Speakers
Allie Greenplate is the Director of Strategic Alliance for the Institute of Immunology and Immune Health at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on building and growing an institute with a mission to shift paradigms of clinical care through curated, centralized immune analysis.
Dr. Greenplate received her doctoral degree in Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology from Vanderbilt University. She completed two short postdocs, first at Vanderbilt and then at the University of Pennsylvania. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led a group of immunologists to build a research unit designed to return immunological information from hospitalized COVID-19 patients to physicians in real time. In October of 2020, she transitioned that work into what has become Immune Health, with the goal of decoding the immune system to provide better clinicalcare.
Dr. Bryson Reynolds is an Associate Director in Department of Defense’s Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). Dr. Reynolds oversees efforts regarding: 1) cybersecurity, 2) foreign, ownership, control, or influence (FOCI), and 3) market intelligence. Prior to joining DoD OSBP, Dr. Reynolds worked in neuroscience research and STEM education.
Gabriela is a trained scientist with a robust background and a proactive approach to addressing complex challenges. She completed a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University, where her research centered on the transcriptional regulation of tumor suppressors in oncogenesis and tissue development. Her interest in the commercial side of therapeutic development was sparked by an internship at Vanderbilt’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, which broadened her understanding of the pathway from scientific discovery to market application.
As a collaborative team member at Molekule, Gabriela leverages her scientific expertise to provide timely, actionable insights that drive product development and inform strategic decisions within the pharmaceutical industry. With a specialization in hematology and oncology, Gabriela excels at understanding client needs, providing strategic guidance on practice-changing drug approvals, and conducting in-depth analyses of the competitive landscape.
Jennifer Malinowski, PhD, is a results-oriented, data-driven Director of Market Access and Medical Policy for Genetic Testing at Labcorp. Dr. Malinowski returned to school as a second career and attended Roosevelt University in Chicago, beginning in 2008 and received her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2010. She was a member of the Honors Program, performed independent research on the antimicrobial properties of various native plant species, and was inducted into the Franklin Honor Society. Jennifer attended Vanderbilt University’s Graduate School, entering in fall of 2010 through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and later joined the Center for Human Genetics Research under the mentorship of Dr. Dana Crawford. Her graduate work focused on the scientific and ethical implications of precision medicine implementation for a variety of women’s health conditions. She received a multidisciplinary MS in Applied Epidemiology and Genomic Policy in 2013 and defended her doctoral dissertation in August 2014. During her time at Vanderbilt, Jennifer additionally sought clinical ethics consultation training under the mentorship of Dr. Joe Fanning at both the adult and children’s hospitals and received didactic ethics education through the Center for Ethics and Society under Dr. Larry Churchill and Dr. Keith Meador. Following graduate school, Dr. Malinowski became research faculty at Yale University’s School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery, performing clinical research and clinical trials management and serving as a faculty representative on one of Yale’s Human Investigation Committees [IRB]. Her subsequent roles have focused on access to care, bioethics, precision medicine, and clinical guideline development. Prior to joining Labcorb in March, she was at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, as a Director, Access and Policy Research in Scientific Affairs, and served on J&J’s enterprise-wide Bioethics Committee and the Committee on Advanced Therapeutics. Léolène Carrington is a discovery scientist at Interius BioTherapeutics, a pre-clinical stage biotech company based in Philadelphia, PA. In this role, Léolène supports the development of the company’s proprietary in vivo cell-specific gene delivery platform, with a focus on new CAR-T therapeutics for patients. Prior to joining Interius, Léolène was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in Hematology. At Penn, Léolène was also the Perelman School of Medicine Postdoctoral Council Co-President, where she advocated and led initiatives to improve the work environment and development opportunities for trainees at Penn. Léolène completed her PhD in Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University with a focus on how actin cytoskeletal dynamics regulate cancer cell migration. She transitioned into the immuno-oncology field in hopes of contributing to breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy. Matt Harlow, PhD is a Senior Scientist at Triana Biomedicines. Previously, Matt worked at Civetta Therapeutics as a Scientist II. In both industry positions Matt has contributed to both pipeline and early discovery project teams. Prior to joining biotech, Matt completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute studying mechanisms of oncogenic transcription in pediatric solid tumors. Matt received his PhD from the Cancer Biology Department at Vanderbilt in 2017 in the lab of Dr. Patrick Grohar. Molly Seale is a seasoned leader in Scientific and Medical Affairs, currently serving at AbbVie. She brings extensive experience in healthcare professional engagement and people leadership, contributing to AbbVie’s mission of advancing innovative therapies. Her career reflects a strong commitment to scientific excellence and strategic collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Nick Warren is the Assistant Director of Federal Relations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he works in Washington, DC to advance the medical center’s patient care, research, and education missions through federal agency engagement and regulatory policy development. Previously, he was Associate Director of Regulatory Science and Policy at the American Association for Cancer Research, leading initiatives with the FDA on drug development, clinical research, and tobacco control, as well as broader public health and research policy efforts. He holds a PhD in cancer pharmacology from Dartmouth College and a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Dr. Patrice Cuff is a versatile cell biologist with over a decade of experience in academic research, pharmaceutical development, and strategic program management. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Spelman College and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Research from Vanderbilt University, where her research focused on the mechanisms of cell death in hematopoiesis and the progression and development of blood cancers. She further expanded her expertise through a postdoctoral fellowship in Oncology Translational Research at Janssen Research & Development, studying Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and its transition to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Beyond the lab, Patrice has built a career in program management, leveraging her scientific expertise to develop and implement initiatives that drive organizational growth and engagement. As a Program Manager at Spelman College, she supports the LINCS (STEM-focused) and Food Studies Scholars programs, where she designs and executes programming, manages budgets, and mentors students as they prepare for diverse careers. She collaborates with internal and external partners to create and support impactful professional development opportunities, fostering pathways for student success. Patrice’s expertise extends to contract research and development, where she has led cross-functional collaborations to support scientific and business initiatives. As Director of Scientific Engagement at BioDuro-Sundia, she developed strategies to enhance client engagement and knowledge exchange. At Abzena, she managed the proposal development process, ensuring bespoke proposals met the needs of potential clients. With a passion for strategic program management, mentorship, and professional development, Patrice is dedicated to creating opportunities that bridge science, education, and career advancement. Renee Bailey Iacona currently holds two positions for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in Oncology R&D: the Chief Operating Officer and the Vice President for Biometrics accountable for the entire Oncology portfolio. Renee leads two teams and oversees approximately 800+ staff across the two groups. Biometrics is accountable for design, delivery and interpretation of clinical trials in the early and late development stage as well as submissions/regulatory response and innovation. COO oversees the operations across Oncology R&D including facilities management and enabling functions. Renee reports to the EVP for Oncology R&D and has been at AstraZeneca since 2001. She holds a BS from University of Tennessee at Martin, a PhD in Pathology from Vanderbilt University (1998) and a Masters in Public Health (1999) from Vanderbilt. She resides in Germantown, Maryland. Siwei He is a Partner in the Atlanta office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Trained as a medical doctor in Shanghai, China, he pursued a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Dr. David Miller from 2012 to 2018. Since joining BCG in 2019, Siwei has specialized in the intersection of healthcare and commercial strategy—spanning sales, marketing, and market access—serving clients across the biopharma and medtech sectors. Beyond his client work, Siwei leads the Asian Diversity Network at BCG Atlanta, fostering inclusivity and representation within the firm. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, skiing, and hiking. Sheridan Carrington PhD is currently a Director of Portfolio Strategy & Management, in the Enterprise Strategy organization at Bristol Myers Squibb. In this role, he supports the development and execution of the company’s portfolio strategy across therapeutic areas. Sheridan joined Bristol Myers Squibb in 2022 as part of a leadership development program, spending almost two years in various roles across the drug development organization. Before joining BMS, Sheridan held a leadership role as the Director of Business Development at Avalo Therapeutics in Wayne, PA. In this role, he led search & evaluation and transactions for assets covering immunology, neuroscience, and rare disease indications. Before transitioning to biotech, Sheridan worked with the Orphan Disease Center at the University of Pennsylvania, managing sponsored research programs and collaborations in rare disease therapeutics. He has also gained diverse experience through brief stints at a healthcare-focused hedge fund and in academic drug discovery. Sheridan earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where he studied protein-protein interactions that affect the neurophysiology of energy homeostasis and food intake. He completed his undergraduate degree in Pharmacology at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica. Tim Shaver is an Associate Director of Bioinformatics at Natera, focusing on the development of assays to detect circulating tumor DNA in blood samples for precision oncology applications and early cancer detection. Prior to joining Natera, he led the Translational Bioinformatics team at the multi-cancer early detection company GRAIL and worked as a Senior Scientist in bioinformatics and data science at the synthetic biology company Inscripta. Tim earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Vanderbilt, focusing on cancer genomics and the development of algorithms to detect and validate targetable genetic alterations in cancer samples.