Q: Garry E. Gold, MD - Co-Director, PHIND Center Professor and Chair, Radiology Stanford University

Garry E. Gold, MD is a clinical radiologist and active investigator specializing in patient-oriented research. Following completion of his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1988, Dr. Gold earned his medical degree in 1992 from the Stanford University School of Medicine. After board certification, Dr. Gold completed an Osteoradiology fellowship at the University of California. In 2012, Dr. Gold was promoted to Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery. He was also appointed as the Associate Chair for Research in Radiology at Stanford. In 2017, Dr. Gold was appointed as Vice Chair for Research and Organization in the Department of Radiology. After nearly two years of service as Interim Chair for the Department upon the passing of Dr. Sam Gambhir in July 2020, Dr. Gold became the newest Chair of the Department of Radiology in March 2022.

Q: Aruna Gambhir, MS, MBA - CEO CellSight Technologies

Aruna Gambhir is an entrepreneur with over 28 years of experience in sales, marketing, engineering, and operations. She has a BS in Biochemistry from University of California Berkeley, MS in Computer Science from Santa Clara University, and an MBA from University of California Los Angeles. She started her career in biotech at the University of California San Francisco then made a detour into high tech and worked at several Silicon Valley start-ups; initially in engineering then transitioned to marketing. After the multimedia tools start-up, Gain Technology, was acquired by Sybase she joined Siebel Systems as an early employee and helped oversee growth of sales consulting and operations worldwide. Siebel went public and reached sales revenue of $1 billion+ per year with over 3000 employees. Post IPO she “retired”, joined the boards of multiple non-profit foundations and advocacy groups, and was Executive Director at the Siebel Foundation and Marketing Director at the Canary Foundation. Aruna resumed her entrepreneurial drive to lead CellSight from initial technology transfer to clinical trials.

Q: Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD - Co-Director, PHIND Center Stanford University

Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford. He holds appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering with a courtesy appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Graduate School of Business . Previously, he was a professor of chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and of chemical engineering at NC State University. He is also Co-founder, Board Chair, and former CEO of the additive manufacturing company, Carbon . DeSimone has mentored 80 students through Ph.D. completion, half of whom are women and members of underrepresented groups in STEM. In 2016 DeSimone was recognized by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation .

Q: Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Drhc m - Professor, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr.h.c. holds the Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. She is also a member of the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Professor, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Professor of Radiology, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, NY. The hallmark of her academic career has been the development, translation, and dissemination of new diagnostic imaging techniques, primarily for genitourinary cancers. She is actively engaged in introducing applications of AI to diagnostic radiology and facilitating the development and implementation of integrated diagnostics in oncology; she is also involved in global health initiatives promoting international education and collaboration to improve access to high-quality oncologic imaging and cancer care. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and her many awards include the David Rall Medal, for distinguished leadership, from the NAM; 6 gold medals and 22 honorary fellowships from radiological societies around the world; and honorary doctorates from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany and the University of Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.

Q: Lloyd Minor, MD - Dean, School of Medicine Stanford University

Lloyd B. Minor, MD , is the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. With his leadership, Stanford Medicine has established a strategic vision to lead the biomedical revolution in Precision Health, a fundamental shift to more proactive and personalized health care that empowers people to lead healthy lives. His book, “Discovering Precision Health,” published in 2020, highlights how biomedical advances are dramatically improving our ability to treat and cure complex diseases. Dr. Minor also is a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and a professor of Bioengineering and of Neurobiology, by courtesy, at Stanford University. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. LinkedIn »

Q: Moderator: Jason Thanh Lee, PhD, Deputy Director, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford

Jason Thanh Lee, PhD is the Deputy Director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS) and previously Director of the Stanford Center for Innovation in In vivo Imaging small animal imaging facility. Dr. Lee has expertise in multimodality imaging techniques and instrumentation, notably in positron emission tomography. Prior to this, he was Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and Director of its Preclinical Imaging Technology Center facility in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at UCLA. He completed his NIH R25T Molecular Imaging: Training for Oncology Program postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in nuclear reporter imaging systems applied to adoptive cell therapies. Dr. Lee received both his PhD in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and B.S. in Electrical Engineering at UCLA where he developed novel PET imaging methods for in vivo pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. He has consulted cancer institutes as an external advisory committee member of their shared resources. He currently serves on the Stanford Radiology committee charged with the implementation and long-term strategy of its Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Facility (CRF) expansion at the Stanford Research Park and theragnostics research program. LinkedIn » Twitter »

