Archives: Speakers

I am the CEO at OrPro Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in San Diego, CA developing biologic drug solutions to unmet needs in serious epithelial diseases including cystic fibrosis. My training is in genetics (Ph.D.) and mechanical/biochemical engineering (M.S.), both from Duke University where I was also an undergraduate. I went into industry for post-doctoral studies at the biotechnology research center at Ciba-Geigy Corp. (Novartis) and have over three decades of academic and industrial research and senior management experience in protein and metabolic engineering, bio-based manufacturing, and drug discovery / development. I am passionate about the life sciences and the clinical and commercial potential of novel therapeutics and applications of synthetic biology.

Hang Nguyen brings over 20 years of medical device clinical research and is currently the Sr. Director of Clinical Affairs at Materna Medical, a novel OBGYN platform company defining a $6B market in the most common pelvic conditions women face. She has executed a variety of clinical trials involving therapeutic areas including autologous breast reconstruction, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmia management and erectile dysfunction. She also has worked within the clinical department at several reputable companies like Axogen, Medtronic, Coloplast and CR Bard.

Bob Millham is currently President of Clinical Trial Operations, at Allucent, a global provider of comprehensive drug development solutions. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience across global pharmaceutical, biotech and contract research organizations. Throughout his career he has spearheaded scientific teams, clinical development programs and operations worldwide to drive the success of cancer therapeutics. Highlights of Bob’s career include:

a 17-year career at Pfizer, leading and contributing to the development of compounds against multiple indications of cancer, including lung, breast, colorectal and ovarian.
overseeing drug development activities and opening a pivotal phase 3 clinical trial in metastatic breast cancer while COO of Odonate Therapeutics.
leading the Oncology Center of Excellence, as well as clinical trial management initiatives for a variety of biotech and pharmaceutical clients as senior vice president at Syneos Health.
while in position as vice president of strategic alliances for Caris Life Sciences, growing and developing the organization’s Precision Oncology Alliance network
Bob has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and presentations. He earned a master’s degree in pharmaceutical medicine from Hibernia College in Dublin, Ireland, as well as a master’s degree in microbiology from the University of New Hampshire. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Middlebury College.

Eszter Takácsi-Nagy is a Senior Associate in the Budapest office focusing on life sciences and healthcare matters. Her expertise includes in-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, healthcare and medical devices sectors and the related regulatory environment. Eszter also regularly advises on competition and state aid matters, and has leveraged that experience to deliver a broader and deeper service offering to the firm’s life sciences clients. She has advised domestic and international clients on licensing, compliance, enforcement as well as sector related M&A.

Yooni Kim is the Global Head of Clinical Services at Novotech with over 24 years of clinical research experience and technical knowledge in CRO, Pharmaceutical Company and Academy Research Institution. With a Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology) from the Seoul National University of Medicine, she started her career at GSK in 2004 and joined ICON Clinical Research (ex-PRA) in 2009 as Director of Operations. Yooni worked with PRA Health Sciences for 7 years, establishing the legal entity and service capabilities for PRA Korea. Since joining Novotech in 2016, she served as the Executive Director Asia Operations. Currently, she continues to lead Global Clinical Operations at Novotech.

Isabel Brown (she/her) currently works on the Inclusive Research and Health Equity team for Genentech’s Research and Early Development, Clinical Operations group. She serves as an advisor for early phase study teams in developing inclusive clinical trials. Also within Genentech, she is a core member of the Advancing Inclusive Research Site Alliance and leads the company’s LGBTQ+ Health equity strategies.

Esther Marfo, is a Project Leader within the Health Equity and Population Sciences department at Genentech. With over 15 years’ experience in the industry, Esther has predominantly worked in clinical trial management and data management roles across Europe, North America and South Africa. Her passion for ensuring that clinical trials are reflective of our society drove her to her most recent work in Health Equity, where she works with a group of committed and passionate individuals to successfully develop and implement scalable and sustainable strategic interventions for the recruitment of underrepresented patient populations.