Welcome to the Health Care Management Department

DAVID W. ADAMS, PharmaD
- David is an honors graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where he received a BS degree in Pharmacology. He completed the PharmD degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Pharmacology from the Medical College of Virginia in 2002. He then joined FirstHealth Services Corporation, a public sector health care company specializing in pharmacy benefits management for state Medicaid programs where his most recent role was Manager of Rebate Contracting and Pharmaceutical Industry Relations. He was responsible for negotiating drug-rebate contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers for Medicaid programs and designing preferred drug lists. He also served on a strategy team that evaluates the pharmacy marketplace.
EUGENE C. AN
- Eugene graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a BA degree in Economics. Following graduation he joined Marakon Associates where he worked on a variety of strategy engagements for a range of clients including the pharmaceutical industry.
CRISTIANE BENVENUTO ANDRADE, M.D, PH.D
- Cristiane completed her Medical degree at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1999. She received a Masters degree in Dermatology in 2003, also from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. In 2006 she was awarded a PhD in Dermatology from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From 2004 to 2006, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Skin Cancer and Skin Imaging at the Dermatology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, she developed a virtual biopsy technique and worked on research protocols and grant proposals for melanoma research. While in Brazil she was a partner/entrepreneur in Fiore Medicinale Clinic, a wellness center. She is also a partner in Fornix Digital Medicine, a medical portal and electronic medical records company.
HEATHER N. ASPRAS
- Heather is a 2002 Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University where she received a BA degree in Government. Following graduation she joined ZS Associates, a global management consulting firm specializing in sales, marketing and execution for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. In her role as Associate Consultant, Heather conducted primary market research studies, sales force effectiveness studies and designed domestic sales forces for multi-national pharmaceutical and biotech companies. She co-founded ZS’s volunteering committee to organize community service.
KEELY BECK
- Keely is a 2002 Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College where she received a BA degree in Biochemistry. She then joined Health Advances, a strategy consulting firm specializing in the biotech and medical device industries. She moved to Braun Consulting in 2003 where she worked on strategy and IT-related engagements for the pharmaceutical industry. In 2004 she joined Strategic Decisions Group, a firm with a core focus on the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry, where she evaluated in-licensing strategies, performed industry and product level research, structured valuation models, and co-lead Business Analyst recruiting.
KERUN SINGH BINDRA
- Kerun is a 2002 Honors graduate of University of Virginia where he received a BS degree in Finance. Following graduation he joined Marketbridge, a consulting firm specializing in sales and marketing strategy for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. In 2003, he moved to Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, VA, in the firm’s Economic and Business Analysis Division where he worked on strategic, financial, economic, and technology management projects for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. He was selected to serve on the firm’s One-Firm Evolution business development team supporting the unification of the government and commercial consulting practices.
DANIEL BRANCO, M.D., PH.D.
- Daniel completed an MD degree in 2000 at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He completed a residency in Neurology from 2000-2003 at Sao Lucas Hospital of Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Following residency he began a PhD program in Neuroscience at PUCRS and received the PhD degree in 2006. He undertook a Post-Doctoral program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston where he conducted research on brain mapping of memory areas. During his medical studies, Daniel used his computer sciences training and skills to create a company which produces medical CD-ROMs and websites on demand and expanded its focus to electronic medical records.
STACEY R. BRENNER
- Stacey is a 2001 Honors graduate of UCLA where she received a BS degree in Physiology. She is enrolled in Penn Medical School and is completing the program as a joint MD/MBA candidate. From 2001 to 2003, she worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Los Angeles as a Securities Compliance Examiner, examining and investigating investment advisers and companies to enforce federal regulations and search for fraudulent behavior.
WEI CHENG
- Wei graduated from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 1996 where she majored in Chemical Engineering. She completed an MS degree in Chemistry at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2002. From 1996 to 1999 she was an Associate Research Scientist at Henan Academy of Sciences, a leading research institute in China known for its success in technology transfer. She led a team in the transfer of patents to commercialization. In 2002 she joined Exelixis, Inc. in San Francisco, a biotech company focused on oncology where she was an Assistant Research Scientist. In 2005 she left the company to co-found, with two partners, Kang Jian Pharmaceuticals. Her company specializes in obtaining approval from the Chinese FDA for U.S. patent-expired drugs and manufacturing large scale drugs or drug intermediates for large U.S. pharmaceutical companies.
