Mansuo Shannon, PhD, is a visionary drug hunter and seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 18 years of experience at Bayer, Eli Lilly, Roche/Chugai, and Merck. As Chief Scientific Officer at AskBio, Bayer’s wholly owned gene therapy and gene editing subsidiary, Mansuo is recognized for her expertise in advancing breakthrough therapies spanning small molecules, biologics, and cutting-edge genetic medicines.

Throughout her career, Mansuo has demonstrated a passion for tackling the most challenging disease indications, strategically targeting high-conviction biological pathways with optimal modalities. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving multiple programs into clinical development, most notably the Phase 2 proof-of-concept study for Zagotenemab in Alzheimer’s Disease. At AskBio, she leads the design and execution of a robust gene therapy and editing pipeline and champions the development of novel delivery platforms that power the next generation of transformative medicines.

Mansuo earned her PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at MIT under Nobel Laureate Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, grounding her executive leadership in rigorous science and visionary innovation.

Dr Paul Kluetz is a medical oncologist who has published over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and remains clinically active, caring for patients and supervising medical residents as a teaching attending at Georgetown University Hospital. As Chief Medical Officer at Paradigm Health, Dr Kluetz helps advance Paradigm Health’s technology platform focused on improving clinical trial access for all patients through innovative approaches to optimize trial screening, accrual, and efficient conduct. Prior to Paradigm Health, Dr Kluetz served as Deputy Director of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During his tenure at FDA, Dr Kluetz founded and led several initiatives including the OCE’s patient-focused drug development program, real-world evidence program, and trial modernization efforts including pragmatic and decentralized trial designs.

Justas Lauzadis, PhD, is the Chief Research Officer at New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS). With over 10 years of experience in clinical research and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology from Stony Brook University, he is dedicated to advancing oncology research.

Dr Susan Conroy is the Chief Executive Officer of Therakind Ltd, a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving drug delivery and patient acceptability through proprietary technology and optimised dosing regimens. Since its founding, she has led the company’s strategic direction and operations, overseeing the development and regulatory approval of multiple products across the US and EU regions.

With over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, Susan has a strong track record in identifying, evaluating, and commercialising innovative therapeutic products. Prior to founding Therakind, she worked as an independent consultant supporting early-stage start-ups, with a focus on maximising scientific value, technology transfer, medical affairs, and the commercial exploitation of existing assets. She also served as an independent funding assessor for start-up programmes.

Earlier in her career, Susan held positions in both large and small pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb, where she worked across clinical development, commercial strategy, and new therapeutic areas.

Susan holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from London University and conducted post-doctoral research in oncology at University College London. Her integration of scientific expertise and strategic business insight has been instrumental in driving Therakind’s development of patient-centric medicines.

Beyond Therakind, Susan is a Trustee of Anthony Nolan, a leading UK stem cell charity. She contributes her knowledge and experience as a member of the charity’s Audit & Finance and Governance & Risk Committees.

Ashley Hawson is Senior Vice President of Innovation and Operations at Cambridge Consultants, where she leads both the Healthcare business unit and the company’s North America operations. She heads a multidisciplinary team of over 100 engineers, scientists, and designers specializing in the creation of Class II and III medical devices distinguished by their technical novelty and transformative potential.

Ashley is recognized for driving innovation at the intersection of strategy, experimentation, and product development. She sponsors Cambridge Consultants’ internal R&D investments, fostering cutting-edge advances and generating intellectual property for licensing and spinouts. This portfolio spans fields as diverse as photonics, human–machine understanding, and fully regulated medical AI applications.

A graduate of Georgia Tech, Ashley began her career engineering human-integrated systems for hospital environments. She has since held leadership, operational, and academic roles at GE, Tufts University, and Cambridge Consultants. Known for her ability to cultivate top talent and guide clients toward breakthrough outcomes, she is committed to advancing technologies that meaningfully improve patient lives—while ensuring the complex machinery of a people-driven business runs seamlessly.

Liz Proos is the Vice President of Product Development at Daré Bioscience, a company focused on accelerating innovation in women’s health. In this role Liz is responsible for technical and strategic product development, leading a cross-functional R&D and product development team and key strategic external partners, including development of the proprietary DARE-IDDS (Intelligent Drug Delivery System) platform technology, which is designed to provide programmable, precise, long-term drug delivery from a subcutaneously implanted device. Liz joined Daré as part of the acquisition of Microchips Biotech in November 2019.

Throughout her career Liz has developed and advanced novel products for numerous applications and therapeutic areas through clinical development, including bone substitute materials, pulmonary therapies, injectable sustained release products, and implantable drug delivery devices.  During her 15-year tenure at Microchips Biotech, she advanced the legacy company to its First-In-Human clinical study with parathyroid hormone, a treatment for osteoporosis. Liz also has significant preclinical testing experience and has worked closely with clinical, regulatory affairs, and marketing as a technical expert to advance complex product development and incorporate the end user perspective.

