Speaker Biographies

Gwyn Bebb is Senior Vice President, Global Head of Oncology at Parexel where he leads the company’s global oncology strategy, oversees high-impact clinical programs, and drives innovation in cancer treatment. Before joining Parexel, Gwyn was a Clinical Research Medical Director at Amgen, where he shepherded a first-in-class bispecific T-cell-engaging immunotherapeutic molecule through to Phase III trials and a novel small-molecule inhibitor through early to late transition. Gwyn also spent 20 years in clinical research as a professor of medicine and oncology at the University of Calgary. In this role, he established the Precision Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics program. He also served as director of the Clinical Trials Unit at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. He also founded the provincial Glans-Look lung cancer database to examine associations between real-world patient outcomes and the molecular markers being studied by his students. Gwyn completed his internal medicine residency at the University of British Columbia and medical oncology fellowships at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. He has a medical degree from the University of Oxford, a doctorate in Molecular Pathology from the University of British Columbia, and an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Jamil joined SV in 2024 as a Partner on the Biotech team and currently sits on the board of AdvanCell. Jamil is a life science investor and company builder focused on advancing break-through science into transformational medicines for patients. Prior to joining SV, Jamil was a Partner at 5AM Ventures, a US-based life sciences venture fund, where he was responsible for investing in biotech companies across therapeutic areas and modalities and ranging from company creation to later, clinical-stage companies. Over his career, Jamil has been involved in over twenty private financings, seven public offerings, and three M&A transactions. He has operated in six venture-backed startups and contributed to the advancement of multiple FDA approved products. Select investments and operating roles include Akouos (NASDAQ: AKUS, acquired by Eli Lilly), Aprea (NASDAQ: APRE), Kinaset Therapeutics, Nido Biosciences, RallyBio (NASDAQ: RLYB), Sage Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SAGE), Transave Inhalation Therapeutics (merged with Insmed) and several stealth biotech startups. Jamil brings a wealth of entrepreneurial and operational expertise from his time building companies like Sage Therapeutics and Nido Biosciences.

Eric Burak is the Chief Technology Officer of Fusion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (a Member of the AstraZeneca Group) where he has been responsible for all CMC and supply chain, quality, non-clinical development for Fusion’s radiopharmaceutical programs. Overall, Eric has more than 30 years of pharmaceutical research and development experience in both biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. Eric was Fusion’s founding Chief Scientific Officer in 2017, where he led all internal research efforts. Prior to joining Fusion, Eric held various positions including Chief Scientific Officer for the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization and Vice President of Preclinical and Early Clinical Development at Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was responsible for preclinical R&D, manufacturing and clinical operations. Eric holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Temple University and a BSc in Chemistry from Drexel University.

Kevin DeGeeter has rejoined Ladenburg Thalmann as a Managing Director in our Equity Research department, effective June 2025. In this role, Kevin will lead equity research coverage of oncology, infectious disease, and cell therapy companies, focusing on businesses with market capitalizations ranging from $50 million to $5 billion. Kevin brings over 20 years of experience in both buyside and sell side research, with a strong track record in biotechnology and molecular diagnostics. Prior to rejoining Ladenburg Thalmann, he was an Analyst at Oppenheimer & Co., where he covered small-cap molecular diagnostics and biotech stocks. His career also includes roles at J.P. Morgan, PaineWebber, Natexis Bleichroeder, and Manning & Napier Advisors. In addition to his research credentials, Kevin served as CFO of Nabsys, a life science tools company that was later acquired by Hitachi Ltd. Kevin holds a BA in Economics from Colgate University.

Munir Ghesani, MD, FACNM, FACR, FSNMMI, serves as the Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer of United Theranostics in Princeton. He has completed training in internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic radiology. Previously, Dr. Ghesani held the position of Systems Chief of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York and continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. With over 25 years of dedicated experience, Dr. Ghesani is actively involved in clinical practice, research, clinical trials, and education, with a primary focus on nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and innovative targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies. His expertise has earned him recognition from Castle Connolly as one of the Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area, along with numerous other accolades in the field of nuclear medicine. Dr. Ghesani has contributed to over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of a comprehensive three-part book on nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. He is also a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered more than 200 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Ghesani has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his career, holding significant roles such as the Past President of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), Past President of the Education and Research Foundation of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Past Chairman of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine, Past Chairman of the Government Relations Committee and the FDA Task Force of the SNMMI, and Past Chairman of the Nuclear Medicine and PET Accreditation Committee of the American College of Radiology. His commitment to mentorship was recognized in January 2020 when he received the ACNM Personal Best Mentor of the Year award. He has also been honored as a Fellow of the American College of Nuclear Medicine (FACNM, 2006), the American College of Radiology (FACR, 2018), and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (FSNMMI, 2023).