JAMES F. (Jim) CHRISTIAN
- Jim is a 2002 Honors graduate of Harvard University where he received an AB degree in History and Science. He then joined Marsh, Inc., Risk Consulting Group. As an Analyst he worked on projects related to providing non-insurance risk management solutions to corporate clients. In 2004, he moved to Banc of America Securities as an analyst executing equity offerings and providing daily and weekly equity market intelligence to the investment banking group and the equity sales and trading platform. He worked on several biotech IPOs and became interested in the challenges of financing early-stage biotech companies.
SETH E. DEMAIN
- Seth graduated from MIT in 2001 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation, he joined Wilson, Ihring & Associates, Oakland, CA, a consulting firm specialized in acoustics, noise and vibrations control for clients in transportation, architecture, and product design industries. In 2003, he moved to Triage Consulting Group, a health care financial services consulting firm. As a Senior Associate, he led managed care payment review projects and assisted clients in minimizing future cash loss and negotiating future contracts. He also served on the firm’s Information Technology Committee, managing the implementation of new technology products.
RAMI ELGHANDOUR
- Rami graduated from Rutgers University in 2001 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He then joined Hi-tronics Designs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Neuromodulation Systems ( ANS), a firm which designs, develops, manufactures, and markets implantable medical devices that are used to manage chronic pain. As Design Engineer, he was lead designer on ANS’s first rechargeable Neurostimulator. He also did project planning and design, collaborated with marketing to determine product requirements, and took the lead role in designing ANS’ flagship Eon Neurostimulator in response to competition in the market.
THOMAS JAMES (T.J.) FILIP
- T.J. graduated from Haverford College in 1998 with a BA in Biology. He is currently enrolled in Penn Dental School and is completing the Program as a joint DMD/MBA candidate. Following graduation from Haverford, T.J. joined Goldman Sachs’s Credit Risk Management and Advisory Group as an Analyst responsible for conducting credit analysis and due diligence for hedge funds and companies in a variety of industries including health care. He transferred to Goldman Sachs Hong Kong in the same department in 2000 where he worked with the non-Japan Asian private wealth management and equity derivatives credit risk management teams. He returned to the US and spent one and one/half years with O’Brien Management, Inc., an investment management and financial services advisory firm to individuals, small businesses, and not-for-profit organizations, as a research trader.
SCOTT A. FREISHTAT
- Scott graduated from Princeton University in 2001 where he received a BA degree in Politics. Following graduation he was Legislative Director and Legislative Aide to Eva Moskowitz, New York City Council Member for a year. He then was Campaign Manager for a New York State Senate Candidate. In 2003, he joined the Marwood Group, a health care financial services/consulting firm based in New York. He held several roles within the firm including assisting the sales team in raising assets from the institutional marketplace. He was promoted to Vice President in the firm’s Equity Research Division where he marketed and branded research services to leading healthcare investment firms. He created and built the firm’s Private Equity Advisory Services, a division that assists private equity and venture capital firms in their healthcare regulatory and reimbursement risk assessment.
DANIEL (Dan) GRABELL
- Dan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000 with a BA degree in Biology. He completed an MA degree in Speech Communications at New York University in 2003. He joined Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in 2003 as a Pharmaceuticals Sales Specialist where he worked on the launch of Nexum. He was promoted to Senior Regional Business Analyst in AZ’s Boston Business Center. There, he works with sales leaders to help develop, implement and assess sales strategies to reach objectives for AZ’s oncology brands. He instituted a college recruitment program and worked on an in-licensing project.
JASON P. GUPTA
- Jason is a 2003 Honors graduate of the University of Michigan where he majored in Business Administration. His first job after graduation was with Times Square Capital Management in New York where he was an Equity Research Associate supporting two senior analysts covering Healthcare and Biotech and Energy and Consumer Durables. In 2004 he joined Argus Partners, as an Associate Analyst supporting five senior analysts and the portfolio manager of a healthcare equity hedge fund. He was selected to find new international health care investment opportunities and make recommendations on whether further analysis is warranted.
JOSEPHINE N. HARADA, PH.D.
