Debra Miller is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CureDuchenne, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding and funding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She founded CureDuchenne in 2003 after her only son, Hawken, was diagnosed with Duchenne (DMD) and very little was known about the disease. At the time, there were no available treatments and no hope for a cure. Seeing a need, Debra got to work raising money. After reaching out to scientists all over the world and logging hundreds of hours of research, CureDuchenne made initial investments into small biotech companies working to accelerate drug development towards a cure. Her investments into early-stage Duchenne research proved to be an effective catalyst for advancing promising science, then attracting additional funds to bring therapeutics through clinical trials and finally to market. Since Debra’s tireless work began:• CureDuchenne provided early funding to the first ever FDA-approved Duchenne drug, Exondys 51 by Sarepta Therapeutics.• CureDuchenne funded more than 40 projects, 17, of which have advanced to clinical trials.• Life expectancy for those living with Duchenne has increased by 10 years.Prior to founding CureDuchenne, Debra worked in publishing with positions at IDG Communications, Cahners Publishing, Ziff-Davis Publishing, Scholastic Publishing, and more. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of California Los Angeles. She currently serves on the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Board, Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Committee Programmatic Panel, and the Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, to name a few. Debra also received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award in Orange County in 2014, Orange County Business Journal’s Women in Business Award in 2015, and many more for her tireless work in the fight to cure Duchenne muscular dystrophy.