The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Los Angeles for 2022

The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Los Angeles for 2022. Over the past few years, Los Angeles has enjoyed a rise in prominence in the healthcare technology industry. It is increasingly the home of new startups, and in October 2021, the 20,000 square foot office of BioscienceLA opened in Culver City to serve as a "headquarters" for the many bioscience startups, entrepreneurs, and researchers scattered across Los Angeles County. The exceptional leaders on this year’s list and the companies they represent show that Los Angeles already has an incredibly dynamic, innovative healthcare technology industry.

Some of the distinguished leaders on this year’s list include John Beaver, President and CEO of BIOLASE, whose laser dental systems provide clinically superior results for many types of common dental procedures, restoring and repairing dental anatomy, alleviating pain, and reducing fear and anxiety in patients. Meanwhile, CEO Mark McDonough’s PierianDx is enabling clinicians and medical facilities to advance clinical genomics programs and modernize patient care by curating the world’s genetic knowledge and providing sophisticated analysis tools to its customers. And CEO John Kilcoyne’s JenaValve Technology is developing the first transcatheter heart valve technology that is uniquely designed for the minimally invasive treatment of both severe aortic regurgitation and stenosis.

This year’s honorees and the companies they lead are helping to put Los Angeles on the healthcare technology map, which has for so long been dominated by cities like Boston and New York City, with their revolutionary solutions to healthcare’s biggest problems. In specialties as wide-ranging as dentistry, plastic surgery, lung imaging, and cardiovascular disease, among many others, these leaders are guiding their companies to success and bettering patient outcomes across the healthcare industry. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Los Angeles for 2022.

 

1. Joe Kiani
Company: Masimo
Title: Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer

Joe Kiani is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Masimo. Masimo is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures innovative noninvasive patient monitoring technologies, including medical devices and a wide array of sensors. For more than 30 years, Masimo’s innovative medical technologies and noninvasive patient monitoring solutions have been solving “unsolvable” problems. Powered by the Masimo Hospital Automation™ platform, Masimo connectivity, automation, telehealth, and telemonitoring solutions are improving and automating care delivery both in the hospital and beyond. The result is a portfolio of clinically-proven products that lead the way in innovation, performance, and patient safety by giving health care providers the information they need to optimize clinical decision making.

Kiani first joined Masimo in 1989. He earned a master’s degree and an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from San Diego State University.

 

2. John Rush
Company: North American Scientific
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

John Rush is the President and Chief Executive Officer of North American Scientific. North American Scientific is a leader in radiation therapy products and services in the fight against cancer. Its innovative products provide physicians with tools for the treatment of various types of cancers. It includes Prospera® brachytherapy seeds and SurTRAK needles and strands used primarily in the treatment of prostate cancer. In addition, the company plans to commercialize its ClearPath multi-channel catheter breast brachytherapy devices in 2007, which are the only devices approved for both high dose and continuous release, or low dose, radiation treatments. The devices are designed to provide flexible, precise dose conformance and an innovative delivery system that is intended to offer the more advanced form of brachytherapy for the treatment of breast cancer.

Rush has over 39 years of experience in the medical device sector. Before joining North American Scientific, Rush was President and CEO of Sanarus Medical, a leading developer of minimally invasive medical devices for diagnosing and treating breast disease. Before that, he was the President and CEO of Micro Therapeutics.

 

3. John Beaver
Company: BIOLASE, Inc.
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

John Beaver is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BIOLASE, Inc., a medical device company and global market leader in the manufacturing and marketing of proprietary dental laser systems that enable dentists and dental specialists to perform a broad range of minimally invasive dental procedures, including cosmetic, restorative, and surgical applications. BIOLASE's laser systems are designed to provide clinically superior, patient-friendly results for many types of common dental procedures compared to those achieved with traditional instruments. The company’s purpose is to restore and repair dental anatomy, alleviate pain, and reduce fear and anxiety related to dentistry in order to improve patient quality of life. BIOLASE enables its customers to elevate their standard of dental care and improve patient outcomes through laser technology.

