Insight from experts who understand the power of academic research

Ultimately, the future of UVA's Coulter Center for Translational Research rests on the quality of our Oversight Committee.

UVA's Coulter Center for Translational Research is extremely fortunate in having secured the active participation of a diverse group of outstanding individuals—senior scientists and clinicians, serial entrepreneurs, and industry leaders—who are deeply engaged in the Coulter process and are generous contributors of time, resources and expertise.

  • Peter Caravan, Coulter Oversight Committee

    The Coulter Oversight Committee selects projects for funding and helps steer the direction of the UVA- Coulter Translational Partnership.

     

  • Keren Ziv, Coulter Oversight Committee

    Oversight Committee members provide advice and insight and share their extensive relationship of industry contacts. Thanks to their experience, they are perceptive critics of our teams' work, able to see potential that might be hidden from less seasoned observers.

  • John Lazo, Coulter Committee

    The insight and experience of the Oversight Committee is critical both to the success of the program and the progress of the individual projects we fund.

     

Coulter Center Oversight Committee

  • Heidi Gillenwater, M.D.

    Heidi Gillenwater, M.D.

    Senior Medical Director, Juno Therapeutics (a subsidiary of Celgene)

    At Juno Therapeutics, Dr. Gillenwater is developing a suite of immunotherapy treatments for cancer. Prior to joining Juno, she was medical director at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Amgen, and a faculty member in hematology/oncology at UVA.

  • Bruce Littlefield, Ph.D.

    Bruce Littlefield, Ph.D.

    Distinguished Scientist and Head | Translational Medicine | Global Oncology | Eisai Inc.

    With a career straddling the academia/industry interface, Dr. Littlefield’s main research activities have been in natural product-based cancer drug discovery, development and translational research, including initiating and leading preclinical efforts at Eisai that resulted in FDA approval of eribulin (Halaven®) for certain patients with advanced breast cancer and liposarcoma. A key current research focus is exploring the biological intersection between cancer therapy and the host immune system.

  • Matt Link, Ph.D.

    Matt Link, Ph.D.

    Healthcare Executive | Board Member | Venture Investor

    Senior executive and business strategy leader with a track record of above-market revenue growth and margin expansion. Experienced global general manager with demonstrated leadership in all functional areas, including commercial, R&D, marketing, operations, strategy, and corporate development. Expertise in driving product and commercial market leadership, cross-functional collaboration, leading business transformation initiatives, and scaling inspired teams.

  • Sharon Presnell, Ph.D.

    Sharon Presnell, Ph.D.

    President, Amnion Foundation

    Before Amnion Foundation, an organization dedicated to developing a national, public stem cell bank, Dr. Presnell was simultaneously president of Samara Sciences and CSO of Organovo Holdings,

  • Rich Chylla, M.B.A., Ph.D

    Rich Chylla, M.B.A., Ph.D

    executive director, UVA Licensing and Ventures Group (LVG)

    Rich has extensive experience in licensing and technology commercialization in both academic and industry settings. He has amassed career accomplishments with top-tier organizations including the University of Michigan and BASF Corporation. He also has broad international experience having worked in various technical roles with Johnson Polymer in Singapore, Japan, and the Netherlands.

  • Kate Taylor, Ph.D.

    Kate Taylor, Ph.D.

    Global Innovation Program Manager, Boston Scientific

    Dr. Taylor is the global innovation program manager at Boston Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of medical devices used in interventional medical specialties. Before coming to Boston Scientific, she worked for a variety of drug delivery and medical device companies including Medtronic.

  • Keren Ziv, Ph.D.

    Keren Ziv, Ph.D.

    VP of operations and research, Corsalex

    Dr. Ziv is the VP of operations and research at Corsalex, a company with a mission to identify, fund, and develop promising projects to treat C9-ALS/FTD. Among her previous roles, she was chief scientific officer at CytoMag, a microfluidic systems company, and a senior director at X37, an AI aided drug discovery company.