Deborah Scheffer Email & Phone Number

Lexington, Massachusetts, États-Unis

Watertown, Massachusetts, États-Unis

Responsible for leading discovery project teams and define strategy, goals, decision making, and budget.• Supported development candidate transition and progression into clinical development by planning and tracking activities in pharmacology, toxicology, ADME, and CMC.• Drove coordination of cross-functional activities and promoted effective communications internally and externally (consultants, vendors, CROs, academics, partners), assisted internal process improvement.• Assisted teams in business development activities (letter of intent, commercial partnership founding, study plans, execution and follow-up, key opinion leaders).• Coached project team leaders and served as a key point person for team members.• Established project management tools to facilitate portfolio management and effective communication between project teams and executive suite: dashboards, project review governance boards, resource allocation, database evaluation, and implementation.• Contributed to establishment of project management best practices.• Coordinated with finance department for budget planning and auditing to ensure quality.• Led alliance management to ensure partnering obligations were met in a consistent, high quality, professional, and timely manner.

Managed projects across modalities (biologics, gene therapy, LMW) from exploratory to clinical trial Phase 2a. In partnership with the project team leaders, drove the project strategy development and strategic positioning in the context of internal portfolio and external competition.• Tracked, managed, and communicated project milestones with associated budget requirements.• Presented and supported team leaders for presentation at senior management boards.• Assured continuous consistency of the operational plan with project strategy.• Facilitation and minute writing of governance board meetings, program team meetings and workshops.• Mentored and trained project management interns and project team leaders. Key contributor to Novartis Global Program Management Internship Program design.• Maintained accurate and high-quality portfolio database analytics.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, États-Unis

Responsible for leading the in vivo pharmacology lab focused on developing drugs for hearing loss. Project team leader in multiple projects with extensive hands-on lab activities.• Collaborated globally, cross-functionally, and cross-divisionally to develop lead therapeutic candidates (gene therapy and low molecular weight molecules).• Oversaw operational aspects of projects: strategy, planning, execution, and risks.• Responsible for the daily workflow of three team members by coaching and mentoring.• Facilitated and established internal and external collaborations.• Co-organized the department retreat in 2019.• Board meeting presentations.• Co-led out-licensing activities and virtual data room set up

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Provided project management support for two project team focused on developing gene therapy for hearing loss.• Established gene therapy development plans, risk assessment and decision trees.• Provided scientific, drug development and project management advice.• Provided best practice guidance to establish and maintain high performing team.

Boston, - Usa

Generated the first RNA-seq datasets of FACS-sorted inner ear hair cells.• Implemented, developed, optimized, and managed next generation sequencing (NGS) projects aimed at studying the transcriptome of murine FACS sorted inner ear hair cells.• Developed and used inner ear specific mouse strains.• Wrote publications and gave oral presentations at international conferences.• Generated viral vectors (AAV, adenovirus) for gene therapy• Used CRISPR genome editing technology to study the effect of genetic mutations on cell lines• Achieved gene therapy by viral infection of the cochlea by cochleostomy and round window injection• Assessed auditory and vestibular functions (ABR, DPOAE, VsEP)• Performed molecular and cellular biology experiments: NGS, FACS, Sanger sequencing, qRT-PCR, heterologous gene expression by transfection or viral transduction, immunohistochemistry• Analyzed inner ear morphology by various imaging techniques: SEM, confocal, STED

Boston - Usa

Neurocentre Magendie - Bordeaux - France

• Lead operational and strategic aspects of the study of Rac1 in planar cell polarity establishment in vestibulocochlear organs• Perform ex-vivo gene delivery in mouse embryonic cochlea by electroporation• Supervised a research engineer• Taught molecular biology (associate's degree)

Phd, Biochemistry, Molecular And Cellular Biology

• Generated viral vectors (AAV, adenovirus) for gene therapy • Used CRISPR genome editing technology to study the effect of genetic.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Project Management And Leadership

2-year degree completed by independently writing a business plan for a biotech company and presenting it to a committee.

Master'S, Oncogenesis And Genetics Of Developmental Diseases

• Molecular and genetic analysis of human biological samples for asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia study • Performed prenatal diagnosis.