Dr. Brian Goodman has spent the past decade as an entrepreneur and investor in biotech. Before joining Vida, he was a Partner at MPM BioImpact and served on the investment committee of the BioVentures Fund where he focused on company creation as well as traditional venture investments. Dr. Goodman is a co-founder of Aktis Oncology (and currently serves as an Advisor to the company) and ReNAgade Therapeutics (acquired by Orna Therapeutics). He served on the board of directors of Orna Therapeutics, Seawolf Therapeutics, and Antiva Biosciences. Dr. Goodman has played key leadership roles at portfolio companies during the early stages of development, including leading Business Development at Orna and ReNAgade and serving as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Business Officer at Aktis Oncology. Prior to joining MPM BioImpact, he cofounded Evelo Biosciences (IPO), led the innovation and technology team there, and was a Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering. He has worked across a diverse span of science, drug discovery and development including RNA medicines, nonviral nucleic acid delivery, radiopharmaceuticals, the microbiome, and extracellular vesicles and is an inventor on multiple patents. He holds a PhD in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from Harvard Medical School, and BS and BA degrees in biochemistry and economics, respectively, from Brandeis University.

Rachel Humphrey has over 25 years of experience in clinical drug development, particularly in the field of cancer treatments and immunotherapies. Currently she serves as President and Founding CEO of Normunity, a Boston-based biotech focused on immune-oncology. Highlights of her career include leading the development of multiple blockbuster cancer therapies: the CTLA-4 inhibiting immunotherapy Yervoy® (ipilimumab) at BMS, the PD-L1 inhibiting immunotherapy Imfinzi® (durvalumab) at AstraZeneca, and the kinase inhibitor cancer drug Nexavar® (sorafenib) at Bayer. After working at these big pharmaceutical companies, Rachel took her drug development expertise to emerging biotech companies, where she served in the role of Chief Medical Officer at Black Diamond Therapeutics, CytomX Therapeutics and Mirati Therapeutics, respectively. She previously served on the Board of Directors of CytomX Therapeutics and Xilio Therapeutics, respectively, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pyxis Therapeutics and Sporos Bioventures. Rachel started her career as an oncology fellow and staff physician at the National Cancer Institute. She received her training in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, her MD from Case Western Reserve Medical School, and her BA from Harvard University.

Jeff Jones is a Managing Director and Senior Analyst covering Biotechnology at Oppenheimer. He covers ~20 small to mid-cap biopharma companies, principally in the oncology and I&I spaces, and leads Oppenheimer’s coverage of the targeted radiopharmaceutical space. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, Jeff Founded and ran One Health Advisors, LLC which provided strategic advisory services for the human and animal biopharma sector. Prior to founding One Health, Jeff served in a variety of roles within biotechnology companies, including Vice President of Business Development at Aratana Therapeutics and Chief Operating Officer at Pharmathene. Jeff received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. He also holds an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Manoja Ratnayake Lecamwasam, PhD, MBA is the System Vice President, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences Innovation at CommonSpirit Health. In her role managing the IP function, Dr. Lecamwasam provides leadership and guidance to develop IP-related strategic and operational initiatives for CommonSpirit Health and manages a team of IP professionals who are responsible for the evaluation, protection and commercialization of CommonSpirit Health’s IP and internal innovations. Dr. Lecamwasam also leads the Strategic Innovation functions’ evaluation of innovative life sciences products and services prior to their introduction to CommonSpirit Health stakeholders. Currently, Dr. Lecamwasam is the Chair of the CommonSpirit Life Sciences Innovation Council and is an executive member of the PCORI Health System Implementation Initiative (HSII) Grant Steering Committee at CommonSpirit. Additionally, Dr. Lecamwasam is the Board Chair of the CommonSpirit Precision Medicine Alliance (PMA) which was established to provide system-level support for current and future precision/personalized medicine-based decision support tools/innovations and best practices in the CommonSpirit Health regions and markets. Previously, Dr. Lecamwasam served as the Executive Director, Intellectual Property and Strategic Innovation for Dignity Health. Prior to joining Dignity Health (then Catholic Healthcare West), Dr. Lecamwasam served as a Senior Licensing Manager and Licensing Associate in the Office of Corporate Sponsored Research and Licensing at Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners Healthcare. Dr. Lecamwasam holds a PhD degree in Molecular Microbiology from Tufts University School of Medicine, MBA from the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, MSc degree in Molecular Biology from Northeastern University, MA and a BA with honors in Biology from Mills College in Oakland, CA.

