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Dr. Harsha Rajasimha has over 15 years of experience and widely recognized in the field of systems biology, Genomics BigData analytics, rare diseases and precision medicine for cancer. Dr. Rajasimha is currently global head of life sciences R&D IT solutions for Dell. He co-directs the center for metabolic and rare diseases at George Mason University. Before this, he led the global strategy and business development for Strand Life Sciences, a CAP/CLIA laboratory and Bioinformatics powerhouse for precision medicine, between 2013 and 2016.  

A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Rajasimha founded Jeeva Informatics Solutions (www.Jeevadx.com) in 2013, a BigData Informatics Company that received the ‘Bioscience Company of the Year 2014’ award from Montgomery County, MD. He is co-founder and board member of the non-profit organization for rare diseases India (www.ordindia.org) and established mechanisms to accelerate rare disease diagnosis, public health policies and accessibility of treatments for patients in India. Dr. Rajasimha has led the development of some of the largest genomics projects including PathogenPortal, Pathosystems resource integration center, Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG), LIMS implementation at the FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs, architected Genome Explorer® a web-based platform for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis for Genome International Corporation and Cyberinfrastructure development for National Eye Institute’s genomics program. His contributions to the NGS program were recognized by NEI director’s innovation award in 2012. 

An accomplished scientist, Dr. Rajasimha has authored over 15 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and is often invited speaker at international conferences. He has contributed to global standards initiatives such as BioPAX, DELSAGlobal, personalized medicine coalition, and the global alliance for genomics and health. He earned baccalaureate degree in computer science engineering from Bangalore University, Masters in Computer Science & Bioinformatics and Doctoral degree in interdisciplinary program genetics, bioinformatics and computational biology from Virginia Tech.

Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, On Demand Pharmaceuticals / BHI EIR

Jarrod Borkat is a 15-year veteran in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer with On Demand Pharmaceuticals. He joined MedImmune in 2010, and served as Senior Director/Head, Global External Partnerships & Collaborations. In this role he was responsible for establishing and overseeing global strategic collaborations with universities, non-profit organizations and government entities, across all the therapeutic areas relevant to MedImmune. His team led the creation of several multi-million dollar collaborations, including one with Johns Hopkins University and one with University of Maryland. Prior to this role, Jarrod led the Portfolio Strategy & Management function for MedImmune, helping the organization optimize its R&D portfolio. Before joining MedImmune, Jarrod worked at Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for 11 years, rising through the ranks in the sales and commercial organization. During his time at BI, he spent two years in Germany, working at their corporate headquarters, leading the global commercial strategy for their CNS franchise. His last position prior to leaving BI was Director of U.S. Marketing, HIV. Jarrod has won multiple awards throughout his career, including being recognized as an industry “Top 25 Direct-to-Consumer Marketer of the Year” in 2007. He is also active in several industry organizations and has served on industry-related panels. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Jarrod serves on the Kentlands Board of Trustees and the Kentlands Community Foundation Board. He also ran a marathon on all 7 continents with his father, making them the first father/son duo to have accomplished this challenging endeavor. Jarrod earned an M.B.A. from Kennesaw State University, with concentrations in finance and marketing, and earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Georgia.

 www.immunomix.com

Principal, BioEnterprises LLC

Dr. Jesse Baumgold attended Oberlin College, and obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester Medical Center. His academic career included 12 years of basic biomedical research at the NIH, and an appointment as Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Radiology at The George Washington University Medical Center. He published over 50 scientific papers in the field of receptor-mediated signal transduction, 4 patents, and landed well over a million dollars of grant support. In 1994, Dr. Baumgold founded Receptor Biology Inc which was the first American company to produce and cell GPCR reagents to the drug discovery community. In 2004, he founded Applied Cell Sciences which provided GPCR products and cell culture services to the drug discovery community. Applied Cell Sciences merged with Cleveland-based ChanTest Corporation in 2009 and Dr. Baumgold currently serves as a Vice President for Product Services. He retains his passion for entrepreneurial companies and is on the Board of Directors of Plasmonix Inc and a member of the Dingman Angels, Active Angels and the Chesapeake Emerging Opportunities club.