- Josephine graduated from MIT in 1995 with a BS degree in Biology. She completed a PhD degree at UCLA in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2002. From 2002 to 2004 she was a Postdoctoral Associate at The Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego. Her research focused on leveraging a high throughput functional genomics platform and high-content imaging to discover novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for cancer. The work resulted in a product which was acquired by a leading laboratory company. She also worked with the managing director of the Novartis Bio Venture Fund to source new investment opportunities in Southern California. In 2004 she was invited to join The Scripps Research Institute in Florida, a state-sponsored initiative to foster a new biotech cluster in South Florida. In addition to her scientist role, she assisted in planning the laboratory infrastructure and performed many other operational tasks facilitate the development of the Institute.
JULIAN J. HARRIS
- Julian is a 2000 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Duke University where he completed an Interdisciplinary Major. He was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2000 and earned an MS degree in Economic and Social History from Oxford University Balliol College, in 2002. Julian is currently enrolled in Penn Medical School and is completing the Program as a joint MD/MBA student. In 2002, Julian joined the World Bank Institute where he spent a year with the Leadership Program on AIDS responsible for strategic planning, program development, budget planning and other operations activities. He also organized or co-organized the design and delivery of several new AIDS learning programs. He completed summer internships at Oxfam and the Fogarty International Group, NIH. Julian is involved in several global health programs and activities at Penn.
MAYA E. HARTMAN
- Maya is a 2003 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brown where she majored in Neuroscience. Maya is a third year medical student at Weill, Cornell Medical College, Cornell University. Maya worked as a research assistant in a neuropharmacology/anesthesiology laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is active in student government at Weill, serving as Class Treasurer and working with the Cornell Business in Medicine Committee to facilitate medical students partaking in health care management summer internships.
CHRIS HIBBARD
- Chris is a 2000 Honors graduate of University of North Carolina where he majored in Business Administration. Following graduation he joined Raymond James & Associates, St. Petersburg, FL as an Equity Research Associate assisting a senior analyst covering stocks in various sectors of health care including PBMs, Health Benefits and Physician Practice Management. In his third year with the firm he transitioned to support the biotechnology analyst in covering development stage companies. In 2003 he moved to Moody’s Investors Services, NY where he worked directly with senior analysts to evaluate the appropriate credit rating for companies in various sectors of healthcare including Pharmaceuticals, Biotech, Medical Devices, and PBMs. He was promoted to Associate Analyst in 2005.
AN (Anne) HOANG
- Anne is a 2002 Honors graduate of Swarthmore College where she majored in Economics and French Literature. Following graduation, she joined Towers Perrin, Philadelphia as a Senior Associate Consultant in the firm’s global human resources consulting practice. She moved to Deloitte Consulting in their Change, Leadership, and Learning practice, working on engagements to assist clients to integrate people issues with business strategy. Anne has been involved in many non-profit management activities including assisting her mother in developing “AIDS Education for Pharmacists in Vietnam”, a non-profit organization aimed at AIDS prevention, awareness, and treatment.
TODD V. JERLES
- Todd is a 2001 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University where he majored in Economics. He then joined Lehman Brothers in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group. In 2004 he accepted an Associate position with Leerink Swann & Company, a full service healthcare investment banking boutique, working on numerous financings for health care clients and interacting directly with the management teams of private and public health care companies.
VIKRAM JOSHI
- Vikram graduated from Cornell University in 2001 with a major in Materials Science. He completed a Masters degree in Materials Science in 2002 at Stanford University. In 2003 he joined Nanomix, a Bay Area start-up focused on commercializing nanoelectronic detection devices for industrial and medical applications. He coordinated product development teams and led optimization effort for the company’s first product. He moved to a business development and strategy role within the company in 2005, helping the company to raise funding, position the product, and partner with a larger company.
DEEPTI JUTURU
- Deepti is a 2003 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Northwestern University where she majored in Industrial Engineering. She joined ZS Associates, Evanston, in 2003. She worked on a variety of engagements related to sales force optimization and market analysis for large pharmaceutical clients. Working closely with a senior partner, she was a key contributor to ZS’s penetration and expansion into the Japanese Market. Deepti has also done projects for Silco Software Technology, a family-owned company that provides IT services to health care companies. This has sparked her interest in becoming involved in health care IT given the ever-increasing need for technology services.
PHILLIP H. KANG
- Philip is a 1998 graduate of the University of Michigan where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. He completed an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2001. From 1998 to 2001, he was an R&D Mechanical Engineer at Applied Materials, a semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment manufacturer. He moved into the medical device industry in 2001 as a Senior R&D Engineer at St. Jude Medical. He was promoted to Program Manager responsible for leading a multi disciplinary group of engineers and a team of support personnel from various business functions to develop a new product and market segment for the company.
