Technology, Healthcare and Business: Collaborating to Improve Human Health
Madeleine J. Braun, Ph.D., MBA
Chief, Presidential Initiatives
The Jackson Laboratory
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Keynote Speaker
Madeleine Braun is the chief, presidential initiatives leading the next generation of The Jackson Laboratory’s strategic institutional, scientific initiatives. With 20 plus years of experience in science, business and technology, Braun partners with senior leadership, faculty and scientific support teams to conceptualize, formulate and drive forward large scale, institution-wide human and mouse genomics initiatives to deepen understanding of human genetic variation and increase our impact on human health.
Braun previously served as the chief information officer for five years at The Jackson Laboratory, where she was responsibility for enterprise and research information technology applications, infrastructure, and information security. Since joining the Laboratory in 2007, she has held several laboratory and business management positions running high throughput, industrial laboratories and operations teams as senior director, Genotyping and Reproductive Sciences, as business unit manager for JAX Breeding Services, and as product development manager.
Prior to joining The Jackson Laboratory, Braun worked in the biotechnology sector developing cancer immunotherapeutics. As a principal scientist of Analytical Biochemistry and Formulations at Seattle Genetics Inc., she ran a bioanalytics team for toxicology and Phase 1 & 2 clinical studies. She also performed vaccine research and development work and oversaw a clinical immunology team in support of clinical research trials while she was a development scientist at Corixa Corporation.
Braun earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Cornell University with a concentration in Genetics & Development in 1992, and then completed a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1998. In 2017 she earned an MBA, with advanced study in the Healthcare sector track, from the Yale School of Management.
Dawn Hocevar
President & CEO, BioCT
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Moderator
Dawn Hocevar is President & CEO at BioCT. She was President and Board Chair of Women In Bio in 2017 and had various roles with Women In Bio including: fundraising, national program chair and helped establish Women In Bio’s Boardroom Ready program. She was Vice President, Business Development with BioSurplus where she worked closely with BIO and affiliates across the country helping to grow vendor programs and membership. With BioSurplus, she seeded and built business platforms in San Francisco as well as Boston and the New England area including Connecticut. She excels in building relationships and her vast network adds tremendous value to her work with BioCT. She has experience in distribution, sales, management and marketing with her 20 years working with Fisher Scientific. She obtained her BS in Microbiology and Chemistry from San Jose State University and worked at Stanford University for six years prior to joining Fisher Scientific.
Erika Smith
CEO of ReNetX Bio Inc.
Erika Smith is the CEO of ReNetX Bio, a clinical stage, venture funded company in New Haven, CT, committed to advancing first-in-class, disease modifying therapy in the central nervous system. Over the past 25 years Erika has held key executive roles at leading lifescience including Respironics (Philips Healthcare), Hyperion and IVAX. She also launched and led the advancement of three separate successful life sciences investment funds including the $25M Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, YEI Innovation Fund and the Bio-Life Fund at the Center for Innovative Technology in partnership with Johnson & Johnson.
Erika was awarded "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2019 by BioCT, is on the boards of Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and the Crossroads Venture Group - venture capital organization of CT, and is an Entrepreneur in Residence at University of Connecticut. She is an invited TedX presenter and co-authored a playbook for best practices of "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs" sponsored by JPMorgan Chase for the International Business Innovation Association.
Erika holds a bachelor’s in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering and MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Shelley des Etages-Wong
Director, Precision Medicine Clinical Biomarker Scientist, Pfizer
Dr Shelley des Etages-Wong is a Director, Clinical Biomarker Scientist in the Precision Medicine group at Pfizer Inc. Prior to her current role, she was as an Associate Partner at Panarea Partners, a healthcare advisory/investment bank focused on growth of the biopharmaceutical industry in emerging markets. She served as a faculty member in the Biology Department at Pace University in 2011 and 2012 and has held adjunct faculty positions at Quinnipiac University, Mitchell College, and Connecticut College. She has over ten years of experience leading scientific teams in identifying and validating targets and biomarkers across multiple therapeutic areas. She is a recipient of the Pfizer People Leader and Achievement Awards and contributed to projects that led to two marketed drugs. She is a Founding Board member of the southeastern Connecticut based nonprofit Writers Block InK, contributor to the published book My Story, My Secrets: Letters to my Younger Self and has served as a non-profit representative to the United Nations Department of Public Information. Dr des Etages-Wong completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Pace University, a certificate in Drug Development from Temple University, and holds a doctorate in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Rutgers University.
Mostafa Analoui
Executive Director, Venture Development & Technology Incubation Program (TIP)
Adjunct Professor, BME and Entrepreneurship, UCONN
Mostafa Analoui, Ph.D., is Executive Director of Venture Development and Technology Incubation Program (TIP) at UConn. Previously, he was Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Livingston Securities (New York, NY) with investment focus in private and public companies in biotech, medtech and healthcare services. Prior to that, he was the Senior Director at Pfizer Global Research and Development. Dr. Analoui is actively involved in investment, management and scientific/business development of nanotechnology, drug discovery/development, diagnostic imaging, and global strategies.
While at Pfizer, he was the Site Head for Global Clinical Technology in Groton and New London, a division focusing on emerging technologies for development and validation of biomarkers and diagnostics for drug development. Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Analoui was the Director of Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Research, Associate Professor of Radiology at Indiana University, and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Comp Engineering at Purdue University. He was also President and CEO of Therametric Technology Inc. He has received his Ph.D. from Purdue University, followed by Post-Doctoral Fellowship at IBM TJ Watson Research Center in NY.
In addition to industry leadership in biomedical and technology fields, he consults and lectures in US, Europe and Asia. He has also served on various scientific, regulatory, and business advisory committees and boards, including NIH, NSF, PhRMA, NASA, and OECD. Dr. Analoui has authored over 130 publications, including journal articles, a book and book chapters and technical reports. Dr. Analoui is currently Adjust Professor at University of Connecticut (Storrs/Farmington, CT), Brown University (Providence, RI), and Northeastern University (Boston, MA). He is also senior member of IEEE, SPIE, and RSNA.
He was Chairman of the Board of VirtualScopics (NASDAQ: VSCP) and currently serves as Chairman of the Board member of Cyclica, member of the board of Connecticut Innovations, and NanoBusiness Commercialization Association.
Judd Andres
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industry Leader
Adjunct Faculty for Project Management, University of New Haven
Judd has over 30 years of Pharmaceutical and Biotech industry experience as a strategic project leader and change agent, and much of that time for companies in CT. His roles have included: Biostatistician, Clinical Administration and Operations, Quality and Compliance, Regulatory Operations, Development Operations, Project Management, Organizational Change Management, and Strategic Business Management. He’s delivered maximum value from initiatives and projects through his expertise in business leadership, colleague engagement, and effective partnership, to align business vision with strategic implementation, and been recognized and acknowledged for his accomplishments as a project and team leader.
Over the past 9 years, Judd has directed and taught the Project Management Certification Program, for the University of New Haven, helping working professionals and business owners to improve their Project Management & Leadership skills and capabilities with an emphasis on Leadership Coaching and Development. He’s also shared his experience and knowledge by consulting for several small to medium sized companies in the Healthcare, Consumer Products, Energy, Technology, Insurance, Engineering, Defense, Construction, Education and Sports Management industries.
Judd has a BA in Mathematics / Pre-Med and an MBA in Strategic Management and Organizational Leadership. He holds various certifications as a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Yellow Belt in Lean-6-Sigma, and an Organizational Change Management Professional (OCMP). He serves on several non-profit boards in the areas of outdoor sports, safety and environmental conservation, a certified coach for various sports at the youth and high school level, and a certified safety instructor for the DEEP.