Meet Our Experts

Abel Baerga-Ortiz, PHD

Program Director
Puerto Rico Science Technology and Research Trust

Ajay Houde, PHD, MBA

Co-founder and CEO
TGen Tech

Albert Di Rienzo, PHD

President & Chief Innovation Officer
Radicle Innovation

Amit Patel, PHD

Partner
Medical Marketing Economics

Bob Skunda

Independent Consultant
Innovation Centers and Technology Parks

Brian Holzer, MD, MBA

CEO
Lacuna Health

Bruce Bunnell, PHD

Chair
UNT Health Sciences Center

Buddy Lyons, MBA

CEO
Entac Medical Inc.

Charles Christ, PHD

President
C2 Consulting

Chris West, MBA

Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer
ConveyMD

Cole Johnson, MBA, PHD

Vice President
P33

David Lefer, PHD

Director, Cardiovascular Center of Excellence and Professor of Pharmacology
LSU Health New Orleans

David Willbrand, BA, JD

Partner
Thompson Hine

Edgard Resto-Rodriguez, PHD

Executive Director (MCC)
Materials Characterization Center (MCC), Inc

Elias Caro, MSC, MBA

President
Biocomx

Ellen Brune

CEO
Boston Mountain Biotech

Emily Alva

Corporate Board Member
Amneal Pharmaceuticals

Esther Alegria, PHD

Executive Adviser
Catalyst EA

Harold Chappelear, LLD

Principal
InternaSource

Isabella Sledge, MD, MPH

VP Research
Tides Medical

Jason Smith, MD, PhD, MBA

Chief Medical Officer
UofL Health

Jesse Goodwin, PHD

Chief Innovation Officer
Medical University of South Carolina

Joe Wyse, PHD

President
Wyse Innovations LLC

Jose W Rodriguez Zayas, PHD

Strategic Business Development Consultant
Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI)

Joseph Lovett

Managing Director
Louisiana Funds I & II

Josh Wymer, RN, MSN

Chief Nursing Informatics Officer
Large Academic Hospital System

Joshua Gunn, PHD

Chief Scientific Officer
Ethos Research & Development

Kevin Sidow

Serial Entrepreneur, Board Member
Life Science Startups

Kris Khalil

Investment Analyst
New Orleans BioInnovation Center

Lawrence Olanoff, MD, PHD

Special Advisor
Medical University of SC

Lisa Morici, PHD

Associate Professor
Tulane University

Lucas Huntimer, PHD

Senior Advisor - External Innovation
Elanco

Mary Tapolsky, PhD

Assistant Director
University of Louisville, College of Business

Mohan Chukkapalli, MS

Senior Director, Life Sciences Consulting
SmartAnalyst Inc.

Nathan Dolloff, PHD

Founder
Leukogene Therapeutics Inc

Neha Tiwari, PhD

Associate Director
PTC Therapuetics

Paula Bates, PHD

Professor of Medicine & Co-Director of KYNETIC
University of Louisville

Paulo Fontes, MD

Chief Medical Officer
LyGenesis

Pranita Dharmadhikari, MS

CEO
Innocelf, LLC

Raymond Hage, MBA

CEO
Hapten Sciences, Inc.

Rich Pennock

President
Technology Resource Group

Richard Marchase, PHD

Managing Director
Kirchner Group

Richard Sullivan

CEO
CIBOR

Rick D’Augustine, MBA

Principal
D'Augustine Consulting

Robert Doss, PHD

Owner
The Courtland Group

Robert Ryan, PHD

CEO
Innova Therapeutics

Sawan Hurst

CEO
Phi Life Sciences

Scott Pancoast, MBA

CEO & Founder
Zylo Therapeutics

Sophia Brown, PHD, DBA,RN

Founder
SIS Informatics

Steve Johnson

Interim Executive Director, SCLaunch
South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA)

Thomas Smith, PhD

Professor of Practice
University of Arkansas

Ugo DeBlasi, BSME

Consultant