Beaver first got his start in 1981 as a cost accountant at Monsanto. From there, he went on to Borden Chemicals and Plastics, before eventually serving as CFO for Silicor Materials, his most recent position prior to joining BIOLASE, Inc. Beaver graduated from the University of Texas with an undergraduate degree in accounting.

 

4. Matt Thompson
Company: Endologix
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Matt Thompson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Endologix. He first joined the company in 2016 as Chief Medical Officer. Endologix LLC is a California-based, global medical device company dedicated to improving patients’ lives by providing innovative therapies for the interventional treatment of vascular disease. It has a therapeutic portfolio designed to treat diseases which currently have clinically relevant unmet needs. Its existing products can treat a wide spectrum of vascular disease through abdominal aortic aneurysms to lower limb peripheral vascular disease. Endologix obtains excellent clinical outcomes through meticulous attention to product design, manufacturing, and training, all backed by industry-leading clinical evidence. With a robust pipeline of disruptive technology, Endologix’s vision is to continue to focus on developing groundbreaking therapies to solve today's most critical unmet needs in vascular care, and broaden the company’s focus into other areas of vascular disease.

Previously, Thompson was a professor of surgery at St George's, University of London. He earned an MD from the University of Leicester, a master’s degree in medicine from the University of Cambridge, and an undergraduate degree in medicine from Queen Mary University of London.

 

5. Mark McDonough
Company: PierianDx
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Mark McDonough is the Chief Executive Officer of PierianDx, a partner in precision medicine, enabling clinicians and medical facilities to advance clinical genomics programs and modernize patient care. It curates the world’s genetic knowledge and provides sophisticated analysis tools so clients can deliver concise, easy-to-interpret clinical reports. With over two decades of experience, PierianDx is a pioneer in developing clinical applications for genomics. It believes in the potential of genomics to transform human health, and is working to ensure that communities anywhere can experience the benefits. With advanced interpretation technology connected to the most comprehensive genomic knowledgebase, Pierian empowers providers with genomic insights to fulfill the promise of precision care.

Before joining PierianDx, McDonough was President and CEO of Immunis.AI, and before that, President and CEO of CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with EMC Corporation as an account executive. McDonough graduated from Miami University with an undergraduate degree in finance.

 

6. Johnson Lau
Company: Athenex
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Johnson Lau is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Athenex, a global specialty oncology pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of next generation therapies for cancer diseases and supportive therapies. It is leading the development of NKT cells for cell therapy treatment of cancers. Athenex is dedicated to delivering innovative drugs that can have a life-changing impact on cancer patients. Its business includes medical technology innovation centers and a unique manufacturing supply chain across both China and North America. Through the connected innovation and manufacturing supply chain presence, Athenex can identify, develop, and deliver proprietary medical technology across continents and multiple regulatory environments. Athenex’s goal is to become a global leader in bringing innovative cancer treatments to the market and improving the health outcomes of cancer patients.

Lau is currently a board member of both AiViva Biopharma and Avalon Biomedical Management, and he formerly served as Chairman of XenoBiotic Laboratories. He graduated from The University of Hong Kong with an MD as well as an undergraduate degree in surgery.

 

7. Bassil Dahiyat
Company: Xencor
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Bassil Dahiyat is the Chief Executive Officer of Xencor. Xencor Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on discovering and developing engineered monoclonal antibodies and cytokine therapeutics to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Xencor applies proprietary protein engineering technologies to develop better biotherapeutic antibodies that target new biological mechanisms and are more potent, safer, and longer lasting in order to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Xencor’s products target immune checkpoint receptors, promote tumor-selective T-cell activation, and develop next generation antibody product candidates. Xencor’s XmAb Fc domains provide enhanced performance or new structures, like cytokine-Fc fusions, throughout a broad portfolio of more than 20 proprietary and partnered therapeutic antibody and cytokine programs in clinical development for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious disease.