Lori Lyons-Williams currently serves as President and CEO at Abdera Therapeutics, a clinical stage radiotherapeutic company. Prior to Abera, Lori was President and COO at Neumora Therapeutics and earlier served as chief commercial officer at Dermira until a successful exit to Eli Lilly. She has a commercial leadership background and spent 15 years at Allergan where she was a general manager and launched many indications for BOTOX. Lori serves as chair of the board of RAPT Therapeutics and as independent director on the Contineum Therapeutics board of directors. Lori was Pre-Med at Virginia Tech and holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Melissa McCracken, PhD, joined Nextech Invest Ltd. in 2019. Melissa is a scientist by training with a passion for emerging technologies in cancer therapies. Melissa is a board member of TYRA Biosciences (NASDAQ: TYRA), Alpha-9 Oncology, AIRNA, Alterome Therapeutics, Ambagon Therapeutics, A2 Biotherapeutics, Be Biopharma, K36 Therapeutics and a previous board member of ImaginAb and board observer of ProfoundBio, Silverback Therapeutics (now ARS Pharma NASDAQ:SPRY) and IconOVir Bio. Melissa was a Kauffman Fellow in Class 25. Prior to Nextech, Melissa was a senior associate at Third Rock Ventures focusing on scientific due diligence, partnership development and new company formation in oncology and immunology. Melissa helped build and launch Celsius Therapeutics (now AbbVie), a company focused on discovering precision therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune. Melissa has also worked within larger biotech organizations completing multiple internships in research and development at Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN). Melissa holds a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from University of California, Davis, a PhD in molecular and medical pharmacology from University of California, Los Angeles with her research focused on engineered immunity for cancer. Melissa also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where her research focused on immuno-oncology.

Michael J. Partsch has over 34 years of experience in venture investing and start-up company development in the life sciences industry. During those years he has developed a highly refined skill at forming and interacting with entrepreneurial management teams, particularly excelling in the area of university-based spinouts. Mike’s venture capital experience spans four firms: Accuitive Medical Ventures, Versant Ventures, EDF Ventures, and the CEO Venture Fund. Additionally, Mike was selected as a Kauffman Fellow, a two-year post-graduate fellowship in venture capital sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation. In 2018, Mike became the inaugural Chief Venture Officer at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). In this role, he manages a venture fund and portfolio exceeding $200 million while leading new initiatives focused on company creation. He currently serves on the boards of AIQ Solutions, Atrility Medical, Gregor Diagnostics, and Promiss Diagnostics. Previously, Mike founded AcceleMed Management, Inc., where he played multiple roles in the development of innovative medical device technologies. AcceleMed specialized in sourcing, founding, and managing early-stage medical device companies, with Nalu Medical (www.nalumed.com) being a notable example. Additionally, he served as an independent board member for MyoScience (Menlo Park). As a co-founder of Accuitive Medical Ventures (AMV), Mike was instrumental in devising the firm’s investment strategy, raising its first $55 million fund, and overseeing investments in 10 portfolio companies. At AMV, he focused on medical device investments, contributing significantly to companies like AcuFocus, MyoScience, and Neuronetics. He also played a key role in raising $105 million for AMV’s follow-on second fund, AMV II. Before AMV, Mike spent three years with Versant Ventures, a $650 million healthcare-focused venture fund. At Versant, he focused on medical devices, contributing to investments in IntraLase Corp. (NASDAQ: ILSE), Glaukos, Confirma, Cameron Health, AcuFocus, NeoVista, Inogen, and Second Sight. During his Kauffman Fellowship at EDF Ventures in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mike served as interim CFO of IntraLase Corp. (NASDAQ: ILSE) and founded HandyLab, Inc., which was later acquired by Becton Dickinson for $275 million. Continuing his persistent habit of working while going to school, Mike reviewed deal flow and performed due diligence at the CEO Venture Fund in Pittsburgh, while completing his MBA. Following his MBA, Mike contributed to entrepreneurship education as a co-developer and instructor of the James R. Swartz Entrepreneurship Boot Camp—a two-week intensive program for MBA students at Carnegie Mellon University. This bootcamp ran for three consecutive years, proving the value of this education for incoming MBA students at Carnegie Mellon University and was eventually incorporated in the university’s pre-MBA general curriculum. Mike's entrepreneurial journey began at the University of Pennsylvania, where he co-founded Neose Technologies as an undergraduate. After graduation, he continued as a scientist, helping lay the foundation for Neose’s early biochemistry projects. Neose went public in 1996 (NASDAQ: NTEC). Mike holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with a dual major in Biology and Philosophy of Science and a minor in Chemistry. He also earned an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, with dual concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

