel Discussion (In-person only)
6:00 – 6:45 p.m. ET
There are certain cancers that predominantly impact women and many cancers that impact us all. Is there an option to improve how we diagnose and treat women vs. men? What are the biggest gaps that pharma and other large companies are trying to fill? How can small companies help to fill gaps? How can small companies prepare to partner? What funding is available to help small companies advance their technologies?
Speakers for this session will include the Director of the NCI SBIR program and several representatives from pharma, device, diagnostics, and the investment community.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Michael Weingarten, M.A., Director, SBIR Development Center, NCI
- Farnaz Bakhshi, Ph.D., Director, Innovation ACS BrightEdge
- Carla Bauer Ph.D., Director, Oncology Search and Evaluation, Business Development & Licensing, Merck
- Katie Bodner Spielberg, Ph.D., Principal, 5AM Ventures
- Michelle Ma, Ph.D., Analyst, Novartis Venture Fund
- Xiaodong Zhang, Ph.D., Business DevelopmentSearch & Evaluation, Oncology and Hematology, Novartis
Networking (In-person only)
6:45 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Panelists
W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.H.C.
Director
National Cancer Institute
W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.H.C., began her work as the 17th director of the National Cancer Institute in December 2023. She previously led the Vanderbilt University Medical Center as physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine.
With a specialty in the research and treatment of complex and hereditary kidney cancers, Dr. Rathmell also focuses on underlying drivers of kidney cancers using genetic, molecular, and cell biology to develop interventions to improve patients’ lives. Beyond her research interests, Dr. Rathmell is also a steadfast champion for mentorship and development of early career researchers.
Dr. Rathmell earned undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa and her Ph.D. in biophysics and M.D. from Stanford University. She completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Chicago and an internal medicine residency, medical oncology fellowship, and postdoctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2022, she completed her Master of Management in Health Care from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.
Michael Weingarten, M.A.
Director
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Michael Weingarten, M.A., is the Director for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. In this role, Mr. Weingarten leads a team of twenty who manage all aspects of the NCI SBIR & STTR Programs including a portfolio of $200M in grants and contracts annually. The SBIR & STTR programs are NCI's engine of innovation for developing and commercializing novel technologies and products to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. Mr. Weingarten has implemented a set of key initiatives for optimizing the performance of the NCI SBIR Program at the NIH. These include the establishment of a new model at the NCI for managing the program - the SBIR Development Center.
Brittany Connors, PMP
Director of Investor Relations
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Brittany Connors, PMP, serves as the Director of Investor Relations at NCI SBIR. She has worked at NCI SBIR in various roles since 2013, playing a major role in the center’s Investor Initiatives program. She has maintained a vast network and works with more than 70 industry-leading investors and strategics each year to review the NCI SBIR portfolio and to select companies to attend and pitch at events like BIO.
Tatiana Yglesias Ulloa, M.B.A.
Executive Director
Portal Innovations
Tatiana Yglesias Ulloa, M.B.A., is the Executive Director of Portal Innovations' Boston location, the leading life sciences global venture development engine that bridges the gap between scientific exploration and entrepreneurial realization — providing early-stage life sciences companies with the seed capital, innovative wet lab space, and seasoned management expertise necessary for them to flourish.
With over 15 years of international leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, Ms. Ulloa is a venture innovation enabler, a resilient commercial architect, and a talent and culture builder with a proven track record of accelerating results across organizational roles, product lifecycles, and therapeutic areas, leveraging strategic and organizational agility to identify unseen opportunities and deliver business value.
In her 12+ year pharma career at Novartis, Ms. Ulloa had the opportunity to lead across multiple organizational areas, countries, and roles; leveraging strategic and organizational agility to accelerate results.
Originally from Costa Rica and having moved around the globe, Ms. Ulloa feels at home in Boston, where she currently lives. She holds an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, an M.B.A. from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from MIT’s School of Engineering.
Christina Annunziata, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Extramural Discovery Science
American Cancer Society
As Senior Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science (EDS), Christina Annunziata, M.D., Ph.D., leads a team of scientific directors and staff to identify the most innovative and promising research from research grant applications to end cancer as we know it for everyone. In addition to leading the grant Peer Review process at the American Cancer Society (ACS), Dr. Annunziata builds and fosters critical relationships with cancer researchers across the nation and with international scientific communities.
Dr. Annunziata received her M.D. and Ph.D., as well as, completed graduate school and residency training in internal medicine at Georgetown University Medical School.
Dawn Mattoon, Ph.D.
CEO
Mercy BioAnalytics
Dawn Mattoon, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer at Mercy Bioanalytics. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry and has held leadership positions in R&D, strategy, and general management for leading companies including Invitrogen, Life Technologies, Thermo Fisher, and Cell Signaling Technology. Most recently Dr. Mattoon served as the Senior Vice President for Clinical Diagnostics at Quanterix, where she led the development and commercialization of the company’s first two FDA authorized diagnostic tests for COVID-19, and received Breakthrough Device designations from the FDA for diagnostic tests in Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. She has developed and commercialized products across a range of proteomic and genomic technologies, and is thrilled by the opportunity to bring the highly innovative Mercy Halo diagnostic test portfolio to patients.