CLAYTON D. KNOX
- Clayton is a 2002 Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Tennessee where he majored in German. He has completed three years of medical school at Vanderbilt University. Before enrolling in medical school, he worked as a Research Fellow at Vanderbilt University Department of Liver Transplantation and published and presented his work on an enzyme which he discovered and proved to be involved with tissue injury during organ transplantation. He worked with a team of scientists, doctors, and attorneys to develop drugs active against this enzyme. He has continued his research during medical school and was successful in patenting a new family of compounds and publishing his findings. Two different medical societies honored him with awards for top research presentation by a young investigator.
YU (Sophie) KUANG
- Yu graduated from MIT in 1998 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She completed a Masters in Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University in 2001. She joined ZS Associates following graduation where she worked in sales force optimization and sales force management engagements for pharmaceutical clients. She moved to Ovation Pharmaceuticals in 2003 where she was a Senior Analyst responsible for forecasting products in potential acquisition deals and for conducting other analyses in support of a variety of business decisions. In 2005 she moved to California and joined Abbott Diabetes Care as a Senior Retail Analyst. In this role she analyzed sales trends and evaluated and designed sales strategies.
ALBERT E. LEE
- Albert is a 2002 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Amherst College where he majored in Political Science. He then joined The Lewin Group, Falls Church, VA as a Research Analyst providing research and strategic analysis for Medicaid agencies and other government and non-profit agencies. In 2005 he moved to the National Association of Children’s Hospital, Alexandria, VA as an Associate responsible for analyzing Medicaid enrollment and expenditure data to provide information for federal advocacy efforts.
SANG GYU LEE, M.D., PH.D.
- Sang Gyu received an MD degree from Yonsei University, Korea in 1994. He completed a PhD degree in Public Health in 2002, also at Yonsei University. From 1996 to 1999 he served as an officer in the Korean Army Special Forces Command. Before military service he completed medical internships and worked as a Staff Physician at a small hospital. In 1999 he joined Yonsei University Institute for Health Policy and Management, a health policy think tank and the only Korean Institute collaborating with WHO. As a Researcher he participated in many health policy projects related to government reforms and policy implementation. In 2002, he participated in a consulting project for a university hospital seeking to adopt a rational cost reduction strategy. This experience interested him in consulting to hospitals to improve efficiency. Dr. Lee was appointed as Assistant Professor at Dankook University College of Medicine in 2003. He taught health policy courses, developed a new curriculum for the Health Administration Masters Program, and led various hospital consulting projects. He serves as a Board Member of the Korean Society of Hospital Administrators and as Policy Advisor to Dankook University Hospital.
SANG MIN (Pablo) LEE, M.D.
- Pablo is a 1998 Honors graduate of Universidad de Buenos Aires where he received an MD degree. He completed a medical residency at Hospital San Juan de Dios, Ramos Mejia in 2002. Since then he has been a Staff Physician at Hospital San Jan de Dios, and more recently at Sanatorio Mater Dei in Buenos Aires. Pablo co-founded Argentina’s branch of Fundaci ó n Gente Nueva back in 2000. Gente Nueva is an international foundation dedicated to assist the underprivileged through a variety of social programs including educational assistance and microfinance programs. Pablo developed a plan for a for profit-nonprofit health system to be created in Chile and that would benefit people regardless of social background. The plan was approved by the foundation regional director.
YI-CHUAN (Joyce) LIAO
- Joyce is a 2002 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Claremont McKenna College where she majored in International Relations. Following graduation she joined RSM EquiCo, an advisory service to private middle market companies. Her role was to develop business valuations for sell-side M&A engagements. In 2003 she accepted a position with Lehman Brothers, NY, in the Global Healthcare Group. As a Senior Analyst she performed a variety of strategic financial analyses for managed care, CRO’s, lab services, medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotech clients. She also served on a number of internal personnel-related committees.
NORA T. LIAO
- Nora graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 2000 with a BA degree in International Relations. Following graduation she joined Accenture as an analyst. She worked on technology services projects for a variety of clients. In 2002 she accepted a position with Epocrates, a software company providing innovative clinical tools at the point of care. As Manager, Market Research Services, she is responsible for marketing and customer support of the largest online US healthcare professional panel of 375,000 members, and for related operations improvements and processes.