Dan Pryma, MD is Vice President, Global Clinical Development at Eli Lilly & Co overseeing clinical development of the radioligand therapy portfolio. He is a nuclear medicine physician and was previously the Gerd Muehllehner Professor of Radiology and Chief of the Division of Nuclear Medicine Imaging and Therapy at the Perelman School of Medicine as well as the Associate Director for Clinical Research of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Matthew Roden is President and Chief Executive Officer at Aktis Oncology, and a member of the Aktis Board of Directors. Matt is also an Executive Partner at MPM BioImpact and serves on the Boards of Directors of ORNA Therapeutics and a stealth NewCo. Matt’s career has spanned senior leadership roles in the biopharma industry, the healthcare equity capital markets, and in basic science as an immunologist and structural biologist. Prior to Aktis Oncology and MPM, Matt was a senior leader at Bristol Myers Squibb, serving as SVP and Head of Enterprise Strategy, as Head of Strategic Corporate Development, accountable for mergers and acquisitions, and as Head of Global BD Assessment, leading business development search and evaluation activities worldwide for all therapeutic categories. Matt served on the R&D Leadership Team representing External Innovation and led teams on business development transactions cumulatively valued at over $125 billion. Prior to his corporate leadership career, Matt was a leading equity research analyst covering the global biotechnology sector at UBS and J.P. Morgan. He holds a PhD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute. In his free time, Matt enjoys tackling home improvement projects and spending time with his family sailing or on the ski slopes.

Eduardo has over 15 years of business development and finance experience. Prior to joining RayzeBio, he served as Executive Director of M&A at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he executed multiple strategic transactions, including the acquisition of RayzeBio. Prior to BMS, Eduardo spent over a decade at GE executing various BD transactions, including in the Pharma Diagnostics and Radiopharma sectors. Eduardo is a graduate of the University of Brasília (Brazil) and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Laura Tadvalkar is a Managing Director on the Venture Team at RA Capital Management. Laura primarily works on new company creation and early-stage investments, and serves as a Board Director for Be Biopharma, Hemab Therapeutics, Hyku Biosciences, and Typewriter Therapeutics. Prior to RA, Laura was a Principal at MP Healthcare Venture Management. Prior to MP, she was a Consultant at Clarion Healthcare. Laura holds a BS in Chemistry from Yale University and a PhD in Chemical Biology from Harvard University.

Geoff Towle is an accomplished executive with two decades of experience in bringing innovative cancer care solutions to market.  He joined Novartis in 2023 to build and scale the U.S. Radioligand Therapy (RLT) business, overseeing full P&L responsibility for commercial and medical functions.  Geoff now serves in a global enterprise leadership role, driving RLT Therapeutic Area Strategy across the organization to unlock the full potential of RLTs in transforming cancer care.  Previously, he spent over a decade at Astellas, where he was instrumental in building the Oncology business unit to become the company's largest and fastest-growing segment, now generating $8B in annual revenue.  Geoff holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science from Bryant University.  He is an active leader in the radiopharmaceutical community, serving as a Board Director for the Council on Radionuclides & Radiopharmaceuticals (CORAR) and as Board Co-Chair for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Value Initiative Industry Alliance.

John Wu, PhD is a Managing Director and Partner in BCG’s Boston office, where he leads the Biopharma sector in North America. He combines strategic acumen with deep scientific expertise to help global life sciences clients address their most critical R&D and organizational challenges. John has advised multinational pharmaceutical and biotech companies on enterprise and R&D strategies across oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and rare diseases. He is BCG’s topic expert on advanced modalities, including cell and gene therapy, gene editing, antibody–drug conjugates, protein degradation, and radioligand therapies. His work spans R&D strategy, portfolio optimization, clinical trial acceleration, regulatory transformation, due diligence, and operating model redesign. A molecular biologist and biophysicist by training, John holds a PhD in Engineering and Physical Biology from Harvard University and a BS in Biology from MIT. He has authored multiple first-author publications in Cell and PNAS on genome organization and epigenomic regulation.

Elcin Zan, MD is the Chair of Nuclear Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Elcin focuses on exploring the full potential of Radiopharmaceutical Therapies in oncology to meaningfully improve patient outcomes in clinic and research. Elcin and her team develop AGI tools to study the collective intelligence of cancer from cells to body-wide networks integrating pathology and PET diagnostics.