Dr. Ying Gong is an experienced strategist, drug developer and leader. Her extensive biopharmaceutical experience encompasses multiple therapeutic areas, drug modalities, R&D stages, and functions. Dr. Gong currently serves as the Chief Business Officer of GV20 Therapeutics, an AI-driven next-generation biotherapeutics company. Her previous experiences include Project Team Leader, Oncology at Genentech, where she led drug development programs from late-stage research to clinical proof-of-concept as well as business development projects. She also served as Senior Director of Portfolio Strategy and Planning and was instrumental in shaping Genentech's R&D strategy. Prior to that, she held roles in medical affairs, market access, global product strategy, and market planning at Genentech and Roche, and worked on a broad range of projects including new indication launches of Perjeta® and Avastin®. She started her career in industry as a management consultant at Bain & Company. Dr. Gong earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the California Institute of Technology.

Mr. Mallon has 25 years of corporate development experience in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, where he has successfully identified market opportunities and stimulated product/business growth. He brings specific expertise in corporate strategy and development, alliance management, product marketing and government contracting. Prior to joining PharmaJet, Dan served in business development leadership positions at Ellume USA, RRD International and Emergent BioSolutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from Miami University, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Christine Allen is CEO and co-founder of Intrepid Labs Inc., a company leveraging AI, automation, and deep pharmaceutical expertise to accelerate drug formulation and develop proprietary delivery technologies. Intrepid’s approach helps bring transformative medicines to patients faster, improving therapeutic outcomes and enhancing patient care.

Christine is also a full professor at the University of Toronto (U of T), internationally recognized for her contributions to drug formulation and development, with over 180 peer-reviewed publications. She is a distinguished fellow of both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Christine has held significant leadership roles, including President of both the Controlled Release Society and the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Editor-in- Chief of the Journal of Controlled Release.

Her academic leadership includes serving as the inaugural Associate Vice-President and Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives and Interim Dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at U of T.

Michael J. Sailor is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego, Director of the UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (an NSF MRSEC), and Director of the UC San Diego Institute for Materials Discovery & Design. He holds Affiliate Appointments in the UC San Diego Bioengineering Department, the Nanoengineering Department, and the Materials Science and Engineering program. He has co-founded several biotech startups, and he currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer for SiCare Bio. He is an expert in the chemistry, electrochemistry, and optical properties of nanomaterials, with an emphasis on drug delivery, imaging, and sensing applications of porous silicon-based systems.

Dr. Ramachandran “TR” Thirucote, is an accomplished pharmaceutical scientist, specializing in drug design and formulation. As an entrepreneurial thought leader with over 30 years of experience, he has a proven track record in the pharmaceutical industry, translating novel science into approved pharmaceutical products.

As the founder and innovator at TesoRx Pharma and Lipac Oncology, he has a proven record of securing funding, building high-performing teams, and advancing promising clinical candidates.

His career is distinguished by significant achievements in driving products from concept to commercialization:

• Full Lifecycle Success: He successfully led the entire product lifecycle of SPRIX™ (ketorolac nasal spray), from early development through to its successful FDA approval while at ROXRO Pharma.
• Strategic Leadership: During his tenure at SRI International, he was instrumental in directing teams, contributing to early development of numerous drug candidates, helping to launch over 25 separate biotech and pharmaceutical companies, solidifying his status as a respected industry consultant at SRI's Business Consulting Group.
• Innovation & Early-Stage Development: Leading oncology product development efforts at Agouron Pharmaceuticals.

TR's comprehensive expertise covers the entire product development lifecycle, from preclinical development and clinical trials to successful commercial launch. He brings deep technical knowledge across diverse dosage forms such as oral, parenteral, topical, and nasal products. A valued government collaborator, he has held the role of Principal Investigator (PI) on contracts with both NIAID and NCI, thereby cultivating robust and enduring relationships within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Steven Duddy is a seasoned MedTech executive with over 25 years of experience leading innovation in drug delivery, medical devices, and biopharmaceuticals. He has served as CEO, COO, and board member for multiple early- and mid-stage companies, successfully guiding them through product development, regulatory approval, commercialization, and M&A.