AMY LIN
- Amy graduated from Columbia University in 2000 with majors in Economics and Political Science. Following graduation, she joined Towers Perrin’s Strategy and Organization Group where she worked on a variety of engagements including projects for large pharmaceutical clients. In 2002, she accepted a position at Core Security Technologies, an Argentinean computer security software and consulting company. She held an internal consultant position as the business development analyst, contributing to the business plan and implementing project plans. In 2003 she moved to Clifford Chance US, a global law firm. As Manager of Business Development for the firm, she has taken the lead role in planning and implementing business initiatives in selected practice areas, product groups, and client groups across 28 offices in 19 markets around the world.
YING LIU, PH.D.
- Ying is a 1995 Honors graduate of Nanjing University, China where he majored in Biology. He completed an MS degree in Cell & Molecular Biology at Peking University, China in 1998 and a PhD degree in Nutrition at Columbia University in 2004. From 2004 to 2005 he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Pennsylvania conducting research on the roles of two key enzymes in cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes. Ying has participated in his family’s real estate, energy, and manufacturing enterprises in China. He has been a key player in several acquisitions of intellectual property, real estate development, and energy. His latest project is an investment in a 200 acre high-tech park development project near Shanghai.
NICHOLAS M. (Nic) MAESTAS
- Nic graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a BA degree in Biology in 2003. He joined Chiron Corporation following graduation as an Analyst in Quality Control testing. He was responsible for leading qualification project teams supporting quality control testing, designing inventory control systems, and training analysts. Nic volunteers as a mentor for disadvantaged minority high school/junior college students with interests in Biotechnology as part of Berkeley Biotechnology Education, Inc.
ANKIT A. MAHADEVIA
- Ankit is a 2001 Phi Beta Kappa, Honors graduate of Northwestern University where he completed a dual major in Biology and Economics. He is a third-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University. Following graduation from Northwestern, he spent the summer of 2001 at the Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico City helping to develop a health needs assessment course for agency managers. He then moved to US Government Accountability Office in Chicago as a Health Care Analyst working on a team evaluating Medicare operations. From 2002 to 2003 he was a consultant with Monitor Group working on engagements for a leading medical device firm and health services providers.
JEFFREY D. (Jeff) MARRAZZO
- Jeff is a 2000 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received a BSE in Systems Engineering and a BA in Economics. After graduation, he spent three years with IBM Business Consulting Services/PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in New York City, NY, where, as a Management Consultant, he worked on business process re-engineering projects for a number of Fortune 500 companies, including a large pharmaceutical company. In 2003, Jeff was offered a position by then Pennsylvania Governor-elect Edward G. Rendell to serve as Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Productivity. In this capacity, he completed a vast array of cost reduction and service enhancement projects, including among other areas, reforms in the state Medicaid system. Jeff was subsequently elevated to serve as Special Assistant to the Governor, assuming responsibilities as the Governor’s aide and advisor on military, gaming, telecommunications, and healthcare issues. In this capacity, Jeff helped lead reforms in Pennsylvania’s long-term living system.
KYOKO MIURA
- Kyoko graduated from Wesleyan University in 2000 with a BA degree in Chemistry. Following graduation, she joined AstraZeneca K.K., Fukushima, Japan as a sales representative. In 2002 she moved to Qiagen K.K., the Japanese branch of a German biotech firm as an Oligo Specialist, designing area-specific marketing campaigns for Oligo DNA synthesis services and negotiating with production facilities in Japan and U.S. She left the firm in 2003 to participate in the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program. She has spent the last 2 years as a Community Development Officer in Senegal launching outreach programs for a hospital health education team, organizing hygiene classes in schools to prevent cholera epidemics,
  
  and establishing welfare funds for needy families.
P. (Mackenzie) MUDGETT
- Mackenzie graduated from Princeton University in 2001 with an AB degree in Microbiology. Following graduation she joined UBS Investment Bank, NY as a Corporate Finance Analyst in the Global Private Equity Placement Group, a product team which focuses on raising growth and acquisition capital privately for public and private companies. Her focus was in the health care sector. In 2004 she was offered a position at Atlas Venture, Waltham, MA as a Life Sciences Analyst. She built investment models, conducted due diligence and represented the firm’s interests to portfolio companies.
