Michael Berens, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael Berens is the Director of the Cancer and Cell Biology Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), and head of its Brain Tumor Research Lab.
He previously held the positions of CEO of the International Genomics Consortium (IGC), a non-profit medical research organization established to expand upon the discoveries of the Human Genome Project and other systematic sequencing efforts by combining world-class genomic research, bioinformatics, and diagnostic technologies in the fight against cancer and other complex genetic diseases. Dr. Berens also served as Executive Director of IGC's expO, whose mission is to build on the technologies and outcomes of the Human Genome Project to accelerate improved clinical management of cancer patients.
Dr. Berens' 25-year scientific career has been devoted to cancer research, with a focus on brain tumors. Dr. Berens earned his Ph.D. in biology from the University of Arizona, and then held a post-doctoral fellowship in experimental oncology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He has held faculty positions at Bowman Gray School of Medicine and at the University of California San Francisco. For 12 years he served as senior staff scientist and Director of Neurology Research at Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center.
Brian Burns
Brian Burns is the Founding Partner of The Maverick Organization, a sales consulting firm focused helping early stage companies. He is a sales leader, advisor and investor, having spent his entire career creating, capturing and dominating early stage innovative markets. Over his 20 year career he has played key leadership, management and sales roles for nine venture capital-backed companies, resulting in three IPOs and six acquisitions. Through his experience he has developed a unique and powerful sales method for bringing innovative products to market and marginalizing competitors. He is also the author of "Selling Into a New Market Space" published by McGraw Hill.
Jonathan F. Catherwood
Jonathan Catherwood is the CEO of Woodville Hall Capital, LLC, a FINRA-registered investment bank based in Middleburg, Virginia.
Mr. Catherwood has spent over 20 years in transaction and advisory work in the United States, Europe and Asia, both as an advisor and as a company executive. He spent five years working for Booz Allen & Hamilton (1989-94) in the Telecommunications and Media group, based first in London and then New York, where he evaluated new business and acquisition opportunities for clients in the newly deregulated telecommunications industry. In 1994 he joined GTE Corporation, a $30B telecommunications company based in Connecticut with responsibility for corporate strategy, before moving on in 1998 to join a boutique technology-based advisory firm in Virginia where he represented clients on deals such as the $3.6 billion acquisition of telecommunications markets for Citizens Communications in 2000.
Before forming Woodville Hall Capital in 2008 Mr. Catherwood spent seven years in retail at Wendy's International (2001-8), where he was EVP Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Treasurer. He led the successful $720 million IPO and subsequent $3.0 billion spin of Tim Horton's and the sale of Wendy's to Trian for $2.4 billion in 2008.
Robert N. Hotchkiss, M.D.
Robert N. Hotchkiss is Medical Director of Clinical Research at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Hotchkiss is also Director of Research, Hand & Upper Extremity Service, and Director of Translational and External Initiatives at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He is an associate professor for surgery (Orthopaedics) at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and a consultant in orthopedic surgery to Burke Rehabilitation Hospital.
Dr. Hotchkiss received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Michael J. Kussman, MD, MS, MACP
Brig. Gen. Michael J. Kussman, M.D. (U.S. Army Ret.) completed 37 years of distinguished government service in May, 2009. His last position was Under Secretary for Health for the Veterans Health Administration. He was confirmed by the Senate to this position on May 7, 2007 after having served as Acting Under Secretary for Health since August 12, 2006. As the Under Secretary for Health, he led the Nation’s largest integrated health care system, the VHA.
Dr. Kussman is a native of Troy, New York. He earned both his Bachelors and Medical degrees from Boston University, and earned a Masters degree in management from Salve Regina University in 1994. Dr. Kussman began his military career in 1970, serving with the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. He left active duty in 1972 to resume medical training at the New England Deaconess Hospital and Joslin Clinic in Boston, then went into private practice. In 1979, Dr. Kussman returned to active duty at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.
Dr. Kussman became The Army Surgeon General’s chief consultant in Internal Medicine and governor for the Army Region of the American College of Physicians in 1988. He commanded Martin Army Community Hospital at Ft. Benning, Georgia, from March 1993 to August 1995, and later commanded the Walter Reed Health Care System in Washington, D.C., where he was promoted to Brigadier General. Following his tour at Walter Reed, Dr. Kussman served as commander of the Europe Regional Medical Command, Command Surgeon for U.S. Army Europe, and TRICARE lead agent for Europe.
He is board certified in Internal Medicine and serves on the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Dr. Kussman is also a member of the AOA Society.
John Lovitt
John Lovitt is an investor, board member, and advisor to technology startup companies, with a focus on issues related to technology adoption and commercialization. John was a senior executive with Rational Software from 1986 to 2003 with roles including VP Worldwide Services and Senior VP Worldwide Field Operations. John played a key role in shaping Rational's team oriented approach to achieving customer results by accelerating adoption of tools and best practices. Under his leadership sales grew to over $700M annually prior to Rational's acquisition by IBM in 2003.
Prior to joining Rational, he was with Hewlett-Packard for 13 years, and McDonnell Douglas for 5 years. John holds a masters degree in computer science from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a BS degree in aeronautical engineering from Wichita State University. He serves on advisory boards to both MST and WSU.
John and his wife Diane live in the San Francisco Bay area, where they are active with Habitat for Humanity. They have taught leadership and entrepreneurship at summer programs for international high school students in Eastern Europe and China.
Ginger Price
Ginger Price has over 25 years of experience working with clinicians and patients to build and implement technology solutions that are integrated into the delivery of health care and preventive services. Ginger has a passion to see information technology transform the way that health and wellness services are given and received. She believes that when policy, education, usability, content, and technology are addressed holistically, IT solutions will deliver on the promise and become used and useful in a transformational way.
While at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ms. Price was instrumental in the concept, design, development and implementation of the My HealtheVet program, VA's personal health record for veterans. The vision was to transform the way VA cares for veterans and VA employees by providing capabilities for them to become informed and active partners in managing their own health. Beginning as pilot at nine VA medical centers, My HealtheVet grew into a federal benefit with over 650,000 users nationwide and abroad, and was honored as one of the top five 2007 excellence.gov award winners for leveraging technology to enhance collaboration.
In August 2008, Ms. Price accepted a position as the Program Director for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). She transitioned the NHIN from the Trial Implementation / demonstration phase into the first limited production pilot, where the Social Security Administration began to receive live information from MedVirginia. This evolution involved recasting processes for defining and instantiating interoperability specifications, automating conformance and interoperability testing, and assisting Federal and private health information exchange organizations to agree on principles and data use agreements for the nationwide exchange of health information.
Dan Von Hoff, M.D.
Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., is Senior Investigator and Head of Translational Research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute’s (TGen) Translational Drug Development Division and Head, Pancreatic Cancer Research Program in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also Chief Scientific Officer for US Oncology. Dr. Von Hoff’s major interest is in the development of new anticancer agents, both in the clinic and in the laboratory. He and his colleagues were involved in the beginning of the development of many of the agents we now use routinely, including: mitoxantrone, fludarabine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, CPT-11, and others. At present, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of molecularly targeted therapies.
Dr. Von Hoff’s laboratory interests and contributions have been in the area of in vitro drug sensitivity testing to individualize treatment for the patient. He and his laboratory are now concentrating on discovery of new targets in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Von Hoff has published more than 529 papers, 129 book chapters, and more than 892 abstracts.
Dr. Von Hoff was appointed to President Bush’s National Cancer Advisory Board in June 2004 - March 2010. Dr. Von Hoff is the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member and past board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a founder of ILEX™ Oncology, Inc. (recently acquired by Genzyme). He is founder and the Editor Emeritus of Investigational New Drugs - The Journal of New Anticancer Agents; and, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. He is also proud to have been a mentor and teacher for multiple medical students, medical oncology fellows, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows.