Q: Andrew Lacy, JD, MBA - CEO, Prenuvo

Andrew Lacy is Prenuvo’s CEO & a product technologist at heart with extensive experience taking transformative digital products from conception to launch in startups and large corporations. He co-founded Tapulous, a company that pioneered the iPhone mobile revenues mechanics that now underpin app store. Their product Tap Tap Revenge was the most popular iOs game in the world in 2010. Tapulos was acquired by the Walt Disney Company as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2010.. Prior to Tapulous, Andrew was at ZapTravel, where he built and commercialized Alexa and Siri-like vertical search interfaces that predated the launch of those. Andrew holds an MBA from Stanford and a JD from University of Melbourne. LinkedIn » Twitter »

Q: Carina Mari Aparici, MD - Professor, Stanford University

Carina Mari Aparici, MD is a Clinical Professor in Radiology at Stanford University. She is a Nuclear Physician with residencies in both Europe (Barcelona) and US (Stanford), and with Molecular imaging fellowships from Stanford University. After her training, she joined the Faculty at UCSF where she became a Clinical Professor in Radiology. Dr Mari Aparici is a physician-scientist in the development of Molecular Imaging and therapies. She has more than 20 years of clinical and research experience in the field and now serves as the Director of the Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Program/Theragnostics Clinic at Stanford University. She has published more than 100 papers, serves as an editorial board member of reputed journals, is PI of NIH and non-NIH grants and serves as a member/chair of several committees at her University and Societies related to her medical specialty.

Q: Ana Jaklenec, PhD - Principal Research Scientist and PI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Ana Jaklenec is a Principal Research Scientist and PI at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Langer at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Her group is focused on engineering delivery systems for global health. Dr. Jaklenec has over 15 years of experience in the area of bioengineering, materials science, micronutrient and vaccine stabilization and delivery. Dr. Jaklenec holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University. She is the recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Jaklenec was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows in 2022 for her work in controlled delivery of vaccines and heat-stable micronutrients for global health that can change the world. She was also elected to the Controlled Release Society (CRS) College of Fellows in 2022 for her research at the interface of engineering and immunology that utilizes precise fabrication and design of materials at the nano- and micro-scale for use in controlled drug delivery for global health. She has supervised over 50 pre- and postdoctoral students and has written over 35 articles in high-impact journals and has over 30 issued and pending patents worldwide. She is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Controlled Release Society, and the Society for Biomaterials. Website »

Q: Michael Aldridge - CEO, Focal Medical

Michael Aldridge is a senior executive with an extensive background in the global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Held leadership, strategic, consulting and financing roles in North American, European and Australian companies. Deep understanding of and strong relationships in all major international corporate partnering, financing and M&A markets. Accomplished and results oriented team leader capable of building high-performing organizations, creating and delivering shareholder value.

Question 1

Garry E. Gold, MD - Co-Director, PHIND Center
Professor and Chair, Radiology
Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Garry E. Gold, MD is a clinical radiologist and active investigator specializing in patient-oriented research. Following completion of his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1988, Dr. Gold earned his medical degree in 1992 from the Stanford University School of Medicine. After board certification, Dr. Gold completed an Osteoradiology fellowship at the University of California. In 2012, Dr. Gold was promoted to Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery. He was also appointed as the Associate Chair for Research in Radiology at Stanford. In 2017, Dr. Gold was appointed as Vice Chair for Research and Organization in the Department of Radiology. After nearly two years of service as Interim Chair for the Department upon the passing of Dr. Sam Gambhir in July 2020, Dr. Gold became the newest Chair of the Department of Radiology in March 2022.

Question 2

Aruna Gambhir, MS, MBA - CEO
CellSight Technologies

Accepted Answer

Aruna Gambhir is an entrepreneur with over 28 years of experience in sales, marketing, engineering, and operations. She has a BS in Biochemistry from University of California Berkeley, MS in Computer Science from Santa Clara University, and an MBA from University of California Los Angeles. She started her career in biotech at the University of California San Francisco then made a detour into high tech and worked at several Silicon Valley start-ups; initially in engineering then transitioned to marketing. After the multimedia tools start-up, Gain Technology, was acquired by Sybase she joined Siebel Systems as an early employee and helped oversee growth of sales consulting and operations worldwide. Siebel went public and reached sales revenue of $1 billion+ per year with over 3000 employees. Post IPO she “retired”, joined the boards of multiple non-profit foundations and advocacy groups, and was Executive Director at the Siebel Foundation and Marketing Director at the Canary Foundation. Aruna resumed her entrepreneurial drive to lead CellSight from initial technology transfer to clinical trials.