Liz has also held leadership and technical positions at BD, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Epic Therapeutics (a wholly owned subsidiary of Baxter Healthcare), and Etex Corporation. She has more than 26 years of experience in drug delivery science and product development of combination products and medical devices. Liz graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in Chemistry.

Matt Lanchantin is the Head of Corporate Development at Syntis Bio, a biopharmaceutical company revolutionizing oral therapies for obesity, diabetes, and rare metabolic diseases. He oversees portfolio development and strategic partnerships, with a focus on identifying and advancing novel therapeutic applications for the company’s SYNT™ technology platform. Matt is also a co-founder of Nucleate, a global nonprofit dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders and entrepreneurs. Since beginning his career at the bench, Matt has held roles across research, strategy, and business development, leading licensing and M&A transactions spanning oncology, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. Matt holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Tufts University.

Matt brings more than 20 years of software and leadership experience in the life sciences industry. Matt started his career as a developer and held various technical and leadership roles at Rollins Corporation, PSCI, Microsoft, Morgan Lewis, and Datalabs. In 2006, Matt co-founded NextDocs, which grew to be a global leader in clinical, quality, and regulatory document management, where he served as CTO, CSO, and Board Director for 9 years. Before joining Trialbee, Matt spent 5 years as General Manager for Life Sciences and VP Strategic Accounts for Aurea Software, which had acquired NextDocs.

As a strategic leader in clinical trial recruitment and patient engagement, Amy specializes in advocating for inclusive clinical trials that break down barriers for participation and incorporate the Patient Voice. She has spent the past 15 years with Bristol Myers Squibb and currently serves as Patient Engagement and Recruitment ICN Pillar Lead.

Allison Dane, PhD, has over twenty years of experience in the development of AAV gene therapies for genetic disease. As a Senior Director within R&D at AskBio, Bayer’s wholly owned gene therapy and gene editing subsidiary, she leads the Capsid Development team and contributes to the drug development pipeline across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, central nervous system and neuromuscular conditions.

Allison earned her PhD at the University of Sydney, Australia, exploring liver targeted gene therapies using AAV and lentivirus, before completing postdoctoral work at University College London (UCL). Having published in Nature, Nature Genetics, Molecular Therapy and the New England Journal of Medicine, her work has contributed to improving our understanding of potency and durability of gene therapy vectors. In addition, she has contributed to identifying unique promoter/enhancer elements of the AAV genome and to successful clinical trials for Haemophilia and Gaucher disease. Her career across three continents has allowed her to bridge between academia and the biotech industries, earning a reputation as a strong and astute leader who excels at collaboration and innovation with diverse scientific teams.

Rosa M. Colon-Kolacko, PhD, MBA, CDM, SHRM-SCP President & Founder, Global Equity Learning and Adjunct Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Dr. Colon-Kolacko founded Global Equity Learning (GEL) consulting firm to partner with experts with lived experiences and practitioners to leverage evidence-based research and proven practices to help organizations in healthcare delivery, Life Sciences, Academia, Non-Profit, Community Advocacy groups, global industries, and government among others to address health disparities and build equitable organizations. She partnered with Tufts University Department of Public Health and Community Medicine to create a Life Sciences Health Equity Practice that provides a framework, a Holistic HE dashboard, online self-assessment, and measurable actions to elevate community co-creation. She is a researcher and has held academic positions as a Professor of Professional Practice at Bowling Green State University, adjunct faculty at Georgetown University, University of Delaware, Thomas Jefferson, and currently an Adjunct Professor, at Tufts University School of Medicine Department of Public Health and Community Medicine. She is also an Equity Fellow of the Delaware Community Foundation. She is the former Tufts Medicine, Senior VP, Chief Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Officer responsible for advancing diversity, racial and health equity, inclusion, and Community Health, former NYC Health + Hospitals SVP and Chief People Officer, and Christiana Care Health System in Delaware, SVP Chief Diversity and Learning Officer as one of the first CDO’s in healthcare. Earlier in her career, she worked at Bristol Myers-Squibb and, SmithKline Beecham (since renamed GlaxoSmithKline), leading change, cultural transformation, supply chain, learning, talent management, and lean/six sigma functions in Asia, Europe, North America, and Puerto Rico. Rosa is incredibly involved in national and state-level boards to advance equity. She is a board member of the MA Health Equity Compact addressing health disparities through legislation, workforce development, governance, data, accountability, and access to care.

Kathleen Cohen, PharmD is Senior Vice President of Clinical Development Operations at Avalo Therapeutics. Prior to joining Avalo, she served as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development Operations at Marinus Pharmaceuticals and spent over 20 years at PRA Health Sciences in a variety of project management and operational oversight roles. Kathleen earned her PharmD from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research at Rutgers College of Pharmacy.