Dahiyat first joined Xencor in 1997. He earned a PhD in chemistry from Caltech, as well as both a master’s and an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.

 

8. Todd Zavodnick
Company: Dermavant Sciences
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Todd Zavodnick is the Chief Executive Officer of Dermavant Sciences, a specialty biopharmaceutical company developing innovative prescription therapies for dermatologic diseases. Dermavant, a subsidiary of Roivant Sciences, has acquired promising compounds that address unmet therapeutic needs and has rapidly established a robust dermatology R&D pipeline. The company’s medical dermatology pipeline includes commercialized, late-stage, and early-development product candidates that target specific unmet needs in two of the fastest growing immuno-dermatology markets — plaque psoriasis and atopic dermatitis — as well as other immunological and inflammatory diseases. Dermavant is dedicated to realizing the full potential of biomedical research and to developing and commercializing novel first-in-class or best-in-class therapies that improve patients’ lives. Its mission is to make healthier skin a reality for the millions of people around the world living with chronic skin conditions.

Before joining Dermavant Sciences, Zavodnick was President and Chief Commercial Officer at Revance Therapeutics, Inc., and before that, President International at ZELTIQ. Earlier in his career, he worked with Alcon, a Novartis company, as Director of the Hospital Sales Division and worked his way up to President of Alcon China and Mongolia. Zavodnick graduated from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas with an MBA, and from Rutgers University with an undergraduate degree in pharmacy.

 

9. Ron Menezes
Company: Sientra, Inc.
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Ron Menezes is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sientra, Inc. Sientra offers leading transformative treatments and technologies focused on progressing the art of plastic surgery and making a difference in patients’ lives. With unrivaled safety, state-of-the-art science, and exceptional service – paired with unparalleled partnerships with plastic surgeons – the Sientra portfolio of proprietary innovations radically advances how plastic surgeons think, work, and care for their patients. The company’s core breast products segment includes its state-of-the-art Sientra breast implants and its ground-breaking dual-port breast tissue expander, AlloX2®. In addition, the Sientra portfolio also includes BIOCORNEUM®, the #1 performing, preferred, and recommended scar gel of plastic surgeons; and miraDry, the only non-surgical, FDA-cleared device indicated for the permanent reduction of underarm sweat and hair that may also reduce odor.

Previously, Menezes served as Global Product Manager at Eli Lilly. From there, he went on to Pfizer, before eventually rising to President and General Manager at Almirall, his most recent position prior to joining Sientra, Inc. Menezes graduated from Brigham Young University with an undergraduate degree in international business.

 

10. John Kilcoyne
Company: JenaValve Technology, Inc.
Title: Chief Executive Officer

John Kilcoyne is the Chief Executive Officer of JenaValve Technology, Inc. JenaValve Technology, Inc. is a clinical-stage medical device company developing the first transcatheter heart valve technology—transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) systems—that is uniquely designed for the minimally invasive treatment of both severe aortic regurgitation and stenosis. The company's systems utilize a porcine pericardial tissue and self-expanding nitinol frame with a transfemoral delivery system that does not require rapid pacing because of an anatomically-based locator fixation and dual sealing valve design, thereby providing ease of use, reduced risks of paravalvular regurgitation and durability of patient hemodynamic outcomes to patients. The company is in clinical development of its next-generation transfemoral TAVR system in both the U.S. and CE mark countries for treating patients with aortic stenosis and/or aortic regurgitation.

Kilcoyne first joined JenaValve in 2019. Previously, he was CEO of ReVisionOptics, and before that, President and CEO at Micrus Endovascular Corporation. Earlier in his career, he served as CEO of Endonetics and Solace Therapeutics. He received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.

