Loriana Hernandez-Aldama is an Emmy award winning journalist, former news anchor and national medical reporter turned 2x cancer survivor and inspirational speaker after a diagnosis of AML Leukemia. In an instant, Loriana went from telling everyone’s story to “Becoming the Story” What Loriana discovered during her near-fatal, year long hospitalization left her in awe. She uncovered major voids in the patient experience, health disparities at every turn, and the two biggest stories of her career: PREhabilitation mattered and so did her connections. . On the 5th anniversary of surviving AML Leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, Loriana got two unexpected gifts: Breast Cancer and the discovery of a genetic marker (CHIP), a cancer predisposition gene, “gifted” to her in her new DNA. Today, Loriana leverages her 20+ years of on-air experience and patient experience/discoveries to amplify the patient voice and bridge the gap of health disparities. Her mission is to improve the patient experience, patient compliance and patient outcomes with her non-profit, ArmorUp for LIFE where she shares her 3P protocol Prepare-Present-Prevail® to survive illness. Her book “Becoming the Story: The power of PREHAB” will be out in May.

Stéphane Bancel has served as Moderna's Chief Executive Officer since October 2011 and as a member of Moderna’s board of directors since March 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Bancel served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA. From July 2000 to March 2006, he served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to Lilly, Mr. Bancel served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux. Mr. Bancel currently serves on the board of directors of Qiagen N.V. and Indigo. He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering and a trustee of the Museum of Science in Boston. Mr. Bancel holds a Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris (ECP), a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Michael Curry, Esq. is the Deputy CEO & General Counsel at Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the “Mass League”), which represents 52 health centers, serving over 1 million patients out of over 314 practice sites throughout the state. He previously served as Senior Vice President of the Government Affairs and Public Policy Division for the Mass League. Prior to joining the League in 2008, Michael had a 16-year career at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, most of that time as Senior Policy Advisor in the Corporate Affairs Division, which included government, public, internal and community affairs. He has served on the health care transition teams for Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, as well as the transition team for Brockton Mayor Linda Balzotti, and was involved in the passage of Massachusetts Health Reform and the Affordable Care Act. He also serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, and formerly on the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Community College, as well as in the role of Adjunct Professor for the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management. He has received numerous local and national awards for leadership and advocacy. Curry was also past President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP (2011-2016), and has over twenty years of dedicated service to the NAACP on the city, state-area conference and national levels. He was elected nationally to the NAACP’s Board of Directors in 2014, and reelected twice in 2017 and 2020, and now serves as Chair the National NAACP’s Advocacy & Policy Committee and Vice-Chair of the Political Action and Legislation Committee. Mr. Curry earned a Bachelor’s of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from New England Law Boston, and graduated from the inaugural class of the Executive Leadership Council’s Pipeline to Leadership Program.