HAREESH V. NAIR
- Hareesh graduated from MIT in 2003 with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering. Following graduation he accepted a position with Becton, Dickinson and Company in their Technology Leadership Development Program. He rotated among three projects in three locations around the country. He was able to participate in every aspect of the development cycle from initial research to launch stage project leadership to next-generation development. He served as recruiting captain for several top universities in an effort to get top notch talent for the firm.
NAOKO ELIZABETH NISHITANI
- Naoko graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1998 with majors in Biology and Psychology. Following graduation, she joined the UCLA Diabetes Center and spent a year as an Assistant Program Coordinator of a genetic study of risk factors for diabetes and atherosclerosis. In 2001 she joined ZS Associates, Princeton where she was promoted twice. In her most recent role with the firm, she acted as project manager and lead consultant on pharmaceutical client engagements, including sales force sizing and strategy, territory alignment, personnel optimization and primary market research. She worked on several engagements in Japan, facilitating the firm’s entry into the Japanese Market.
MANEL OLIVA-TRASTOY, PH.D.
- After completing two years of medical studies at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, Manel completed the General Biology program with an Associates Degree. He completed a Masters in Engineering and Biology at the National Institute of Applied Sciences, Toulouse. In 2006 he was awarded the PhD degree in Biology from Paris XI University, Orsay, France. While completing his scientific training he was a scientist in several biomedical research institutes including the French Atomic Energy Commission ( CEA). At CEA he and his colleagues made a discovery which will improve the molecular basis of cancer progression. The results will be published in a biomedical journal.
G. (Carter) PAINE
- Carter graduated from University of Virginia in 2002 with a BS degree in Commerce. Following graduation, he joined Jeffries and Co., NY as an Analyst and later as an Associate, he was an integral part of deal teams helping healthcare companies and other clients to obtain and structure financing. Carter served as the firm’s recruiting captain for his alma mater.
DARSHAN V. PRABHU
- Darshan graduated from McGill University in 2001 with a BE degree in Chemical Engineering. Following graduation, he joined Michelin North America, Nova Scotia, Canada as a Area Industrial Engineer in the Continuous Improvement Department. He was promoted to Manufacturing Engineer and then to Business Unit Leader in Production, responsible for leading a team to execute the organization’s key project industrialization strategy and attain the current business plan commitments. Due to his strong interest in moving into health care, he was selected to conduct a cost benefit analysis of external vs. internal provincial medical treatment options and propose alternatives to Michelin’s health cost management systems.
KEVIN PYUN
- Kevin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001 with a BA degree in Biology. Following graduation, he joined L.E.K. Consulting, Boston where he was involved in over 20 client engagements within the life sciences practice of international strategy consulting. Clients included companies in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical diagnostics. In 2004, he accepted a position with Morgan Stanley as an Associate with the biotechnology equity research team, providing real-time coverage and investment recommendations for 20 stocks.
ERIC K. REDLINE
- Eric is a 1999 Honors graduate of St. Joseph’s University where he majored in Marketing. Following graduation, he joined Accenture, Philadelphia as a Senior Consultant working on IT engagements for pharmaceutical clients. In 2002 he moved to ImpactRx, a promotion research organization for the pharmaceutical industry. As Senior Account Manager and more recently, Senior Manager for Business Development, Eric educates clients about the firm’s services, identifies up-sell opportunities and participates in product development.
EMILY K. RIZZA
- Emily graduated from Bowdoin College in 2002 with a major in Physics. Following graduation, she joined Boston Biomedical Consultants, a firm that provides strategic consulting and market research for In-vitro Diagnostics product manufacturers. As a Senior Market Analyst, she managed 20 projects examining and forecasting developments in IVD market segments. She constructed a novel immunohematology database for five companies across four geographic segments. As the firm’s Latin American Specialist, she moved to Buenos Aires in August 2005 where she is more closely investigating the IVD market while maintaining many of her senior responsibilities at her firm.
FREDERICK (Fred) RONNAU
- Fred is a 1999 Honors graduate of the University of Arizona where he majored in Systems Engineering. Following graduation, he joined UGS Corporation, Dallas, TX as an Engineering Consultant where he provided consulting services for the installation and integration of a product lifecycle management application. From 2000 to 2003 he was a Consultant/Project Manager at Intel Corporation. He managed projects for a variety of large company clients related to the integration of IT applications. In 2003 he accepted a position with Deloitte Consulting, Foster City, CA where he worked on major IT engagements for managed care and academic medical center clients.