Throughout his career, Steve has built a reputation for transforming complex concepts into market-ready technologies, often under aggressive timelines. He has led successful fundraising efforts, securing millions in capital to advance emerging health technologies.

At RheoTek Medical, Steve is advancing a platform of ultra-precise needle and needle-free drug delivery technologies aimed at improving therapeutic outcomes in immunotherapy, vaccines, and pain management. His leadership is helping position RheoTek as a critical player in reshaping how drugs are delivered—especially in settings that demand accuracy, consistency, and ease of use.

Steve’s background includes leadership roles at major companies such as Johnson & Johnson and 3M, as well as with high-growth startups. He brings deep cross-functional expertise in strategy, operations, fundraising, and global market development.

Shaurya leads the Life Sciences and Pharma industry vertical at Celonis. His mission is to transform how companies get life-saving therapies into the hands of patients faster and more efficiently. He focuses on revolutionizing core drug development processes, leveraging cutting-edge process intelligence to unlock new levels of speed and value. With a global career spanning nearly two decades—15 years of which have been dedicated exclusively to the Life Sciences sector— Shaurya brings a wealth of expertise to help organizations achieve process excellence and, most importantly, improve patient lives.

Gregory Russotti, PhD is the Chief Technology and Manufacturing Officer at Century Therapeutics, a company developing iPSC-derived, allogeneic immune cell therapy products for hematology/oncology indications. Before joining Century in January 2020, Greg was Vice President of Cell Therapy Development and Operations at Celgene. During his 13 year tenure at Celgene, he guided CMC efforts for five different cell therapy products to IND and clinical stage development. Greg was also a leader in establishing in-house clinical manufacturing at Celgene and in building Celgene’s first commercial CAR T manufacturing facility. Prior to Celgene, Greg held various leadership roles at Merck Research Laboratories, developing vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for clinical and commercial manufacturing. Greg received his BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his PhD in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Rutgers University.

Natalie Monegro has been the Director of the Clinical Research Equity team at Novo Nordisk since June 2024. Before Novo Nordisk, she held a similar role at AbbVie since 2021. Natalie builds new capabilities for study teams across various therapy areas to proactively ensure trial populations are representative of the disease populations being studied.

Prior to joining Natalie spent the previous 15 years as a regulatory and communications consultant, coaching and preparing sponsors for FDA advisory committee meetings. Her experience spans the entire spectrum of clinical development and encompasses all therapeutic areas. Natalie’s wide-ranging expertise establishes her as a thought leader in promoting global harmonization of inclusive clinical trial practices.

Natalie holds joint master’s degrees in health systems & policy (MPH) and marketing (MBA) from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from the University of Pennsylvania

Kent Thoelke is a pioneering healthcare executive with over 30 years of clinical research experience. As CEO of Paradigm Health, he leads the company's mission to create equitable access to superior healthcare for patients worldwide. Prior to joining Paradigm Health, Kent served as Chief Innovation Officer at ICON plc following its acquisition of PRA Health Sciences, where he was Chief Scientific Officer. Throughout his career at these organizations, he has driven digital transformation in clinical trials and championed data-driven approaches to make drug development more efficient and equitable across multiple therapeutic areas and geographic regions.

Michaela Bertram is married to her high school sweetheart, Michael. They have 2 beautiful children – Beckham (15) and Zoey (13). Bertram is currently the clinical cancer research manager at the Avera Cancer Institute in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her nursing career began in January of 2009 when she started as a new graduate on the inpatient oncology unit at Avera. Bertram transitioned to cancer research as the hematology research coordinator in April of 2011 and has been a part of the cancer research department for 14 years, most recently as the clinical manager, for 3 years. Her cancer research team has grown from 8 to almost 40 staff. She couldn’t be more proud of our team and the work they do to bring clinical trial opportunities to the patients we serve.