Best Practices for Cross Functional Communication Strategies for the CMO

Dr Anna Berkenblit joined ImmunoGen in 2015 and is responsible for leading the clinical development of ImmunoGen’s novel, wholly owned product candidates. She has extensive experience in the clinical development of novel anticancer therapies, including five years heading clinical research at two oncology-focused companies. Prior to joining ImmunoGen, Dr Berkenblit was Senior Vice President, Clinical Development at H3 Biomedicine, a developer of targeted anticancer compounds founded by Eisai Pharmaceuticals. Prior to H3 Biomedicine, she was VP, Head of Clinical Research at AVEO Oncology, where she led the clinical development of oncology product candidates spanning early testing to registration trials.Prior to AVEO, Dr Berkenblit held positions of increasing responsibility at Wyeth and then Pfizer, becoming Vice President, Neratinib Asset Team Leader in the Pfizer Oncology Business Unit. Dr Berkenblit earned an MD degree from Harvard Medical School, and an MMSc degree in the Clinical Investigator Training Program of Harvard/MIT Health Sciences & Technology. She completed her internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, then went on to a hematology/oncology fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where she stayed on staff to focus on clinical research in GYN and GI malignancies. She also led the Phase I oncology clinical trial program as part of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, prior to transitioning to industry. Dr Berkenblit currently serves on the Board of Directors of Surrozen, Inc.

Dr Stephen Huhn has over 15 years of biotech experience in early clinical development for a wide range of neuroscience indications and platforms. As CMO and SVP of Clinical Development for Pipeline Therapeutics, he is directing early clinical translation of novel drugs for a spectrum of remyelination and neuro- inflammation targets. Before coming to industry in 2007 to lead clinical development for StemCells, Inc, Dr Huhn was Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University and an Associate Professor in Neurological Surgery at Stanford University. He has served as an advisor and consultant in clinical development and strategy for multiple private and public biotech companies exploring innovative technologies in complex neurological disorders.

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr Margaret Koziel leads Axcella’s clinical development and regulatory affairs efforts. Prior to assuming this role, she served as Axcella’s Vice President of Clinical Development. Before joining the company, she held positions of increasing responsibility at Kaleido Biosciences, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Sciences, working across the full spectrum of clinical development from target selection through Phase 4 studies.Dr Koziel has also held positions in academia, as a Professor and Assistant Vice Provost for Clinical Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, staff physician at the Beth Israel Deaconess medical center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. While at the Beth Israel Deaconess, she received numerous awards for her research, including being named as a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. Dr Koziel has published nearly 90 papers in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and The Journal of Clinical Investigation.She obtained her BA and MD from Dartmouth and her postgraduate medical training at New England Deaconess Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, affiliates of Harvard Medical School.

Dr Cadmus Rich is CMO at Aura. Before joining Aura, Cadmus was most recently Vice President of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Inotek Pharmaceuticals. He previously held several senior positions at Alcon Laboratories, including overseeing the pipeline strategy and R&D projects for Alcon’s intraocular lens product line, and leading global pharmaceutical clinical trial management. Cadmus was board-certified in Ophthalmology in 2002 after completing his residency at the UNC School of Medicine. He obtained his MBA from Regis University, his Certified Physician Executive certification from the American Association for Physician Leadership and his BA in Psychology from Case Western Reserve University.Cadmus has extensive experience in R&D, having led or participated in nearly 75 development programs including the submission and approval of multiple devices and pharmaceutical products  in the U.S., EU, China, Japan and Brazil/Latin America. He has directly led or participated in over 150 clinical trials across multiple ophthalmology and systemic indications as an executive leader, medical director, medical monitor and principal investigator. Cadmus has served on the board of directors of the North Carolina Specialty Hospital and is currently a member of the board of directors of Prevent Blindness, the nation’s longest-acting volunteer eye health and safety organization.