CEO Emmes & PE Board Advisor

Peter is an accomplished drug developer and innovative senior pharmaceutical executive who is currently the CEO of Emmes as well as advising boards, private equity investors, and leaders across the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.  He has extensive global experience across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, vaccines, anti-infectives, cardiovascular and retinal gene therapy – from First in Human to Medical Affairs.

In his current role as CEO of Emmes, he is responsible for setting both the strategic direction and the day-to-day operations of the full service CRO operating in 30+ countries and across multiple disease areas including ophthalmology, vaccines, rare disease, cell & gene therapy, and neuroscience.  Emmes is collaborating with more than 210 sponsors, within the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, government, including over a dozen institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), academic organizations, and non‐profit foundations.

Until January 2023, Peter was the Head of Global Development at Janssen R&D where he was responsible for leading the Global Development organization (including statistics, clinical pharmacology, clinical operations, data operations, project and portfolio management, etc.) in support of delivering a broad ranging portfolio of 450+ studies across all therapeutic areas and all phases from PhI -IV. In this role he managed a 10,000+ globally distributed organization and a $2bn+ operating budget to support the design of innovative drug development programs and the implementation of innovative approaches to trial design and execution including trial virtualization, digital health, patient-centered research, and diversity in clinical trials.

Prior to joining Janssen in 2017, Peter was the Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Operations at Bristol Myers-Squibb where he had spent 14 years holding positions of increasing leadership scope in Medical Affairs, Regulatory Operations and R&D Operations.  He also served on the TransCelerate Biopharmaceutical Board of Directors.  Prior to joining BMS, Peter was a consultant with Accenture, focusing on post-merger integration of R&D organizations.  He is a graduate of Nottingham University in the UK and lives in Chester, NJ.

CEO | Co-Founder, Care at Hand (Acq by Mindoula Health)

Dr. Ostrovsky is a practicing physician and social entrepreneur who co-founded Care at Hand. He continues to lead Care at Hand’s executive management and strategic vision since its acquisition by Mindoula Health.

He has led teams at the World Health Organization, United States Senate, and San Francisco Health Department toward health system strengthening through technology. Andrey has contributed to legislation at the city and national level to advance care delivery for vulnerable populations. And he serves on several boards and committees dedicated to interoperability standards, quality improvement, and innovation including the National Quality Forum, Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), and the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC), among others. He is a published researcher in quality improvement, healthcare innovation, and care coordination.

Andrey holds a Medical Doctorate and undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Psychology Magna cum Laude, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Andrey completed his pediatrics residency training in the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital where he was a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. He is teaching faculty and attending physician at Children’s National Medical Center.

CEO, GlycoMimetics, Inc.

Rachel King is co-founder and CEO of GlycoMimetics, Inc. (GMI), a biotechnology company which has so far raised over $60 million in venture capital financing and recently completed a strategic partnership with Pfizer. Before founding GMI, she was an Executive in Residence at New Enterprise Associates, one of the nation’s leading venture capital firms. Mrs. King came to NEA after serving as a Senior Vice President of Novartis Corporation. Before joining Novartis, Mrs. King spent ten years with Genetic Therapy, Inc. through the company’s early stage, initial public offering, and eventual sale to Novartis. There she held various positions, including as the Company’s CEO. Mrs. King also worked previously at ALZA Corporation in Palo Alto, California and at Bain and Company in Boston. She received her B.A degree from Dartmouth College and her MBA from Harvard Business School. Mrs. King currently serves on the Board of the Biotechnology Industry Association (“BIO”). At BIO, she is Vice Chair of the Health Section Governing Board and is a former Chair of the Emerging Companies Governing Board. She is also a Member of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley and of the Board of Directors of the MDBIO Foundation.