Question 3

Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD - Co-Director, PHIND Center
Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford. He holds appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering with a courtesy appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Graduate School of Business. Previously, he was a professor of chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and of chemical engineering at NC State University. He is also Co-founder, Board Chair, and former CEO of the additive manufacturing company, Carbon. DeSimone has mentored 80 students through Ph.D. completion, half of whom are women and members of underrepresented groups in STEM. In 2016 DeSimone was recognized by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Question 4

Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Drhc^m - Professor, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Accepted Answer

Hedvig Hricak, M.D., Ph.D., Dr.h.c. holds the Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. She is also a member of the Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Professor, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Professor of Radiology, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, NY. The hallmark of her academic career has been the development, translation, and dissemination of new diagnostic imaging techniques, primarily for genitourinary cancers. She is actively engaged in introducing applications of AI to diagnostic radiology and facilitating the development and implementation of integrated diagnostics in oncology; she is also involved in global health initiatives promoting international education and collaboration to improve access to high-quality oncologic imaging and cancer care. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and her many awards include the David Rall Medal, for distinguished leadership, from the NAM; 6 gold medals and 22 honorary fellowships from radiological societies around the world; and honorary doctorates from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany and the University of Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.

Question 5

Lloyd Minor, MD - Dean, School of Medicine
Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Lloyd B. Minor, MD, is the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. With his leadership, Stanford Medicine has established a strategic vision to lead the biomedical revolution in Precision Health, a fundamental shift to more proactive and personalized health care that empowers people to lead healthy lives. His book, “Discovering Precision Health,” published in 2020, highlights how biomedical advances are dramatically improving our ability to treat and cure complex diseases. Dr. Minor also is a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and a professor of Bioengineering and of Neurobiology, by courtesy, at Stanford University. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

LinkedIn »

Question 6

Moderator: Jason Thanh Lee, PhD, Deputy Director, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford

Accepted Answer

Jason Thanh Lee, PhD is the Deputy Director of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS) and previously Director of the Stanford Center for Innovation in In vivo Imaging small animal imaging facility. Dr. Lee has expertise in multimodality imaging techniques and instrumentation, notably in positron emission tomography. Prior to this, he was Assistant Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and Director of its Preclinical Imaging Technology Center facility in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at UCLA. He completed his NIH R25T Molecular Imaging: Training for Oncology Program postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in nuclear reporter imaging systems applied to adoptive cell therapies. Dr. Lee received both his PhD in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and B.S. in Electrical Engineering at UCLA where he developed novel PET imaging methods for in vivo pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. He has consulted cancer institutes as an external advisory committee member of their shared resources. He currently serves on the Stanford Radiology committee charged with the implementation and long-term strategy of its Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Facility (CRF) expansion at the Stanford Research Park and theragnostics research program.

LinkedIn »

Twitter »

LinkedIn »

Twitter »

Question 7

Andrew Lacy, JD, MBA - CEO, Prenuvo

Accepted Answer

Andrew Lacy is Prenuvo’s CEO & a product technologist at heart with extensive experience taking transformative digital products from conception to launch in startups and large corporations. He co-founded Tapulous, a company that pioneered the iPhone mobile revenues mechanics that now underpin app store. Their product Tap Tap Revenge was the most popular iOs game in the world in 2010. Tapulos was acquired by the Walt Disney Company as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2010.. Prior to Tapulous, Andrew was at ZapTravel, where he built and commercialized Alexa and Siri-like vertical search interfaces that predated the launch of those. Andrew holds an MBA from Stanford and a JD from University of Melbourne.

LinkedIn »

Twitter »

LinkedIn »

Twitter »

Question 8

Carina Mari Aparici, MD - Professor, Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Carina Mari Aparici, MD is a Clinical Professor in Radiology at Stanford University. She is a Nuclear Physician with residencies in both Europe (Barcelona) and US (Stanford), and with Molecular imaging fellowships from Stanford University. After her training, she joined the Faculty at UCSF where she became a Clinical Professor in Radiology. Dr Mari Aparici is a physician-scientist in the development of Molecular Imaging and therapies. She has more than 20 years of clinical and research experience in the field and now serves as the Director of the Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Program/Theragnostics Clinic at Stanford University. She has published more than 100 papers, serves as an editorial board member of reputed journals, is PI of NIH and non-NIH grants and serves as a member/chair of several committees at her University and Societies related to her medical specialty.