 

 

11. Jason Kirkness
Company: 4DMedical
Title: Senior Vice President

Jason Kirkness is Senior Vice President of 4DMedical, the medical technology company responsible for the XV Lung Ventilation Analysis Software – the breakthrough lung imaging technology that quantitatively measures the patterns of regional lung function in a four-dimensional and highly visual manner.

Kirkness joined 4DMedical in 2020 as Vice President of Medical and Clinical Affairs. Before 4DMedical, he was Director of Clinical Affairs at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, and before that, CTO at respEQ. Earlier in his career, he worked with The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine as an Instructor of Medicine and was also an Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University. Kirkness graduated from the University of Sydney with a PhD in medicine, and from Western Sydney University with an undergraduate degree in biology.

 

12. Mark Herrema
Company: Newlight Technologies
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Mark Herrema is a Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Newlight Technologies, a biotechnology company producing advanced sustainable materials. Over 10 years of research and development, Newlight developed a biotechnological process to harness microorganisms found in the ocean to convert greenhouse gas into a meltable energy material found in all living things: a naturally-occurring, biocompatible material that can be used to make fibers and solid parts, and help reduce the flow of carbon and synthetic plastic into the environment. Currently, Newlight captures methane from a dairy farm in California. The methane is transported to a bioreactor before it is mixed with air and interacts with enzymes to form a polymer trademarked as AirCarbon.

Herrema’s company has earned several honors and recognitions over the years, including "Innovation of the Year" by Popular Science in 2014 and "Technology Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum in 2015. Herrema graduated magna cum laude High Honors from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and political theory.

 

13. Carl St. Bernard
Company: CeloNova BioSciences, Inc.
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Carl St. Bernard is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CeloNova BioSciences, Inc. He first joined the company in 2019. CeloNova BioSciences, Inc. is an innovative global medical device leader transforming the treatment of cardiovascular disease and promoting positive outcomes in patients around the world. It has a strong product development and commercialization history, bringing multiple products to market in the U.S. and Europe. CelaNova develops, manufactures, and markets a family of products based upon its novel Polyzene™-F nanocoating technology. CeloNova aims to be an expert partner to medical device OEMs looking for proprietary coating technologies that enhance biocompatibility and drug delivery while providing anti-inflammatory, thromboresistance, and pro-healing properties.

Previously, St. Bernard was President and CEO of Tryton, and before that, Vice President, Americas at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Marion Merrell Dow as an account manager. St. Bernard earned an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, and an undergraduate degree in economics and business from Lafayette College.

 

14. Brian Lee
Company: PBS Biotech, Inc.
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Brian Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of PBS Biotech, Inc., a biotechnology company that designs and manufactures the industry's most technologically-advanced single-use bioreactors and disposable vessels and bags. Offering low shear, fast cell culture mixing and ease of scale, the PBS product family allows biotech firms worldwide to gain operational efficiencies, cost savings, process flexibility, and accelerate time to market in developing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), proteins (non-mAbs), viruses and vaccines, stem cells, personalized medicine, and more, including the fast growing biosimilar market. The PBS team of scientists and engineers partners with its customers to provide an optimum and innovative bioprocess solution to their lab through production needs. Employing an easy-to-use and plug-and-play configuration, PBS bioreactors are fully scalable from 3 liters to 2,500 liters.

Before joining PBS Biotech, Inc., Lee was a principal scientist at Amgen. Earlier in his career, he worked with Merck as a ​​senior research fellow. Lee graduated from Michigan State University with a PhD in biochemistry, and from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with an undergraduate degree in bacteriology.

 

15. Chris Sharp
Company: Skye Biologics, Inc.
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Chris Sharp is the Chief Executive Officer of Skye Biologics, Inc., a medical equipment manufacturing company. It is relentlessly committed to maximizing therapeutic potential by harnessing the power of human biology to treat patients suffering from degenerative disease, damaged tissue, injury, and trauma. Employing innovative science, Skye is discovering and developing breakthrough therapeutics that optimize the repair process and lead to organized advanced healing with minimal scarring. Its novel approach begins with a platform of naturally advanced human biological material from which it has unraveled the code of complex molecules, isolating and applying them to treat a multitude of conditions across a range of surgical and non-surgical specialties – orthopedics, spine, sports medicine, chronic and complex wounds, plastic surgery, urology, gynecology, and general surgery.