Chris Ehrlich is Senior Managing Director and Head of Locust Walk’s Global Biopharma team. He brings significant biotechnology industry and venture capital experience. Since joining Locust Walk in 2013, Chris has been involved with leading multiple transactions for emerging biopharmaceutical companies including orchestrating the sale of Xyphos Biosciences to Astellas for up to $660 million, as well as assisting TesoRx in their licensing deals with Aspen Pharma and Aska, and Thar Pharmaceuticals with their acquisition by Grunenthal and Cymabay in their licensing deal with Kowa Pharmaceuticals. He has also served as an expert witness in several recent biotechnology cases. Prior to Locust Walk, he was a Managing Director at InterWest Partners (“IW”). At IW he served on the boards of KAI Pharmaceuticals as the Lead Director (acquired by Amgen), Biomimetic Therapeutics, Inc. (NASD: BMTI, acquired by Wright Medical Technologies, then acquired by Stryker), Invuity (NASD: IVTY, acquired by Stryker) and Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASD: XENE). At all four companies, he sat on the transaction committees where he oversaw numerous business development and financing deals. Prior to joining InterWest, Chris was the Director of Licensing and Business Development at Purdue Pharma, a private pharmaceutical firm based in Stamford, CT. In this position, Chris was responsible for developing a biologic oncology franchise, including in-licensing key intellectual properties, establishing and managing collaborations with biotechnology companies and leading the commercial operations of Purdue BioPharma, a biotechnology company located in Princeton, NJ. Prior to joining Purdue, Chris worked in business development at Genentech, in venture capital at the U.S. Russia Investment Fund, and in biotechnology strategy development at LEK Consulting. Chris received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Vikas is a founder and Managing Partners of Trekk Venture Partners, an emerging biotech venture capital fund. He has been working in the biotech industry for 20 years, with a particular focus on corporate strategy, capital formation, corporate partnerships, and M&A for early stage therapeutics companies. Prior to co-founding Trekk, Vikas was Senior Vice President of Business Development for Pandion Therapeutics. He initially joined Pandion as a Board member and Series A investor before ultimately joining full-time in 2019. Vikas led Pandion through a research collaboration with Astellas, an IPO, and the company’s acquisition by Merck for $1.85 billion in 2021. Prior to Pandion, Vikas worked as an investor at SR One. During his time at SR One, Vikas invested in and served on the boards of 19 early stage biotech companies including Morphic Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MORF), River Vision Development (acquired by Horizon), Nimbus Therapeutics (Tyk2 program acquired by Takeda), Turning Point (acquired by BMS), Spero Therapeutics (tebipenem pivoxil HBr acquired by GSK) and Pandion (acquired by Merck). River Vision and Horizon developed Tepezza (teprotumumab) a new standard of care in the treatment of Grave’s Orbitopathy and the first therapy ever approved for the indication. Previously, Vikas was a Consultant at McKinsey & Co’s Pharmaceutical practice in New Jersey, a co-founder of Extera Partners, and a Business Development Manager at Infinity Pharmaceuticals. He is a member of the Kauffman Fellows Society (Class 17). Vikas earned an MBA in Health Care Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Neurobiology from Harvard University. Vikas truly believes that partnerships can be critical to the successful development of new medicines. In his free time, he hosts an interview series on the Timmerman Report with biotech business development executives about the deals they have worked on and lessons learned. Vikas lives in Somerville with his wife (who also works in the biotech industry) and two daughters.

Steve’s background ranges from CEO of a public biotech company to co-founder and Managing Director of a life sciences venture capital firm, co-founder of startups, strategic advisor for academia, published author and public speaker, and academic scientist. Steve’s network and expertise extends from academic research to Wall Street. He has managed teams through successful financings, scale-up of operations, clinical trials, deal negotiations, IPOs, and M&As. My public speaking opportunities extend globally including at TED and TEDMED, and he is co-curator of TEDxNatick. With Juan Enriquez, Steve co-authored a book entitled Evolving Ourselves. In addition, he has advised companies in the U.S. and Europe over several decades on strategy and financings. He is currently a board member or advisor to a number of life science companies. Steve began his career as a professor at Harvard Medical School, has co-authored over 130 scientific papers, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Heart Association.

Dr. Charlotte Jones-Burton is dedicated to creating healthier communities globally through drug development, patient advocacy and people engagement/empowerment. Her three-pronged approach reflect her personal values of community, service and health and wellness. Charlotte combines her leadership in research/drug and people development with her clinical acumen in order to positively impact the lives of patients and communities who suffer with chronic diseases. Charlotte is a pharmaceutical executive who has spent over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry leading clinical trial development for multiple medicines across various disease areas including cardiovascular and renal diseases. She is currently VP, Global Clinical Development, Nephrology at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. She earned a medical degree and Master of Science degree in Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, with a concentration in Clinical Research, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Charlotte’s postgraduate training included an internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Systems. Charlotte is active in numerous professional associations and organizations and co-founded Women of Color in Pharma, a non-profit professional society focused on transforming the pharmaceutical landscape with women of color. As its President, Charlotte is leading the growth of the organization in the US and EU. Charlotte is the recipient of the 2020 NJ BIZ Best 50 Women in Business and was inducted in the MM&M 2020 Hall of Femme.

Matthew B. Klein, MD, MS, FACS is Chief Development Officer at PTC Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to joining PTC, Dr. Klein was CEO and Chief Medical Officer of BioElectron Technology Corporation, a biotechnology company focused on development of redox active small molecules for mitochondrial disease and related disorders of oxidative stress. Prior to joining BioElectron, Dr. Klein was the Auth-Washington Research Foundation Chair of Restorative Burn Surgery at the University of Washington. Dr. Klein completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and received his MD degree with honors from Yale University.