Question 9

Ana Jaklenec, PhD - Principal Research Scientist and PI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Accepted Answer

Dr. Ana Jaklenec is a Principal Research Scientist and PI at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Langer at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Her group is focused on engineering delivery systems for global health. Dr. Jaklenec has over 15 years of experience in the area of bioengineering, materials science, micronutrient and vaccine stabilization and delivery. Dr. Jaklenec holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University. She is the recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Jaklenec was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows in 2022 for her work in controlled delivery of vaccines and heat-stable micronutrients for global health that can change the world. She was also elected to the Controlled Release Society (CRS) College of Fellows in 2022 for her research at the interface of engineering and immunology that utilizes precise fabrication and design of materials at the nano- and micro-scale for use in controlled drug delivery for global health. She has supervised over 50 pre- and postdoctoral students and has written over 35 articles in high-impact journals and has over 30 issued and pending patents worldwide. She is an active member of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Controlled Release Society, and the Society for Biomaterials.

Website »

Question 10

Michael Aldridge - CEO, Focal Medical

Accepted Answer

Michael Aldridge is a senior executive with an extensive background in the global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Held leadership, strategic, consulting and financing roles in North American, European and Australian companies. Deep understanding of and strong relationships in all major international corporate partnering, financing and M&A markets. Accomplished and results oriented team leader capable of building high-performing organizations, creating and delivering shareholder value.

Question 11

John Rogers, PhD - Professor
Northwestern University

Accepted Answer

Professor John A. Rogers obtained BA and BS degrees in chemistry and in physics from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1989. From MIT, he received SM degrees in physics and in chemistry in 1992 and the PhD degree in physical chemistry in 1995. From 1995 to 1997, Rogers was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard University Society of Fellows. He joined Bell Laboratories as a Member of Technical Staff and then served as Director of the Condensed Matter Physics Research Department from 1997 to 2002. He then spent thirteen years on the faculty at University of Illinois, most recently as the Swanlund Chair Professor and Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. In the Fall of 2016, he moved to Northwestern University where he is Director of the recently endowed Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. He has co-authored nearly 900 papers and his co-inventor on more than 100 patents. His research has been recognized by many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2009), the Lemelson-MIT Prize (2011), the Smithsonian Award for American Ingenuity in the Physical Sciences (2013), the Samuel R. Natelson Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (2018), the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute (2019), the Herbert Pardes Clinical Research Excellence Award (2020), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2021). He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Question 12

Moderator: Vik Bajaj, PhD - Managing Director, CEO, Foresite Labs

Accepted Answer

Vik Bajaj is a Managing Director at Foresite, evaluating and pursuing investments at the intersection of technology and life sciences, including in personalized and precision healthcare.

Prior to joining Foresite Capital, Vik was the Chief Scientific Officer of GRAIL, a life sciences company working to detect cancer early when it can be cured, and remains on its Scientific Advisory Board. He is also the Co-Founder and former Chief Scientific Officer of Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) and served as Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board. A former academic principal investigator, Vik retains appointments as Associate Professor (consulting) at the Stanford School of Medicine, and as an Affiliate Scientist of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, for which he serves on the advisory board of the College of Chemistry. He is an advisor to the Department of Defense through the Defense Science Board’s Task Force on Biology.

Vik's research interests lie at the interface of the physical sciences, engineering, and the life sciences. He and his collaborators have developed nanotechnology probes for the early detection and molecular imaging of disease, spectroscopic tools for imaging objects on the nanoscale, microfabricated and miniaturized analytical and imaging systems for point-of-care testing, methods and devices that dramatically enhance the sensitivity and specificity of MRI, and new tools for clinical bioinformatics and integrative systems biology. Aspects of this work have been commercialized through several startups. At GRAIL, Vik led laboratory and data science teams at the forefront of industrial cancer genomics and diagnostics development.

He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vik’s scientific and engineering awards include the Anatole Abragam Prize (2012), the R&D 100 Award for the most promising commercialized technologies (2011 and 2013), and the Department of Energy's LBL Innovation Grant (2013). In 2011, he was named as a Visiting Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

https://www.foresitecapital.com/team/vikram-bajaj

Question 13

Kara Egan, BS, MBA - CEO Teal Health

Accepted Answer

Kara Egan is the CEO and co-founder of Teal Health, a women’s health platform that is focused on solving some of the most pressing health issues - starting with cervical cancer. By offering an at-home cervical cancer screening, Teal can address the many barriers to this life-saving screening and welcome women into a healthcare experience that is designed for them and their preferences. Kara has spent her entire career at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and startups. She led early stage investments as a venture capitalist focused on health tech at .406 Ventures and software at Emergence Capital. As an operator she has launched new products and managed marketplaces at start-ups ranging from seed through to IPO at Backupify (Datto), Stitch Labs (Square), and Zendesk (IPO). Kara earned her BS in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. While at Stanford, she was an All-American sailor and Captain of the Stanford Varsity Sailing Team. She has received her MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a Kauffman Fellow.