Before Skye, Sharp served as manager of business development at Purolator. From there, he went on to Clearant Inc., before eventually founding and serving as CEO of Osprey Biomedical Corp., his most recent position prior to joining Skye. Sharp graduated from EU Business School – Barcelona with a MBA in finance and marketing, and from Carleton University with an undergraduate degree in sociology and anthropology.

 

16. Matthew Haller
Company: RxSight, Inc.
Title: Chief Technology Officer

Matthew Haller is the Chief Technology Officer of RxSight, Inc. He first joined the company in 2013. RxSight® is an ophthalmic medical technology corporation that has commercialized the world’s first and only adjustable intraocular lens (IOL) that is customized after cataract surgery. Its RxSight Light Adjustable Lens system, comprised of its RxSight Light Adjustable Lens (LAL), RxSight Light Delivery Device (LDD), and accessories, is the IOL technology that enables doctors to customize and optimize visual acuity. Its LAL is made of photosensitive material that changes shape in response to patterns of ultraviolet light generated by its LDD. Its RxSight system helps surgeons perform a standard cataract procedure to implant the LAL, and then uses the LDD to modify the lens with the visual correction needed for the patient’s vision outcomes. The company’s mission is to revolutionize the premium cataract surgery experience by allowing surgeons to partner with patients to achieve optimized results for every unique eye.

Previously, Haller was a senior program director at Medtronic, and before that, he founded PocketEcho. Earlier in his career, he worked with Burroughs as a fiber optic engineer. Haller earned a PhD from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

 

17. Ming-Chou Lee
Company: Exagen Inc.
Title: Chief Technology Officer

Ming-Chou Lee is the Chief Technology Officer of Exagen Inc., a patient-focused, discovery-driven, CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory with a growing menu of proprietary, internally developed tests focusing on the area of rheumatology and autoimmune diseases. Exagen’s portfolio of innovative products enable timely differential diagnosis, prognosis, management, and optimization of therapeutic intervention. Committed to personalized medicine, its products are specifically designed to provide objective information to physicians and patients for more accurate, efficient diagnosis and better disease management.

Before joining Exagen Inc., Lee was Vice President of Molecular Diagnostics Product Development at Prescient Metabiomics, and before that, Senior Director at ArcherDX, Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Industrial Technology Research Institute as a group leader. Lee graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a PhD in molecular biology, from Texas Tech University with an MS in microbiology, and from National Chung Hsing University with an undergraduate degree in plant pathology.

 

18. Willis Lee
Company: Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc.
Title: Chief Operating Officer

Willis Lee is the Chief Operating Officer of Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative treatments and therapies primarily for rare and orphan diseases. It is initially focusing its product development efforts on Sickle Cell Disease. Its lead product candidate, Endari, is an oral pharmaceutical grade L-glutamine treatment that demonstrated positive clinical results in its completed Phase 3 clinical trial for sickle cell anemia and sickle ß0-thalassemia. ​​Endari has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA and Orphan Medicinal designation from the European Commission. Endari’s safety profile was like the placebo, and it was well-tolerated in pediatric and adult patients alike. Emmaus Life Sciences is now extending its efforts to include conditions and diseases affecting larger populations, such as diverticulosis.

Lee first got his start in 1986 as a staff scientist at SAIC. From there, he went on to MicroUnity, before eventually rising to business development manager at MKS Instruments, his most recent position prior to joining Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. Lee graduated from the University of South Carolina with an MS in physics, and from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with an undergraduate degree in physics.