AMIT B. SHAH
- Amit is a 2003 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard University where he majored in Economics. He has completed three years of Penn Medical School and is completing the program as a joint MD/MBA candidate. Amit has worked on several projects related to his strong interest in private sector involvement in global health development. He interned at the UN in the Summer of 2005 where he developed themes for a Caribbean HIV/AIDS Conference. He also worked on a World Bank supported HIV/AIDS project with the St. Vincent Ministry of Health, working in a local hospital, speaking at rural clinics, and meeting with key players in the HIV/AIDS area. Amit served as medical director of United Community Clinics in West Philadelphia, a student-run free clinic.
SHAFINA SHEHNAZ
- Shafina is a 2001 Honors graduate of Wellesley College where she majored in Economics. Following graduation, she joined L.E.K. Consulting in Boston. She was promoted twice to the consultant level. During her four years with the firm she has conducted disease-based market analyses, built financial models to forecast revenues and value companies and products, and managed project teams. She has also led associate recruiting for the firm and was selected to design and implement a staff training program to strengthen analytic skills.
BRIAN W. SMITH, PH.D.
- Brian is a 1998 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in Materials Science. He completed a PhD in Materials Science in 2001, also at Penn. In 2001 and 2002, he was a Research Associate at Boston University School of Medicine studying protein binding. From 2002 to 2004, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Materials Science and Engineering designing and performing experiments that investigated the structures and properties of nanoscale materials. In 2004 he was offered a position as a Staff Scientist at Fox Chase Cancer Center responsible for conceiving, planning, and executing multidisciplinary experiments to develop nanotechnology-based cancer treatments. Brian has fifteen peer-reviewed publications and has presented his research at many scientific meetings. He was successful in obtaining NCI funding for his research.
JAMES STANFORD
- James is a 1998 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Princeton University where he majored in English. Following graduation he spent a year with Lipper & Co., a publishing and film production company, writing coverage of film festivals and theatre, managing public relations, and submitting screenplays and books for potential film acquisition. In 1999 he started Folkestone Productions, a company which produced original documentaries, commercials, videos and advertising. Projects included a film about the dot com boom and bust and a film about the new generation of leaders in South Africa. He also partnered with ad agencies to create radio and TV, print and display ads, direct mail and web pages for major corporate clients. In 2003 he joined The Advisory Board Company as Associate Director in Marketing and Sales. He was promoted to Director in the firm’s Academies Faculty in 2004. In this role, he teaches leadership development and management classes to hospital and health system executives, directors, and managers.
ALLISON ELIZABETH SYDLASKE
- Allison graduated from Dartmouth College in 2003 with a BA degree in Mathematics. Following graduation she joined The Lewin Group, a Washington, DC based health care consulting firm with a special focus on state and federal financing programs. As a Research Analyst, she was responsible for managing a team tasked with evaluating and comparing Medicare drug benefit plans, designing a model to size the market for new Medicare drug plans, designed innovative ways to compare commercial prescription drug formularies, and created a paper tool for Medicare beneficiaries to estimate savings by enrolling in the new drug benefit plans(the client printed a million copies of it).
MEENA D. THEVER
- Meena is a 2000 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tufts University where she majored in Economics. She completed a Master’s degree at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 2006. From 2001 to 2003 she was an Investment Banking Analyst at JPMogran writing private placement memoranda, organizing road shows, creating investor presentations and working with managing partners at leading private equity firms. From 2003 to 2004 she was a Private Equity Analyst at CSFB analyzing direct investment opportunities and assessing track records, management teams and portfolios of different funds. She has held several health policy internships including the Fulbright Commission, the White House, Office of the Vice President, and Senator Kerry’s Office. She wrote and published “Health Care For All”, a comparative analysis of the Canadian and American health care systems, proposing methods of achieving universal coverage.
FERNANDO TORRES
- Fernando graduated from Cornell University in 2000 with a BS degree in Business Administration. Following graduation he joined Servidyne Systems, an information technology solutions provider and engineering consulting firm. He was promoted to Assistant Manager of Business Development managing handheld applications for clients. In 2003 he joined Bearing Point (formerly KPMG Consulting), a firm focusing on systems integration and management consulting. As a consultant he worked on a variety of client engagements involving the application statistical techniques and business analytics to marketing tactics.