Dr. Mattoon earned her Ph.D. in Genetics with a focus in signal transduction from Yale University, where she also completed her postdoctoral fellowship.
Eve McDavid
CEO & Co-founder
Mission Driven Tech
Eve McDavid is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mission-Driven Tech, a new women's health venture transforming gynecologic cancer care with modern technology.
Ms. McDavid is a former Google executive and stage IIB cervical cancer survivor. For more than a decade at Google, Ms. McDavid specialized in strategic partnerships, product development, and commercialization spanning private industry and the public sector. She's built a track record of thought leadership by introducing industries to new technology and demonstrating how adoption unlocks unparalleled growth.
Forever transformed by cervical cancer, Ms. McDavid is a passionate advocate for women's healthcare access and equity. As a woman in tech who specializes in complex problem-solving, she's joined the World Health Organization's fight to eradicate Cervical Cancer by 2030.
Anu Parvatiyar
Co-founder & CEO
Ananya Health
Anu Parvatiyar is Co-Founder & CEO of Ananya Health — a medical device company building a platform technology to freeze cells in the cervix before they become malignant cervical cancer, without consumable cryogen.
Prior to Ananya Health, she led the team at eHealth Africa that worked with the Gates Foundation, WHO, the government of Nigeria, and other partners to reduce the number of polio cases from 122 (in 2012) to 0 (in 2015). Ms. Parvatiyar has also designed and launched several medical devices for critical care and cardiac markets in the US, Europe, and Asia.
She holds a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering and economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Maria Luisa Pineda, Ph.D.
Co-founder & CEO
Envisagenics
Maria Luisa Pineda, Ph.D., started as a high school Intel International Science Fair winner. For her undergraduate studies, Dr. Pineda was awarded an endowment of $2 million dollars from the Goizueta Foundation and an NIH fellowship with the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC U*STAR) program. Dr. Pineda received her Ph.D. from the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences as an Arnold and Mabel Beckman graduate student and a William Randolph Hearst foundation scholar. After graduating, she acquired investment experience in technology and life-sciences startup companies at Canrock Ventures and Golden Seeds, LLC. Under her leadership, Envisagenics has received non-dilutive SBIR grants from the National Institutes of Health, raised capital from investors, won several prestigious artificial intelligence competitions, and formed multiple research collaboration partnerships with Biopharma.
Shadi Saberi, Ph.D.
Founder & CTO
iSono Health
Shadi Saberi, Ph.D., has over 13 years of research and industry experience in the development of hardware systems, IC and PCB design, and system architecture. Dr. Saberi has led iSono in the development of ultrasound system and hardware architecture which includes the transmitter and receiver analog front-end, interface with ultrasound transducer array, as well as digital signal processing in FPGA. She has worked at Broadcom and Intel. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering both from Carnegie Mellon University.
Kristin Sherman, M.B.A.
CEO
Kovina Therapeutics
Kristin Sherman, M.B.A., assumed the CEO role for Kovina Therapeutics in April 2021. Prior to joining Kovina, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for VMS BioMarketing, a healthcare marketing firm focused on improving patient outcomes for pharma and biotech clients.
Her prior experience includes serving as the Chief Financial Officer for private biotech companies such as Calibrium, LLC until its acquisition by Novo Nordisk in 2015 and Marcadia Biotech which was purchased by Roche in 2010. Ms. Sherman also worked as the Vice President and Treasurer for Guidant Corporation during the sale of Guidant to Abbott and Boston Scientific and previously served as Guidant’s first financial director for the emerging markets region located in Belgium. In addition, Ms. Sherman worked as Guidant’s Assistant Treasurer during the company’s spin-off from Eli Lilly and Company. She began her career in finance and human resources with Eli Lilly and Company. Ms. Sherman is the chair for the Community Health Network Board of Directors, the current chair of the Compensation Committee and the prior chair of the Audit, Compliance, and Finance Committee. She also served as a board member and chair of the Audit Committee for Lacy Diversified Industries.
Ms. Sherman earned her B.A. in economics from DePauw University and an M.B.A. from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Farnaz Bakhshi, Ph.D.
Director
Innovation ACS BrightEdge
Farnaz Bakhshi, Ph.D., is the Director of Innovation at BrightEdge — the ACS’s mission-driven venture capital fund.
Shortly after receiving her undergraduate degree in biology, Dr. Bakhshi founded and joined a not-for-profit start-up company, Brain Chemistry Labs. After several years at the company, she left to pursue her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Following her Ph.D., she joined several licensing/business development offices as a licensing manager. They included offices at UIC, The California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare). Dr. Bakhshi has also formed and launched a biotech incubator and proof of concept fund while at Tufts University and served as the Director of New Ventures at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.