 

19. Venkat Yepuri
Company: ImmPACT BIO
Title: Chief Operating Officer

Venkat Yepuri is the Chief Operating Officer of ImmPACT BIO. He first joined the company in 2022. ImmPACT Bio is dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies for cancer patients who have exhausted their treatment options. Its technology is designed to precisely distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells, thereby eliminating tumors without damaging normal tissues. ImmPACT Bio’s goal is to eradicate tumors without generating the severe side effects that are difficult, sometimes impossible, for cancer patients to endure. ImmPACT Bio explores next-generation CAR-T cell therapies to improve outcomes for patients.

Previously, Yepuri was Vice President of Global Business Solutions and Chief Procurement Officer at Amgen, and before that, he co-founded and served as CEO of 1StopMD. Earlier in his career, he worked with COHR Inc. as VP of International Operations. Yepuri earned an MS in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and an undergraduate degree in electronics and communication from Delhi College of Engineering.

 

20. Marinela Gombosev
Company: SPARK Neuro
Title: Chief Operating Officer

Marinela Gombosev is the Chief Operating Officer of SPARK Neuro, a leading applied neuroscience company that collects and quantifies data to create machine-learning based brain health biomarkers for better clinical care and therapeutic discovery. SPARK’s Drug Development Dashboard provides intelligence on drug behavior at the earliest stages, saving time and money throughout the course of drug development. SPARK is one of the only companies combining EEG, GSR, Facial Coding, and Eye Tracking for the most comprehensive measures of attention and emotion. Taking its research abilities even further, SPARK Neuro is now the only company of its kind using neuroscience to understand audience engagement utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS employs headgear similar to EEG that gives researchers the ability to see which areas of the brain are being activated and what that means for persuasion and decision-making. After two years serving Fortune 100 clients, these achievements further solidify SPARK Neuro's position, not only as a pioneer in audience engagement and measurement for advertising and entertainment companies, but as the leading force pushing the larger neuroanalytics industry forward.

Before joining SPARK Neuro, Gombosev was President and CEO of Evoke Neuroscience, and before that, a program manager in R&D at BIT Analytical Instruments GmbH. Earlier in her career, she worked with Parker Hannifin as a flight controls electronics engineer. Gombosev graduated from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School with an MBA, and from the University of California – Irvine with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering.

 

21. Deanna Harshbarger
Company: Cala Health
Title: Vice President of Product

Deanna Harshbarger is the Vice President of Product at Cala Health, a bioelectronic medicine company transforming the standard of care for chronic disease. The company’s wearable neuromodulation therapies merge innovations in neuroscience and technology to deliver individualized peripheral nerve stimulation. The first indication for Cala Health’s wearable therapy is essential tremor, a disorder experienced by more than seven million people and characterized by severe hand tremors. With the Cala Trio therapy, the world’s only non-invasive, drug-free, wrist-worn treatment, patients experience meaningful temporary tremor relief after a 40-minute wrist-worn treatment, enabling them to regain daily activities independently and confidently.

Harshbarger first got her start in 1997 as a chemical engineer for Ashland Chemical Co. From there, she went on to PolyOne Corporation, before eventually rising to Global Director of Multiple Daily Injection Systems at Medtronic, her most recent position prior to joining Cala Health. Harshbarger graduated from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management with an MBA in marketing and strategy, and from Case Western Reserve University with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering.

 

22. Jeff Dunklin
Company: Lucence
Title: Vice President, Sales

Jeff Dunklin has dedicated his career to specialty diagnostics in both reproductive and oncology genomics at respected organizations such as Genzyme Genetics, Natera, Cooper Genomics (previously Recombine), and Lucence Health. Dunklin joined Lucence in 2020 as VP, Commercial. As the company’s first hire in the Commercial Division, he was tasked with building the U.S. commercial infrastructure, developing the go-to-market strategy, and hiring the core commercial leadership team, among many other duties to support the sales team and a successful commercial launch. With the infrastructure in place, he transitioned to VP, Sales, where he hired and led the company’s national sales team. Since launch, Lucence has experienced triple-digit growth quarter over quarter and is becoming a major player in a very competitive space.

