Archives: Speakers

Dr. Shalini Mohan joined Genentech in 2015 in Global Safety Science in which she was responsible for the pharmacovigilance for multiple molecules and supported late stage clinical trials, one of which led to the filing and approval of tocilizumab for giant cell arteritis. Shalini currently leads a team focused on advancing health equity through inclusive research and supporting access to trials and healthcare for underserved populations in the US. She conducted the largest randomized placebo-controlled trial for COVID-19 pneumonia and was successful in enrolling 85% historically underrepresented patients. This trial has become foundational for Genentech’s mission to be a leader in health equity research. Prior to Genentech Shalini was a Clinical Research Fellow in Oncology and Dermatology and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. She has authored more than 25 peer-review publications and received multiple awards including the 2023 Genentech Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) Industry Leader Award.

David Borbas is Research VP, Head of Data Management of Abcuro

Prior to Abcuro, David worked for more than 25 years of Data Management and Information Technology experience. He has broad experience starting and developing Data Management groups at SurroMed, Millennium Pharmaceuticals South San Francisco and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. After leaving Jazz Pharmaceuticals he provided Data Management consulting services to small and medium size companies in the Bay Area, throughout the US and Canada. He has been involved in 5 successful NDAs and together with Data Management team members has managed more than 100 studies. His research experience includes Rare Disease, Cardiac, Oncology, Rheumatology, Fibromyalgia, Gene Therapy, Neurology and Psychiatry clinical studies. He has supported clinical studies phase 1 to 4 including Global Phase 3 Studies, IVRS and eDiary applications. In addition, David has clinical experience more than 15 years of clinical and management experience in the areas of Critical Care, Emergency, Hemodialysis and Critical Care Transport. He has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in Information Systems from Claremont Graduate University. He has given presentations at the CDISC International Interchange and supported the Bay Area CDISC meetings and PhUSE standards work groups.

Marta Schumacher joined Annexon,Inc. in 2019 and currently serves as Head of Clinical Operations (Executive Director) with a team dedicated to executing global clinical trials. She was VP of Clinical Operations at BioPharmX from 2017 to 2019 where she was responsible for building and leading the clinical operations department. From  1999 to 2017 she held various Clinical Operations positions at Roche, Corgentech, BN Immunotherapeutic, Inclin and Genentech. Marta earned a B.A. in Genetics from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A at Golden Gate University.

Dr. Ramachandran “TR” Thirucote is a founding Chair and CEO of TesoRx Pharma, LLC and its affiliate, LIPAC Oncology, Inc., clinical stage companies that are focused on delivering innovative, optimized therapies in areas of unmet medical needs.  Each of the companies leverage a novel drug delivery platform technology to target a range of treatments including  urology and oncology.  TR has several decades of experience in the design, development and launch of innovative therapeutics and dosage forms covering all dosage forms such as solid orals, parenteral and topicals.  At Roxro Pharma, LLC, a leading edge virtual pharma company model, TR was instrumental is design development and NBA launch of Sprix^TM, a novel nasal spray drug-device combination for a non-opioid for post-operative surgical pain.  At SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute), TR pioneered a contract pharma model (CRO), that encompassed government contracts with commercial pharma product development, setting the table for the successful establishment of several start up biotech and pharma companies across the country. He was also very successful as a PI and helped establish ongoing contracts with NIH affiliated institutes such as NIAID and NCI. At Agouron Pharma (now Pfizer), TR led the oncology portfolio development, moving the company’s first lead molecule in to clinical trials. As a scientist at Thermedics (now a division of Thermo Fischer Scientific), TR was responsible for the development of a novel polymeric wound dressing under a DOD contract, advised by Dr. R. Langer (MIT).

Guinevere (Gwen) Valencia began her career in healthcare while completing her graduate degree in Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). While at UCSF, she worked on numerous maternal health research projects within the Bay Area and Guatemala, partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, but with family roots in Ecuador, she enjoys outdoor activities, yoga, mindfulness, dancing, traveling to new places, and spending time with her loved ones. She currently resides in San Francisco with her family.

Guinevere (Gwen) Valencia is a Senior Manager within DEI in Clinical Research at Takeda. She has extensive experience in advocacy, clinical education, and the DEI space within the patient community for the last ten years. She believes DEI is necessary for improved patient outcomes across all therapeutic areas and is excited to be part of supporting access to clinical research by all. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, but with family roots in Ecuador, she enjoys outdoor activities, dancing, traveling to new places, and spending time with her loved ones. She currently resides in San Francisco with her family.

Amy Finnigan is a seasoned Business Relationship Manager in the pharmaceutical industry with a passion for leveraging technology to drive innovation and growth. With a solid foundation in life sciences technology consulting, she specializes in crafting and executing large-scale technology strategies, implementations, and services for organizations in the pharmaceutical sector. She holds a degree in International Health from Georgetown University, and began her career journey in clinical research at the University of Chicago Department of Endocrinology. Over the past decade, Mrs. Finnigan has had the privilege of consulting with diverse organizations before taking on her current role at Ultragenyx. At Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Mrs. Finnigan is dedicated to driving innovation and transformation, ensuring that technology aligns seamlessly with the company’s mission to improve the lives of patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Ghesal Razag is currently Sr. Director of Clinical Operations at Biora Therapeutics, Inc. focused on drug/device combination product development in gastrointestinal diseases. She has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has worked in different therapeutic areas, including gastrointestinal, rare disease, ophthalmology, and oncology. Ghesal earned a B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles.