Archives: Speakers

A Clinical Research Professional with over 13 years’ experience across various settings such as Site, CRO, Small Biotech and Pharma. Expertise in various therapeutic areas from Oncology and Rare/Orphan Disease. Experience from early phase first in human to late phase and Nov Intervention RWE generation and Registries. Focused on Clinical Operations excellence and process improvements for the benefit of the patients we serve. Currently Director, CPL at Alexion, AZ Rare Disease leading a Cross Functional clinical team.

Mara Hummel is a life sciences leader with expertise in clinical research, digital innovation, and strategy. With a background in nutrition and extensive experience in clinical research across all phases and many disease areas, she has led initiatives integrating advanced technologies into clinical development. Passionate about transforming healthcare through open innovation and data-driven approaches, she focuses on modernizing clinical trials and fostering collaboration across the ecosystem.

Dr. Antonella Santuccione Chadha is a world-renowned medical doctor with deep expertise in neuroscience and psychiatry, combined with a proven track record in organizational leadership, research, and clinical development. She is the founder and pro bono CEO of the Women’s Brain Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to applying precision medicine to understand the impact of sex and gender on mental and brain health.

In addition to her role at the Women’s Brain Foundation, Dr. Chadha serves as Vice-President and board member of Euresearch, the Swiss agency supporting research and innovation across Europe. She is also an advisor to Innosuisse, where she supports the growth of Swiss SMEs in the innovation space.

Dr. Chadha’s career spans academic institutions, leading pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Biogen, the Swiss regulatory agency for therapeutic products, and international policy organizations. She previously served as Chief Medical Officer and ad-interim CEO of Altoida, a digital health company pioneering AI-driven diagnostics in precision neurology. Across all her roles, she has led large teams in corporate, academic, and clinical environments.

Her work has earned widespread recognition. She has been named among the Top 100 Women in Business in Switzerland since 2018 and was honored as Woman of the Year in Switzerland in 2019. Dr. Chadha is also a recipient of the World Sustainability Award for advancing precision medicine, and the “Premio Medicina Italia” for her leadership during the pandemic. In 2022, she received the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award in Switzerland. Most recently, in 2024, she was honored with the “Women Empowering Award” and  recognized for her contributions to Swiss reforms with the prestigious “Katherinenturm” Project. In 2025 she was listed among the Women leaders to watch.

Maria Rigoroso-Brandt is a global leader in patient engagement, with over 20 years in healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. As the current Global & US Patient Engagement Lead at Pfizer, Maria has spearheaded significant initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and access. Her leadership includes the #Prism project, which focuses on closing care gaps in IBD through the innovative application of intestinal ultrasound, as well as the #Uninhibited Summit, which brings together and supports communities of shared interest. Additionally, she oversaw the pilot and rollout of forpatients.roche.com, a website designed for patients and caregivers that offers clinical study information in accessible language.

Earlier in her career, Maria managed early phase clinical studies at Quintiles (now IQVIA) and GlaxoSmithKline, where most trial participants and volunteers were male. She led teams in Phase I–IIa research, overseeing recruitment, training, and daily operations, and worked to ensure patient safety and effective communication with diverse populations.
Maria’s experience spans clinical operations, patient advocacy, and medical and commercial product launches across multiple therapeutic areas. She holds an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her work has earned multiple industry awards and contributed to peer-reviewed publications on patient preference and clinical practice.

Beverly is a pediatric pharmacist by training and has spent over 20 years working in biotechnology, holding diverse Medical Affairs roles across Europe, the United States, Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets. Her mission is to bridge the gap between medical innovation and patient accessibility, driven by a passion for developing therapies that truly resonate with patient needs and delivering outcomes that are meaningful to them.

Witnessing the significant access challenges faced by innovative medicines in reaching people in need prompted her to pivot into patient advocacy. She is now dedicated to addressing these barriers across the drug development lifecycle, collaborating with patients and those who care for them, physicians, access decision-makers and industry stakeholders to ensure that transformative therapies that are developed can reach those who need them most.

Anja is a Swiss qualified pharmacist with a Ph. D. in medicinal chemistry from ETH Zurich.

She started her career as a manager research and development at Fumapharm AG, a small Swiss Biotech company, where she coordinated CMC activities and pre-clinical research studies for an oral MS drug in late-stage development. Her role included management of multiple academic research collaborations as well as external suppliers.

Anja moved to Biogen after acquisition of Fumapharm, where she held various roles with increasing responsibility in CMC development and external manufacturing. She has been responsible for clinical and commercial supply of various products and supported multiple product launches across different modalities and product stages. In her last role at Biogen, she was heading the external manufacturing biologics technology platform and was leading a team of relationship managers for strategic CDMO accounts.

Most recently, Anja has worked at different start-up companies as head of CMC, responsible for all CMC and supply related aspects for pre-clinical oncology programs including antibody-drug conjugates, small molecules and gene therapy products. Setting up an external supplier network and contract laboratories, as well as managing relationships with alliance partners has been a key aspect of her work.