KATHERING (Katie) VAHLE
- Katie is a 1999 honors graduate of the University of Illinois where she received a BS degree in Biology. She completed an MS degree in Biotechnology at Northwestern University in 2000. After completing her masters, she joined Maxygen, Inc., a biotech company which uses its proprietary technology to discover next generation protein therapeutics. As Business Development Analyst she supported business development efforts to out-license drug candidates to pharmaceutical partners. From 2003 to 2004 she was Business Development Manager for the NUgene Project, a large patient registry containing unique combinations of genetic and historical medical information sponsored by Northwestern University. She was responsible for developing and implementing a business plan for the project including pursuing and identifying external partnerships, leading market research efforts, and exploring licensing opportunities. In 2004 she joined Integrated Project Management consulting firm. As Project Manager, Katie worked on engagements for biotechnology companies assisting internal project teams to manage high priority drug development programs.
CHRISTOPHER VANDERWARKER
- Chris is a 2000 Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Washington where he majored in English. He completed three years of Penn Medical School and is attending the program as a joint MD/MBA candidate. Chris was a Research Assistant with Partners In Health/Program for Infectious Disease and Social Change, a group which provides care for HIV/TB-resistant patients in Russia, Peru, Haiti and inner-city Boston. He spent several months conducting research at the Harvard AIDS Institute before joining the World Health Organization Director-General Elect transition team as an Analyst. He worked on several projects including a public-private partnership to respond to SARS and an executive training program and leadership development strategy.
EUGENE YEH
- Eugene graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 2001 with a BA degree in Biology. Following graduation, he joined Chevron Texaco as a finance and accounting analyst. Aspiring to gain knowledge of strategic challenges in the medical field, he moved to the Monitor Group in 2002. At Monitor, he worked on strategy engagements for a variety of clients, including a long term franchise strategy for a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company. In 2004, he accepted a position with Siemans Venture Capital. As an Analyst he determined the investment potential of new business opportunities to deploy over $40M annually across Medical and Corporate Funds.
DANIEL (Dan) YIP
- Dan graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 1999 with a BA in Biology. He completed an MPH degree in 2003 at Berkeley. He joined GlaxoSmithkline in 2000 as a Senior Pharmaceutical Sales Representative in the respiratory sales division. While completing his MPH studies, he was an intern in the managed care marketing group at Genentech. He joined Genentech full time in 2003, first as an Associate Product Manager and then as a Product Manager since 2004. He was responsible for managing medical education programs for the launch of Rituxan into the competitive rheumatology market and for all medical educational initiatives for the brand.
SALEEM J. ZAFAR
- Saleem is a 2001 Honors graduate of Texas A & M University where he majored in Engineering Science. Following graduation, he joined Eli Lilly as a Sales Representative. He worked with physicians, pharmacists and patients to improve diabetes care and served as the product champion in two major drug launches. He also developed a tool to help sales reps better target customers and save time. He was promoted to Brand Operations Associate in 2005 where he worked with sales teams to create and implement the sales force strategies and managed the budget across three national sales forces.
CHUNHONG ZHANG, PH.D.
- Chunhong graduated from TianJin University, China in 1997 with dual degrees in English and International Management. She completed a Masters in General Linguistics in 2000 at the University of International Business and Economy, Beijing, China. She completed a PhD degree in Counselor Education at Purdue University in 2005. She completed an internship in Marriage and Family Therapy at the Counseling Center, Lafayette , IN in 2003. She also did an internship at the Purdue Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy Clinic. From 2000 to 2004 she was a Project Coordinator and Teaching Assistant with the Child Development and Family Studies Department at Purdue working on research grants related to child development and teaching social research methods. She completed a doctoral clinic internship at Western Psychiatric Institute in Pittsburgh in 2004. She then worked as a Family Therapist at Family Resources in Pittsburgh. Her most recent position was with Seton Hill University, Pittsburgh where she was an Hill Adjunct Professor teaching a graduate course in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program.
THOMAS C. ZIPP
- Thomas graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 2000 with a BA degree in Biology. Following graduation he joined Marketing Plus, San Francisco, a strategy consulting firm servicing the medical device industry. His main responsibilities were conducting primary and secondary research for custom projects. In 2001, he accepted a position with Plan A, a strategy consulting firm focused on the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. He has worked on a variety of engagements related to franchise planning, creating forecast models to support business development efforts, and market assessment.

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