Senior Director of Data science, Genomics and Bioinformatics at Alexion, expert in data-driven decision support, digital transformation, and health care insights, leader and builder of Rare Answers™. Over the years Sebastien has built and led numerous digital capabilities spanning R&D, Commercial, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Healthcare collaborations from clinical decision support, enterprise data management, Search & insights platform, cloud-based collaboration & computing environment. Past roles include running a global data office and an international system architecture practice.

Award winning former Boston TV news and business anchor Mike Nikitas led live coverage of countless major news events, including the Boston Marathon bombings, 9/11, and New Hampshire Presidential Primaries. He interviewed hundreds of major newsmakers and business leaders, and hosted numerous fundraisers, debates and conferences. Known for clarity and credibility, he brings these characteristics to the core of his work with clients. Nikitas is an adjunct professor of “Media Strategy and Skills,” teaching graduate students at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, Durham. He has guest-lectured at Harvard, Northeastern and Boston University. He has a special interest in veteran’s issues and is the longtime emcee of the annual Massachusetts Veteran’s Day Ceremony. Nikitas appeared as a newscaster in two movies, including the hit film “Ted.” Nikitas is a five-time Emmy nominee as Outstanding Anchor in Boston, and has been inducted into the prestigious “Silver Circle” of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Kendalle Burlin O’Connell is a seasoned and effective executive who has received wide acclaim for her leadership of MassBio, the world’s largest biopharma membership organization, where she drives the strategy to grow the industry and support member companies as CEO and president. To better serve the entire life cycle of biopharma companies, Kendalle has expanded MassBio’s innovation offerings to include partnering and investor events, an entrepreneurial accelerator, and a network for founders and chief executives. As part of MassBio’s commitment to realizing a more diverse and equitable life sciences industry, Kendalle was the driving force behind the organization’s launch of the non-profit Bioversity and the opening of its first workforce training center in Dorchester where graduates are prepared for rewarding entry-level careers at local life sciences companies. Kendalle has been an outspoken advocate for the industry in policy debates about state government support for the expansion of the life sciences in Massachusetts, the federal government’s intervention into biopharma innovation, and efforts to improve the affordability and accessibility of life-changing medicines, just to name a few. Kendalle has earned numerous accolades for her leadership, including top recognitions from Boston Magazine and the Boston Business Journal, and serves on the Boards of The Boston Foundation and the American Cancer Society, where she is Chair for the Eastern New England region, among others.

Kathryn (Kate) Owen is Senior Vice President and Head of Global Development Operations (GDO) within Bristol Myers Squibb. In this role, Kate leads and manages all operations related to the conduct of clinical trials across the portfolio - clinical pharmacology studies as well as Phase I through IV. She is also responsible for the data management and data standards, including the tools, systems and processes to support efficient clinical trial execution. The remit of the position includes the oversight of the business systems in support of health economics outcome research (HEOR), investigator sponsored research (ISR), named patient programs (NPP), and data sharing in relation to marketed products. In addition, Kate is responsible for ensuring business, GCP compliance and is building greater capability in biospecimen and bioimaging management in relation to clinical trial execution. While Kate’s responsibilities focus on global operational execution, she has a passion for ensuring the opportunity and the education of clinical trials is afforded broadly. Kate joined Bristol Myers Squibb in July 2017 from Novo Nordisk, where she served as Vice President of Clinical Trial Management (CTM) and global sponsor of RBM design & implementation. Prior to this, she spent more than eight years in a range of positions of increasing responsibility at Covance after having started her career in the UK in oncology focused biotech. Kate received her undergraduate degree from Royal Holloway, University of London in Biology.