Question 14

Marc Taub, PhD - Divisional Vice President, Technical Operations, Abbott Diabetes Care

Accepted Answer

Marc Taub, PhD, is divisional vice president of technical operations for Abbott’s diabetes business. Since joining Abbott in 2004, Dr. Taub has been one of the driving forces behind Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre systems, a sensor-based glucose monitoring solution that’s transforming glucose monitoring for people with diabetes. Throughout the product’s development, he led a diverse team of engineers and scientists across two global research and development sites, and was responsible for all aspects of the product’s design. Dr. Taub holds a number of patents for devices and systems for diabetes monitoring. He is a published researcher whose work has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed publications. Abbott inducted Dr. Taub into the Volwiler Society, comprised of the most distinguished scientists in the company.

Question 15

Vijit Sabnis, PhD - CEO, Eigen Biosciences

Accepted Answer

Vijit Sabnis is currently co-founder and CEO of Eigen Biosciences, a company developing generalized continuous molecular sensors. Previously, Vijit was a partner at Khosla Ventures, where he focused on investments in healthcare, biotechnology, food tech, advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, clean energy, and materials. Vijit was also co-founder and CEO of Solar Junction, a venture-backed company that developed world-record efficiency solar cells for concentrating photovoltaic systems and was acquired by Taqnia. Earlier in his career, Vijit was a senior scientist at Translucent where he investigated electronics and photonics applications of rare earth oxide semiconductors. Vijit received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Question 16

Ashraf Hanna, MD, PhD - CEO, Genalyte

Accepted Answer

Ashraf Hanna is currently the CEO of Genalyte, a diagnostic company focused on making diagnostic testing available and immediate. Previously as COO at Verily (Google Life Science) he led the company in its first 510k approval and establishing some of the Covid testing sites. Ashraf spent over a decade at Genentech as Vice President and head of Alliance Management, Portfolio Prioritization, and head of Commercial and Medical Affairs Finance. He started his work career at McKinsey. He has a PhD in Physics from Harvard, and an M.D. from the University of Massachusetts and studied Physics and Economics as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago.

Question 17

Moderator: Ryan Spitler, PhD - Deputy Director, PHIND Center, Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Dr. Ryan Spitler is the Deputy Director of the Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics Center at Stanford University. He completed his Post Doctorial Research Fellowship (SCIT) at Stanford University School of Medicine, conducting research in the developing field of Magnetogenetics for remote controlled cellular reprogramming and developed smart MRI cell tracking tools for oncology cell tracking studies. He has designed numerous biological models, synthetic biology approaches and worked on the development of new technologies in a number of scientific areas ranging from medical devices to gene therapy. Prior to his position at Stanford, Dr. Spitler received his Ph.D. in Cellular and Developmental Biology at the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine. His research at the Beckman Laser Institute included developing and characterizing new nitric oxide-based drugs, laser, and LED-based multimodal wound healing therapies some of which are currently being used in the clinic as a result of his work.
Dr. Spitler received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he worked in the area of structural biology. Over the past two decades he has held a number of academic and industrial positions and has served as an advisor or advisory board member for a number of Bay Area companies. Dr. Spitler is the recipient of the Stanford Cancer Imaging Fellowship Training Award, RSL Innovation Challenge Award, the Biophotas Research Fellowship, and the Stanford Center for Biomedical Imaging Achievement Award.