Previous to Lucence, Dunklin earned multiple President’s Club and other performance awards for individual efforts at Natera, Recombine, and Genzyme Genetics. He has a sincere passion and drive to bring care to those in need while delivering it with a laser focus on the patient and customer experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science in physiology from the University of Florida.

 

23. Nitin Arneja
Company: Beta Bionics
Title: Senior Director, Head of Information Technology

Nitin Arneja is a business technology leader who partners with executive management teams and other stakeholders to plan, design, and execute effective technology strategy to enable the company’s business strategy. He has experience working at Fortune 500 companies and startups as well as scaling startups.

At present, Arneja is the Senior Director, Head of Information Technology at Beta Bionics. Beta Bionics is a medical device company focused on improving the quality of life for people living with type 1 diabetes. Arneja is establishing the mission and vision of the IT organization to foster business oriented, data driven culture and mindset. He is focused on establishing and executing IT strategy that will support the business growth, security, innovation, and customers and communities Beta Bionics serves.

Prior to Beta Bionics, Arneja led the Global Medical Information Systems team at Amgen. Before that, he served as Chief Information Officer at ZPower, where he launched technology solutions to protect, run, transform, and innovate the business. Earlier in his career, he held various leadership positions at Boston Scientific, Avery Dennison, Medtronic, and Accenture. Arneja earned an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship and an undergraduate degree in Management of Information Systems (MIS) from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.

 

24. Tariq Salim
Company: Provivi, Inc.
Title: Senior Vice President – Global Operations

Tariq Salim is the Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Provivi, Inc. He first joined the company in 2019 as VP of Global Supply Chain. Provivi is a principles-based company with a mission to apply state of the art technologies to improve the lives of farmers across the globe and help them achieve their aspirations. Its focus is to create a new foundation for safer, affordable, and sustainable crop protection based on pheromones for integrated pest management. Pheromones are natural products used by insects of the same species to mediate mating. Their application allows for the control of deleterious pests while preserving beneficial insects. Provivi's patented production methods enable a step change in the cost of manufacturing pheromones, allowing use of this proven tool in large-acreage crops such as corn, rice, and soy. Provivi’s groundbreaking research is transforming innovations in biotechnology and chemistry into effective, affordable solutions to significant insect problems.

Previously, Salim was Director of Manufacturing and Global Logistics at Phenomenex (A Danaher Company). Earlier in his career, he worked with SLMC as an operations manager. Salim earned an undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California.

 

25. Nadia Agopyan
Company: Marker Therapeutics, Inc.
Title: Senior Vice President

Nadia Agopyan is Senior Vice President of Marker Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. Marker’s cell therapy technology is based on the selective expansion of non-engineered, tumor-specific T cells that recognize tumor associated antigens and kill tumor cells expressing those targets. Marker’s products are significantly less expensive and easier to manufacture, appear to be markedly less toxic, and are associated with meaningful clinical benefit. As a result, Marker believes its portfolio of T cell therapies has a compelling therapeutic product profile, as compared to current gene-modified CAR-T and TCR-based therapies. Marker is also advancing a number of innovative peptide- and gene-based immuno-therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and metastatic disease, including its program for breast and ovarian cancers, and its peptide antigen program in Phase II clinical trials. In parallel, Marker is developing a proprietary DNA expression technology named PolyStart™ to improve the ability of the cellular immune system to recognize and destroy diseased cells.

Before joining Marker Therapeutics, Inc., Agopyan served as Global Regulatory Affairs lead at Kite Pharma, Inc. and Baxter Bioscience. Earlier in her career, she worked as a research scientist for several organizations, including Tohoku University, Baylor College of Medicine, and Mount Sinai Hospital, and was an assistant professor at both the University of Toronto and Duke University. Agopyan graduated from McGill University with a PhD in physiology and neurophysiology and an undergraduate degree in physiology.