Kristin is the national and global HCLS strategy leader at KPMG, and the global healthcare and life sciences deal advisory leader. She has 25 years of experience in research and strategy consulting and M&A diligence in medical innovation and the healthcare and life sciences industry. Her primary areas of focus are deal advisory and corporate strategy for pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and consumer health companies, investors, and medical institutions worldwide. She is a noted speaker, workshop leader, and writer in the life sciences industry. She is also a leader in clinical laboratory and medical innovation, developing product and service strategies, operations, and global deals with on-the-ground experience in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, India, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Her book, Personalizing Precision Medicine, was a clinical best seller and has garnered attention worldwide for its all-inclusive and comprehensive look at diagnostics and global precision medicine. Kristin also works with health systems and affiliated organizations on their innovative services strategies, diligences, and operations, including clinical laboratory builds, health IT, hospital services, and clinical outreach strategy. Kristin is on our KPMG Restart America task force and leads the development of COVID-19 diagnostic, vaccine, and other service programs for labs, large employers, medical institutions, sports franchises, and regions seeking recovery. Previously, Kristin was at EY-Parthenon where she was a partner and the global head of Life Sciences, responsible for growing the business from a single deals-focused office to a full service global strategy practice. Earlier in her career, she helped build Health Advances, a healthcare strategy firm now part of Parexel, and was a genomics based scientist and clinical diagnostics developer at Genome Therapeutics and Genzyme/Sanofi.

Recently named among Fortune's 40 Under 40 in Healthcare, Dr. Lauren Powell is the President & CEO of The Equitist, LLC and concurrently serves as the Vice President, US Health Equity & Community Wellness for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. In this role she spearheads efforts to drive health equity through Building trust, and investing in building generational community wellness in diverse under-resourced communities across the US. Formerly the Director of Health Equity for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Dr. Powell was the youngest Black woman and the first with a PhD to serve in this powerful role where she led statewide strategic plans and initiatives towards pushing Virginia’s 8.5 million residents closer to health equity. Dr. Powell has an established track record as a community-engaged, social epidemiologist with doctoral training on leveraging data for equity. She earned a Master in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical and Population Health Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Powell deeply values mentorship and community engagement. She actively seeks opportunities to help mold and encourage the next generation of leaders in health equity. Prior to her graduate school matriculation, she held positions coordinating clinical research studies at a number of prestigious medical institutions including: The Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Powell has been featured on several national and international news sources and outlets including: Marie Claire, Politico, The Guardian, Huffington Post, NPR, BBC, CNBC, PBS NewsHour, NowThis, Newsy, and Cheddar.

Charles (“Chuck”) Wilson is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Unum Therapeutics Inc. (now named Cogent Biosciences, Inc.), a company developing novel therapies for the treatment of cancer. From 2008 to 2014, Dr. Wilson served as Vice President, Global Head of Strategic Alliances for the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), the research and early development division of Novartis. In this role he was responsible for leading partnering efforts across all disease areas up through clinical proof-of-concept. His efforts included academic and biotech collaborations, equity investing in early stage companies, in-licensing of compounds, and spin-out of assets/technologies to start ups. In 2001, Dr. Wilson co-founded Archemix, a Cambridge, MA biotech company focused on the development of aptamers as therapeutics, and served as its Chief Technology Officer where he was responsible for both developing the company’s technology platform and managing its drug discovery efforts. As part of the senior management team, Dr. Wilson helped the company raise over $100 million in equity financing and advance multiple programs into clinical development. Before moving into industry, Dr. Wilson was a professor in the Markey Center for the Molecular Biology of RNA at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 1994 to 2001. Trained in structural biology and molecular biology, Mr. Wilson received a PhD with David Agard (UCSF, HHMI) and received his postdoctoral training with Nobelist Jack Szostak (Havard University / Massachusetts General Hospital). He received a B.A. and M.A. from Boston University. In addition to serving as Board Chair for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, he also serves as a member of the Board for GigaGen, Inc.

As Chief Medical Officer, Tal Zaks oversees clinical development and regulatory affairs across Moderna. Prior to joining Moderna, Dr. Zaks was senior vice president and head of Global Oncology at Sanofi, where he was responsible for all aspects of oncology drug discovery, development and commercialization. Dr. Zaks began his industry career at GlaxoSmithKline in the genetics research group, where he built the oncology translational medicine team and led translational research on lapatinib as well as the in-licensing and clinical development of foretinib. In addition to his industry work, Dr. Zaks is associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and has served as a volunteer physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, treating patients with genitourinary cancers. Dr. Zaks received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Ben Gurion University in Israel and conducted post-doctoral research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Zaks serves on the Board of Directors of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc