Sarah Alme is a Business Advisor and the founder of Makroz Consulting, offering UX consultation and coaching. She previously led a UX research team at Apple, contributing to technologies like FaceID and VisionPro, and achieved shipping blood oxygen sensing on the Apple Watch. Her early career included research and design at GE Healthcare and Medtronic. She holds a biomedical engineering degree and is a co-inventor on 9 design patents.

Dr. Walt Carney is a Business Advisor and founder of Walt Carney Biomarkers Consulting, advising on biomarker strategies in oncology and infectious disease. He was the first to discover and patent the circulating extracellular domain of HER-2 and received the Otto Bayer Medal in 2001. His executive roles include serving as CEO of On-Q-ity and President of Oncogene Science Diagnostics. He holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Andrew DiMeo is a Business Advisor, Biomedical Engineer, and Team Lead in NIH Programs including RADx and C3i. He served as a Professor of Practice at UNC and NC State, mentoring students whose work led to startups like 410 Medical. His experience includes co-founding Gilero, directing Duke NeuroInnovations, and working in the NYC Film Industry.

Frank DeBernardis has 35 years of medical device experience in the cardiovascular, orthopedic, and aesthetic market segments. He has been the founder of numerous medical device start-ups. Frank was named Entrepreneur of the Year 1993, New Jersey Life Sciences: Inc. Magazine and served as Executive Vice President Meadox Medical, Inc., Vice President Marketing and Sales for PhysioControl and was a National Sales Manager for Medtronic. Frank is a co-founder of Nascent Enterprises LLC which partners with physician inventors to commercialize disruptive therapeutic devices that improve outcomes at reduced costs. Frank is also Co-founder of Gore Range Capital, LLC a venture firm focused on early-stage medical technology commercialization. Frank also serves on the board of Peconic Landing.

Vijay Dhaka is a Business Advisor and the CEO/co-founder of CADflow.ai, an AI solution for medical prosthetics. He previously served as Chief Business Officer of INBRACE, raising over $70 million, and worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He has managed strategy and development for venture-backed medical device companies with exits totaling over $1 billion. He holds an MBA from MIT Sloan.

Dr. Steve Fening is a Business Advisor and Associate Vice President for Research at Case Western Reserve University. He serves as Managing Director of the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership and co-founder/CTO of Apto Orthopaedics. He has overseen over $10M in translational research programs and holds a PhD in biomedical engineering.

Tania Fernandez is a Business Advisor and Founder & Managing Partner of DreamCatcher Ventures, providing advisory services in healthcare and life sciences. She has over 20 years of VC experience and serves as a Team Lead and Content Expert for the NIH RADx initiative. She has founded two companies and mentors at institutions like UCSF and Harvard.

Harry Gerard is a Project Manager who develops and manages the academic incubator at Emory University for faculty-based startups. He focuses on fostering an innovation ecosystem based on creative problem-solving and inclusivity. He holds a master’s degree in biomedical sciences.

Jaya Ghosh is the Director of the Coulter-Drexel Translational Research Partnership Program and a consultant Program Manager for the NIH C3i program. She previously directed the Coulter Program and NIH REACH program at the University of Missouri. She holds a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Missouri.

Parijat Ghosh is a Project Manager and social science researcher specializing in health technology and chronic disease management. She is currently the Assistant Program Manager for the MU-NSF Accelerating Research Translation program at the University of Missouri. She holds a PhD in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri.

Charles Giordano is a Business Advisor with over 35 years of industry experience, including 30 years at GE Healthcare. He served as CTO and Quality/Regulatory Executive for GEHC’s Imaging and Medical Devices businesses, leading new product innovation and global regulatory compliance. He has managed hundreds of new product introductions for global markets.

Rachael Hagan is a Business Advisor and CEO of NephroDI Therapeutics. She formerly served as Managing Director of the Coulter Translational Partnership Fund, where she implemented investment processes that led to 57 startups and $170M in funding. She holds an M.Sc. in Medical Regulatory Affairs and has advised numerous early-stage funds and angel investors.

Mike Harsh is a Business Advisor and Portfolio Executive for the NIH RADx program. He is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Terapede Systems and formerly served as VP and CTO of GE Healthcare, leading a global R&D organization. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and holds numerous U.S. patents.

Christine Hanson is a Senior Management Consultant and Biocomx Program Facilitator for the NIH RADx initiative. She specializes in business management and operations within the Health and Life Science sectors, including pharmaceutical and medical devices. She collaborates with teams to validate and commercialize novel technologies.

Courtney Houtsma is a Project Manager for Penn Health-Tech, supporting their Accelerator Program. She has over 6 years of medical device experience, specifically with orthopedic implants, and holds an M.S. in Engineering Management and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University.

Carson Huber is a Project Manager and Manufacturing Engineer focused on operational excellence. He is pursuing a Master’s in Integrated Manufacturing Systems at NC State and consults for manufacturers on part production. He is a certified SAFe-Agile Product Owner.

George Hutchinson is a Business Advisor with a 40-year career in medical device development for critical care. He has led functions in engineering, quality, IP, and regulatory affairs across companies ranging from startups to Fortune 5 firms. He holds a doctorate in Engineering from Marquette University.

Maria Iglesias de Ussel is a Project Manager with over 20 years of experience in research and clinical development. For the past 7 years, she has assisted Duke investigators in translating research to market, helping with business strategy, regulatory support, and pitches. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology.

Dr. Nadeem Ishaque is a Business Advisor who retired from GE Healthcare after nearly 30 years, serving as Chief Innovation Officer for Imaging and Director of Global R&D. He now consults on product-oriented R&D strategy and commercialization in medical imaging and molecular medicine. He is a Fellow of AIMBE with twenty issued patents.

Shawna Khouri is a Business Advisor and Chief Operating Officer of RxMP Therapeutics. She previously served as Director of Health and Innovation Initiatives at Tulsa Innovation Labs and led the Biolocity incubator program, supporting 40 projects and 25 startups. She holds a Master’s in Biomedical Innovation and Development from Georgia Tech.

Josh Liebowitz is a Program Manager currently leading Growth & Partnerships at HōttoCare. He was previously Senior Product & Commercial Operations Manager at Element Science and a Senior Product Development Engineer at Johnson & Johnson. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master in Biomedical Innovation from Georgia Tech.

Jon McGrath is a Business Advisor and medtech entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience. He serves as a Team Lead for NIH’s RADx Tech and Blueprint Neurotech programs. Formerly, he was CEO of 149 Medical, Neograft Technologies, and LumeRx, and held leadership roles at Boston Scientific.

Hannah Moore is a Project Manager and Associate Director of the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at the University of Virginia. She builds programs to support biomedical engineering trainees, mentors graduate students, and manages the Center’s finances. She previously managed clinical practices at UVA Medical Center.

Rob Newman is a Business Advisor with over 30 years of experience in medical devices, including roles in Engineering, Regulatory, and Quality. He recently retired as Global Head of Regulatory for J&J Diabetes Care and has worked with startups in robotics and neuromodulation. He holds a Masters in Clinical Engineering from Johns Hopkins and an MBA.

Rob Newman is a Business Advisor with over 30 years of experience in medical devices, including roles in Engineering, Regulatory, and Quality. He recently retired as Global Head of Regulatory for J&J Diabetes Care and has worked with startups in robotics and neuromodulation. He holds a Masters in Clinical Engineering from Johns Hopkins and an MBA.

Kim Noble is a Project Manager on the NIH RADx team, facilitating connections between companies and potential buyers. Previously, she directed the NSF I-Corps program at VentureWell, overseeing commercial readiness training. She holds a BS and MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

John Nicosia is a Project Manager and Associate Director of Biolocity at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He manages due diligence for the Biolocity Fund and serves as co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Vasarya Therapeutics. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory.

Clare Padgett is a Business Advisor with over 31 years of R&D and operational experience, primarily at Medtronic. She was recently VP of R&D at Abilitech Medical and has extensive experience in product development from research to market launch. She holds an MBA and a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

niversity.

Rifat serves as CEO of Midway Pharmaceuticals and as an advisor to the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. He serves on the Oversight Committees of the of Emory -Georgia Tech and Drexel Coulter Translational Partners Funds, Managing Partner of RxMP Therapeutics and Mobius Innovations, Director of Atrin Pharmaceuticals and Virion Therapeutics. As Founder and CSO of Cell Pathways, he raised over $140M and took the company public on NASDAQ. He has been featured in Time, Business Week, Forbes and Dateline NBC, has authored over 110 academic publications, and is an inventor on 150+ issued patents. Rifat received his BA from the Johns Hopkins University and MD from University of Wisconsin. He trained in GI at the University of Chicago.

Shyam Parekh is a Business Advisor and founder of Parekh Advisory Services, focused on inorganic growth and decision support for life sciences leaders. He specializes in technology scouting, open innovation, and strategic alliances, utilizing Voice of the Customer analyses. He leverages experience in R&D, corporate strategy, and business development.

Carlos Perez is a Project Manager and Senior R&D professional with over 25 years of experience in medical device development. He owns Engineering and Management Consulting and was previously a Senior Staff Systems Engineer at Beckman Coulter. He holds an MBA and a BS in Computer Science and has authored 7 patents.

Cindy has 20+ years in FinTech leading company-wide transformational projects. Her last role as VP of Professional Services was to lead multiple teams in delivering technology and managed services to highly regulated global companies. For the last 2+ years, Cindy has been working as a Program Manager on the RADx Team and as a Consultant, assisting startups with hiring, designing and implementing operational processes, and building partnerships.

Kirstie Queener is a Project Manager and PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on wearable biosensors and conductive elastomers. Before her doctoral studies, she worked at Eli Lilly as a Biologist and Global Product Steward for devices like Trulicity.

Yvette Ramirez is a Project Manager with experience as an R&D engineer at Medtronic Structural Heart, working on transcatheter aortic heart valves. She previously served as an assistant program facilitator for the RADx initiative. She holds both an MS and BS in Biomedical Engineering from Clemson University.

Katherine Reuther is a Business Advisor and Executive Director of Penn Health-Tech. She previously directed the Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator (BiomedX) and is a co-founder of Syntegrity Biomedical. She serves as a project manager for NIH programs including C3i and RADx.

Dennis Rose is an experienced Information Technology Program Manager with over thirty years of technology-based implementation efforts, performance improvement measures and systems application experience. Dennis has worked in various leadership roles and maintains certifications for Project Management and is an Agile Scrum Master. Dennis resides in the Florida Panhandle and is an avid outdoorsman and is usually taking opportunities for kayaking, trail walking and exploring saltwater fishing in the bays and gulf with his free time.

Gabrielle Rusch is a Project Manager/Administrator and PhD student in Tissue Engineering at UNC and NC State. She has industry experience as a Project Manager and R&D Engineer in tissue banking and cell engineering. Her academic background covers chemistry, biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Donna See is a Business Advisor and founding CEO of Xora Innovation. She has over 20 years of experience in commercialization, previously serving as CBO of TARA Biosystems and Allied-Bristol Life Sciences. She directed monetization of over 2,000 assets at Columbia Technology Ventures.

Dr. Stephen Snowdy is a Business Advisor, scientist, and venture capitalist with two decades of experience. He was CEO of Visioneering Technologies and Abby Med LLC, and Chairman/CEO of Calosyn Pharma. He holds a PhD in Neurobiology and an MBA from UNC.

Danesh Thirukumaran is a Project Manager who has managed over 20 companies through the NIH RADx and Blueprint Medtech initiatives. He holds a B.S.E. in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from Georgetown University.

Josh Tolkoff is a Business Advisor and Accelerator Executive at CIMIT. He oversaw over 40 projects as a portfolio executive in the NIH RADx program. He founded Seedling Enterprises and ACT Medical, selling the latter to a publicly traded company. He holds an M.S. in BioMechanics from MIT.

Natalie Tucker is a Business Advisor specializing in product launch strategies, currently serving as Executive Director at Novartis Radioligand Therapies. She has consulted for over 20 brands and is a co-inventor of the Optical Spectral 3D Dermal Imaging System. She holds an MBA from Yale School of Management.

Brian Walsh is a Business Advisor and Entrepreneur in Residence for the Coulter Translational Program. He has over 40 years of experience commercializing diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technologies globally. He holds Master’s degrees in Bioengineering and Business Administration.

Lisa Waples works in Administration, managing Lab2Market classes and consulting for the Coulter Foundation. She served as associate chair of biomedical engineering at Marquette University for 12 years, developing industry and entrepreneurial programs. She holds MS degrees in macromolecular science and materials science.

Nick West is a Project Manager with over 30 years of experience in product life cycle management and resource allocation. He has expert knowledge in Six Sigma, AI, and process optimization. He holds an MBA and an MS in Engineering, along with PMP and PfMP certifications.

Julie Wilkinson is a Business Advisor with 30+ years in bioanalytical and diagnostics industries. She has worked with the NIH RADx Tech initiative as a Business Team Lead since the pandemic began. Her past roles include leadership positions at Beckman Coulter, Abbott, and Personal Genome Diagnostics.

Bernie Zeiher is a Business Advisor and physician executive with 20+ years of drug development experience at Astellas, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly. He oversaw the approval of 15 medicines and served as CMO at Astellas. He currently serves on the boards of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals and Entrada Therapeutics.