Question 18

Ian Gotlib, PhD - Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Dr. Ian H. Gotlib is the Marjorie Mhoon Fair Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University. From 2005-2010, Dr. Gotlib served as Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, and from 2012-2018 he served as Chair of the Psychology Department. In his research, Dr. Gotlib examines psychobiological factors that place children, adolescents, and adults at risk for developing depression and engaging in suicidal behaviors, as well as processes that are protective in this context. He examines neural, cognitive, social, endocrinological, immunological, and genetic and epigenetic factors in depressed individuals and applies findings from these investigations to the study of predictors of depression in children and adolescents at risk for this disorder. Dr. Gotlib is also examining the differential effects of early life stress on trajectories of neurodevelopment in boys and girls through puberty in order to explain the increased prevalence of depression and suicidal behaviors in girls in adolescence and has extended this work to the study of brain function and structure, endocrine function, and behaviors in neonates and infants being raised in suboptimal environments. Dr. Gotlib has been documenting the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ mental health and brain development. Dr. Gotlib has published over 550 papers in scientific journals describing his research, which is supported largely by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Gotlib has received the Joseph Zubin Award for lifetime research contributions to the understanding of psychopathology, the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, the APS Distinguished Scientist Award, and a MERIT award from NIMH.

Question 19

Dalia Perelman, MS, RDN, CDCES - Dietician, Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Dalia Perelman is a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Diabetes Educator. She has always been interested in both Nutrition research and its application in clinical practice and has worked in both environments. For 14 years she was a clinical dietitian at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation counseling people with diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders and other conditions. She understands the power of diet in disease prevention and treatment and is currently working as a research dietitian at Stanford University to continue to elucidate the use of dietary measures to effectively promote optimal health. Some of the studies Dalia has worked on include the relationship between dietary intake and adipocyte function, the effect of dietary fibers on the microbiome, the relationship between nutrients and cognitive function, and personalizing dietary recommendations for optimal blood sugar control.

Question 20

Anthony Wagner, PhD - Professor and Deputy Director, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute

Accepted Answer

Anthony Wagner (PhD '97, Stanford) is a Lucie Stern Professor in the Department of Psychology and a deputy director of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University. He has served on the board of Stanford's Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging and is a faculty affiliate of the Symbolic Systems Program, Human Biology Program, and Stanford Center on Longevity. His basic science focuses on the psychology and neurobiology of learning, memory, and executive function in young and older adults. His translational research examines aging and Alzheimer's disease, the relationship between multitasking and cognition, and the implications of neuroscience for law. He is a Reviewing Editor at Cerebral Cortex and Cerebral Cortex Communications, and serves on several other editorial boards.

Question 21

Michael Barber, DEng

Accepted Answer

Michael Barber retired in January 2022 as a Corporate Officer after a 40-year career at GE. His last role was as the Chief Diversity Officer reporting to the Chairman & CEO. In that role Barber led the company’s work to ensure a diverse and inclusive environment and work practices existed where all employees could reach their full potential AND that the company realized the benefits of a diverse workforce and leadership team. Previously, Barber was the President and CEO of GE’s Molecular Imaging and Computed Tomography business. In this role Barber and his team were responsible for all aspects of meeting customer and business needs for these product lines which represented ~$4B of annual turnover. CT scanners are the backbone of Radiology departments, vital to accessing trauma patients, key to accessing stroke patients, growing in cardiac care and a standard of care in oncology. Molecular imaging looks at the bio-chemistry of disease by highlighting metastatic lesions, neuro degenerative disorders and cardiac function. In 2009, Barber was the first leader of GE’s strategy on global health, called healthymagination. The charter was to improve the quality, cost and access to care by 15% or more on a global basis. Barber and team delivered >50 products targeting cost, quality and access as well as established key partnerships for GE in the cancer, maternal and newborn health and emerging markets. During his 40-year career at GE, Barber had a variety of roles in engineering, operations, market development, and product management. Barber holds patents for novel x-ray-based system designs and has been directly involved with many product and business advances in the field of diagnostic imaging and clinical care. Barber was named a Black Enterprise ‘Master of Innovation’ in 2009, received his BS and Honorary Doctorate in Engineering, and serves as a Regent at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He served on the board of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME; 2009-2021). In 2014 Barber was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023. Barber serves as a Director on the Boards of Catalent, Inc (NYSE:CTLT) and the Green Bay Packers Football Club. Barber is married to Jacqueline Herd-Barber who chairs several non-profit boards in the Milwaukee area and has 2 children: Lauren, an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and Justin, an MBA graduate and Supply Chain Leader.

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Question 22

Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD - Co-Director, PHIND Center
Stanford University

Accepted Answer

Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford. He holds appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering with a courtesy appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Graduate School of Business. Previously, he was a professor of chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and of chemical engineering at NC State University. He is also Co-founder, Board Chair, and former CEO of the additive manufacturing company, Carbon. DeSimone has mentored 80 students through Ph.D. completion, half of whom are women and members of underrepresented groups in STEM. In 2016 DeSimone was recognized by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

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PHIND Annual Gambhir Symposium

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