• Oversees a portfolio of 20+ early-stage opportunities arising out of UPitt and UPMC research labs, leading evaluation, diligence, and business case creation as well as project execution and business partnership activities. • Creates and executes commercial vision and strategy for each investment, which has led to 5 company formations and 2 licensing initiatives, has included small molecule, antibody, cell and gene therapy modalities, and has focused on early drug discovery to IND-enabling technologies. • Bridges science and business by forging collaborative relationships between scientists, patent attorneys, and business leaders to create processes allowing for smooth transition of scientific IP out of the University of Pittsburgh and into a commercial entity.• Negotiates and oversees NDA, MSA, and licensing deals in order to finance translational research at UPitt and bring business development partners to the table.• Presents diligence work and business plans to UPMC Enterprises executive leadership to procure additional project-specific funding (~$1-3 Million per project) and inform major investment decisions.

UPMC Enterprises is the venture capital arm of one of the nation’s largest provider-led integrated delivery and financing systems. The Translational Sciences group manages a $1B fund and combines scientific, clinical, and investment expertise to optimize the commercialization path for cutting-edge research in the areas of cancer immunotherapy, aging, and chronic diseases.• Manages a portfolio of 40+ early stage opportunities arising out of UPitt and UPMC research labs, leading evaluation and diligence, as well as development and implementation.• Creates business plans and strategic implementation strategies to guide development of high-potential opportunities including novel pain and asthma therapeutics, and cancer-focused antibody and gene therapies.• Leads development of a pipeline of over 5 novel therapeutics from early discovery to IND-enabling status.• Presents diligence work and business plans to executive leadership to procure additional project-specific funding and inform major investment decisions.

UPMC Health Plan is the insurance arm of one of the nation’s largest provider-led integrated delivery and financing systems. UPMC HP has over 3 million members across Pennsylvania and New York. • Led business case development and creation of strategic recommendations on key enterprise issues, socializes strategy across all lines of business to obtain buy-in, and presents strategy to executive management for approval and funding. • Populated the health plan’s innovation pipeline by collaborating with technology companies to develop innovative use cases for technologies to enhance health plan capabilities. • Created long-term strategic plans that were approved by the president of the health plan for the following key areas: enterprise telehealth strategy, integration of digital therapeutics, gene-therapy NewCo commercialization opportunity, and digital transformation of health plan operations.

HM Home and Community Services (HCS) is a post-acute management subsidiary of Highmark Health bringing value to at-risk entities through optimization of financial and operational alignment across the care continuum.- Surveyed the tech-innovation landscape for high-potential companies that could augment Highmark Home and Community Service capabilities.- Interviewed over 100 companies with technology solutions for the post-acute space.- Created market landscapes and business cases for executive management based on intelligence gained from company interviews, professional meetings, conferences, and technology incubators.- Presented recommendations for pilot opportunities to executive management. Managed over $100,000 in grant funding for pilot opportunities to test innovative technologies in the post-acute space.- Wrote grants and was awarded funding for three pilot programs to advance innovation in Advance Directives, "Smart" at-home care for Seniors, and tailored, at-home meal delivery for recently discharged patients with chronic conditions.- Designed 6 pilot programs that would insert innovative technology and novel care pathways into fragmented processes to improve care costs and patient outcomes.- Implemented 2 pilot programs by working with the legal and compliance teams to meet Medicare Advantage regulations, worked across multiple business units to obtain executive buy-in and resource commitments, worked with Silicon Valley start-up teams to integrate their technology platforms into the Highmark infrastructure.

Highmark Health’s Innovation Department supports the hospital and payer sides of one of Pittsburgh’s largest integrated delivery and financing systems with 8 hospitals and members throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.- Led matrix team across 6+ business units, facilitated team understanding of complex concepts, and managed over 20 external partners, to advance business case concepts into implementation initiatives. - Distilled complex clinical requirements and balanced those with critical business criteria to deliver actionable recommendations to execs for approval and to guide project implementation. - Interpreted internal business issues, identified emerging trends in the consumer healthcare space, and synthesized knowledge to identify key strategic business opportunities. - Created a beginning-to-end business case for a $10M revenue venture in the pain management space including market landscapes, strategic insights for consumer needs, product specifications, and pro forma financial models.Publications include three white papers, distributed internally, on the topics of At-Home and Self Diagnostics, Genetics and Personalized Medicine, and Chronic Pain Management. See below for additional details.

Idea Foundry is a Pittsburgh-based, non-profit, economic development organization dedicated to job creation. With over 200 companies and portfolio companies that have generated over $1B in direct economic impact, Idea Foundry pioneers hands-on business development and technology transfer with a focus in the health sciences.- Managed a team of two analysts to conduct market research and commercialization analysis to assess the viability of 10 early-stage biotechnologies. - Contributed unique scientific insights in team decisions with the Director to assess the investment potential for each scientific client. - Presented analysis to clients and counseled them in strategic plans for the future. - Created business plans, taught pitch development, and participated in strategic planning for diverse biotechnology companies including medical devices and drug therapeutics.

Managed the execution of experiments done in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Developed experimental models to study the immune system (testing functionality of the Th17 Cell receptor). Performed genotyping assays to meet strict experimental deadlines.

Created business development and strategic marketing plans for three university technologies anticipating commercialization. Performed primary customer research, interviewing over 100 customers in the value chain, and developed target market segments to create value for the technology. Worked with a team of lawyers and scientists to assemble a strategic plan and coached each scientist in pitch delivery so that they could pitch to inventors and compete for start up funding. Established key relationships with Pittsburgh entrepreneurs to facilitate further growth of the technologies.

Research and Development for cutting edge tendon and bone therapies in the field of orthopedics. Performed ELISA, cell culture, developed novel assays for testing the chemical and mechanical properties of plasma-based bone and tendon regeneration therapies, created the final formula for bone putty that was submitted for clinical trials.

Performed PCR reactions and Fluorescence Polarization assays for genetic characterization of men with HIV undergoing HAART therapy in the Multi Center AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), calculated statistical trends between genotyped data and patients’ clinical symptoms of cardiovascular disease, and presented research in a seminar format.

Developed an animal model to study prostate cancer. Transfected a prostate cancer-inducing-gene into cells that were made in preparation for rat surgeries. Through this process I became skilled with sterile techniques, cell line culture, and cellular/bacterial cell manipulations involving cloning and transfection.

Used knowledge of organic chemistry to synthesize adhesives for use on optical films in the Optical Discovery Group. Designed tests to determine the strength of the adhesive in comparison to competitor's products. Maintained organization of data and created written reports to be presented at board meetings.

Greeted patients and facilitated the pre-examination consultation. Took blood pressure, height, and weight. Administered ECGs, visual acuity exams, urine analysis, and rapid strep tests when ordered by the doctor. Other responsibilities included administrative duties such as filing papers, corresponding with specialists concerning patient test results, and answering phones in the office.

Aided professors in laboratory organization, preparation, and grading.Provided guidance with laboratory procedures to students and answered topic related questions.